( Physical contact is such a rarity for him that even in these moments of desperation it strikes him as odd to have another living thing actively touch him in a way that isn't malicious in nature. Not to say that he doesn't inspire it on the rare occasions that it occurs, but it's an uncommon thing to stumble, however infrequently, in the darkness and find a hand at his elbow, hovering somewhere above the broad stretch of his back, to anticipate the twist of Rey's ankle in the rise of an exposed root and jerk her away from it. He tries not to let her slow him down, never mind that she is the one who reaches out for him and catches him at the wrist as the ground gives way so sharply underfoot that he drops to one knee and slides.
Kylo's glove is slick with water and mud, and he can feel himself beginning to slip through her grip like a fraying knot even as the decayed branch comes apart in her other hand, bloodies her knee and shin. He twists his palm in the circle of her fingers last minute, so that when the jerk comes from the sturdier of the two branches and saves them a trip over the edge of the canyon, Rey's grip is more secure and finds a stronger purchase, palm to palm and fingers locked vice-like around one another. The whiplash of the abrupt halt is enough to pull him back down into the mud, the backs of his thighs finding purchase before he springs up again, mindful of the fact that he is much heavier than she is, that if he allows gravity to pull him down he will take them both down without question.
Her voice is a roar in his ears, and he gets the impression that even if he were unable to hear her, he would know exactly what she was saying to him. He drops her hand as if it had burned him.
A certain degree of focus is required, and he actively clears his mind while whipping his head back around to search out the hillside. He doesn't anticipate the clarity with which he determines their path out but it doesn't take him by surprise when it becomes abundantly clear which way to go. Kylo wastes no time in shouting back at her. )
That way! ( He steps around her with great care, mindful of the ground's precarious position this close to the edge, and secures his foot enough to pull himself bodily upward. Kylo doesn't entirely trust her behind him, halfway waiting for her to bury her saber in his back, but he climbs and once or twice looks back to make sure that she isn't slipping, doesn't need some form of assistance. She doesn't, of course, but he still calls down to her - ) Incoming. ( - when he senses something large coming their way before the ground shakes and the trees tremble and the rounded body of a TIE fighter sans-wings comes careening through the forest and over the ridge they just tumbled down at a speed that launches it into the canyon rather than allowing it to roll down the hill. It isn't until the resulting explosion has engulfed the far side of the canyon in flames that he realizes he never once actually opened his mouth, slipped instead into her mind to warn her without thinking about it. )
/dries your tears with many syllabi
Kylo's glove is slick with water and mud, and he can feel himself beginning to slip through her grip like a fraying knot even as the decayed branch comes apart in her other hand, bloodies her knee and shin. He twists his palm in the circle of her fingers last minute, so that when the jerk comes from the sturdier of the two branches and saves them a trip over the edge of the canyon, Rey's grip is more secure and finds a stronger purchase, palm to palm and fingers locked vice-like around one another. The whiplash of the abrupt halt is enough to pull him back down into the mud, the backs of his thighs finding purchase before he springs up again, mindful of the fact that he is much heavier than she is, that if he allows gravity to pull him down he will take them both down without question.
Her voice is a roar in his ears, and he gets the impression that even if he were unable to hear her, he would know exactly what she was saying to him. He drops her hand as if it had burned him.
A certain degree of focus is required, and he actively clears his mind while whipping his head back around to search out the hillside. He doesn't anticipate the clarity with which he determines their path out but it doesn't take him by surprise when it becomes abundantly clear which way to go. Kylo wastes no time in shouting back at her. )
That way! ( He steps around her with great care, mindful of the ground's precarious position this close to the edge, and secures his foot enough to pull himself bodily upward. Kylo doesn't entirely trust her behind him, halfway waiting for her to bury her saber in his back, but he climbs and once or twice looks back to make sure that she isn't slipping, doesn't need some form of assistance. She doesn't, of course, but he still calls down to her - ) Incoming. ( - when he senses something large coming their way before the ground shakes and the trees tremble and the rounded body of a TIE fighter sans-wings comes careening through the forest and over the ridge they just tumbled down at a speed that launches it into the canyon rather than allowing it to roll down the hill. It isn't until the resulting explosion has engulfed the far side of the canyon in flames that he realizes he never once actually opened his mouth, slipped instead into her mind to warn her without thinking about it. )