followhim | open post

[ he doesn't know what to make of his short reprieve. it should be a good thing — being left alone in what wasn't a cell. receiving food, even if it wasn't great. at some point towards the middle of the cycle, he tries his luck at getting out the door. and is immediately shoved back inside the room. "shoved" is a nice way of putting it, but he relents. tries to figure something else out. that's what he ends up spending the majority of his time doing — lying down, being still, trying to listen to the footsteps outside of his room. sooner or later an opportunity to get away would present itself. and then, he could just get to the hangar, and then —

his scheming is cut short by his escort coming to cart him out. hopeful isn't really an emotion he can feel anymore (except in correlation to all his hypothetical escape plans), but his curiosity is piqued as they go past the throne room into and different room.

ah. so. this isn't an improvement after all. it's just another, bigger interrogation chamber, he realized. one that had been used many times before, judging by the smell. he tries to keep his expression blank in the face of all of this — but especially in the face of his reunion with kylo ren.

he knows what's going to happen as soon as she asks for the stun baton. he can jump to conclusions enough to know where this is going. he's going to get stunned again and he is not looking forward to it. the calm expression is ditched as he tries to struggle against the troopers at his sides, but doesn't get very far before she jabs him.

there are really only two sensations after that — the sharp (literally) electric pain that courses through him, and the sensation of falling as he collapses on the ground like a sack of potatoes. he blacks out completely for a couple minutes, but will come back to consciousness as furious and disoriented as ever. ]

[ She watches his reaction with interest, eyes following as he drops to the floor. Her head tilts and, much like back in the hangar, she steps forward to nudge him with a boot. Making a thoughtful noise, she regards the baton a moment as she deactivates it and turns to go add it to the items on the table. ] I think I'll hang on to this a little while, it might come in handy.

"Do you want the prisoner on the rack?"

No, leave him. I'll take care of things from here. You may both return to your duties.

[ The troopers leave and when the door slides shut behind them Kylo makes a gesture to lock it, not desiring any interruptions now. It's been a long day and she's keen to unwind with a little stress relief of the torture variety.

Surprisingly, while Poe's unconscious she leaves him be. Mostly so she can finish with what she was doing when he and the troopers arrived. The assortment of blades that she's laying out are favorites of hers; she enjoys the up close and personal nature of using such implements, being able to fully see and feel the pain that they cause. It's all the easier to exploit someone when she can see precisely what her ministrations are doing.

When Kylo hears him wake she casts a glance over her shoulder. ] Oh good, I was hoping you wouldn't be out long. Feeling comfortably numb?

[ when he comes to, it takes him a minute to remember exactly where he is. what was happening before, what's happening now.

but sure enough, after a couple seconds, it all comes rushing back. the floor. the smell. kylo ren's voice. he tries to move, only to immediately remember that he can't. well, mostly can't. he remembers the last time, when they captured him. if he tries hard enough, he can do some brief, awkward, stilted movement. it was something like that when he woke up this time. an attempt to sit upright. but his back barely even made it off the ground before thudding back down again. ]

Nothing comfortable about this.

[ he's very loud in expressing his contempt for his whole situation. the absence of any kind of feeling was not something he felt especially great about having in the presence of kylo ren and in a place like this. it probably meant something worse was on the way. ]

[ Turning around fully, she notes how he tries to move in some way. It's less successful than the time before, back in the hangar, and makes her more curious for how long it might be before he can manage that much of an attempt. She couldn't say that she'd made use of stunning a person very often, if at all, really -- why stun someone when she can use the Force to achieve near the same thing? -- so seeing how long it takes for various ranges of motion to return is useful to her. ]

No? Perhaps I should help you get more comfortable.

[ She walks over to him and uses a foot to push him flat on his back. It's tempting to outright kick him, actually, just for a little visceral satisfaction. Another thought comes to mind though, one that has her grinning smugly, and she sinks down to his level, straddling his torso. One hand rests on his chest, her fingers lightly drumming as she looks down at him. ]

You know, I think I'm going to keep those officer's quarters empty, just for you. Considering how well you performed, I could see you getting rewarded like that fairly frequently. Would you like that, Poe? Having a little comfortable privacy rather than calling a cell your home for the foreseeable future? [ Regardless of any reply she would ultimately do what she wanted, which she's sure he knows as well, but it's still useful to know where his mind is at. ]

[if he could feel or control his muscles, they would tense as she sinks down to straddle him. as it is ... he has no idea what the rest of his body is doing. in the small strokes, anyway. he knows he's laying there, newly flat on his back, and that's about it.

it doesn't matter. none of that matters all that much in comparison to the words that are coming out of her mouth. his stomach churns (he thinks) and his expression sours (he also thinks). ]

I'm not doing that again. Fancy room's not worth all that.

