─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

fade: chapter fifteen

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

          CRAIT IS A QUITE beautiful planet. A thin layer of white salt covers a red core, mineral. A bunch of tiny, rusty, worn down ski speeders are all the resistance have to fight with. The odds aren't looking too pretty. As they make their way towards the AT-AT's, red smoke blows in the air behind them. It's both a beautiful and haunting sight, it would take a miracle for them to win this.

           Ben has changed. Perhaps it was the deed of killing Snoke that did it, perhaps it was the scavenger, but there's something different about him. Florence watches him from her seat and she's looking at supreme leader Kylo Ren, power hungry and driven by his anger towards the resistance, the scavenger, his mother, Luke Skywalker.

         These last few days have been so hectic, they haven't had time to train or barely even have a proper conversation. Just fighting, squabbling over things that now seem pointless. Now she doesn't know him, it feels like. But he's not the only one that can play this game, if he's going to act all cold and ignore her, she'll do the same to him.

         They hover above the battering ram canon and the AT-M6 walkers. She watches with wide eyes as the small speeders try to fend off TIE-fighters and avoid the walker bolts, failing miserably. It doesn't take long for a handful of them to blow up.

         Out of nowhere, the millennium falcon sweeps down and takes out many of their fighters. "Blow that piece of junk out of the sky!" Ben shouts, pointing at the ship.

           "All fighters!" Hux orders. The falcon soon peels off from the battle, drawing the fire away from the small speeders, instead leading them away. It's a brilliant distraction, Florence thinks. Rey knows how much Ben hates that ship.

          Still, the cannon fires up and begins cracking the door open. The speeders quickly fall back but one lone speeder doesn't break off. Florence watches as it nears the cannon, guessing that it's Finn. Surely, it must be. He would make such a sacrifice, she figures. It looks as if he's going to do it, and Florence thinks it might just work, but another speeder goes after him, jamming straight into him, causing them both to go flying off to the side. Florence holds her breath as she watches Finn get out of his ship, thankful that he's okay.

          Slowly but surely, the walkers and their shuttle make it closer to the base. Tied at the end of a string, just like Hux had said a few days prior; the resistance is cornered in a years old base, door cracking open with each second, with no way out. But out of the burning hole in the wall walks a lonely man, unbothered and unafraid. Ben reacts by staring blankly at him before his breathing becomes strained and he grits his teeth angrily. "I want every gun we have to fire on that man. Do it."

And they do as told, several dozens of shots are directed at the man, causing a red cloud of smoke to rise into the air. "More!" He clenches his fists. "More!"

"That's enough," Hux walks up to him. When he gets no response from the supreme leader, he walks up to the window. "That's enough!" He orders and the walkers stop shooting.

          Ben sits down as the smoke starts to clear. Hux turns around to face him. "Do you think you got him? Now if we're ready to get moving, we can finish this."

          "Sir?" One of the drivers says. Making their way to the window, they can all see it. The man is somehow completely unharmed. He brushes his shoulder as if to only anger Ben. Florence understands then that this is master Skywalker.

          "Bring me down to him. Keep the door covered and don't advance until I say." He says, slowly and calmly but she can sense the rage building in him.

           "Don't," Florence warns him, placing a hand on his arm. "He's only trying to distract you."

           He looks at her, letting out an annoyed huff as he brushes past her on his way out of the ship. She rolls her eyes. Maybe this is a good thing, maybe this will get the resistance time to get out.

           "He's going to regret this," she says, looking out at the old jedi master, waiting patiently for his old padawan. Hux only glances at her, but he agrees. There's nothing she can do but watch as a very one-sided battle ensues. But something is off, Luke is letting him attack. Upon watching incredibly carefully, the realization hits her. He's not leaving any trace on the ground, he's unafraid; he's not even there. Luke Skywalker is not present on Crait, he's still on Ahch-To.

