Kylo did not speak as they moved through the building, crowded by his caretakers as they tried to worry over the blood he was covered with. From what Hux could glean, they seemed to be concerned that the image of the Queen, dusty and bloodied, would be used by rebelling groups against him, but from the way Kylo seemed to glide purposefully ahead of them and Hux, he was not worried.

Hux was only aware of how little he truly knew about Kylo as he ascended the flight deck of his ship, a model Hux didn't recognize. It was sleek and white, and as he followed Kylo and his crowd of handmaids to an upper level, entered into a room somehow more lavish than Kylo's own home.

The room was circular, but had large partitions made out of wood frames and paper, with a lavish overstuffed sofa in the visible space facing two chairs, high-backed and velveteen. Kylo finally turned back to his begging servants, and to Hux, who was standing listlessly at the entrance of the room.

He looked down at himself, and the blood he had managed to somehow coat himself with, and sighed.

"Fine, fine. I see I am outnumbered."

He resigned himself easily to the excited babble of his servants, letting himself be tugged behind one of the partitions, his hair and clothes already being pulled at fussily.

Hux continued to stand where he was, unsure of where to go, watching the dim shadows behind the partition.

"Please, please, nothing flashy. Just the tawny will do." He heard Kylo's voice through the partition, followed by a surprised and inconvenienced sound as, Hux assumed, something was either tugged into place or pulled out of it. The slight chatter of his helpers arguing back and forth over each little thing made Hux want to laugh, that Kylo had so many people worrying about each hair on his head, the shape of his fingernails, the strange bruises on his shoulder that one of them seemed extremely worried about. Hux scarcely had a hairdresser to worry about his appearance.

The partition was pulled back and Kylo seemed to be pushed out into the open space again before it closed just as quickly, and he shook himself carefully, regaining his relaxed, unphased posture.

He was wearing an even simpler robe, though Hux hadn't deemed it possible, a light brown with sleeves that were close to his arms, the fabric stretching up over the backs of his hands to make them appear more delicate. The skirt was split into front and back portions at the hips, with the front barely touching the ground as Kylo stood upright, the back trailing behind him, crimson leggings underneath. He observed Hux in silence for a moment, watching Hux observe him, before gliding forward and curling around one of the armchairs calmly.

"Won't you relax, Emperor? I admit, we may have a slight trip ahead of us."

Kylo let himself easily into the armchair he'd been standing behind, crossing one leg elegantly, though widely, over the other, the front panel of his robe draped between his legs modestly.

Hux sat himself on the couch, closer to Kylo than the other chair, and wondered briefly if he should consider adding variety to his own uniform as he watched a silver ring, subtle and still rich, glimmer on Kylo's pinky.

No sooner had Kylo sat than one of his knights reentered the space hesitantly, holding a comb in his mouth, hands filled with what looked like silver leaves.

Kylo did not turn to speak to the Knight. Hux assumed he had heard him coming.

"No, thank you. Just the ribbon I already have is fine, thank you."

"But it's dusty, my queen!" One of the other knights whined from behind the partition, and Kylo smiled briefly.

"It started to rain as we left, did it not? I have no fear that we will be rinsed quite well upon arrival." He waved a hand airily, and with a disappointed huff, the knight in the room turned on his heel and stalked away.

There was the sound of a door sliding open, the footsteps of the knights, and then Kylo and Hux were alone.

"They are quite informal with you." Hux finally observed aloud, watching how Kylo's gaze shifted towards him.

"They have sworn their lives to protecting mine in the same way I have to each and every one of my citizens. Their loyalty is incomparable; it was only a matter of my personality to determine how quickly they would grow comfortable around me… Though I understand it is not quite the same in the First Order."

Hux bit his tongue. He never spoke to his guards unless he was scolding them, and truth be told, he never waited for them or even cared if they were really guarding him. He didn't even know their serial numbers. They hadn't even dared to ask permission to follow him here.

Hux extended an arm across the couch, crossing one leg widely over the other, mirroring Kylo's position, and did not respond.

"Where are we going?" He asked instead, knowing only half the answer.

