hadriel | Accidental Video; Horrible Roommates Being Horrible

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Accidental Video; Horrible Roommates Being Horrible

[The video turns on haphazardly, staring up as if someone had flung it across the room and accidentally turned it on. Which, incidentally, is exactly what happened. There's a red glare as Kylo's lightsaber comes into view. He slashes at someone just out of view, missing them, and instead taking out part of the couch.]

I've had it with you! I'll make you wish you'd died as a child!

[Then his toe hits the video, sending it spinning and landing in another spot.]

Oh like I'm going to be scared of a pathetic version of Darth Vader. You have no idea how many times I wanted to abandon you on Hoth.

[There is a loud clambering as Hux got out of the way and when the video settles he can be seen with his blaster in his hand, eyes shining with a mad fury.

He raises the blaster and fires a few shots aimed at Kylo, but a few shots hit the walls and destroy the couch.

Kylo blocks the blaster shots with an almost contemptuous ease, his lightsaber twirling in front of him in a back and forth pattern. He stops the last shot in midair, sending it sailing back towards Hux.]

Is that the best you can do? My mother is a better shot, you Tarkin-wannabe.

[Now he was just hitting below the belt.]

You did not-

[Hux barely manages to dodge the reflected blast, which hit the opposite wall, leaving a deep mark. He's back on his feet to fire a few more shots with a growl of fury. He doesn't care where they land, he just wants to make Kylo suffer.]

Oh, please, you just sit and talk to your grandfather's helmet. 'I will finish what you started' - that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. You're just an embarrassment.

[Kylo goes very still for a moment, the video's skewed perspective making him look about seven feet tall. Everything nearby him begins to rattle with the power of the Force. Then, with a roar of fury, they all lift up, and began hurling themselves at Hux.]

I have more power than you could ever dream of! You think firing off your little superweapon gives you power? You're nothing. Just a bastard who got lucky.

[Hux's expression turns ugly, he's spent his entire life being called a bastard no matter how much he tried to put his past behind him.]

My little superweapon? The superweapon I could use to command the power of the stars when I destroyed the entire Hosnian System? I destroyed the Republic, their Senate, and their entire fleet in a moment while you sulked like a litt-

[He paused suddenly as he noticed the device, walking towards it.] You idiot, you left your phone on.

[Kylo looks over his shoulder at the phone. Great. They'd just broadcast that entire argument to the network. Now everyone knows about the Hosnian System. With a frustrated growl, he picks up a nearby lamp, and throws at Hux's head, not caring if it actually connects or not.]

This is your fault, you smug moron.

[Their physical altercation is done. The bickering is far from over.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I was actually willing to work with you when you stepped off your shuttle for the first time. I was hoping you would be a valuable asset as a co-commander.

But you made your mind up the moment you saw me, perhaps even before then, and just assumed I had no idea what I was doing. You made it clear that you had no respect for what I did as a general. Your demeanor and actions made it near impossible for me to afford you any respect in return, Ren.

Do you think it was easy for me? I was supposed to be on the path to becoming a Sith Lord and instead the Supreme Leader wanted me to work with you.

[He gestures a hand up and down, taking Hux in.]

You, with no Force sensitivity, who had no idea how to look at me as anything other than an inconvenience to your perfectly run ship.

And you think my life was easy? I was born and raised in the Imperial military and despite what you may believe, being the son of Brendol Hux gave me absolutely no advantages. I had to prove myself twice as much compared to everyone else.

[Being the son of a kitchen maid was not an easy past to escape.]

I earned the rank of general through dedication and hard work, it wasn't something I was just born with such as you and your abilities with the Force. I know what I'm doing, Ren, and I don't need to be Force sensitive.

Here we go again. 'Poor me, I'm the bastard son of an old Imperialist who had to work hard to get where he was. I'm brilliant and clever and no one appreciates me.' How many times have I heard you whine about that?

[Yep, he just accused Hux of being a whiner.]

And I have to hear you whine about your supposedly awful life. Yes, it must have been so awful to have parents who liked you and a stable life. My heart breaks for you.

Don't pretend to know what my life was like. You have no idea what I went through before turning to Snoke for guidance.

[Though he knew even if they were to sit down and compare, he'd come out miles ahead. For one, his parents had actually loved and cared about him. They still did, much as he was loathe to acknowledge it.]

Alright, then enlighten me.

[He stood then, stretching out for a moment. He had grabbed a couple of bottles of wine on his last outing- with two Skywalkers he knew he would need it. Thankfully the kitchen was untouched and he only ventured in quickly to grab one of the bottles and a single glass. If Kylo wanted some he could get his own glass.]

