The Little Things In Our Souls

Rey pushed to her feet with ease when Claris urged her toward the camp, her eyes very nearly rolling into the back of her head at his comment. She tossed a glare in his direction as she began to lead the way back to camp, looking around as they went. How long had Luke been here? She didn't know but she thought it had to be a long enough time that he had needed a shelter.

When they returned, Rey knelt by the fire to feet it a few logs to keep it nice and hot. She rather enjoyed being outside and would stay as long as she could. After she was seemingly satisfied with the strength of the fire, she moved to where the food was sitting on small plates she had found in the out that hadn't ended up damaged in his temper tantrum on their last visit.

"I think the sign said something about flounder but I honestly didn't pay enough attention to it," Rey explained quietly as she pulled the fillet apart. She flicked a bite of it into her mouth, letting out an appreciative groan. "At least I can say my cooking skills have expanded. That's probably the only reason you kept me around, huh?"

Stepping into the hut, Claris looked around with mild curiosity for he felt he had been here before but not quite remembering when or why. He didn't question it, assuming it was more of a past-him thing and sat down by the table and began to eat. The fillet wasn't too bad tasting, in fact it was nice and soft and pleasant to eat. It fell apart easy and he didn't have to try rip into it. He took a few bites and a moment more to keep silent without comment on her cooking; did he really like it? He couldn't tell. It was an interesting taste, and the smell of fish that he tried to sniff out was simply not there. Nothing repulsed him.

Because Claris was also not one to compliment, especially when proven wrong, he didn't say anything about her fish, but wholeheartedly ate the whole thing and that was quite enough to suggest he liked it. "Is that empty? No more?" He asked (before he could really stop himself), staying casual as he gestured to the pot where she had cooked.

Rey glanced over to the pot that she had used to cook, a slight frown on her lips as she reached over for it. She pulled it closer and with her hands, tore the other remaining piece of fish apart. She offered one half to him, using the ladle to scoop more vegetables onto her plate. "Do you want more vegetables, too?"

Settling back down once she was full, Rey picked up her bottle of water and took a large swig before she settled her gaze back on Claris. "I think we can stay here for another day or two but I don't want to linger for too long. There's no saying if there are any Mauki looking for us.." she trailed off with a shrug of her shoulder. "Promise our next trip will be worth it, buddy."

(wow short is shit I am sorry)

[It's okay, I wrote pretty short too xD; excuse the dryness of this though D: ]

The next trip was a surprise. Although they spent quite the time on the journey, stopped here and there for food and fish - in which Claris proved to be extremely picky but the few he liked, he absolutely loved. Upon arrival to the planet, the moment Claris set foot off the ship and touched the ground, he knew where they were, and he was lost between confusion and rage. How dare she bring him to this planet again? Did she know what happened here? Did she purposefully want to remind him?

Claris wasn't angry at what he had done. He felt no remorse and no guilt. Students died. Young Jedis died. So what. They were not worthy for anything. If they could not stand up against Kylo, then what could they do against others? They were weak. With this set in his mind, he trudged along behind her, a storm about to brew and spill, his brows furrowed and his gaze hard. He didn't utter a single word until they reached the temple, at which point he tensed and became so wary, he would have heard a pin drop a mile away.

The temple was a sight that welled so many emotions in him. Anger, disgust, disdain, arrogance and hatred. "Why did you bring me here?" he demanded after a long silence as he stood and looked at the torn down doors of the temple. A flower or two from still-grieving parents scattered past him in the breeze. Did he want to step back in? No. Hell no. Not for guilt, but for loathing.

"What?" Rey asked, her foot hovering above the first step that led up to Luke's temple. She raised an eyebrow, glancing back to Claris with an innocent sort of smile. She shrugged her shoulders, glancing up to the broken doors. A frown settled onto her features as she wondered what had happened. Sure, she had delved into the memory in Claris' mind but all of his memories seemed to be distorted, so she couldn't go off of that. And she was sure as hell not going to question her father about the entire ordeal. What was there to say? 'Daddy, please tell me all about the worst day of your life! Please!'

"There's something I came to collect and I figured you wouldn't be shy on me. Right? Or are you going to surprise me?" Rey asked, a laugh sounding through her lips. She rolled her shoulders before starting up the stairs. She had no real idea why she was here but it felt like it was needed. Like if she didn't bring Claris here, there was no need to have done anything to help him in the first place.

Pushing the door open just enough so that she could squeeze through, Rey began to head straight down toward the hallways. She knew that Luke's office was off of the main room and so she hoped there was something relevant enough inside that she could pass it off as the reasoning they had come. Rey hated lying to Claris, sure, but she didn't think the truth was the best to tell him.

