EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

[futurologists]

LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS Following guild Ophelia's first mission, after which the temporal shard was found and safely disposed of back on Headquarters, Guild Master Imogen informs them they've received a contract to help ease tensions in a land known as Hanabira, on an unnamed planet designated as Hathaway-484. However, the contract is from a third party and the Hanabirans themselves do not know about interdimensional travel, she explains, so it'll be best to announce Ophelia as visitors from a foreign land. Any strange appearances or abilities will be able to be brushed off as magic, as the Hanabirans are no strangers to things such as ogres and imps. They're given five days to look over the dossier, and then it's through the rift they go. Those who are new to rift travel may find themselves a bit dizzy on the way out, but overall, everything seems to have gone according to plan. Upon arrival, their magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see: Location reached: HANABIRA. No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area. » LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS A militaristic society that values strength. Main sources of income: mining, foresting, hunting, blacksmithing. Heavy matriarchal ideals. Empress NAMA resides at the HEAVENLY SUMMIT. Those who attempt to reach the Heavenly Summit, which turns out to be the name of a castle situated on the tallest mountain peak, will not make it very far. Empress Nama's guards have no time for foreign strangers attempting to enter the castle without an audience, and there are plenty of them. It looks like that plan of action is going to take some time to rethink. There's still much more to look at, though. In the Merchant's District, you can stock up on everything you'll need to blend in. A cursory look at all the clothing and it's clear that the Mountain Clan style focuses on a more powerful look, with broad shoulder accents and thick fabrics. Both men and women wear kimonos, but it seems men's fashion changes depending on their age and marital status. Time to figure out those backstories! There are several more items for sale as well, as long as you're willing to pay -- or if you're particularly good at sleight of hand. The Commoner's District, derogatorily called the Slums by some, is where many of the lower class Mountain Clan work and live. Those who don't have the coin to buy a space in the Merchant's District sell their wares here; they are at a lower price, but often of lower quality as well, unless you're particularly lucky. This is the most densely populated area of the Celestial Mountains, and also the most egalitarian. Here, both men and women must do the same work to provide for their families. However, you will still find that the prevailing cultural attitude supports the matriarchy. On the other side of town is the Noble's District, which is patrolled by guards on regular routes. Men on their own will arouse suspicion in this area, as will anyone in any garb but the noble disguise. Troublemakers will be asked to leave and unceremoniously escorted out. Those who manage to stay will be able to find conversation with the nobility, many of whom are high-ranking military leaders. The rest of the town belongs to the lower to upper middle class, who are friendliest to women or groups with at least one woman in them. Women's reactions to sole men may range from dismissive to awkward, although men alone are not in any danger of angry or violent reactions (as long as they don't provoke anyone). ▸ SPRING FESTIVAL After a bit of time for exploring, a new message flashes in front of recruits' eyes. New event scheduled: MOUNTAIN CLAN FESTIVAL. » INFORMATION: Analysis of all mentions of 'festival' since the arrival of OPHELIA suggests heavy HANABIRAN presence at this time, during which guild members may wish to gather intel. It appears as though Ophelia has arrived just in time for the Spring Festival, a yearly celebration in honor of the changing of seasons. Plum and cherry trees throughout the Celestial Mountains flower in white and pink blossoms, creating a cheerful atmosphere as the population goes about their daily business during the day. Workers view the flowers during their lunch and tea times, and nobles can be found strolling through gardens in the Noble's District at all times. In the early afternoon, food stalls begin to appear in the Merchant's District, and by the late afternoon, the festival is in full swing: dumplings, noodles, persimmons, and skewered meat are available at various stalls, as well as plenty of sake. Other stalls sell beautifully designed kites, fans, and kimonos, and as the sun begins to sink down, some stalls begin to sell incense-stick fireworks. There are also games to take part in, from the light-hearted collaborative ball game kemari, to an archery competition, the winners of which are rewarded with plums and sake. An old man near the archery competition invites any passersby to join him in a game of Go, and he'll even offer to teach foreigners the rules of the game. There is also a falconry competition for the nobles, but unless you have a disguise, you'll just have to content yourself with watching. With so many people milling around, it's a good time to ask questions and try to get a feel for the political opinions of the people of the mountain clan. They are all in favor of their empress ruling Hanabira, supporting the spread of their traditional culture over the more lax culture of the sea clan. If asked their opinions on how to ensure there is no war, suggestions will range from preemptively killing the sea empress and her army, to banishing them across the sea. It should be noted that the mountain clan is not especially known for their expertise in diplomacy. As the sky darkens, fireworks light up the sky. It's very beautiful, but also very distracting -- the perfect time for something to go wrong. ▸ AN AMBUSH The fireworks are loud, and everyone -- even guards milling around -- are looking skyward toward the display. No one notices the danger until it's too late. A scream pierces the air, and everything after that happens quick and sudden: people are running in all directions, panicked, trying to escape. Stands are knocked over and food goes flying through the air. A merchant struggles to reach her wife, caught across the fearful throng of festivalgoers. It's chaos. As the panicked crowd begins to thin, those of Ophelia who stay behind to help will see the cause -- women wearing clothes of the sea clan and masks covering their faces are laying waste to the festival ground. They begin to set stalls ablaze, and though they aren't targeting any civilians, a handful lay dead or injured, crushed by the panicked stampede. Guards rush in to stop the women, and they could probably use help; they will be trying to capture them, but if your character is killing an ambusher instead, please let the mods know with a link to the thread. For those who aren't the fighting type, there are plenty of other things to do -- direct traffic, try to rescue civilians from the stampede, or go find someplace to hide yourself. Once the immediate trouble is dealt with, the festival unceremoniously ended, the civilians drift back to their homes to begin a restless sleep. If your character hasn't found lodgings for the night yet, they'd better get that matter settled soon. The morning after the ambush, there is tension and unease in the air. The people of the mountain clan mutter about taking revenge or continuing peaceably; the ambush and its effect on their relations with the sea clan is the topic of the day. Was this an attack sanctioned by the Empress of the Crashing Wave? Were these sea people acting of their own volition? Does it matter? The festival grounds could use cleaning up, and tending to the injured can be a good way to ingratiate foreigners (that's you) to the mountain clan. Otherwise, the forests of the Celestial Mountains are open for exploration, or the Flowerlands and its farms below. ▸ OOC NOTES Welcome to the first mission of the season! Apps are now closed and will remain closed until the mission is over. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ. ▸ The festival and ambush lasts one IC day, after which characters may continue to explore. Areas currently open are the Land of Celestial Mountains or the Flowerlands. The Empire of the Crashing Wave will be introduced in the next log on 3 February. ▸ The Bounty Board is now live, as well as an items page. The February calendar will go live in late January. ▸ January AC will go up on 1 February. You will only need to supply one proof. February AC will require full activity.