Tell me everything that was so horrible about your life so I can understand. I'm sure you've been waiting to get it off of your chest.

[Kylo went to go get another glass. What did Hux think he was going to do? Drink out of the bottle like a savage? They had only one salvageable chair from the mess, so Kylo sat on the counter, pulling the cork of the bottle out with the Force, and pouring himself a very large glass. He drank half of it down in one swallow.]

For one, they flat-out abandoned me. They just decided I was heading down the wrong path and decide to make me train with my uncle. Did I ever get a say in the matter? No. It was all decided for me.

[Hux filled his glass practically to the top but he was slower as he drank, eying Kylo.]

Tell me more about your parents. Were they affectionate? Perhaps they didn't spend as much as time with you as you may have liked but did they at least try?

They tried. I don't think either one of them intended to or was any good at actually being a parent. There was always something bigger going on in the galaxy that needed their attention. Fighting the last bits of the Empire or rebuilding the Republic or smuggling supplies to an allied planet. I was always a second thought.

[He took another drink, old memories coming up. How much he'd miss his father when he was off with Chewie in the Falcon, all the times mother had been busy with meetings as the Republic reformed. He hadn't understood at the time. Had he done something wrong, something to displease them? Why couldn't they spend more time with him?]

What about you? You told me you were raised by a droid.

But they actually tried, am I correct? They actually wanted to be with you, if they could.

[This time he did take a long drink of wine, nearly draining the glass.]

I was raised by a droid, RN-296 who reported to my father's personal protocol droid. My father saw me once a year for evaluation, to make sure I was doing what I was supposed to.

[He paused to drain the rest of the glass before pouring himself another.]

The first real memory I have of him was during the siege of Arkanis when we were leaving. After that, I was given into the care of an Imperial protocol droid who made sure I did my lessons and saw my father once a year for status updates until I was 10 and began formal training as a cadet.

I thought they did. Then they sent me away.

[There was a very large part of ~~Ben~~ Kylo that had never gotten over that or forgiven them for it. They must not have loved him anymore. If they had, they would have wanted him to stay. They wouldn't have sent him to become a Jedi no matter how terrible he was acting. He listens to Hux's tales of childhood, taking another drink. He's starting to feel pleasantly warm. Frankly, it sounds like a miserable existence, having a father who clearly didn't want him. He'd heard stories of Brendol Hux from the other officers. The man sounded like a grade-A bastard through and through.]

Sounds like he treated you more like a soldier than a son. What about your mother?

I never knew her, all I knew was that she was 'unsuitable'. She was left behind on Arkanis so there's a good chance she died during the battle.

[There was no emotion in his voice. He had been curious about his mother but as he had never known the woman, it was hard to summon any real emotion about her.]

I was raised to be a soldier. I was a 'child of the Empire' which is the reason I was rescued along with my father. My father was not a sentimental man.

That just sounds...sad.

[On both accounts. Dammit, Hux, don't make him feel sorry for you. He'd never given much thought to where Hux had come from, but he'd sort of assumed he'd been much as he is now, some brat with a silver spoon in his mouth. He'd never thought of how Hux had basically been raised as a weapon from birth. Now Kylo had an idea of where the Stormtrooper program had come from.]

My mother was wonderful growing up. [The wine is starting to loosen his tongue.] Beautiful, fearless, strong, and kind. She really is a princess. [Make a crack about Kylo technically being a prince and he'll smash the wine bottle over your head, Hux.] My father... [Kylo shakes his head.] ...he had no idea how to be one.

I suppose it is. But you know I'm a bastard so I'm sure you can imagine the kind of woman my mother is and why my father thought her unsuitable to raise me.

[The wine was making him feel warm and almost relaxed as he took a seat on the counter next to Kylo. This was the most time he spent he had spent in the kitchen since they had arrived here. He looked at Kylo, listening to him for a moment.]

It sounds like they tried at least, even if they didn't know what to do. It doesn't sound like they sent you to your uncle as a punishment. He's still your family.

[Tomorrow he'll take a crack at Kylo being a prince of planetary rubble but for tonight he'll let it slide.]

Still sounds unfair. Kids need their mothers around, not some protocol droid.

[He can't complain on that end. Leia had been a wonderful mother to him, even when she was busy to the point of being neglectful. She had wanted to protect him from everything in the universe that could have harmed him. The one thing she couldn't protect him from was Snoke. He pours another glass of wine and tops off Hux's.]

It wouldn't have been if they had given me a choice in the matter, which they didn't. All of them decided what was best for me without asking me what I wanted. And the path of the Jedi was never going to be for me. It was too slow and plodding. My uncle was deliberately holding me back from my true potential.

[He nodded in thanks as he took another drink of wine once Kylo topped his glass off, his cheeks flushed already. ]

All my life the truth of who she was has followed everything I do. Still, I wonder sometimes what she was like.

[He admitted before looking over at Kylo, curious.]

And Snoke gives you a choice and what you wanted?

[It was an honest question, he had always wondered what really had been Kylo's motivations in joining the First Order and what he had to gain from Snoke.]

No matter what, she would have been better than your father. It's a wonder you never killed him.

[Kylo hesitates before answering, just long enough to make it clear he's been having second thoughts.]

...he doesn't hold me back.

[At least, Kylo hadn't thought he was, until he had come here, and seen how woefully incomplete his training was in comparison to other Force users. Now he wasn't so sure.]

You're probably right. [If it were any other night he wouldn't have uttered those words but he didn't think about it as he finished off his third glass of wine, holding it out for Kylo to refill.]

I nearly did but somehow he survived the attempt only for his heart to explode a year later.

[His tone was only bitter, absolutely no regret or deep emotion. He heard the pause in Kylo's answer, raising his eyebrows.]

At all? I find that hard to believe.

[He had always been careful when speaking about Snoke but it was just the two of them here and, despite what he had said about Kylo in the past, he knew the other man wasn't a complete idiot.]

It just seems like something Snoke wouldn't want to do. If he allowed you to do anything you wanted, there is the chance you could gain knowledge and power that he doesn't have. You're Vader's grandson and Vader was able to turn on the Emperor. He has to be planning for that possibility with you.

What a missed opportunity. If I was going to kill my father, I'd just do it. No second thoughts about it.

[Those words will come back to haunt him later when he leaves this place and returns. For now, it's all just drunken talk.

He scowls at the mention of Snoke. Why does everyone assume he's being manipulated? They all keep trying to plant seeds of doubt into his mind. With so many people saying the same thing, he's starting to believe. But it's hard to break the hold his master has had on him since childhood.]

No. He wouldn't do that. Not to me.

I didn't hesitate, he just survived being poisoned. I didn't have a chance to try again until he died.

[He looked at Kylo, surprised.] You would really kill Han Solo, no second thoughts?

[He didn't press the issue about Snoke, either Kylo would eventually figure it out or not. Hux knew it was something he didn't want to be in the middle of.]

You have a lot of trust in him.

What a shame. I bet you were pissed off at the wasted opportunity.

[Poison would be Hux's method. Kylo preferred to be up, close, and personal when it came to killing. When his father gets mentioned again, he looks disturbed.]

Yes...no...I don't know. [He takes another drink, trying to soothe his indecisive nerves. The thought of his parents always puts him on edge. Snoke is an easier topic to talk about.]

Of course I do. He's been guiding me since I was a child.

It really was. I wanted to be there and watch him die. The bastard cheated me out of that but I suppose that was typical of him.

[He had carefully planned everything and had been looking forward to watching his father die in pain, suffering as he had made his son suffer for so long.]

You should figure that out. [He said but his tone was neutral. He didn't understand how Kylo could be torn. For Hux, the decision was always made without second guessing.]

But you're not a child anymore.

You make it sound like he died just to spite you.

[Which, given how Kylo knew his son, didn't seem out of place for that particular family. He scowls, thinking of his father.]

I'm working on it. It's hard to know what I would do when I haven't seen him in years. [Part of him would always want to return to Han and Leia, knowing that they would forgive him even now for all he'd done. He was just afraid that part might win out over the part that was clinging desperately to the Dark Side.

The scowl deepens as he thinks of Snoke and all that he's learned since his connection with his master was so abruptly severed when he ended up in Hadriel.]

Sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

[He knew Hux would find that amusing, but Kylo meant it seriously. His master had seemed determine to stunt his apprentice both emotionally and in his connection with the Force. Only now, away from the cloying presence that was in his mind, was Kylo finally thinking for himself for the first time since he was a teenager.]

He most likely did.

[Being a spiteful asshole ran in the family. He finished off his glass of wine and set it aside on the counter before turning to face Kylo.]

Alright, start with figuring out why you want to kill him. Picture it in your mind, visualize how you would do it. The reality won't be the same but it helps to go over each step to be prepared. Perhaps that will help you figure it out. [He would know, he had spent a long time of pondering how to kill Brendol in just the right way.]

It must be strange not having Snoke here for you then.

[There was no mocking, though. If he thought about it, it was sad that Snoke had such absolute control over him from a young age. At least nanabot had been a soothing companion when he was a child.]

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