            She walks over to the door. A stormtrooper steps in the way, they were told to guard the door, after all. She glares at him. "Let me pass," she attempts to walk past him but he's loyal to his leader. She rolls her eyes, inhaling one slow and steady breath. "You will let me pass." She says, calm and collected, waving to fingers in front of him.

           "I will let you pass," he says, stepping out of the way.

          "Thanks," she chuckles as she walks out and onto the chilly planet. The air is crips and fresh. It's been a while since she felt anything quite like it. She watches the fight, hearing Ben's angry shouting, Luke replying calmly.

          "Ben!" She calls out to him. "You're wasting your time!"

          He turns around to look at her. "That is not my name!" Is all he has to say, apparently, before he comes into a run, slicing his lightsaber right trough Skywalker.

          "I was trying to tell you he isn't actually here." She says, cocking her head to the side, sighing of annoyance. "Look at the prints," she looks down at the ground and Ben does the same. "There aren't any."

           Luke looks at her. "Clever girl."

           Ben walks closer to his old master, shaking his head in disbelief as he sticks his lightsaber right through his chest, finding that Skywalker really is just a force projection.

          "See you around, kid." Luke arches a defiant brow before he vanishes. Ben turns around, looking at the base, his body shaking with anger.

           "No!" He lets out a roar-like scream, fists clenched at his sides.

           She walks up to him, standing side by side, eyes focused on the cave. "Not to add more salt to your wound but sometimes you should really listen to me," she says bitterly before continuing on towards the base, feeling him stare furiously at her. She remains unbothered.

           As expected, it's completely empty. They've already found their way out, already on their way away from this planet. No one is surprised, really.

          She locks eyes with him. He looks furious. She feels relieved, in a sense. The resistance got away. They suffered great losses, but at least the core is still left; the hope. Simultaneously, this might not bode well. They got away yet again, but she fears their luck may be running out. Their forces are small, making their chances against the first order lean, and she fears what Ben will be like as a supreme leader.

         A weird feeling blooms in her chest, similar to the one she felt a few nights ago, but different in a sense that this feeling is one of sadness. Placing a hand on a nearby table, she keeps herself standing upright as she tries to figure out what's happening; the loss of life, but in such a peaceful place, a final goodbye to the world around them, closing their eyes one last time knowing they did the right thing. Peace and purpose is all Florence can feel once the feeling starts to fade away, but she finds herself immensely sad as she realizes what just happened. Luke Skywalker. Dead.

           It doesn't seem right. She never knew him but she grew up on the stories about him. She saw him just minutes ago, he spoke to her. Part of her wishes she had known him, but perhaps the fact that she didn't only spares her of the pain of his passing.

          She finds Ben again. He's already watching her closely. He knows, of course, he feels it too. She quickly looks away, finding that Hux is stood a bit further away conversing with an admiral. Even if she doesn't want to join them, because quite frankly, anything Hux does disinterested her, she walks over to them, because she is desperate to get further away from Ben. She stands politely standing by as she listens mindlessly to their conversation, head spinning a million miles an hour.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

FLORENCE IS THE ONE to make her way to his quarters. They need to talk this out, and she knows he's never going to take the initiative. She stands outside his door for minutes, trembling with nerves. Every time she raises her hand to knock, she stops herself. She could just leave. She could leave and never look back, she could get away from this, from him. But sighing, she shakes her head at her own ridiculous thoughts. There is no escape for her, she could never earn herself a proper life outside of this. She has no life outside of this, and she doesn't want this one life she has to be terrible. He makes thinks easier. He makes things sweeter. He makes her equally happy as he makes her frustrated.

Eventually, however, she lightly knocks on the door, readying herself for whatever may be done or said. Ben opens the door within seconds and immediately he takes a step closer and connects their lips, cupping her face. She kisses back, grabbing his wrists as she does. But she quickly pulls back, realizing that this isn't a good idea. "We need to talk," she says.

"I agree," he opens the door to let her inside, not letting his slight disappointment in her actual reasons for being there show through. She steps inside, back turned to him as she fiddles obsessively with her cuticles, trying to find the right words.

