[Open]

[leftonjakku]

Who: Rey and HuxArmitage
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: For S.S. Bloodsport.
When: Monday evening.

Hold on. [The small voice is somewhat muted at first while a communicator is being turned this way and that.] I think we’ll be able to reach others with this -

[With the communicator finally facing the right way, the image of a small girl comes into focus. Her hair is in the same style she will wear when she is older and much of her clothing is similar too.]

Isn’t your name Armitage? Can I call you Armi?

That’s not my name though… [Another voice, this one also younger and uncertain can be heard then and when the communicator shifts there is a 5 year old with sharp blue eyes and orange hair. He’s wearing a fitted uniform of an Imperial officer though the only insignia is an armband around one arm bearing the symbol of the Galactic Empire. He still has some dust on his clothes, a small cut on one cheek but his expression is determined.] I just need to find the Commandant and the fleet before they leave.

Someone will know. [Rey has the simple trust of a child, though recently her trust has been badly shaken. Being left on a remote desert planet will do that to you. However she is three or so years older than her companion and she feels the need to take charge and soothe his worries.]

If anyone can hear, we’re looking for the...Commandant? I’m also looking for Jakku. [Though she really, really doesn’t want to go back there. But her family might come back and look for her.

She takes a deep breath.] I need to go back to Jakku, but I like it better here. Armi has been really nice and I don't see very many kids in the desert.

[The nickname is sticking and there is obviously a growing affection for the small boy.]

Comments

[therewillbeorder]

I hurt my cheek. And I hurt my knee when I fell. [He stayed closer to Rey, he didn't know how Barriss knew his father but she didn't seem like she was going to attack them.

He pulled himself onto the bed beside her, watching Barriss closely as he made himself comfortable. The bed was more comfortable than what he was used to as well, it was nice.]

I didn't cry though. [That had to be said. A future Grand Moff didn't cry.]

[ontrial]

I would not have expected you to. [ crouching in front of the pair, barriss reaches out with the force long enough to sense the throb in hux's knee, settling on helping with that, first. she reaches out to take rey's hand and guide it over to the knee, setting it there and placing her hand over it. like this, the the cluster of four black rhombus tattoos that match the ones on her face are easy to see. ]

It's this knee, isn't it? Rey and I are going to use the Force to make it feel better. [ her attention shifts back to rey. ] We're going to do that by closing our eyes and imagining how knees that aren't hurt feel and concentrating hard on what it's like when a bruise goes away.

[ mostly it's an opportunity to put them further at ease with her. hux will get more soothing and a knee that isn't hurting and rey... well, she'll see if rey can feel the way barriss is trying to use the force with her. ]

[leftonjakku]

I'm sorry, Armi. [Rey frowns empathetically. She can't help but smile at his brave words, though.] Then you won't cry when we clean you up and heal you, right?

[Her eyes are fixed on Barriss with intense fascination. The Force... The Force...]

I remember something about it... [She holds her hand nice and still and closes her eyes, focusing on knees that don't ache or burn or sting. Rey likes it when her knees can help her run and jump and climb.]

[therewillbeorder]

[Armitage, however, recoiled as if he had been burned, fear written all over his expression. He had only heard of the Force being used by a few select people- Darth Vader and the inquisitors and then, of course, the Jedi. Barriss didn't look like Vader and she didn't look like what he thought an inquisitor would have looked like. That meant-]

You're a Jedi! [And Brendol Hux certainly had told him a few things about the Jedi, none of them particularly good.]

Stay away! [He tried to move behind Rey as much as he could though getting away was going to be difficult.]

[ontrial]

[ quietly chastising herself for not seeing that reaction coming, barriss leans back, holding both hands up in a gesture of innocence. nice and non-threatening, but still projecting calm into the force. ]

I am not a Jedi. [ it doesn't actually feel like a lie. barriss files that realization away to meditate on later. ] Armitage Hux, you are a smart little boy. I would not ask for your trust if you had no reason to trust me. You know that you're safe with me.

[leftonjakku]

Armi - [His reaction worries her and she turns to pet over his bright hair soothingly.] She's not scary. The Jedi aren't scary.

[Where had he learned they were? Her attention shifts to Barriss and she listens to her, measuring her voice and going by her instincts.]

I think she's very good. She would protect you and me from scary things.

[therewillbeorder]

Jedi are bad! And killed the Emperor! [Everything had changed that day and combined with everything his father had told him about how evil Jedi could be had planted that fear in his mind.

He heard the calm in Barriss's voice and turned to peek at her though he still held onto Rey.] Promise you're not a Jedi?

[He wasn't convinced but he moved closer slowly before he blurted out his next question.] Are you an inquisitor?

[He didn't know what an inquisitor did exactly but he had heard from his father about how they served the Empire to protect everyone. She had protected him and Rey already but he still stayed close to Rey, just in case.]