Comments

[sololoquy]

Yes. That's right.

[He takes a moment to glance over his shoulder before looking back to her, like he is sharing a secret. He doesn't know Finn is near, but he does know that Poe is in the area somewhere. There's a brief pause where he picks up on his presence in the Force, and he holds it there as he speaks to Rey, causing him to look vaguely distracted.

In truth, it had been frightening and infuriating at the time, but he's moved well past it especially in light of the fact that he's finally found something worthwhile to share. Something that they could both use here. The allure of it is more than enough to chase his frustration away.]

But you had help. I had already given you half of the bridge, then. These women will do no such thing for you.

[He turns, still watching Poe in some far off corner of his mind.]

Do you remember how you did it?

[forcevisions]

[ his intent is as bare to her as if it were written across his face. he wants to keep this private. this, at least, she can feel grateful to him for. if nothing else, he takes seriously the delicacy of the situation with her friends, and her intention to preserve her relationship with them.

even the thought strikes her as wrong. if she's so certain what she's doing is the right thing, should she be so worried about losing them if they were to be discovered?

her guilt feeds further on the warm hum the picks up in her chest. adrenaline. anticipation. there's a selfishness in wanting this, in giving any quarter on her previous point. she had been right then, in what she'd said. he had nothing to teach her that she wanted to learn. only darkness. only pain.

but … she looks down at the unconscious attackers around them. doesn't she want that? it's easy to justify it: the mission will be easier if they have this information.

luke's voice echoes in the back of her mind: you didn't even hesitate. ]

Yes.

[ she forces his memory away. luke skywalker is not here. luke skywalker would not come to find ben solo, to repent. the only reason she's doing this at all is because of luke skywalker. if he had hesitated less—

she presses her eyes shut. she can feel the force wrapping itself around her. inside of her. she can feel it in him, too. that presence is a comfort, pressing too at the back of her mind. always. the one sure thing. beside them the fire burns bright, even though she is physically blind to it, and so do they. these women. ]

I feel … rage. [ but these are only the faintest impressions. she is leaning against them. if, perhaps, one of them had already created a connection, it would have been enough. it would have been a knife into the heart of that connection. but on its own, it's … inadequate.

her eyes open. she holds onto that feeling, trying to focus. ]

But I can't hear them, like I heard you. I can't see what brought them here.

