( The sharp edges of broken glass hedge his vision as he bends to peer out the window with perhaps not enough sensory outpour dedicated to tracking the durability of the floorboards beneath him, if Rey's sudden snap to attention is anything to go by. Kylo turns just as the first word grabs his attention with a snag, half-expecting her to have spied the red dot of a rifle's sight along one arm or the high point of his forehead. Instead he finds the crook of one elbow caught in the strong curl of her hand and stumbles back off the course he had been taking at her forceful insistence. )
He - ( Is supposed to be something along the lines of hey or get off but she speaks over him and Kylo drags his feet back over the floor, away from the window. Behind him, something seems to slither down the interior of the wall, drawing his attention for a moment but not long enough for it to do anything other than make the floor groan again. His steps are slow, as instructed, and after a long moment he joins her on a more secure section of the second story.
Even the building seems to sigh in relief as, for once, he follows directions and takes careful steps where the imprint of her boots shows under the glow of the lamp, shadows jumping out of corners and stretching long-limbed along the walls. Kylo frowns at nothing in particular though the ire of his gaze settles more firmly on the floor and Rey's boots than anything else, his distaste practically palpable at being bossed around in any manner not at all dissimilar to the way he has ordered her about. )
All that scavenging for parts around half-collapsed structures must have paid off. ( It's supposed to sound scathing, but the urge to clear his throat of dust becomes too strong and instead it comes out sounding observant as opposed to anything productive like irritated or defensive. He clears his throat and throws his attention back into investigating the angles that the room throws, knowing that wherever they go risks trapping them alongside the Knight they are trying to trap in the first place. The mine seems like the best option, although it poses its own set of problems without even the threat of collapse, and Rey seems to pick up on them even when he can't feel her nosing around his idle thoughts and curiosities. His only response, for a moment, is to exhale and push his hair out of his face, thinking. ) Not enough to be confident in the decision, but I'm not exactly confident that we would be able to escape if one of the buildings collapsed either.
( That begs the question: what are they really trying to do? It hangs in the space between them, drawing dust with each breath and settling like a new layer both on skin and tabletop alike. Kylo sees no alternative other than the inevitable, operates under the assumption that not killing Ji here and now will only prolong the eventuality of her catching up to them again - with a greater number at her back. His mind skips immediately over the threat or possibility of surrender or abandonment here in the mines, where she will absolutely escape and live to fight another day, and goes straight for the jugular. The only world in which they walk away from this is a world in which Ji does not, and nothing about that notion sits irregularly with him. Knights have killed each other for as long as he's been a part of them, the survivors culling the initiates with brutal fervor. It's a wonder he and Ji haven't tried to kill each other before. )
If the mine itself is out of the question, I prefer the open air, at least initially. ( Kylo chances a quick glance over his shoulder, marking the entrance to the mine, calculating the distance mentally and committing it to memory based on sight alone. ) You're right, though. I thinking drawing her here and then backing her into one of buildings is our best chance. ( He looks back at Rey. ) You're lighter on your feet, and you can move better in structurally compromised buildings. It wouldn't be difficult for you to get the jump on her, trap her inside, if I pushed her there. We've hidden from her long enough. I'm not going to play coward and prolong the inevitable by continuing to hide.
no subject
He - ( Is supposed to be something along the lines of hey or get off but she speaks over him and Kylo drags his feet back over the floor, away from the window. Behind him, something seems to slither down the interior of the wall, drawing his attention for a moment but not long enough for it to do anything other than make the floor groan again. His steps are slow, as instructed, and after a long moment he joins her on a more secure section of the second story.
Even the building seems to sigh in relief as, for once, he follows directions and takes careful steps where the imprint of her boots shows under the glow of the lamp, shadows jumping out of corners and stretching long-limbed along the walls. Kylo frowns at nothing in particular though the ire of his gaze settles more firmly on the floor and Rey's boots than anything else, his distaste practically palpable at being bossed around in any manner not at all dissimilar to the way he has ordered her about. )
All that scavenging for parts around half-collapsed structures must have paid off. ( It's supposed to sound scathing, but the urge to clear his throat of dust becomes too strong and instead it comes out sounding observant as opposed to anything productive like irritated or defensive. He clears his throat and throws his attention back into investigating the angles that the room throws, knowing that wherever they go risks trapping them alongside the Knight they are trying to trap in the first place. The mine seems like the best option, although it poses its own set of problems without even the threat of collapse, and Rey seems to pick up on them even when he can't feel her nosing around his idle thoughts and curiosities. His only response, for a moment, is to exhale and push his hair out of his face, thinking. ) Not enough to be confident in the decision, but I'm not exactly confident that we would be able to escape if one of the buildings collapsed either.
( That begs the question: what are they really trying to do? It hangs in the space between them, drawing dust with each breath and settling like a new layer both on skin and tabletop alike. Kylo sees no alternative other than the inevitable, operates under the assumption that not killing Ji here and now will only prolong the eventuality of her catching up to them again - with a greater number at her back. His mind skips immediately over the threat or possibility of surrender or abandonment here in the mines, where she will absolutely escape and live to fight another day, and goes straight for the jugular. The only world in which they walk away from this is a world in which Ji does not, and nothing about that notion sits irregularly with him. Knights have killed each other for as long as he's been a part of them, the survivors culling the initiates with brutal fervor. It's a wonder he and Ji haven't tried to kill each other before. )
If the mine itself is out of the question, I prefer the open air, at least initially. ( Kylo chances a quick glance over his shoulder, marking the entrance to the mine, calculating the distance mentally and committing it to memory based on sight alone. ) You're right, though. I thinking drawing her here and then backing her into one of buildings is our best chance. ( He looks back at Rey. ) You're lighter on your feet, and you can move better in structurally compromised buildings. It wouldn't be difficult for you to get the jump on her, trap her inside, if I pushed her there. We've hidden from her long enough. I'm not going to play coward and prolong the inevitable by continuing to hide.