"I... I hate fighting with you," she says, turning around to face him. "But it's impossible not to when you act like this." She says, now she's placing her hands along his jawline, looking into his eyes. She's begging, but only because that is the one and only way to reach him sometimes. "This is not the man I fell for."

He presses a kiss on the top of her head, bringing her closer, arms wrapped around her. "Join me. We'll rule the galaxy together and snuff out the resistance once and for all," he whispers.

"You sound just like Hux," she says, pulling back a bit as she meets his eyes with fear. Who has he turned into?

"The galaxy will be ours. We'll build a new, stronger empire," he promises sweetly, in a way that is hard to decline.

She swallows nervously. "I'm not sure I want that anymore." She says, properly pulling herself out of his hold. She's not sure she ever actually wanted that, rather, she just wanted him.

"Then what do you want?"

She shrugs, turning around to look out the window, chewing nervously on her thumbnail. "I don't want war. I want peace and I want happiness and I want you." She at him, shaking her head slightly, those childhood dreams still tugging at her. They always have, through the years, through death and devastation and through the good bits too, she's always dreamed of a happy life. The life she was torn from too soon. Unlike Ben, she still holds on to the past, dearly so, for she fears that if she truly lets go, she will become someone she doesn't want to be.

"We'll be the most powerful people in the entire galaxy. No one will be able to stop us."

She barks out a laugh, choking on tears. "Listen to yourself! You sound like a madman! Who even are you right now? I feel like I don't even know you. I thought I loved you."

His expression goes blank. "Loved me?"

"Is that so crazy?" Maybe she just doesn't understand love, what it really is supposed to be like. All she knows is that whenever they're not together she longs for him, she wants him. She would do anything for him, anything for a life with him. "I don't- I can't. I don't want this."

"Then go." He says calmly, heartbreak in his voice.

"But I have nothing!" She shouts. "No one. You have thousands of people behind your back. I don't. They look at you and they see a leader. I look at you and I see the only one thing in this entire universe that I truly love," she shakes her head, "but what do you see when you look at me? A lover? An asset? An assassin? I don't know, and that terrifies me because you mean more to me than I think you can comprehend and I don't even know who I am to you."

Florence has always been a dependent person, though she tries her best to tear herself away from that person, it's still a part of her. She is not as independent as she wishes to be; she has always, and perhaps will always, rely heavily on other people. Her family was a safety net to her, people who always had her back and loved her unconditionally. Then came Lex, who betrayed her. Hux, even, though in a different way, she relies on him. Kez, she can always count on, but Ben? She doesn't trust Ben. Not anymore, maybe she never actually did, maybe she was too enamored by him to realize that there has never been actual trust between them. And yet she is still too dependent on him.

"You could be my wife."

A humorless laugh escapes her lips. "What do you mean wife?" Her expression falls as their eyes meet once more. He's being serious. She finds herself at a loss of words, mouth wide open as she stares at him blankly.

"Marry me and we'll both be the heads of this order," he says, growing eager as he looks into her eyes. "That's what I want."

Florence looks at him, does she want this? For a moment, she considers it. But life with Ben will not be the life that she wants with him. She doesn't want to conquer the galaxy with him, she wants to live peacefully with him, alone on any planet that offers a piece of quiet. She takes a step back. "I don't— I cant. We can't. It is forbidden, isn't it?"

"I'm the supreme leader, I can do whatever I want." He replies dismissively.

"I'm sorry, but no. Getting married his hardly the solution to our problems," she looks at him, half a smile stretching across her lips, trying not to hurt his feelings too badly.

"I never said it would be." He cocks his head to the side. He's calm and collected now, voice soft and... irresistible.

"No," she replies, walking closer to him. "Not now." She presses a kiss on his lips and she's back in the pit. She keeps expecting herself to say no, to fight back the urge, but it is proven to be impossible. She looks at him and she's under a spell, one look, one touch, and she's back. She's entranced, absolutely in love.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
[ words 2604 ]

hope y'all had a good week<3

ben when florence
rejects his proposal: