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( He thought it wise to provoke Ren into causing more destruction? )
[ Steve you can probably feel the frown from here at this point. ]
[ Steve you can probably feel the frown from here at this point. ]
( Yeah. We agreed to disagree. )
[ Steve's not too thrilled with the guy, putting it lightly. ]
[ Steve's not too thrilled with the guy, putting it lightly. ]
( I'm aware. He implied that there are limitations with his power, ones that I doubt he was in the condition to consider at the time. )
[Aware and relieved. She's not going to chastise him for keeping an explosion from becoming ... another explosion.]
[Aware and relieved. She's not going to chastise him for keeping an explosion from becoming ... another explosion.]
[ Hux is more than agreeing to disagree. This Darkling is creeping up his shit list. ]
( Did he seem to say anything particular, if you ca– nevermind, I suppose it doesn't matter. I sincerely hope your injuries are healing quickly. I'll see what I can do to dissuade Ren from accepting... unsavory opinions. )
( Did he seem to say anything particular, if you ca– nevermind, I suppose it doesn't matter. I sincerely hope your injuries are healing quickly. I'll see what I can do to dissuade Ren from accepting... unsavory opinions. )
[ A pause. ]
( He was getting some kind of power boost from that guy that calls himself The Darkling. )
( He was getting some kind of power boost from that guy that calls himself The Darkling. )
[ He wonders about the interruption, but leaves it for now. Steve didn't actually catch any of the conversation between Ren and the Darkling before arriving on the scene. ]
( Thanks. Good to have you back. )
[ONE DAY HE'S GONNA REGRET SAYING THAT ]
( Thanks. Good to have you back. )
[
[ Steve goes quiet. He doesn't have the same understanding of the Force, he isn't - wasn't close enough to Anakin to know, and he's kept his distance from Ren for a while now. What he knows - senses - is a spiritual edge, both near and intangible. ]
Is he still alive in your time?
Is he still alive in your time?
( I'm not a big fan of that kind of subtle. )
[ someone is cranky ]
[ someone is cranky ]
( I hoped to skip this because I wanted to know if we could return and find something we missed, but what precisely happened? )
[If she has to consider putting a leash on The Darkling, too, she might as well find out now. He seemed ... emotionally inclined, but flexible. Now she wonders if she should regret trusting him at all.]
[If she has to consider putting a leash on The Darkling, too, she might as well find out now. He seemed ... emotionally inclined, but flexible. Now she wonders if she should regret trusting him at all.]
( I showed up late, they'd already been talking. You'd have to ask one of them what happened first, but the Darkling thinks he was giving Ren the help he needed. )
[ Which, by his tone, Steve doesn't agree with. ]
[ Which, by his tone, Steve doesn't agree with. ]
No. [The answer is simple; Ren spares no pain or sentimentality for it. This is a truth that's remained constant for the entirety of his life, after all, regardless of what transpired here.]
He was cut down before I was born, at the height of his glory. [When the galaxy knew fear and order in the same breath, the thought punctuated by a bittersweet pang of emotion.] By my uncle.
[And were it anyone else, being fated to die would soften the blow in Ren's eyes, (superficial to pick apart years as if they were currency) but Vader was more. So much more. Faint visions of gleaming armor— black as night— an iron fist, gripping the universe with enough force to overshadow hope itself flicker between them. The foundation from which Kylo Ren was brought to life.]
He would have changed everything, had he lived.
[This world, their brood— even Rogers himself, for better or worse. All that he needed was time.]
He was cut down before I was born, at the height of his glory. [When the galaxy knew fear and order in the same breath, the thought punctuated by a bittersweet pang of emotion.] By my uncle.
[And were it anyone else, being fated to die would soften the blow in Ren's eyes, (superficial to pick apart years as if they were currency) but Vader was more. So much more. Faint visions of gleaming armor— black as night— an iron fist, gripping the universe with enough force to overshadow hope itself flicker between them. The foundation from which Kylo Ren was brought to life.]
He would have changed everything, had he lived.
[This world, their brood— even Rogers himself, for better or worse. All that he needed was time.]
( I saw Ren on the edge of doing something dangerous, and when I reached for the Darkling to let him know things were gonna get ugly if he wasn't stopped - )
[ That's when he realized he wasn't just going to have to get Ren to stand down, it was both of them. ]
[ That's when he realized he wasn't just going to have to get Ren to stand down, it was both of them. ]
( We lost someone. I wanna say it was a one time thing. )
[ But they've lost people before. ]
[ But they've lost people before. ]
( You want to say it, but you're not certain, are you? He's unstable. )
[While he doesn't have a physical deformity, someone like him likely would have upset leadership among her people long ago.
