Copper for the Charlatan

Slash & Flick

----
Hux is tricky as ever, Kylo is as unpredictable as ever, and the Baroness is mucking up things for Hux yet again.
----

She didn't always stay with Kylo- the tumultuous state of their interactions saw to that. He seemed torn as what he wanted from her, and the manic behavior was wreaking havoc on her nerves. During some training sessions he would be calm, seemingly entertained by her frustration if something was taking longer to master. His corrections were kind, and he was patient.

The rest of the time, though, he was gruff and short-tempered. Often he'd yell what a disappointment she was while sparring rougher than necessary. When he was like this the very air around them felt strained. It threatened to snap their mutual tolerance of each other and lay bare the ugly bones of their relationship; both hateful, both unable to trust or be trusted, but stuck here together nonetheless. She wanted to run him through, and he grimaced like he could barely stand the sight of her.

But the nights they did spend together he would hold her tight, as if she were the only thing anchoring him to this plane. He was gentle, kissing her softly, running his fingers through her hair, falling asleep always with his arm over her. Sometimes he'd mumble a compliment, but more often than not they laid together in silence. In the mornings she would leave soon after waking, spending the day dreading what man was going to greet her at training that day.

Sometimes they went a day or so without meeting, hiding from the world and each other in their quarters. It was during these periods of his reclusion that she would read from the Sith tome and meditate, thick plumes of incense swirling through the room. Never had she reached so desperately into the darkness. Up until now her use of the force was survival, what would have almost been considered "grey" as opposed to dark or light. She found herself in unknown depths, treading water instead of advancing, and used the pain from her conflictions to immerse herself in the ever darkening grip of the force.

The killer, the general, her fleet.

She chanted this mantra, a reminder of her dedication to the endgame; but the path to it was clouded. It wasn't just the timing, but how exactly it was to be done was still a mystery. Trying to answer these issues while simultaneously handling Kylo and dodging Hux was wearing her down.

Luck had evaded her yet again, and to her dismay, today he was the horrible man.

"You aren't trying!"

"I am trying! You're a foot taller than me, Kylo, there's only so much I can do when you have me fighting like this!" He always harped on the ineffectiveness over her over-head swings, and his height combined with the fact that the blade of his saber was longer made it impossible for her to swing through successfully.

"That excuse is pathetic."

She couldn't even formulate a response and growled in frustration as she swung again.

He pointed at her left hand in frustration "Why is your damn hand... wait." the anger disappeared and he chewed his lip, lost in thought. "Give me your saber."

She handed it over reluctantly, unsure of where his train of thought was going. The hilt was sleek and solid black, save the silver buttons and one silver claw on the emitter. There was a slight curve milled into the metal that was only visible when looked at from the right angle.

"Where's the other one?"

"Excuse me?"

"This curve- the fighting style is different when you wield two sabers. The indentation makes it easier to spin them. They come in pairs, so where is the other one."