( Dark eyes track the change in her expression, starting at her mouth and working its way up to the inclusion of her own eyes as she turns it on him. Kylo is already waiting with a slight quirk at the juncture of his lips, not really a smile or even a smirk but the beginning of an imitation of one, gathered together at the expense of being able to guess what she might say next based on the look stamped across her face. He isn't wrong, but the truth is that they're both thinking the same thing, thinking how ridiculous it sounds. Kylo might put more stock in the Force and its navigational properties than anyone other than the girl next to him or their separate masters lightyears away from one another, but there are some things that just seem absurd no matter how learned the pupil is.
Sensing awakenings and people and thoughts and feelings is one thing, but stealing glances into potential future events is another, and for as many things as he's seen and experienced and felt by way of the Force presenting itself to him in the way that Rey is suggesting - though never with the kind of convincing solidity that she expresses - there's still a measure of doubt to take into consideration. The paths that weave together, crisscross and overlap and run parallel but never touch, are infinite, and it's never an easy thing to determine what will happen, how it will happen, when it will happen. But Kylo sits with the knowledge as Rey presents it for a moment before choosing to respond, letting it settle down into his bones under the force - lowercase f - of her conviction before conceding the point. )
I've spared your life more than once in recent memory. ( Of all the times he could have killed her, or at least tried to, Starkiller stands out with the sharpest edge. He'd thrown her into a tree like a rag doll and could have done worse but hadn't. It's the deeper and darker purpose that Rey alludes to, and it wells up in him like the crescendo of a cymbal crash, gaining in volume and pitch until it's all but a loud roar in his ears. Understanding. Affirmation. He extended a hand toward her more than once upon their initial encounter and what he found there was enough to snag his attention and keep it fixed. It's with his face turned away, studying where the leather weaves together as his fingers interlock, that he admits it. ) If you think your assumptions and your vision sound insane, allow me to even the odds and say that I've never wanted you dead, and I'm sure you've been aware of the fact. Yes, I wanted something different from you when we met initially, and you made it abundantly clear that that was off the table - ( Kylo glances up and over at her, showing her the healed scar bisecting his face rather than gesturing to it. It has the benefit of catching her in the crosshairs of his attention but also the downside of drawing attention to himself as a result. Still, he doesn't glance away until the last moment. ) - but even then I felt the galaxy would be far less interesting without you in it. Regardless of what's changed or what might happen as a result of our shared circumstances, I still think that's true, and I still believe that I won't ever come to a point in time where I believe that your death would be beneficial.
( Having straightened in order to fold his hands together over the dejarik board, Kylo leans back into the bench and relaxes them somewhat, letting the tension instead manifest in the tight line of his shoulders and neck. Despite the severity of the admission, he feels better - and much worse - for having said it. It isn't something she's likely to be unaware of, but maybe it evens the odds between them somewhat, regardless of how much or how little stock he puts into the validity of what she's seen of what waits for them around future corners. )
All that aside, there's still the issue of when the Knights will choose to make an appearance, and how many of them will be in attendance when the time comes. ( This is easier. It is so much easier to talk about logistics than it is to admit that he prefers her alive and breathing. ) The man that I saw - and the man I believe that you saw - is a man named Dryx Ren. He's proficient in hand-to-hand combat and carries a weapon not unlike a vibroblade. He's also an unmitigated pain in the ass. He'll come. It's just a matter of whether or not he comes alone.
hahahahah well now i'm just sad that's not true
Sensing awakenings and people and thoughts and feelings is one thing, but stealing glances into potential future events is another, and for as many things as he's seen and experienced and felt by way of the Force presenting itself to him in the way that Rey is suggesting - though never with the kind of convincing solidity that she expresses - there's still a measure of doubt to take into consideration. The paths that weave together, crisscross and overlap and run parallel but never touch, are infinite, and it's never an easy thing to determine what will happen, how it will happen, when it will happen. But Kylo sits with the knowledge as Rey presents it for a moment before choosing to respond, letting it settle down into his bones under the force - lowercase f - of her conviction before conceding the point. )
I've spared your life more than once in recent memory. ( Of all the times he could have killed her, or at least tried to, Starkiller stands out with the sharpest edge. He'd thrown her into a tree like a rag doll and could have done worse but hadn't. It's the deeper and darker purpose that Rey alludes to, and it wells up in him like the crescendo of a cymbal crash, gaining in volume and pitch until it's all but a loud roar in his ears. Understanding. Affirmation. He extended a hand toward her more than once upon their initial encounter and what he found there was enough to snag his attention and keep it fixed. It's with his face turned away, studying where the leather weaves together as his fingers interlock, that he admits it. ) If you think your assumptions and your vision sound insane, allow me to even the odds and say that I've never wanted you dead, and I'm sure you've been aware of the fact. Yes, I wanted something different from you when we met initially, and you made it abundantly clear that that was off the table - ( Kylo glances up and over at her, showing her the healed scar bisecting his face rather than gesturing to it. It has the benefit of catching her in the crosshairs of his attention but also the downside of drawing attention to himself as a result. Still, he doesn't glance away until the last moment. ) - but even then I felt the galaxy would be far less interesting without you in it. Regardless of what's changed or what might happen as a result of our shared circumstances, I still think that's true, and I still believe that I won't ever come to a point in time where I believe that your death would be beneficial.
( Having straightened in order to fold his hands together over the dejarik board, Kylo leans back into the bench and relaxes them somewhat, letting the tension instead manifest in the tight line of his shoulders and neck. Despite the severity of the admission, he feels better - and much worse - for having said it. It isn't something she's likely to be unaware of, but maybe it evens the odds between them somewhat, regardless of how much or how little stock he puts into the validity of what she's seen of what waits for them around future corners. )
All that aside, there's still the issue of when the Knights will choose to make an appearance, and how many of them will be in attendance when the time comes. ( This is easier. It is so much easier to talk about logistics than it is to admit that he prefers her alive and breathing. ) The man that I saw - and the man I believe that you saw - is a man named Dryx Ren. He's proficient in hand-to-hand combat and carries a weapon not unlike a vibroblade. He's also an unmitigated pain in the ass. He'll come. It's just a matter of whether or not he comes alone.