Someone like him either would have been killed or exiled.
It's just the way her culture is, so it's hard to view Ren as more than a Problem that may need to be solved (which is precisely why she's going to attempt to use him first).]
[While he doesn't have a physical deformity, someone like him likely would have upset leadership among her people long ago.
Someone like him either would have been killed or exiled.
It's just the way her culture is, so it's hard to view Ren as more than a Problem that may need to be solved (which is precisely why she's going to attempt to use him first).]
[ A short chuckle and he gives an apologetic smile. ]
Yeah, sorry about that. I was hoping you were already passed out. [ he should’ve tried to physically stop him, first, but there’d been the fear that Ren could put him out of commission too fast, and they’d all be screwed. Mistakes were made. That’s the summary of that whole event. ]
Ilde’s shaken, been resting a lot, but I think she’ll be okay. Ren… [ A slow exhale, with brows arched, because, yeah. Ren. ]
Not great. Not on a warpath anymore, but he lost a lot more than just a broodmate. [ and he’d snapped hard enough to nearly make them lose another. Pacing over, he sits down next to steve on the bed heavily. ] That doesn’t excuse what he did to you. You did the right thing, though, Steve. And I think you’ve got more guts than pretty much anyone I know. This whole Nest knows how lethal Ren is - that was brave, standing in the way. Thing’s would’ve been much worse if you didn’t.
Yeah, sorry about that. I was hoping you were already passed out. [ he should’ve tried to physically stop him, first, but there’d been the fear that Ren could put him out of commission too fast, and they’d all be screwed. Mistakes were made. That’s the summary of that whole event. ]
Ilde’s shaken, been resting a lot, but I think she’ll be okay. Ren… [ A slow exhale, with brows arched, because, yeah. Ren. ]
Not great. Not on a warpath anymore, but he lost a lot more than just a broodmate. [ and he’d snapped hard enough to nearly make them lose another. Pacing over, he sits down next to steve on the bed heavily. ] That doesn’t excuse what he did to you. You did the right thing, though, Steve. And I think you’ve got more guts than pretty much anyone I know. This whole Nest knows how lethal Ren is - that was brave, standing in the way. Thing’s would’ve been much worse if you didn’t.
[ If she's asking, then she already knows. ]
( Ren's ours to deal with if he is. )
( Ren's ours to deal with if he is. )
[ Glory. That shadow passes over him and his eyes close for a few seconds, swallowed by the portrait of the future - past - present, Ren's universe as seen through one filter. He swallows, gently forcing back the oppressive imagery. ]
Why? What changed him?
[ The Jedi, as Anakin briefly explained, were protectors - and in no uncertain terms had the man expressed his hatred for Ren's order. ]
Why? What changed him?
[ The Jedi, as Anakin briefly explained, were protectors - and in no uncertain terms had the man expressed his hatred for Ren's order. ]
( He isn't your only problem. )
[Her approach to Ilde is more condescending than likely deserved, but it feels as if there is so much about her that adapts poorly, as if concepts are out of reach, held at her fingertips like they're strange things yet to be defined. Lexa still doesn't know how much she holds close, but she knows she doesn't trust her. She is just as capable of being a loose cannon, albeit one that hasn't been tested again.]
( And we all affect one another. One of your problems affected Angel, and thus led to me. We cannot treat our broods as if they are individual entities, even if that would be ideal. )
[Read: she wants to leave Castor to Castor, but that isn't as possible as she'd like.]
[Her approach to Ilde is more condescending than likely deserved, but it feels as if there is so much about her that adapts poorly, as if concepts are out of reach, held at her fingertips like they're strange things yet to be defined. Lexa still doesn't know how much she holds close, but she knows she doesn't trust her. She is just as capable of being a loose cannon, albeit one that hasn't been tested again.]
( And we all affect one another. One of your problems affected Angel, and thus led to me. We cannot treat our broods as if they are individual entities, even if that would be ideal. )
[Read: she wants to leave Castor to Castor, but that isn't as possible as she'd like.]
[ There's no anger turned toward Sam for his decision to knock Ren - and subsequently everyone else out. Instead there's... no quite envy, but something similar, and it bleeds ever so slightly through the link. It's not Sam's powers that he wants, his own abilities kept him from getting KO'ed earlier in the fight, but he's got to do more, try harder, train harder, so that he can become less a speed bump and more a road block. Might've at least saved Ilde some trauma, and Bucky.
There's no hiding the quiet echo of I shoulda done more. He sucks in a breath, holding it for a second. ]
I get that this was a rough blow for him, but he - [ a frustrated exhale, his eyes closing ] - I just don't trust him.
