Chapter Text
Armitage Hux knew his place in the world. He had never questioned the drive he possessed. Rumors had followed him his entire life, his father’s affair haunting him long into Academy. He wanted to prove to everyone that he was better than an illegitimate child that his father had sired, that he was worthy of the rescue that the late Grand Admiral Rae Sloane had performed from a fading world when he was young. He wanted to prove he was better than his father.
He was a damn near replica of his father appearance wise, which was a good thing, because he didn't want to look anything like his mother. In the early days, he could remember her kind face and her soft hands brushing his hair back, but that was before he knew that he had been a mistake. Once he had been rescued, shoved into a vessel with his father, he didn't know soft hands or kind words. He only knew strict schedules and the first appearance of that drive, that desire to be better and to prove to onlooking eyes that he was more than a bastard child. To see some form of pride glittering in those cold eyes his father possessed. Eyes he soon knew how to replicate.
He always knew he was special. He knew he would rule the galaxy one day if he played his cards right.
So... he watched, he learned, and most importantly, he listened. He became the perfect officer in his father's shadow, and then one day, there was no shadow to fill. He was Armitage Hux, General of the First Order.
What he hadn't anticipated in his life was a little back world gutter rat and a masked, emotional tantrum baby to really rock his entire galaxy.
--- ---
His days began around 0400 so that he could hit the officer's gym without anyone to bothering him. It was nice to sweat, to feel his muscles burn and feel himself get winded from a particularly harsh workout. He took pleasure in having control over his world from the moment his eyes opened until he went to sleep. By 0545, he was showered, shaved and polished, marching up to the bridge with his hands folded and his face like stone. He knew the importance of appearance, and the important of maintaining his well-oiled army. He would take breakfast in his office as well as lunch and dinner, filing away requests and paperwork, double and triple checking all forms and orders and anything that would be sent to the Supreme Leader. He would take his leave of the bridge usually around 2100 hours if there were no pressing matters that required his attention, and spend his nights reading whatever he could get through his data pad, whether it be propaganda or supporting. He wanted to know what the galaxy thought of his armies, good and bad.
On this day, he had woken up late. His alarm had not gone off, causing him to miss his workout completely. His shower had been lukewarm, and his shoe had somehow gotten a scuff near the heel. The lift was late, so he had strolled onto the bridge at 0618 precisely to some rather annoying news.
"Sir, Lord Kylo Ren is requesting your presence in the brig." Lieutenant Mitaka had reported to him. Hux repressed his desire to roll his eyes and groan, instead pursing his lips tightly.
"And, pray tell, what does he want this early in the morning? I assumed he was never up before noon!" Hux mumbled, slightly bitter. The officer referenced back to his data pad and looked back up at the general. "And why wasn't I informed earlier?"
"Sir, he just got back from that mission Supreme Leader sent him on, and he's brought back a prisoner. We have been trying your communicator all morning, but we keep getting a busy signal." At this, Hux did sigh. Why on earth Kylo Ren needed to brag about his latest catch? He nodded, desperate to escape the bridge on this rather off day he was having and even more desperate to see the dark-haired knight.
"Fine, alert him that I will be on my way promptly and get me a new communicator. Clearly mine is broken." He pulled the offending device from his pocket and flicked it towards the man. He didn't stay around to collect the new comm and strode off the bridge with his chin high and his arms tucked behind his back.
The second lift he came across was broken.
Hux wondered to himself if this was a sign. He rarely had such bad days as the one he was having now. He began the trek to a different lift, appreciating the way his troopers jumped out of his way. He found a lift that worked and let it take him down to the brig. His ship was massive, sure, but very organized. The brig was in the lower levels of the ship where the strongest, thickest metals surrounded the cells. It was also colder, almost as cold as space itself, to prevent proper assimilation of the prisoners into Finalizer. Most ended up being spaced directly from the brig and it saved time.
