rey (firststeps) wrote in thedisplaced, @ 2017-06-25 19:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | poe dameron, rey (cl) |
"You ready?" Poe touched Rey's elbow gently. He didn't mind staying a bit longer if that was what she wanted to do, but he was also finding himself a bit exhausted and ready to leave the party. He hadn't quite anticipated Kylo Ren being there, nor how exhausting it would be to mentally keep tabs on the man, even if it seemed that the man didn't have any desire to interact with either him or Rey. It made for a slightly less enjoyable experience than what Poe had thought it would be when he'd originally suggested going. But the night wasn't so late, and it was warm enough they could probably enjoy a nice walk home if they wanted. And a quiet walk home with just the two of them and not the ever-present lurking headache of possible enemies seemed like a good plan to Poe. He hadn't forgotten how it felt to have someone rifling through his head, and while he didn't get the impression that Ren was doing so now, he also felt like he'd been trying to mentally hold a guard up - something he wasn't even certain he could do - the entire time he'd been here. His shoulders were a bit tight, and he was beginning to get an actual headache - not just a lurking one. "I mean, if you want to stay a while longer we can," he glanced over at her. "But if you want to head out, I'm good with that." Rey's gaze flickered to Poe, only for a split second, before her eyes returned back to what had originally had her attention. While Rey had been fairly interested in the party once Poe suggested they attend, her excitement had drained the moment that Kylo Ren had arrived. It didn't make sense to Rey as to why Kylo would wish to socialize in an avenue such as this. In fact, she didn't really understand the concept of him socializing at all. A number of potential conspiracy theories as to why Kylo was truly in the vicinity had sprung to mind and she'd been on edge ever since. Worry was radiating off of her, as she worried for the lives of the many that were congregating in this barn. And, yet, though her eyes had followed most of his movements throughout the evening, she'd not been given any indication that he intended to harm anyone. He seemed to be sticking close to a pair of individuals. After a beat had passed, she sighed heavily. "I'm ready," she answered, finally turning her gaze back to Poe. There were plenty of people with impressive powers here. It was too open and too public. With this in mind, she was fairly set in the belief that Kylo would not harm anyone tonight. They could leave and she wouldn't need to continue worrying. "No, I definitely want to go home," she agreed. Poe glanced over once more to Kylo Ren and then turned his back on the rest of them as he followed Rey out into the night air. They'd be fine, probably, and if anything Ren seemed almost subdued, if that were possible. He couldn't help but think of his conversation with Cassian, wondering if the differences here - not having the First Order, or the Supreme Leader - would actually make a significant difference with Ren. It wasn't that Poe was in any mood to trust him, exactly, but it would be nice to not have to actively worry about him in the same apartment with the Solo's which was something he was doing right now. He'd told Leia about Kylo Ren before he arrived, presuming that if he did arrive, that she would be cautious around him. But here she was living with him, and Han as well, and it didn't seem like a good idea, but he wasn't certain if he should say something about it, or if it were just meddling. "Sorry I invited you into an evening that was a little more stressful than I intended," he offered to Rey as they settled in to walk back towards his own ranch. "To be honest, he never struck me as a party type." Glancing towards him, she gave him a smile to reassure him that she didn't mind. "It wasn't really your fault," she prompted with a slight shrug of her shoulders, before her gaze returned to the landscape ahead of them. "I'd have never thought he'd be out among the masses, either." She didn't like to consider that, perhaps, there was more to Kylo than she had been willing to admit. She didn't want to think of him as someone who had multiple interests and layers. It was easier to just categorize him as a threat. Of course, was that the way she was supposed to view things? Probably not. She remembered, for a moment, being asked to not judge the young Ben when he'd arrived in Chicago. And of course she was going to honor that, back then, because she wouldn't have felt right judging a toddler. He had a chance to make different decisions and go a different path. He could be different. But...who was to say that this was not possible now? Was there really an age limit on when people could change? She supposed not. But she didn't believe, necessarily, that Kylo was changing. She still imagined he was as much of a threat as he'd ever been. He just didn't have allies now. Sighing, she shifted her hands into the front pocket of her hooded top. "We