[ As true as that might be, it feels like he's got to drag the words out of himself. ]
There's no hiding the quiet echo of I shoulda done more. He sucks in a breath, holding it for a second. ]
I get that this was a rough blow for him, but he - [ a frustrated exhale, his eyes closing ] - I just don't trust him.
[ As true as that might be, it feels like he's got to drag the words out of himself. ]
[ The mention of what happened to Angel strikes a nerve, and though he goes silent for another moment, his mind hums with tension. ]
( You got any suggestions? )
[ He's not opposed to outside help, but after the Darkling's idea of help - he's more wary, more defensive. In his mind, Ilde's been fine. It's Ren that's the loose cannon, and the scary part about that is his broodmate's easy influence. Not just by the rest of Castor (he'd admit that out of the three of them left, Ren doesn't seem to care much about what any of them think if it's at odds with his own ideas), but by people like the Darkling and Catheway, even Hux to a degree, a guy who's known Ren for longer than all of them and felt like the best way to deal with him was to get him seeking approval from a stronger force.
Maybe Catheway's better than that last force, but still - there's something deeply wrong about... all of this. ]
( You got any suggestions? )
[ He's not opposed to outside help, but after the Darkling's idea of help - he's more wary, more defensive. In his mind, Ilde's been fine. It's Ren that's the loose cannon, and the scary part about that is his broodmate's easy influence. Not just by the rest of Castor (he'd admit that out of the three of them left, Ren doesn't seem to care much about what any of them think if it's at odds with his own ideas), but by people like the Darkling and Catheway, even Hux to a degree, a guy who's known Ren for longer than all of them and felt like the best way to deal with him was to get him seeking approval from a stronger force.
Maybe Catheway's better than that last force, but still - there's something deeply wrong about... all of this. ]
( I will be honest with you. ) [She knows there will be a cost to this honesty, but he has asked and she's willing to provide. It's as simple as that.] ( My people believe in culling the problems that exist among us. We either exile those with deformities, or kill the ones who cause problems. Though we've adopted a lighter approach to such matters, it was always done with the belief that some will need to be removed. My instincts toward someone as ... unpredictable as him is to rid ourselves of the danger. But for now, I'd like to see if we can guide and direct him. If not, it may be prudent to allow him to submit to the Nest so that he becomes less of himself. )
[Someone that powerful handed over to the Nest could be a problem in its own right. It's clear that Lexa sees that as a way of committing someone, to handing them over to deal with the issue at hand—it's a punishment rather than anything full of virtue. She doesn't like the chance that they will lose themselves. No, she hates it, but her feelings toward Ren are cold and exacting.
Even so, she expects Steve not to take it well, recalling the edge to his thoughts from before when she had been callous like this. There's the sense that she's steeling herself for it. Lexa comes from a harsh world, and she is their leader. She could change these practices, but doesn't. She knows that. It is who she is, even if she is trying a different, better way.
Those decisions may not carry over to this world. That's one thing she hasn't yet decided on.]
[Someone that powerful handed over to the Nest could be a problem in its own right. It's clear that Lexa sees that as a way of committing someone, to handing them over to deal with the issue at hand—it's a punishment rather than anything full of virtue. She doesn't like the chance that they will lose themselves. No, she hates it, but her feelings toward Ren are cold and exacting.
Even so, she expects Steve not to take it well, recalling the edge to his thoughts from before when she had been callous like this. There's the sense that she's steeling herself for it. Lexa comes from a harsh world, and she is their leader. She could change these practices, but doesn't. She knows that. It is who she is, even if she is trying a different, better way.
Those decisions may not carry over to this world. That's one thing she hasn't yet decided on.]
Edited (left out a word) 2016-09-03 22:58 (UTC)
[ Sam’s mind picks up on that string of dissatisfaction Steve has with himself, and he reaches up a hand to his shoulder, giving a squeeze and a serious look. ]
Hey. You did plenty, alright? You protected everyone in that building, and it was against two very scary people. [ Not just Ren, but the Darkling too. And just Steve in the way of them, Ilde too scattered to get involved, the others all injured or otherwise occupied. ] Don’t sell that short.
[ as for the question of ren and trust, well. Sam sighs, eyes cast up to the ceiling as he rolls it around in his head some. ]
You got a right to. He gave us his word he’d keep the brood safe, he broke it.
Hey. You did plenty, alright? You protected everyone in that building, and it was against two very scary people. [ Not just Ren, but the Darkling too. And just Steve in the way of them, Ilde too scattered to get involved, the others all injured or otherwise occupied. ] Don’t sell that short.
[ as for the question of ren and trust, well. Sam sighs, eyes cast up to the ceiling as he rolls it around in his head some. ]
You got a right to. He gave us his word he’d keep the brood safe, he broke it.
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