( Kylo finds himself, inexplicably, waiting for the extension of her hand over the lip of rockface that juts out above him, not so high that he couldn't reach it if he stood on the balls of his feet but far enough that the stretch his leg encounters resonates within him like a drumbeat, a pulse, a jump of muscle on bone. He grits his teeth all the same - against the discomfort, the pressure, the acknowledgment of a weakness that accepting her assistance indicates whether she views it that way or not - and reaches for her hand on the tail end of a small boost, wedging his hand against the slope they have been climbing and lunging for her grip that way, the tip of his right foot catching against the loose gravel and pebbles and providing the resistance necessary to get him where he needs to be.
Rey is already speaking by the time he clears the the edge, not bothering to glance behind him to the darkness of the valley below that could have swallowed either one or both of them at any time. She might not have immediately rolled onto her back the moment that she pulled herself over to the topside of the outcropping they now occupy, but Kylo does. Having suspended his illusions of prideful superiority, having convinced himself that there is little point in providing her with the illusory facade of strength and invincibility when she can literally see through him all the way down to the marrow, feel what he feels, taste what he tastes, Kylo pulls himself the rest of the way onto their perch by dragging his right flank across the ground before turning over onto his back and lying prone, like a turtle. )
Yes. Terrific view. ( Stars have started to eek out of the purple-blue-black velvet of the night sky, little pinpricks of bright light winking from light years away. For one contemplative moment, punctured by the rhythm of his breathing, a winded, dragging sound that ends in one long exhale through his nose, Kylo wonders whether or not Snoke is peering at him through the permeating telescopic lens of his own power. It comes and goes as quickly as the wave of his hand toward Rey's back, though the echo of its presence doesn't fade so quickly. ) I'm admittedly not looking forward to the trip back down. ( He raises his head slightly from where it has fallen to the dusty ground to peer at her. ) Sit down before you fall down.
WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU HOW DARE YOU
Rey is already speaking by the time he clears the the edge, not bothering to glance behind him to the darkness of the valley below that could have swallowed either one or both of them at any time. She might not have immediately rolled onto her back the moment that she pulled herself over to the topside of the outcropping they now occupy, but Kylo does. Having suspended his illusions of prideful superiority, having convinced himself that there is little point in providing her with the illusory facade of strength and invincibility when she can literally see through him all the way down to the marrow, feel what he feels, taste what he tastes, Kylo pulls himself the rest of the way onto their perch by dragging his right flank across the ground before turning over onto his back and lying prone, like a turtle. )
Yes. Terrific view. ( Stars have started to eek out of the purple-blue-black velvet of the night sky, little pinpricks of bright light winking from light years away. For one contemplative moment, punctured by the rhythm of his breathing, a winded, dragging sound that ends in one long exhale through his nose, Kylo wonders whether or not Snoke is peering at him through the permeating telescopic lens of his own power. It comes and goes as quickly as the wave of his hand toward Rey's back, though the echo of its presence doesn't fade so quickly. ) I'm admittedly not looking forward to the trip back down. ( He raises his head slightly from where it has fallen to the dusty ground to peer at her. ) Sit down before you fall down.