Finally, he landed on the correct floor and stepped out. Kylo Ren stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was all muscle, thick and strong, dressed all in black with his mask firmly in place.
"Ren." Hux greeted him. "To what do I owe this...pleasure?" He could almost feel the smirk across the masked man's face, and it soured his belly. Was that blood on his gloves?
"I thought you might be interested in learning something today." Kylo said to him. Hux narrowed his eyes and slowly made his way to the Knight.
"And what would that be? Don't waste my time today." Hux said as threateningly as he could. Kylo pushed himself off the wall and pointed down a hallway.
"Then follow me." Kylo stepped down the hall, and Hux followed. Every step was harder and harder, as if his shoes were filled with lead. He wondered where the sudden apprehension came from when Kylo stopped. It was one of the larger cells, one that usually housed alien creatures that were more likely to escape regular human sized cells, and when Kylo opened the door there was a girl curled up on the floor.
"Holy hell." Hux was surprised, he knew it was all over his face, and Kylo radiated pride next to him. "Holy hell, that's the scavenger. How...how did you...."
"I don't think I've ever seen you at a loss for words, General." Kylo dropped his tone to a near whisper. "At least, outside the bedroom."
"Shut up." Hux mumbled back, confused and elated at the same time. He knew a faint blush was beginning at his neck -Kylo took pleasure in the pink skin- and he refused to give the man the satisfaction, even if it wasn't very general-like language. "Is she hurt?"
"Well, she gave me a bloody nose." He held his bloody gloves up. "And I got annoyed with her and put her to sleep. She will be up in a few hours, and then we will give her the full medical evaluation. I'm not sure what type of diseases are running rampant on Jakku and Ahch-To." Kylo sounded bored with the conversation. "I tried to reach you on your comm, and you never answered me this morning."
"It's broken.” Hux muttered, still staring at the girl. "So, you found her on Ahch-To. What of Skywalker?"
"Dead." Kylo's voice, even with the modulator filtering his normally warm tone into cold robotics, was tight. Hux knew this conversation was better left alone while surrounded by troopers and cameras, so he let it drop. "Shall we?" Hux nodded and Kylo shut the door. The two made their way silently out of the brig and up to the bridge. In the lift, Kylo removed his helmet and the lift slowed to a halt. He cracked his neck and Hux admired the slender face he'd come to know over the past few years on the Finalizer. Sure, there was blood caked over his lips and chin, his bottom lip split right in the middle and a bruise already forming on the bridge of his nose, but he was still Kylo Ren, still young and attractive-even with the scar Rey had given him last time they had met.
"Cameras?" Hux asked. Kylo looked up to the ceiling.
"Off for now. We've got two minutes until they realize." He said softly. "I can't believe she kriffing punched me."
"Did you really kill him?" Hux asked. Kylo's movement froze for a moment before he looked down and rubbed at his chin. Flakes of dried blood flurried off into the glove.
"Yeah, yeah I did. I had to…you know that. He will tear me apart until he finds what he's looking for, so I made it as quick as possible." Kylo's voice was soft. He didn't have to mention to Hux who 'He' was. "She didn't realize that I was there until I killed him. Looked up after stabbing him and she was there, all light and livid, of course."
"Of course." Hux echoed.
"But she will understand once the time comes." Kylo looked down at Hux, only a few inches taller than he, with distant eyes. "We still can't tell her anything. He will be able to read her like a book until I can show her how to block the thoughts."
"Pity, she might be more adaptable to the situation if she knew what was going on." Hux mentioned. Kylo sighed, exasperated.
"Tell me something I don't know." The tone was tight, slightly harsh. Kylo ran a hand through his dark waves, not caring that the dried blood flecked off into his damp hair. "Sorry, I don't mean to take it out on you. This is just a long time coming, a long process...."
"We are so close, Ren.... So close to finishing this. The galaxy is in our grasp." Hux whispered. He took another step closer to Kylo and rocked forward to plant a soft kiss on the busted lip. "So close." Kylo let out a shaky laugh and gave Hux a small shove. He replaced the helmet with a small click and a moment later, the elevator began to rise.