Wouldn't shy on her? Hell. He was ready to bail on her. Claris bit back a witty remark to cover his unease and set his mouth in a hard line, shooting the temple a glare. She knew. She couldn't not know. He was certain she had been here, and some random bit of his memory told him he had been here with her, but not as Claris. He followed her in, reluctantly.

The first thing that caught his attention was the wreckage. It had been a long time since Claris himself had been here. When he left it, it had been all in flames and the smell of blood was overpowering. Now it was calm and cold and empty. No screams, no falling debris. Just stone. Unchanged, unchanging. They walked further into the hall, and passed a monument with all the plaques. He saw his name on it, amongst many, and he briefly wondered why it was there - but at the same time remembered the hours and days spent trying to organize it to be there and to keep it there, and for his family to never come looking further than he needed to. There was a sense of relief that the plaque was still there, as if a reward to show he had worked hard and achieved a goal. Claris looked away and headed on further in. They walked for a while, stepping over stones and fallen walls. Leaves had found their way in, and in some places vines attempted to strangle the stone, winding round and round and up into the ceiling towards the little slips of light.

When they passed the room where it happened, the very vivid memory of Kylo was suddenly brought back, and Claris momentarily was amazed by how strong the memory was projected into his mind to show an actual Kylo in his vision. He shook his head and was about to look away when he realised that no, it wasn't a memory, and that the image of Kylo standing on the steps was not a conjuration of his madness. Claris came to a halt and sharply turned to the robed, masked man who stood at the top of the very stairs Claris had once stood when he accepted - but apparently rejected - Kylo and Snoke. He was so still Claris could have sworn he was a statue, but Kylo looked to him and Claris knew he was real.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't move in front of Rey to put himself between them, but neither did he make a move towards Kylo.

"You've been gone for a very long time, Claris." Kylo said, his voice echoing in the stone room, muffled lightly by the mask. "Snoke is most displeased. You are instructed to return to him. Ordered." He said a word then, in a different language, and Claris flinched. The memory of pain and that horrid room flashed up in his mind. The feeling of electricity and blades cutting into his skin was so real he had to move ever so slightly to assure himself it wasn't happening now. But clearly, his lack of response must have thrown Kylo off, for the two stared at each other intensely, one expecting a reaction of the other to fall to his knees, and the latter not obeying. The pain was just not that great. Claris didn't feel the need to bow down. Not now.

Rey hadn't thought anyone would be here, not really, and so she hadn't even thought to check the vibe of the temple. It would already be strange, what with her being so susceptible to the force now. The moment that Kylo's voice sounded, that moment sent so much regret coursing through her veins. She stilled for a moment, taking a slow, deliberate deep breath as she focused on the words that fell from his lips. She twisted around to face him, siding up to Claris just as he flinched. Her eyes narrowed and on instinct alone, without a moment of consideration, she forced herself into Claris' mind to push away whatever Kylo was sending her way. It effectively left her vulnerable but in that moment, all she could see was the sabre going through Xander's chest and she was positive that she had never been this angry before.

"Seems like it's a shame. You and Snoke will never be the sort of challenge you think you are for me," Rey called, tugging her sabre free from her side. A smirk settled onto her features and she took a hesitant step forward, gripping the shaft in her hand.

Claris needed to stay behind her before as far as she was concerned, he wasn't ready to fight Kylo and she surely wasn't about to watch Claris die again because of her. Flicking the sabre to life, Rey launched toward Kylo. She didn't care what was coming, she simply wanted some sort of semblance of revenge. She wanted nothing more than to cut Kylo into pieces, send them back to Snoke with a heartfelt message. That he would be next and oh, she was looking forward to finally meeting him!

"Go outside," Rey all but growled over her shoulder, wanting Claris to flee. She wanted him to leave and as far as she was concerned, he could leave the planet. Either Rey or Kylo would walk away from this battle but not both. If she had it the way that she wanted. "Leave, if you must. This isn't your battle."

Kylo's intense glare snapped to the girl beside Claris. Rey. Oh Rey. He sneered, "If that were so, then how come you haven't yet taken us down?" He watched her sabre come to life and the moment she stepped a little towards him, his own was there and blazing, an angry red among stone. Claris still seemed quite out of it, and Kylo paid no attention to him at that moment. He focused on the girl as she launched at him, and easily parried her first hit.

