mental link (inbox)

[unsea]

there are NO OTHERS like us.	i taught him that he had NO EQUAL
i understand the desire TO REMAIN FREE	peace, on my terms. (WITHOUT REMORSE) [or you] will cease to exist.

( CODE BY WHAMBAM )

Comments

[unsea]

( The crowd's response was... varied, when Adetokunbo debuted his new avatar. I will say that. Perhaps that should have been our warning.

It was the final match of the tournament. There was a -- pulse, first. It knocked out all the power. And then the bomb went off close to the center of the room. I believe they may have been trying to cover up the attempt to eliminate Adetokunbo. There were people there for and against the movement, after all. )

[exhuxperation]

( Too much friction. It would be easy to create chaos in such a crowded arena and then leave without notice. )

[ In fact, it sounds like tactics he's employed in the past. And ones that have been used against him as well. The most damage to a small area, though not always something to use if one is trying to avoid collateral damage. ]

( And after the explosion? )

[unsea]

( I wonder what they had to gain, by harming everyone, then. )

[ There are any number of answers, and they need to whittle them down to a handful. It's frustrating, and slow. Recovering, despite the symbiote's assistance, is slow - but steady. But, after the explosion, there was -- ]

( The usual. Chaos, pain. Not everyone reacts to it the same way. Some lashed out, some shut down. I removed who I could, from the building, and then there were the wounded to look after. I gave the reporters something to fixate on, to facilitate our retreat. )

[ what else do u want hux...... ]

[exhuxperation]

( The same as most attacks on public spaces. Confusion, chaos. It's easier to duck out when a crowd is frantic. Moreover, the population will draw their own conclusions from it in the aftermath. I wouldn't be surprised if we started seeing paranoia on both sides of the synthetic opinion. )

[ That much is easy to analyze, given what he's gleaned from the news and now from Darkling. ]

( Most don't lash out in an evacuation. Were you close to Ren at the time? ) [ He just wants to know how Kylo Ren ended up in such a state that he had to be dragged out half unconscious. ]

[unsea]

( Unless, ) [ as it had been indicated to him once ] ( they weren't physically present at all. )

[ Always a possibility. There are far too many, and for anyone else, it might be difficult to keep track of them all.

And ah, there it is. The question he was half-expecting. There have been a number coming to him, as of late, to speak on the topic of Kylo Ren. Some, notably, were more interested in his involvement than others. Some, just wanted to scold him. Tired as he is, Hux isn't asking him to explain himself, and he's too polite, too unashamed, to withhold an answer. ]

( I was the first to reach him, after we felt Anakin Skywalker die. )

[exhuxperation]

( Also a possibility. It depends on the kind of people we're dealing with. )

[ A remote strike would be more difficult to track. Well, maybe. This world has so much technology and it's all intertwined. Tracking information could be easier than even he was used to.

But in either case, they had a lot of work ahead of them if they were going to track down who was causing all the disturbances. It was setting the status quo off balance. ]

( I trust he was not in the best shape at the time. I've seen him upset before– did he lash out immediately? )

[ Time to step carefully. ]

[unsea]

[ Ah. Hux truly does wish to know about Ren. The bombing as well, yes, but it seems the man - not brood, perhaps a long-standing companion? wishes to narrow down the order of events that left Ren in such a state. ]

( No, he did not. He held the body, and mourned as you do. I don't know his mind.

I also do not enjoy recounting his actions as though being cross-examined. Can he not answer? )

[ After Sam and Steve, he's really not in the mood to tiptoe. Curt and polite, he's managing himself. ]

( Was there anything more you wished to know about the explosion? I believe we have acquired the video footage. )

[exhuxperation]

[ He does want to know about Ren. They may not be broodmates, but there's a different bond. Years of working together makes them nearly as close as brood. At Darkling's side-step, he thins his lips, thinking over his approach here. While he wants information on both sets of events, he's not ready to move on just yet.

After all, Hux has never been one to back down once he had something close to his grasp. ]

( I would ask and likely get an answer. Though he's in a fragile and grieving state, so I would rather not press the issue when it's still so fresh.

So please, humor me; when did he go from mourning to lashing out? And how? )

[ For now, he'll tiptoe. Until he can't get what he wants. Then all bets are off. ]

( I've seen quite a few different news sources reporting on it. Though, the video footage could prove invaluable if it can be dissected. )

[unsea]

[ Far from fragile, he might argue.

( the steady beat of a heart that knew not shame; the frost-heavy weight of still, dark waters ) - his mind is the forest, treacherous and deep. ]

( Grief and violence are not mutually exclusive, there was no true shift.

However, if I had to pinpoint the moment -- it was directly after I offered him the means to do what it was he desired. )