"Now, Emperor, you shouldn't like to appear unintelligent, would you?" Kylo Amidala's words dripped with honey, condescending though they were, as his eyes drifted lazily away from Hux.

"I suppose I would rather know what purpose there is to being there." Hux corrected tautly.

Kylo took in a calm breath, preparing to respond, but then he stiffened, breath fading from his throat, and he uncrossed his leg as he turned slightly to look behind him.

Another door slid open, opposite the door that they had entered the ship with, and one of the partitions was folded aside.

A lean, dark-haired, slightly-scruffy looking man in a leather jacket and high-waisted flying pants strode into the room purposefully, but stopped dead with a slight shock as his eye met the Emperor's.

Hux watched the man set his jaw, the surprise fading into barely-contained fury, and Kylo sighed as he settled back into his seat.

"Poe. Is there an expected flight difficulty?"

"No. No, my queen." The man tacked the title on quickly, finally looking away from Hux. He did not turn his head to the back of the queen's chair, but rather to the floor in front of him, and when Hux looked to Kylo, found that he was watching the flooring, too.

"Then what purpose should you have?" Kylo countered, elegantly, yet it was made clear that this man should not have been there.

"Nothing immediate, m-"

"-Then it shall be discussed as it becomes immediate. You may return to your posting, Poe." Kylo interrupted, some toneless quality to his voice that Hux couldn't quite place.

The man set his jaw again rather than respond, and turned obediently, leaving the way he had come.

It was only upon the man turning his back that Hux felt he was familiar, that Hux had somehow seen him before.

"In answer to your question, Emperor, I'd quite frankly like to show you what kind of damage you have truly done, and the way that the Republic handles crises like these, but I can tell now that you have something else to ask."

Kylo lifted his head to Hux's once again, presenting Hux with a challenge. He could either deny Kylo's accusation that he had been involved in the attack, or continue moving forward, as Kylo genuinely seemed willing to answer Hux's questions so long as he was asking them.

Kylo was watching expectantly, triumphantly; already, Hux was running of time to choose.

"I should have liked to have known why that man had such little respect for me, but after hearing such a faceless accusation from his queen, I should say I am no longer surprised." Hux finally returned, slinging an arm over the back of the couch to display his own confidence.

Kylo's eyes turned dark, and he stood smoothly. Was it just Hux, or was it suddenly incredibly hard to breathe?

"'That man' is Poe Dameron, my pilot, and the most loyal man I have ever known, though he'd let it get to his head. In fact, he is the one who found not just your man's blaster within the rubble, but also this."

Kylo kicked something across the floor from behind his chair, where his pale hands gripped the back in quiet fury.

Hux dared to look down at what had been kicked to his feet, confident now that it was far more difficult to breathe than it had been only moments before.

The front of a Storm Trooper's helmet was upside down at his feet, the white stamp of the First Order against the black inside of the helmet marked red and brown with dust and dried blood.

Idiots. You had simple orders.

"I don't care why you've done this, and yes, I know that the order came from you, Emperor. I only care for you to know what, exactly, you have done."

Kylo turned away from Hux, tracing his hair away from his face, and took in a deep breath, exhaling it slowly, eyes closed the whole time.

Hux suddenly gasped as air flooded his lungs, all the difficulty he had experienced in his chest gone. What was that, a panic attack? It passed far too quickly, it had been far too violent.

Kylo placed himself limply back into his chair, not opening his eyes, and sighed again quietly. Still, Hux made no attempt to correct Kylo nor defend himself.

"You should know, Emperor Hux, that the Republic does not bargain nor settle score with lives. You would do best to consider that a warning, and your only one."

"What do you settle score with, then?" Hux finally spoke, though he did not adjust his position.

"We have no scores to settle with anyone; that is the function of a democracy." Kylo Amidala responded smoothly, coolly.

"But we bargain with agreements." Kylo opened his eyes, pinning Hux dangerously. "Treaties, armistices, trade routes...marriages."

Kylo stood elegantly, dangerously, and turned to the wall, touching some invisible control. The wall slid back to reveal a window, stars shooting by as they jumped to lightspeed.