[sololoquy]

[For a moment, he thinks she might back down. He can feel her misgivings, even if he can't necessarily pinpoint their source. The guilt is obvious. The adrenaline muddies everything else. He can feel her reach for the information, and something in his chest swells.

Pride? Maybe.]

You're overthinking it. Don't shy from it.

[He says it when she opens her eyes, but his tone is shockingly free of command. Its a form of reassurance, his voice soft in tone and full of both promise and temptation. There is a sense that he is fighting the urge to split his attention from being the lookout to demonstrate for her.

The demonstration will not encourage her to learn. She must find it herself. In an effort to teach without example, he starts to chew on his lip, struggling for an analogy that she will understand.]

Close your eyes. Concentrate. You are not crossing a bridge, or opening a door. You are digging a hole. There is something buried that you must reach.

[forcevisions]

[ the softness of his approach causes something to swell and burst in her chest; cool relief trickles through her veins, steadily spreading to her extremities. this is what she had been missing. this is ben, who had been with her there in the hut on ahch-to, who had heard her pain and shared it.

she focuses on her breathing, ragged with effort — first the physical, and now the Force. she holds tight to the threads that tie her to the woman behind him.

again she closes her eyes. and then she can hear ben's breath, too. and the woman's. she concentrates on the latter, pulls herself closer. in the abstract sense. slowly, she lifts her hand, as she had seen him do before.

that interrogation chamber feels far away now. if anything, she leans into his presence, delves into him for the answers that she doesn't have. her fingers extend, and she can feel the woman's mind open up to her. ]

So much hate … [ it almost sounds as though rey flinches away from it. or as though she would like to, more like. she doesn't waver now that she's there. ] For the false Empress. They want to destroy her. [ she tilts her head, confusion writ across her features. a furrow in her brow. ] But they don't serve the other. This was their choice.

[sololoquy]

[Without realizing, his breathing regulates to match her own as she delves inward to the other woman's mind. It isn't until he feels a vague scraping sensation that he realizes she is still holding onto his mind for purchase, like someone afraid to let go of their companion's hand inside a dark cave, for fear of losing them.

He comes to the conclusion about the same time she does, eyes widening a little in surprise. It wasn't that he had expected her to fail, but the fact that she's able to find their true motives amidst all the hate is more impressive than he wants to admit. He tries to digest the information and start to analyze it, but its impossible while Rey is still holding onto him and digging through the other woman's mind.

He reaches up absently for an invisible thread and tugs, snapping their mutual connection to the unconscious body on the ground with a pop that is only audible to them both.]

They wear her colors, but they do not serve her.

[The idea is -- honestly kind of unsettling for Kylo Ren, who has been under the yoke of the First Order for a few years now. They had ways of dealing with things like that.]

Perhaps they are not of her clan at all.

[forcevisions]

[ her eyes flutter open only when the connection breaks, surprise parting her lips. she looks up and over at him, lowering her hand. briefly she searches for some form of approval in him, but … she squashes that instinct quickly.

it has never gotten her anywhere. not with han solo. not with luke. ]

But someone who benefits from instigating all-out civil war between them.

[ it feels as good as she had imagined it might after seeing that vision — falling into step with him, like this. effortless. that could be dangerous. ]

The guard will need to question them. If they discover this, it may stop Empress Nama from reacting. [ in case it wasn't clear that she still prioritizes nonviolence, she raises one hand towards a crowd of the guards and shouts a quick, ] Hey! Over here!

[sololoquy]

[If she had allowed her curiousity to linger, she would indeed recognize some approval. It was difficult not to be a little smug, given that she had rejected his teaching out of hand twice, and yet still ended up needing him anyway. He is proud of both her and himself.

That approval (and all the positive feelings associated with it) evaporates when she tries to get the attention of the guard. As fast as he can react, he reaches up for grab her wrist and jerks it back down, hopefully before a guard or anyone else witnesses him manhandling a woman in their city.]

And how do you plan to explain your discovery to them, exactly?

[bruh you’re supposed to talk about the plan before you initiate.]