"I know." Kylo said, flexing his fingers.
--- ---
When she woke up, Hux and Kylo were both on their way down to the brig. Hux had received his replacement comm after lunch, and he was glad for it. He felt less in control when he couldn't demand information whenever he wanted.
"Sir, she's awake." The voice said through the speaker.
"Yes, we are on our way down." Hux responded firmly. Kylo pushed the button for the brig furiously again.
"She's livid." He said as an answer to Hux's exasperated stare. 12 seconds later, the door slid open to reveal the security troopers had blasters aimed down the hall Rey was housed in. He could hear something viciously slamming against the metal door. He knew there was no furniture since the only thing in the cell was the bunk that was built into the wall, and assumed that she must be throwing herself into the door with some sort of Force ability. He pinched the bridge of his nose as Kylo swept into the hallway, all billowing cloak and frustration apparent. Hux followed, motioning for the troopers to stand down. They gladly followed instructions, leaving the hallway empty aside for the two commanding officers.
"KYLO REN I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE AND IF YOU DON'T KRIFFING LET ME GO I SWEAR TO THE FORCE YOU WILL REGRET IT!" She was screaming, her voice breaking in pain. She must have been screaming since she woke up to achieve that level of hoarseness.
"Rey." Kylo placed his hand on the trembling door, and slowly, the movement stopped. He removed his helmet and dropped it on the ground by his feet, leaning his bruised face forward so that his forehead touched the cold steel. "Rey." There was silence, and Hux was frozen on the spot. Kylo's eyes were open, large and dark, glassy, as he communicated with Rey. He had told Hux all about the force bond, about the occasional gap in space and time that allowed them to see each other. "Yes, I know what I did." He paused again. Hux listened to the conversation one-sided but somehow, he knew Kylo was trying to convince her to forgive him for Ahch-To. "Yes, but he wasn't going to help you." Pause. "I know for a fact that he saw too much of me in you." Pause. "I know you aren't a dark Force user Rey, kriffing. Just listen to me." Pause. "Listen. To. Me." His voice turned harsh. "You're here now, your precious resistance isn't going to rescue you, they have no idea where you are! We had your tracker removed." Pause. And the door slammed. "Kriff, you've grown in your ability, no thanks to your lack of teaching. Imagine if you let me show you how to wield your powers. Just imagine-" Pause. "You can stay in here as long as you'd like, or you can give all this up and join us-me. Join me." Kylo was incredibly focused, his forehead still pressed against the doorframe and hand up against the steel. Hux was glued to the spot, unable to move as he watched Kylo bargain for the biggest chip they could ever have in their traitorous plans.
"Kylo." Hux finally mumbled after a long pause of silence. Kylo blinked, the moment gone, and he turned his head. "Is she going to help?"
"I don't know."
"She has to."
"Yeah, I know. I know." Kylo pulled his gloves off and let them drop into his helmet. "I'm going to let her out." He moved two fingers and the door slid open. She leapt out at him, her arm already reeled back to punch him again, a scream pulled from her lips. Kylo fell to his back, grunting as his head cracked the grated floor, and took the punch, his top lip splitting. Hux got his first real look at Rey of Jakku at that point. Her three buns were loose, hair pasted to her red cheeks, and her mouth was set in a grimace. Her teeth were surprisingly bright and Hux found himself staring at her red lips. She was mumbling to Kylo as he chuckled, each of his arms held under her knees in surrender, as Hux stared on. She was slender, dirty and angry, a spitfire of raw energy. He could see the air around her trembling as she used her force abilities to hold him still.
She froze and looked up, her dark eyes contacting his icy blue gaze. She stared for a long moment before tightening her mouth.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked in a hoarse whisper. The screaming had taken a toll on her vocal cords.