Whatever Rey growled at Claris was in one ear and out the other. Claris simply stood there, unsure of what to do. He was partially stuck with Rey, and had an urge to defend her and rip Kylo's head off, but also under the influence of Kylo's words and wanting to leap in and help him capture Rey and come out victorious, see the fear and look of horror on her face as he betrayed her, see her lose hope. Yes, that would be nice. Claris grit his teeth, and retreated a few steps, watching the two exchange blows as they essentially bought him time to think on what to do. How torn he was.

Whatever the time Rey had spent with Claris to fix his mind, Kylo had spent with Snoke more, and trained more, and certainly stepped up his game. He parried blow after blow, and sent his own her way, mixed with blows of Force, and parrying hers, and felt they were equal. Had she trained alone? He wondered. Who was her teacher? There was something different about her though. She was not entirely pure innocence. No. There was a little seed of hate planted in her, and it seemed to grow. He couldn't hold back the smirk. "Yes, let this hatred fuel you," he sneered again.

[A/N: I realise I won't be able to kill Kylo ]

(do I gotta not now but at some point)

Kylo's words only served to set her anger aflame. She glared at his form, ducking under a swing of his, kicking out as his feet. It was dangerous to lower herself right to the ground, she knew, but he had trailed and so had she and she thought the risk was worth it. If she could get the upper hand on Kylo, that meant this was all over. Or nearly because the only one left would be Snoke and oh, she couldn't wait to get her fingers around his measly throat.

Rey's eyes widened when he managed to avoid her blow, barely bringing up her sabre in time to stop a stab to her chest. She swore under her breath and tried to squirm far enough away that she could get back to her feet but every time the opportunity arose, Kylo closed the gap before she could take advantage.

One deep breath was all it took before her hand slid down to the activation lever on the sabre and she flicked it off, rolling to the side. There was no other way to get off of the floor as she saw it - even if Kylo had the very likely chance of ending her here and now.

[you gonna have to do it when I'm not looking ]

Kylo was intent on killing her there and then, if rendering her useless wouldn't work. And it seemed the case so. He lunged at her, repeatedly, as she scrambled away and was sure that this one more time he would finish her and have her head (and Claris) brought to before Snoke (he barely thought of the praise at this moment). Once she was down and her sabre off, he sealed his promise in her fate and aimed for her chest or head - whatever closest, the red glaring sabre hurtling to her skin when suddenly it was struck away. The sabre was flung aside and scattered along the stone floor, hitting numerous debris on its way.

Kylo loooked surprised, shocked. He glared up at Claris who now stood a little to the side of Rey. "What's the meaning of this?" He snapped. Claris just shrugged. He wasn't sure what even came over him.

"A valuable asset, don't you think?" He forced himself to say. Kylo just glared, and sharply barked a few words. Claris grit his teeth. Pain flared in his mind again. He flinched, one knee buckled and as it did, Kylo brought his sabre back into his hand and ignited it, and came at Claris - who caught the saber into his metal hand, and with a grunt shoved it away and kicked out at him. Claris continued to press but it wasn't aggressive. He just wanted to create space between Rey and kylo. For now.he didn't know what to do after that, and in his confused state he was weak against Kylo, who suddenly froze and attacked at Claris' defences, and forced him to his knees, and seemed oblivious to the rumblings that resonated in the buildings as Claris twitched on the ground. For Claris' mind was falling to pieces, and the rumbling was from the Force he summoned, to break all and everything and rid of pain and Kylo and himself. Seven seconds to recover... just seven. rey, distract him, please. he prayed.

Rey was sure this was going to be it. That she was never going to see Luke or Leia again and that she wasn't going to be able to rescue Xander like she had been so damned desperate to. And ultimately, Rita or Joran would have to carry out their oaths. She didn't have as strong of a relationship with Joran but she was sure that it would destroy him just as much as it would Rita. Swallowing, she braced herself for... well, she didn't know what she should expect. Would it be quick and relatively painless? Or would she lay there suffering at Kylo's feet until she took her last breath? She doubted that Kylo would let her go quickly, use it as a lesson for Claris, she didn't know.

But the pain, it never came. She rolled onto her back and once she was sure she wasn't about to standing into a blade, Rey was back on her feet. She watched Kylo and Claris, her body rigid as she surveyed them both. But then Kylo was speaking again and her sabre flew to her hand where she hesitated to ignite it.

She was about to shout at him, demand to understand why he thought it was a good idea to hurt Claris in front of her again but then she decided to get her own revenge. No more talking, her actions could speak louder than words. Right?

Rey looked down to her feet, smirked to herself, before rushing toward Kylo. The blade didn't come to life until the last possible moment, slicing upward into his arm. Rey's free hand reached forward and yanked on his cloak, pulling him straight to the floor. She buried her foot on his chest, not batting an eye even as the man continued to scream beneath her. "How does it feel, Kylo? Knowing you'll never be as great as our uncle? You'll never be what Darth Vader once was. And even he repent!"