[forcevisions]

[ she lets out a disapproving sound in the back of her throat — somewhere between a scoff and a 'hey!' — as he pulls her hand down. she turns back to him, some petulance written across her features that just straight up does not like being cut off and interrupted. obviously she had a plan of her own. ]

I don't plan to explain anything. They're guards. [ she tugs her hand back so she can gesture around. ] They'll do their job, question their prisoners, and learn exactly what we did.

[ which is, at least, an interesting piece of perspective from rey: she didn't doubt the potential to get that information by other, less invasive means. she just saw an opportunity to expand her understanding and seized upon it.

perhaps she really is learning too much from him. she sighs as she adds, ]

They'll be more inclined to talk to us if they see we've helped with the chaos tonight.

[sololoquy]

And you trust every authority figure you know to come to the same conclusions you do?

[Don't even try to answer that, because he already has at least one example that says 'no'.]

And you expect them to come clean at the feet of loyalists to a ruler they despise?

[That hatred did not belong to him, it belonged to them. But she is right about one thing -- it will perhaps gain them favor with the mountain clan. But the potential of it is not enough on its own. Kylo Ren needs a guarantee.]

If this is the path, then we must force them to confess themselves, and not leave it up to chance.

[forcevisions]

[ yeah there went the vestiges of her feelings of uwu. just like that. right out the window.

he's just

so intense.

rey almost needs to take a minute to just process the vehemence here. and suddenly she's realizing, ah, yes, she's going to need to learn to be less reckless and impulsive if only because she's going to have to

teach kylo ren how to have a not crazy extremist thought process ?? ? apparently. deprogramming, y'all. or reprogramming, maybe. ~from a certain point of view.~ ]

Force them? How? [ she gestures down at them. ] By revealing ourselves, and hoping they believe that we can read minds? [ then she drops her hand and gets Real Serious like oh sweetheart i know you did Not just suggest — ] Or do you mean torture? [ that's what the first order would do, right? god she sounds like fucking poe but THE WORDS ARE OUT OF HER MOUTH NOW ]

[sololoquy]

[He rolls his eyes at the way she says it, exhaling out of his nose impatiently. Yes. Torture. What about it, little miss goody two shoes?]

I do not care how it gets done, only that you cannot hand over our only lead.

[Kylo Ren half-growls through gritted teeth, eyes flitting upward to check the guard's approach. Surely one of them had to be making their way over by now.

What he has in mind isn't actually torture, but he suspects her opinion on the subject will not chance. So he reaches for her shoulders with the intent to grab her, to force her to understand.

He stops short of actually touching her.]

--we could persuade them to tell the truth, with the Force. Before the guards take them.

[forcevisions]

[ words aren't even out of his mouth before she looks ready to come at him for what he's going to say. she can see it in the roll of his eyes. he's writing off her protest. it only gets worse. there's something patronizing about the way his hands hover at her shoulders, though —

he hesitates. well, not really. he launches from argument to argument, his frustration palpable, but he doesn't act. he bargains with her. which is, at least, a cousin to trying.

she huffs out her anger, her eyes darting to the side. instead of worrying about the guard, she instead feels for poe. she realizes as soon as she does it why she's doing it and she stops short, a sudden clawing panic in her throat.

no. no. this isn't the same as freeing herself from starkiller by turning some stormtrooper. this is —

the dark place on the island. it felt like gravity. like ben does, too. you went straight to the dark. her eyes are on ben's and she feels like she's slipping. like the ground under her feet is falling away.

is she even in control of this anymore? ]

Mind control. You're talking about mind control.

[sololoquy]

You've already seen their guilt!

[He's hissing now, the guards are too close and he feels her reaching for someone, or something -- he doesn't follow that trajectory, because he needs to focus everything he has on trying to convince her that he's right. He can feel her willingness to work with him slipping through his fingers, and he's doing everything he can to cling to it.

His fingers, still hovering over her shoulders, clench and flex with the effort of keeping them off her. He wants to shake her, to force her to see his perspective, but there is another yawning chasm waiting to swallow him if he goes down that path.

And -- it doesn't quite scare him, but its a commitment he isn't quite ready for this early in the mission. Not when there are still layers of this problem to figure out.]

Ensuring they confess could stop a civil war. Right now.

[Blame extremists, paint a picture, force them to work together. It was brilliant.]