"General Hux, I don't believe we had the pleasure of meeting last time you were here?" He drawled cockily. Her brows furrowed together, and she sat back on Kylo, her knees still sharp in his wrists but the force no longer holding him down.
"I thought it was Kylo Ren's ship?" She admitted.
"Kylo is Master to the Knight of Ren, he isn't an admiral. He doesn't lead the First Order."
"And you do?"
"Well, technically the Finalizer, but yes in a way I do." Hux straightened himself up. "Kindly remove yourself from his lap, if you would, girl." He motioned to Kylo lying supine on the floor. Rey's cheeks flushed brighter as she realized exactly where she was sitting, and she stood up, scooting so that her back was up against the wall, her knees brought to her chest. Kylo sat up, cracking his neck and rubbing the back of his skull from the impact.
"Damn Rey, that hurt." He grumbled.
"Don't." She glared at him. "Don't pretend we're friends."
"I thought we were." Kylo looked at her in earnest, speaking softly and honestly. "I thought we agreed that neither was alone." She looked at him with wide eyes.
"That's why you killed my master and kidnapped me?" She snarked.
"He wasn't your master." Kylo remarked to her. She glared again at his acceptance of the word kidnapping. "He never even taught you anything. I could teach you so much, Rey, so much." He was practically pleading with her now and it made Hux's stomach tighten to see Kylo have to beg for this piece of the puzzle.
"Dark stuff, you mean." She said. He shook his head sadly.
"I don't have to teach you the dark stuff. I was once a light Jedi, if you remember." He looked up at her from under his lashes, and Hux could swear he could hear her mind being made up by the looks that crossed her face. Her desperation to learn would outweigh any anti-dark side lessons she might have had.
"I won't learn anything dark." She mumbled. "But I need someone to show me my place in all of this."
"I can show you." Kylo pressed. "Nothing dark, unless you ask." He added the last part with a small smirk.
"And why is he here then?" Rey motioned to Hux, obviously confused as to where this new player came in.
"He's the most important person on the ship, aside from me. The Supreme Leader requests we work together, and so we do." Kylo hadn't told her about the relationship that had formed first from an olive branch of friendship, of cleaning each other's wounds after punishment from Supreme Leader, after not wanting to drink alone, to finally a drunken tryst that lead to their current situation. As much as Hux wanted to be jealous of the way Kylo was gazing at Rey, and of his withholding of their relationship, he couldn't quite muster up the energy. Kylo had been resistant to telling him of the force bond, but soon Hux had understood. Kylo had feelings for the scavenger, and there was nothing he could do to change it. And based on the way she looked back at him, he didn't really want to deprive his bedmate of the bond that meant so much to him.
"I don’t like this, I really don’t. But I have no choice in this matter, clearly. All my decisions are made for me." The snarky attitude was back but even Hux could see she was upset that she decided to accept his proposition. Kylo stood first and held a handout to help her up but she got up on her own, a defiant look in her eyes. Hux chuckled and turned to leave the brig.
The lift ride was uneventful, like his day had been since his bad morning, but he was glad that she had come mostly willingly. It made it easier on him to inform her where she would be staying, and he knew she wasn't going to like the rules it came with.
"You'll be rooming in the quarters we reserve for diplomats that visit the ship. It’s in the same wing as the officer’s quarters, but you won’t have access to leave the room unless it’s one of us.”
"No, oh no-"
"It’s that or the brig." Kylo seemed hurt at her apprehension. "You have a separate bedroom and a living area, so be grateful that we are giving you this.” She seemed to like it better because she started to follow them again. They walked a few doors down from the lift when Kylo stopped and pulled his glove off to allow the pad to read his prints. The door slid open and he ushered Rey in. Hux followed close behind. The living area was modern, all white and silver with sharp corners and crisp lines. The chamber was square with a large door on the left side of the room, a large ceiling to floor window that looked out into space, and a small alcove to the left where a bookcase was built into the wall. The carpets were dark grey, and the walls were stark white.
Hux brushed past Rey and took a seat on the couch, his data pad already in his hands and opened to the news feed. Kylo gestured to the door closest to the window.
"That’s your bedroom." Kylo said, removing his helmet and other glove. He joined Hux on the couch and placed his stuff on the coffee table in front of the inset sofa. Rey slowly made her way to the room, curiosity taking over her. She’d never had a private bedroom before, aside from her crude pile of furs in her AT-AT.
"You won't be able to exit the room without one of us, just remember this.” Ren reminded her, his deep voice echoing off the walls. She rolled her eyes and huffed, stomping to the door.
"Why does that not surprise me." She walked through the door and let it shut behind her. Kylo exchanged a small smile with Hux.
"She's being much more amicable that I assumed she would be." Hux commented as he exited another rebel propaganda feed.
"Trust me, her mind is going a million miles a minute. She is trying to think of ways to escape." Kylo said. He removed his cowl next and cracked his neck.
"Well once you start to train her, she should be more willing to stay." Hux said. Kylo shrugged.
"We'll see."
--- ---
Rey had never had so much free space in her life. The room was spacious and minimal, very few spaces to really make it personal, but all hers-if Kylo Ren and General Hux could be believed. She stared out the window into space. It was dark, mostly stars outside but she still couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before her escape from Jakku. Well, before she could remember, at least....
She stepped further into the room, removing her leather belt and dropped it to the large grey chair sitting to her right. Upon further inspection, one of the two doors on the far end of the room turned out to be a refresher-her very own shower seemed like the only plus in her situation-and the other was a mostly empty closet. The beside drawers held nothing and the lamps were attached to the tables. The only loose object in the room was a digital clock on the wall that showed her the ships time based on a 24-hour clock. Currently 1900 hours. She grew tired suddenly, frustrated with her life and her decisions and her inability to formulate a clear plan to escape, and fell face forward to her bed. She had been a captured less than a day and here she was, in her own room on the Finalizer because she wanted to hear what Ren said.
The mattress was the perfect degree of hard and the sheets were soft against her face. She didn't move before she was asleep, legs dangling off the side and mouth wide open in a snore.
She woke up to the same stars, the same room, but a different time on the clock. She sat up, pulling her dirty clothes off and leaving them on the floor, heading towards the fresher. After some trial and error, she managed to get the sonic to a pulsating rhythm, and scrubbed her skin until it was red, watching the flakes fall through the grated floor. It was nice to be free of the dirty world that she had been on, even if the thought made her feel guilty. It wasn't just any world; it was Luke Skywalker's world. She rubbed herself down with a white towel, pleased that none of the dirt had followed her from the sonic. The Resistance’s sonics were ineffective, vibrating too low to get stuck on dirt and oil, shutting off after two minutes. She left her refresher with her towel wrapped around her chest. Her clothes were gone off the floor, and she was shocked for a moment. She knew nobody had come in. Exasperated, she went to the closet and pulled out a black tunic, underthings, and a pair of black leggings. The carpets were soft, and she decided to go barefoot-a luxury she'd never had before. It was strange, to feel the floor beneath her feet versus her worn shoes.
She was surprised to find Hux still up but Kylo nowhere to be seen. The General was deep I thought, staring at his data pad. Rey cleared her throat and he turned to see her, peering over the back of the couch.
"Oh, hello there." He turned back to what he was doing, and she echoed the greeting back. "Did you want something to eat?"
"You cook?" Rey asked as she slowly approached him. He chuckled.
"I don’t cook.” He self-righteously said. “I will order us something to eat from the dining facility." She came up closer to see him exiting from a news feed before joining him across the couch. He ordered dinner off the data pad.
“Do you have a preference in meal?” He looked up at her as she flushed.
“Look, General, I’ve never had a choice in anything apparently. My captivity here, my service to the Resistance, especially considering my confinement on Jakku. You deciding my dinner will make no difference to me.” She said unkindly. She picked at her nails as he finished the order selection and placed his data pad down.
“You are calmer than I was told you’d be.” He observed. “Forgive me, but I am curious.”
“There is always calm before a dust storm on Jakku.” She said hauntingly. Her eyes darkened for a moment as her tongue darted out against her lips. He watched her, taking in her crossed arms, her bouncing knees and her jaw twitching.
“Where is he?”
“He doesn’t tell me where he’s going, girl.” Hux said. She tightened her lips and looked away towards the stars. They waited in tight silence until the door buzzed. Hux stood and let the droid in, watching it drop the trays on the table before rushing from the room. He locked the door again and joined her in front of dinner. She looked shocked at the portions she received, almost as if she would receive less. The two plates were made up of some sort of meat and a white substance that looked suspiciously like the old bread Rey used to eat on Jakku. Somehow, she didn't think it would taste the same. She couldn't imagine that anything the general put in his mouth would be as distasteful as portions.
“Thank you." She said as she leaned forward and reached for her glass of water. She began to guzzle it down, not realizing how thirsty she'd been. He chuckled as she sat the glass down and wiped at her lips, embarrassed.
"There is more water if you press your glass against the lever." He gestured to a small container that was pressed in the corner of the room. It was large, a black solid bottom with a large clear bin on the top. "Ice is on the inside, you just open the bottom and scoop it into your glass.”
Her eyes looked a million miles away as she suddenly focused on her plate. She scooped a bite of the white substance and discovered they were creamy and delicious. A potato of some kind. The meat was thick but tender, and very juicy. There were small orange beans on the plate she’d never had before. It brought it to a very real place. She began to tremble, the fork in her hand shaking against the table. The Resistance didn’t have fine foods like this. They often didn’t have several dishes at once presented together. They didn’t have meals on call. They didn’t even have vegetables most days unless they were harvested from the planet they were on.
"Ice." She echoed softly, looking up at the General. "The Resistance isn't going to win, not against the First Order and Snoke. Not when you have boxes of ice for your drinks, not when you have these large ships and manpower." She held her arms up, gesturing all around her before finally landing back to her plate. "Not when you have meat AND vegetables on the same plate as if we weren't light years from any planets."
"You are correct about that." Hux was already cutting into the meat, bringing it to his mouth. Rey sat still for a moment, unsure of how to proceed or even if her stomach would accept such rich foods. "You'll have to eat it, or it'll go to waste. Ren already ate."
"Where is he?" Rey asked again as she picked her fork up. It took virtually no effort to cut into the meat. He ignored her.
"Take it slow. I’m sure the Resistance was feeding you some sort of subpar meal." As he said it, the meat melted against her tongue. She gave a little moan at the flavor. She hadn’t had meat before the Resistance, and she’d never had meat this delicious in her life.
She chewed slowly and shrugged before realizing that Hux wasn't in a uniform anymore. She observed him quietly. He wore a soft grey shirt, black pants and what looked like black loafers. His hair was slightly damp, most likely from a shower when she’d been asleep, and he was consuming his food as if he'd never had to rush for anyone his entire life. Rey tried to follow suit, but the meat was delicious, the mashed potato was creamy, and the beans were crispy. She was finished before he was and had refilled her glass of water twice before he finally set his utensils down. Her stomach was fuller than it had ever been in her entire life and it hurt, the rich foods settling down as her body attempted to digest.
"I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner, Rey." Hux said. He seemed sincere, but she was still weary. She wanted to trust him if Kylo trusted him, she wanted to trust Kylo with her life. She felt connected to him after their brief touch in the hut on Ahch-To, even after he.... She bit her lower lip to keep tears from springing to her eyes at the thought of Luke, of her embarrassment at having to follow him around for days before he offered her a measly three lessons, before he decided she was too dark to teach after barely one....