can't be the only ones who found it odd, could we?" Poe frowned, a somewhat unnatural thing on him typically, but this was more serious. Both he and Rey had been on the other side of Kylo Ren's torture chair once upon a time, and they both were obviously going to struggle with the idea of him being around others. It had been awkward being there in what was supposed to be an enjoyable social situation, and it felt awkward to be the one who was leaving first - as if maybe they should have stayed and waited him out. "Others perhaps have the benefit of not knowing much about him," he suggested, but it felt like a weak suggestion. "I can't imagine we are the only ones though. Others know who he is besides us. The stories are too popular among certain worlds that people come from. It's like having Anakin Skywalker here - only at least he has come from a time before he seems to have turned fully dark. Still…" Poe shook his head. "I don't quite know how to approach it. I told Leia originally when she showed up. But now she's living with him anyway. It feels awkward to intervene in anyway, but I'm not comfortable with it." Rey's scrunched her face momentarily and quietly shook her head in disagreement. She'd been on this planet before, though under different circumstances and in a different universe, and she knew that they were notoriously famous. Perhaps some didn't know about Kylo, but she wagered that at least half of the attendants had to; whether from direct viewing of the films that she, Poe and Ren were featured in or from word of mouth. As soon as he continued speaking, however, she nodded her head in agreement. They were far too popular. "To be fair, I'm not fairly comfortable with him, either," she commented, but it wasn't necessarily a point of discussion at this moment. Anakin certainly had plenty who were keeping an eye on him. She didn't know how many were aware that they needed to also watch Ren. Glancing back to Poe, she frowned herself. "Kylo doesn't want them to know," she informed Poe. "What do you make of that?" Poe frowned, uncertain what to make of that. The thing that crept to his mind most easily was that Ren didn't want Leia or Han to be aware of the fact that they needed to be on guard around him. If he had wanted them dead before, either of them, then he would be more easily able to do something here if they weren't on guard. He was more glad than ever he had mentioned this to Leia back before Ren had arrived. He would have had a more difficult time telling her now. But he knew she knew. Of course, that wasn't offering him much generosity or grace, but in all fairness, Poe didn't really feel much like being generous to the man. He'd dug into Poe's mind with little consideration for his feelings on the matter, and it had been painful and frustrating. He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe he thinks if they know, he won't be able to get around them. Of course, Leia does know and he's still around her - which he doesn't know, but it kind of speaks against that idea, doesn't it?" "Maybe, though I don't see why he'd be that concerned. He didn't want to be around them back home," she commented, frowning as she said so. Her memory leaped to the night on the Starkiller Base and the moment she'd witnessed Ren pierce Han through with his saber. She didn't enjoy revisiting that memory, even if she and Han were not that close in this world. So, rather forcefully, she pushed the memory out of her present thoughts. "It does. It also speaks to unconditional love." Rey didn't know much about that but she suspected a Mother refusing to turn away her son, even knowing what he'd done, was a prime example. Sighing, she looked to Poe. "Can we just do something mindless once we're back? Even if it's just television?" Poe glanced over at her and echoed the sigh, a small smile crossing his face as he did so. On instinct he reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders reassuringly. "Yeah, we can do that," he chuckled, even though the edge of the seriousness of the conversation they'd just been engaging in still lingered in the laughter. Poe understood the desire though, perhaps all too well. The evening had been less relaxing than he'd thought it would be, all things considered, and sitting down and doing something that didn't require thinking about whether or not Kylo Ren was waiting to destroy the world or kill Leia or Han held a good deal of appeal. "Maybe we've even got something to drink left, so we can grab that while we attempt to increase our cultural literacy." As he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, she took a moment to lean into him, giving him a returned smile. The concerns were still going to remain, likely for some time, but she liked the notion of them trying to find the relaxation they'd actually wanted from that evening. "And if we don't, no harm in running out real quick to a 7-11," she retorted, with a bit of a smirk. Whatever ended up being the case, she was determined that they'd find a way to take back their night from worrying about things they couldn't control. |