[forcevisions]

[ it's too much. she can feel fissures opening up in her chest. she was so brave down there, below the island, yet she is paralyzed by her fear here and now. the threat of finn on the supremacy, of the future she had seen, makes the threat of the dark side that much more overwhelming. inevitable, even.

so much so that his logic, his perfectly reasonable logic, incenses her. she grits her teeth. she can't trust herself with it. there's a silent plea in the way she looks at him, begging the question of why he's making this so hard. why he can't just —see that it's splitting her apart.

she pushes her hands back into her hair, drawing a breath, and starts to nod. slow at first, then frantic. okay. okay, this is what they're going to do. ]

I've never done it while someone was ... unconscious. [ she glances down, centering her breathing. ] You'll have to help me.

[ preventing civil war. that's what she's doing. that's not the dark calling to her. she grounds herself in that, gathering her composure. it would be easier to believe if it weren't ben making the appeal. ]

[sololoquy]

[Shock dawns on his face almost instantly when she gives in, naked and stunning him to momentary silence. It is brief -- he recognizes that he does not have time to marvel at his accomplishment. That could be done afterward.]

Yes--yes. Come--

[He reaches to offer his hand to her hastily, imploring her to take hold of it. There was no guarantee it would do anything at all, but past experience with hand touching has taught him that, if it did work, it would be an excellent shortcut to explaining exactly what was in his mind.

Regardless of whether or not she takes hold, his other hand reaches out to the woman to grab hold of her mind. As it turns out, they don't need to do it while she is unconscious. The presence of the Force causes her eyes to open, vision heavy with sleep -- not quite unconscious, but not quite conscious. Connected to them both.

Its a dark pool they wade in, threatening to swallow them, but Kylo Ren treads water easily with purpose and intent.]

You will tell the guards: "We confess."

[Something grabs hold of the connection. A surety, a sense of truth. Kylo Ren continues, concentrated and in a hushed tone.]

"We acted alone, on no one's authority and wearing false colors."

[The compulsion starts to take root, but there is a resistance -- he needs her help. He can't do this alone, not this fast, and not with the guards approaching them. There's a sense of urgency. Help me. Follow me.]

"Death to the false Empress of the Celestial Mountains."

[forcevisions]

[ nothing in his earnest gives her reprieve from her doubts. if anything, it reinforces them, but she has made her choice. resolve sets her jaw, and the fear is gone. this is what has to happen. she understands that. this is the way to stop the war.

she settles her hand without hesitation into his. not a gentle brush, this time. a clasp. firm and steady. she had felt it in the fight, it had been what drew her to him in the first place, but she feels it more now — the way they bleed into one another.

his fervid gratification. she walks the path with him, pressing forward against the woman's mind. she flinches, rebuffed by the way the attacker's eyes open as if to cast judgment on her. but she steadies herself.

she lifts her attention back to ben when he comes up against that resistance. her mind is strong, made stronger with purpose and belief. not like the stormtrooper, whose mind had been broken so many times by the first order that she could bend it easily. she nods to him, and together, they lean back into that intent. she extends her free hand, mirroring him. ]

Confess before the authority of the Celestial Mountains. [ her voice is flat, controlled by a sense of peace and certainty. it will be done. she has seen it work. ] You will tell them the truth.

[ the woman's lips move to form the words, to repeat them back at the stormtrooper had, but no sound comes out — as if because she were only halfway conscious. rey drops her hand, chest heaving. she leans into ben's grip — bodily, this time. there are footsteps approaching. guards, coming from behind, the clacking of wooden sandals.

free of their grip, the woman slumps back over, dazed. ]

[sololoquy]

[While the guards march over to collect the slumped over women, he goes back to marveling at what just occurred, barely even aware of the fire still raging beside them. They should probably put that out.

Unlike Rey, Kylo Ren lowers his hand much more calmly and with less exhaustion. He's done this deed countless times before, most times without any assistance whatsoever. It wears on her soul, but not on his -- in this case, it happens to work to both of their advantage. He might not be much of an actor, but by now, he has picked up on the expectations of them here.

So when Rey leans into him, he does not let go of her. Sure, he's a little stiff and not very genuine or practiced in the way he supports her, but there is an obvious attempt to make it look like he belongs there with her.

He nearly opens his mouth to explain to the guards what had happened, but catches himself and glances down at Rey expectantly. It should probably be her to say anything to them, if she had wanted to. But now that he's caught her eyes, he feels like he has to fill the awkward void.]

You did well.