[For this Kylo pain, I will have my revenge :’)]

Seven. Six.
There was shouting, screaming, there was the smell of blood.

Five.
Claris heard something crack above.

Four. Three.
There was a feeling of warmth, a feeling of calm washing over him. He wanted to lay on the ground forever and sleep. Just sleep. He felt his eyes close. The voices so near him sounded so distant. He saw Rey’s blurry figure over Kylo, who knelt in front of her, in screams and in pain, something blue going right through him… it seemed.

Two.
The sound was gone. Some rocks started to fall. His vision blurred, he felt only the pressures and pulses of rocks hitting ground. Claris tilted his head away, and slipped out of consciousness.

One.

He wasn’t sure what day it was, or why the air was so stuffy and dusty, or why there was the smell of blood waking him from his slumber, but Xander was still, laying absolutely still on the floor, not quite wanting to get up. So tired. The screams (what screams?) had stopped. Only quiet whimpering. He shifted, grunted, turned his head as another rock fell, missing inches from his head. He realised the ceiling (or what was left of it) was starting to cave in. How funny. It seemed so familiar… He focused ahead and noticed Kylo’s dark hair. The man was laying on the ground not far from him. Was he dead? No. He was in great pain. Xander frowned lightly and retreated from the man’s mind. And a figure beside him. Who was that? He smirked lightly. Rey. But before she could turn around, he wiped his face void of emotion, and faked unconsciousness. Would she worry and cry and call his name? He hoped so. He’d get to tease and play her a little. Get her all worked up and worried. Now if she would just hurry up – these rocks were missing his limbs by inches.

The ceiling had begun to crumble above their heads but Rey, she didn't seem to care at all. She smirked as she stood above Kylo, nudging him with her boot. Oh, this was extraordinarily fun - toying with someone who had never shown her mercy. "I hope you can manage to get away. It would be awful if this was our last encounter together."

With those parting words, Rey turned and rushed toward Claris. With a great deal of force, she lifted him and began to all but drag him out of the temple, down the stairs, and toward their ship. BB-8 had seemingly been paying attention because the ramp began to lower the moment that they appeared.

Rey hadn't stopped to think, hadn't thought about Claris' state of mind. She only wanted to get out of here, away from the perceived threat. So she dropped Claris rather unceremoniously and rushed to the pilot'/ chair, her fingers dancing across the dashboard to bring the ship to life and send it speeding out toward space.

Xander stayed still, absolutely still, as she lifted and dragged him out of the temple. Plenty of times, his foot hit a rock or some debri, and a hand scraped over the rough stone, and he wanted to wince and hiss at the sharp pain but all in the name of a joke – he kept himself silent and limp in her grasp. She didn’t even spare him a thought, it seemed, as she dumped him on the floor in the ship, and he wished he could groan and roll over and fix his aching sides and displaced clothes. But even then, he kept his mouth ever so partially open, and his eyes closed, and his breathing steady. Not a sound, not a movement.

It felt like forever, laying here on the floor like some useless doll as the ship started up and departed, and he heard BB-8 rolling about him and could feel the robot peering down at him. Something prodded his leg and Xander felt fear (for a moment) that the robot would zap him – but thankfully that didn’t happen – or so he thought. There was a shock, and Xander flinched, but caught himself in time so that it looked like an unconscious twitch. BB-8 seemed unhappy that it didn’t bring the man to consciousness and beeped alarmingly to Rey, rolling away, leaving Xander in the dark (more like blind) and unaware to his surroundings visually, praying Rey would hurry up and return, and get all worried about him.

Heh. He could imagine her reaction to know he was joking all along, being a useless bag. Oh how he wanted to tease her.

Once Rey felt they were a decent enough length away from the planet, she pushed herself to her feet and moved toward Claris. She knelt beside him and was careful as she rolled him onto his back. "BB-8 says you didn't react to a shock," she began to speak, a small frown forming on her lips. She began to grow a bit frantic as her thoughts began to drift away. She looked around for a moment before she shook her head.

"I don't want to," Rey started, reaching for her pack to set his head on. "But I have no expertise in what the hell is going on." Rey let out a shaky breath, leaning back on her heels as she ran a hand through her hair. "We're going to head for Nikolai. I can't risk the Resistance seeing you yet and if there's anyone who will be able to point me in the right direction, to get you whatever stupid help you need, it's him." She reached a hand down to his real one and gave it a tight squeeze, her mouth turning into a thin line.

Rey turned to stand, figuring there was nothing more left for her to be able to do.