"Thank you." She whispered, allowing him to clear her plate. He placed it in a small bin by the door. "Aren't you going to wash them?"
"We have a cleaning drone that comes in after midnight to tidy up." He shrugged. "You'll have one in your room, it sits under your bed, and it’ll clean the floor when you're not in the room."
"Oh." She knew now where her clothes had gone.
"Any clothes you leave will be laundered and returned to your closet, pressed and ready for wearing." He shrugged. "Efficiency at its finest." He seemed proud and she nodded.
"Okay." She investigated the living room. "Is there anything do to here since I am confined to this space?"
Hux smiled. "I have something for you, in fact." He grabbed the small data pad that had been to his left when she came in and he handed it to her. "Place your thumb on the bottom right hand of the screen." She did so and watched as it came to life and took care listening as he pointed out small folders on the screen. "Some are book feeds, some are game feeds, some are news feeds. You are not able to communicate outward with this device. It does not have the ability to. Yours is merely for recreation and sending messages to myself and your new Master.” The information was given with a smile on his face. Were all these Generals so nice?
"I guess." She wasn't really in the mood to play. "I'm still a glorified prisoner in officers’ quarters, dining with a General and training to be a Jedi." As she said this, the door slid open and Kylo came in from the hallway, his black hair stuck to his forehead. His cheeks were bright red, his hands trembling with exertion.
"You're awake." Kylo stated. She looked at him.
"Clearly."
"Your training begins at 0500 tomorrow. You have an 0800 medical appointment for a full evaluation and vaccination." Kylo turned quickly and fled her room.
"Vaccinations? Training where?" Rey asked, hoping he would stop to answer her questions, but the door shut behind him with finality on the evening.
"We have a private gym on this level, but it gets relatively busy later in the day. Supreme Leader had a special room cleared so that Kylo could practice in privacy." Hux cracked his neck and stood, grabbing his data pad from its place next to him. "It's already late. I'm taking my leave. Please do not hesitate to send me a message should you need something." He shot her a glance that made her cheeks flush. She watched as he exited the room and stared down at her data pad, not quite sure if she regretted her most recent life choices yet but secretly wondering why she didn't know that all First Order officers were so nice.
On one hand, she had a connection to Kylo Ren. She had the force bond and she had some type of feelings for the dark and brooding man. She realized after their touch in the hut that there was a sort of conflict in him, and she had desired to basically ship herself to the Finalizer to bring him over. She might have gone through with it to, if he hadn't found her first. She thought maybe he came to her to retract from the dark side, until she realized he had been standing over Luke, Ren’s saber buried in the chest of the old Jedi. She was beyond angry, the bond wide open and her full fury poured into it. She called her -Luke's- saber to her hand but he had been quicker, knocking it to the right and she instead jumped right at him, her fists swinging. She landed a solid blow to that large nose –not surprising- and enjoyed the blood that gusted out. He, on the other hand looked disappointed and had used that sleeping trick he had on Takodana. She felt his soul split at having to kill his uncle, had felt some sort of underlying treason in his heart, but didn't realize soon enough he was putting her to sleep.
She woke up and was livid. Back on Finalizer, but this time not strapped to a torture table, instead in a large cell. He came to her soon, trying to coax her into a calmer state through the bond and through the steel door. She knew he knew she wasn't calm when he opened that door. She leaped again, fist first, and landed another solid hit. She used the force to hold his body down and her knees to hold his arms down before realizing there were eyes on her. Icy blue eyes with a calculating gaze that didn't seem impossibly cold. She knew she looked wild and insane and she frankly didn't care. But the longer the stare went on the longer she realized this person cared about Kylo Ren. She had been watching the way they interacted, cautious but with memory, as if they were closer than they let on.
She was trying to put the pieces together long after they had both left her to her own devices. She eventually took her water and her data pad to her room, making sure the door was secured behind her, and left them on the nightstand. She crawled under the cold covers still clothed, not quite ready to trust the room, and let herself sleep.