[That's safe enough. And he means it.]

[forcevisions]

[ 'we'll deal with these,' says a woman's voice. rey lifts her head and turns to look at her. yes, she wants to say. please. instead she simply nods as the woman says. 'was it you who did this?'

there sure are a lot of unconscious people lying around. and the credit is falling squarely on the only woman present. rey looks around, up at ben, then nods. better he has no part in this, given their politics. ]

Yes. It was me.

[ there's a deeper truth here. the anger she had felt, the violence, in pressing her staff to the throat of that woman she'd dragged off of ben. that had been bleedthrough. that had been ben. and on and off in the interim, she has had a hard time parsing which instincts she can attribute to herself. but this one … this was her.

and in the aftermath, standing here, that choice feels right. this is the mission, to prevent violence, to prevent civil war. it is her responsibility to use these powers that she has over the force in pursuit of that goal, isn't it? it is what the jedi would do.

or worse, if luke's accusations against them were true, then standing by would have actually been what the jedi would have done, and it would have damned them all to a preventable fate. no. this is good. she feels good.

only then does she put her finger on it. a thrumming satisfaction, a warmth in her veins, a sense of power and … something else. purpose. an understanding of their combined strength, and what it could achieve. they didn't just do well; they did Good. real good.

the guards start carrying these masked women off, and one of them stops to say, 'do the two of you have a room here? it may be best if people stayed out of the streets for the rest of the evening.' only then she remembers hayame's warning and draws her hand back from ben's, straightening. ]

[sololoquy]

[Some of the tension bleeds out of him when Rey opts to take full credit. He hadn't necessarily regretted his reaction, but he was also perfectly aware of how this probably looked. The relief translates in a lowering of his eyes to the ground, momentarily overwhelmed by how close he'd managed to toe the line -- as usual.

He's barely aware of what Rey is going through, in her own awakening of understanding, too trapped in his own mind trying to piece together what to do next. She pulls back and he lets her go, oblivious to the guard's implication and left to awkwardly scratch at the linens of his nobleman attire with the hand that Rey had just abruptly released.

Nice. Smooth.]

We were just leaving.

[The guard raises an eyebrow at him, and perhaps if he had not already been wearing such an odd expression, she might have scolded him for speaking for Rey. Instead, she turns to deal with their prisoners and Kylo Ren takes the opportunity to about-face and walk in another direction without a word.

Whether or not Rey decides to follow is, of course, up to her. But he has to assume that she will, after she'd just taken the blame from him. They needed to get distance, and go their separate ways a little farther away from Poe, if nothing else.]

[forcevisions]

[ ben, you can't say 'we' like that after the guard just said 'you (plural)' like that and rey is left staring at the guard with a disgruntled expression, which is as close as she comes to properly flustered. the guard, though, seems to take it as some kind of grimace over ben being too uppity, too out of line. she looks sympathetic.

rey gets away from that sympathy as quickly as she can, excusing herself from the conversation to follow him.

she doesn't speak right away. she doesn't have words for what just happened yet, and she's still keyed up on the adrenaline high that comes with exercising that power.

but once she's shoulder-to-shoulder with him and turning the corner, it occurs to her that she ought to say something if only to fill the space, make sure they're on the same page, develop a plan. or just to kill the silence. ]

We should find out where they came from. They may not have acted on the authority of the Empress, but that doesn't mean there won't be more of them. [ yes, a plan. forward movement. it overlooks the issue she still hasn't solved of accommodations for the night, but if inuyasha could sleep in trees, she could do it too. worst case scenario. this is a better subject to broach. she looks up at him. ]

If they came from the Sea Clan, they'd have to pass through the Flowerlands. We should head down that way. I'll tell the others ... [ what? "i invaded a stranger's mind to get what i wanted and then forced her to confess her crimes"? ] I'll tell them something.

[sololoquy]

[Kylo Ren holds the silence even after she breaks it, trying to figure out where the heck he is walking. The smell of smoke begins to fade, and what she says registers in his mind. That is when he stops walking, instead going over the steps of her plan in his own mind. Subconsciously, his hand moves up to his neck, the high collar cleverly hiding the magitek there.

He doesn't address it directly -- not yet. But his intent is obvious, as he glances down at her and judges her hesitation. A part of him understands. Doing the 'right' thing wasn't always easy, and didn't always make sense when the 'right' thing challenged ideals you already had set in your mind.