(idk if you want him to grab her foot or something, so )

(That' works!)

Xander waited and his patience was rewarded. Rey finally came over, and took his head into her hands and expressed her many worries. In fact, he was so absorbed in her touch and voice and loving the way she was all concerned for him that he completely forgot his purpose. And when she suddenly moved and stood to walk away, he regained his sense of surroundings fast enough to snap out his hand and grab the closest thing to him that was a part of her (it seemed her ankle) and rolled over to pull her back, ready to catch her onto himself or with Force and make her landing softer if she fell.

But the goofy grin on his face was there, and his eyes sparkling with mischief. "I didn't think you'd give up on me so easy," he teased, "aren't you going to give old Xander a kiss? It's been a while."

There was no mistaking Xander here. Claris would never even look at her the same way as Cander did, with light and tease in his eyes, seeing her as something more than a thing to share his bed and be his apprentice for his own self gain.

@ varkatzas.
(And I forgot to hit reply oops D: )

(You have a problem with that button )

Rey let out a curse as a hand wrapped around her ankle and if she hadn't been so startled, she may have been able to catch herself but instead, she simply fell backward, barely missing Xander as she hit the floor of the ship. She turned around with wild eyes, her jaw dropping as she stared at him. Her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward, tilting her head to the side as she gave a probe into his mind. Sharply, Rey pulled back and looked to him with a frown. She made eye contact with him again and it was at that point that she realized it was him and he was here and it wasn't Claris and Xander, oh, he was real.

She wrapped her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and yanked Xander forward so that she could press a desperate kiss to his lips. Rey let out a laugh, leaning her forehead against his as she finally pulled away. "It's been a little too long," she answered back, her fingers searching for any bit of his skin that she could reach. "Claris was nice and all but he's not quite you."

Rey took a deep breath as she pulled away from him, sitting up a bit straighter now. "I suppose this means we get to return.." she trailed off, tilting her head to the side. "We should take a day to stop by your family though. Your mother will be happy to see ou and I'm sure your sisters as well," she spoke quietly, running her fingers through his hair. She had missed it, as much as she could with Claris it still wasn't quite the same - he was even more temperamental than Xander and was usually all about getting in and getting out.

"Does this mean I have Kylo to thank for something?" She asked suddenly, her face breaking into a grin.

[i get too excited and post before I even realise what I'm doing xD]

That little probe at his mind was easily deflected. Xander had set up his trusty walls but still some thoughts floated around, the jumbled mess that still wasn't cleared up. He welcomed the kiss with a grin, pulling her closer and deepening it ever so more. Ah, he sure missed this.

"Claris, eh?" He teased, rubbing their noses together. "I feel you smell of him. The thought of him touching you - even if it were my own hands - annoys me." He smirked again, "how many hours did you spend with him? We gotta work that off- or rather-" he faked innocence, "I'm seeming to have problems recovering the memories of you naked. Did we ever do anything? You must surely remind me."

Letting her slip out of his embrace,he sat up too and slouched as he watched her think and speak. Did Claris ever look that way at her? No. "my mother and sisters..." he repeated, frowned lightly and corrected her, "And brother. I had a one, didn't I? I signed something to him." He rubbed his forehead in thought and leaned back, propped on one arm.

"Thank Kylo?" He looked shocked. "Oh Gods no. Never thank him for anything. He will take credit. And then he sits on your shoulders and demands worship." He rolled his eyes.

"Longer than you'd probably like," Rey answered lightly, not exactly wanting to count down the hours. She offered a small smile and reached to squeeze his hand, only to pull away as she slapped lightly at his chest. "You're being ridiculous. Do you honestly think I'd be able to stay away from you for that long? I thought you were dead for the longest of times..." she trailed off, suddenly frowning as she looked down to her lap. She squirmed a bit before reluctantly pushing to her feet, intent on turning the ship to head toward Xander's home.

Rey looked up to Xander and gave a quick nod of her head, smiling lightly. "Yeah, you have a brother. We aren't all that far from the planet so we should be there shortly and oh, yes," she paused to clear her throat, reaching toward the little switch that would initiate a call. Rita would be delighted to hear but then she thought better of it and dropped her hand from the mechanism.

Reaching up, Rey toyed with the ring that still hung from a chain around her neck. She glanced over to him and offered a slight smile, "do you want this back?" She wasn't going to tell him she wanted to keep it. It wasn't any sort of stone by any means but she still felt like it was a part of Xander and that it was important and it was hers and now he was back and what if he wanted it back? She certainly wouldn't deny him by any means. Rey reached around to the back of her neck to undo the clip on the chain. "You did earn it, after all."