He'd been forced to learn that lesson very early, so his sympathy is perhaps less than it might have been otherwise. But her hesitation to confess her role in the discovery is impossible to miss.]

You did the right thing. There is no reason to be ashamed.

[He cannot pinpoint if she is concerned what the others will think of her for her methods, or if there is something else bothering her, but frankly -- they are both the same thing, to Kylo Ren. Her hesitation to share information is obviously born of guilt. Fortunately, she is standing with a complicit party in the entire process.]

I will tell them.

[forcevisions]

[ his answer makes things easy in a way her life has never been. the burden is gone, just like that. she blinks, adjusting to the lightness of her chest, surprised and out of sorts because it feels so obvious. why shouldn't the right solution be easy?

as her shoulders settle down, looser now, she presses her lips together into an almost smile. her lips don't quite turn up, but there's a softness about her, and appreciation and relief writ throughout her gaze.

for all his assurance means little — he's not quite an authority, after all, is he? — the act of taking that weight means a great deal. she has never shared that with anyone before. she doesn't feel the need to ask that he leave her name out of it, that poe and finn don't have to know what she did here. it is implicit in his offer to begin with. ]

Alright. [ she isn't absolving herself of responsibility. not entirely. but ... it buys her time to figure out how to do it. the mission can move forward, everyone fully informed. and it feels ... even. fair. balanced, though that feels like a tongue-in-cheek joke even thinking it. as she had spared him the scrutiny of the guard, he has spared her the scrutiny of the team. ]

We should set out in the morning, when there's light. That way the ogres ... [ then she looks up and around. they're clear of the fire now, but ... she realizes she hasn't seen this part of the city before. ] Where are we going?

[ thought that occurs to her only now: does he actually already have a room that h is going to right now because she will Leave. ]

[sololoquy]

[The change of expression is missed as he remains trapped in his own loop of concentration. He had come dangerously close to endangering the mission because of his actions, and equally close to getting himself in trouble with the mountain clan. Its weighing on his mind more than he would like to admit.

He stops walking when she asks her question, blinking absently. In truth, he hadn’t really planned on a destination. His objective was “away from there”, and he succeeded in that. Momentarily, he glances back at the smoke and then back down to Rey.]

Nowhere. Away.

[Somewhere quiet, somewhere he wouldn’t be followed or pestered. Except by Rey, apparently. Ogres had not crossed his mind, perhaps foolishly. His hand is still on the red-hued jewel set in the choker — he lets it fall away.]

It seemed wise not to linger.

[Aside from the fact that he had not picked up on the social faux pas they had apparently committed. There was no reason to stay, or to stop.]

[forcevisions]

[ she nods. no complaints there. she certainly wasn't eager to hear any more of that misunderstanding. the uneasiness she gives off is not unlike that she had demonstrated that second time. before she'd descended into the dark place and looked beyond the mirror. she lets it pass. ]

Do you have somewhere then? Where you can stay for the night.

[ the 'you' is firm. she's trying to look out for him, show care. ]

I don't want you to get in any trouble, moving around alone at a time like this. I could walk you back. But soon I'll have to ... [ she gestures behind her, realizing who she'd left behind. ] I was with Finn.

[ she had felt ben's anger and come running. in a way, it's making good on her promise. he's a priority to her. this bond means something. she doesn't like admitting it, even directly, but she tries to gloss over it with the casual dismissiveness of her efforts to just ... separate. (even though there's a very pressing sense that resists the idea of separating at all.) ]

[sololoquy]

[He takes her meaning but, as before, he does not seem to know what to do with it. There is less suspicion on his face this time. Given what had just occurred, in addition to their conversation back at Headquarters, he is having less and less reason to doubt her every time they speak. There was still the matter that she was allied with the enemy, as she is quick to remind him, but — they would work on that.

Wandering around on his own was what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. His instinct is to brush her off, and to return to brooding until sunset, but he finds himself reconsidering on several grounds (in spite of her excuses about needing to get back to Finn).]

No. [Said as both an answer to her question, and to cut off her rationalizing.] You are right.

[Sneaking back to the Commoner’s district alone in noble’s clothes was probably asking for trouble, and trying to procure lodgings on his own as a man in the noble’s district would no doubt draw too much suspicion even with his attire. And speaking of suspicion, would the commoners get suspicious if he took lodgings there while wearing noble’s clothes?

Awkward.]

You would only have to accompany me as far as the Commoner’s district.