[ all that being his dignity, he guesses. there had to be a line. the first time he made the choice, it was spur of the moment with no idea how it would leave him feeling after. but now it was after, and now he knew. he'd take the physical pain over feeling used and ashamed.

at least, that's how he feels right now. maybe that's an easier decision when you're not feeling much of anything. ]

[ Kylo hums thoughtfully at his words. ] You say that now, but you will. You're not going to stray from something that got you off too. [ Oh yes, she's not going to let him forget that. He might be trying to swear it off now but she can recall quite clearly the enjoyment and arousal she eventually sensed from him in the moment. She leans over him to more easily hold his gaze, searching his eyes as the slightest brush of her power gleans his surface thoughts before she speaks again. ]

If given a choice, you're going to pick what seems the lesser evil to you. Don't be ashamed. Everyone does. And eventually it's not going to feel like a lesser evil at all.

[ One hand moves to the side of his face, thumb stroking across his cheek. More deceptive softness like the stroking of his hair the day before, although he had earned the affection then. ] You see, I've learned something interesting about limits and lines. They're never near as set in stone as everyone likes to believe they are. It only takes determination and the right kind of pressure to move them. You can draw your lines and I will cross them. Every time. Until eventually... [ There's no lines left to cross. She trails off to let the implication hang in the air and leans in closer, close enough to nearly kiss him, her breath warm against his lips.

But it's all just an effort to cause him further discomfort and discontent, and after a moment she draws her face back to a 'safer' distance. Her hand lifts to run over his hair once, pleasantly reminding herself of when he'd been between her legs the day before. ]

I'm going to thoroughly enjoy bending you to my will. Hopefully the Resistance survives long enough for me to show you off once I've brought you to heel. It would break their spirits, wouldn't it? To see their best and brightest happily obeying the enemy. [ The very thought completely delights Kylo. ]

[ there's no way to deny that he got off, which just adds kindling to his angry fire. if his body responded to what was happening like that, did that mean ... he wanted it??? ? ? no, that couldn't be right. it wasn't. he doesn't look away from her, his expression fixed in his displeasure. he doesn't move his face away, either, although that's mostly because he still isn't able to.

maybe she was wrong about that, but it didn't mean she was wrong about everything else. lines. a sensation of cold washes over him. he'd already drawn lines. had them crossed. created a whole spectrum of what was endurable and what wasn't. physical torture was fine, being coerced into sex was Not Great but still better than being brainwashed. he should not have a spectrum like that!!! and yet, he did. does.

his mouth is quick to clamp shut when she leans in, and continues staying shut even when she pulls away. just in case. never too careful.

there's a slow, almost five percent of a sensation coming back to his body, and it's nauseating to think that the first returning sensation he feels is her hand in his hair. ]

Don't.

[ it's funny how the protests progress from no/stop/you won't to "don't." the fact that he's switched to playing this card actually makes him want to throw up in his mouth. but he knows the odds. he can't keep stubbornly denying and protesting. he couldn't fight against her and win. not really, not without some kind of miracle. and if she was going to do whatever she wanted for him, and he truly had no say in the matter ... maybe he could at least have some control over whether or not everyone he cared about had to watch it. ]

[ Simply smiling at his protest, she lightly pats his cheek before completely drawing her hand away. ] Oh, you don't need to fret about that right now. Perhaps in a few weeks. Although do keep your protests in mind. If you beg nicely enough, I might actually listen.

[ Kylo sits up then and turns her attention over to the table. Holding out a hand, she summons one of the bladed tools to her, a slender but sharp knife. While it would be arguably less messy if she moved him from the floor now before she began, she's more interested in being able to see when his range of motion returns than having him upright. Besides, she fully expected to get bloody, it didn't much matter how. ]

Let's see just what you can and can't feel while you're stunned, hmm?

[ Her eyes run over him as she debates where to start. Not bothering to remove his shirt -- although it is tempting, as she suspects her undressing him to any extent would make him uncomfortable -- she leans over him a little, her gaze on what she's doing. The fingers of her empty hand move over his left shoulder, feeling for a good location over the bone, and her other hand firmly presses the blade against him. It's slow so she can watch the blood begin to blossom on the fabric of his shirt, and she smoothly sinks the blade to the bone before just as smoothly drawing it out.

Right now she's more interested in exploratory pain than damage, hence the attention to her motions. Once she's drawn the blade out her eyes shift to his face, looking for any indication he's felt it. ]

[ he can't feel anything, but he can see it. he watches it. the knife going in, the blood seeping out. his lizard brain is screaming that this is bad; even if he can't feel it, he should feel it. he has to look away. it's too much. some of the color drains from his face.

but he still doesn't feel anything. he's not sure what saying that out loud would accomplish. he's pretty sure she'd keep going whether he felt anything or not. ]

That's my only shirt.

[he mutters some nonsense while his brain goes around in circles going through this entire situation. ]

[ She notes his reaction, how he's looked away but there's no hint of pain on his features. How curious. There's a part of her actually disappointed in the stun effect -- she loves a good reaction -- but at the same time she knows he'll feel it eventually. Which is its own point of curiosity; will the pain all hit at once or will it filter in gradually, much like how she expects sensation overall to return? ]

Oh, is it? I hadn't realized. [ Her sarcasm in this instance is abundantly clear. Still, her empty hand goes to the collar of his shirt, lightly plucking at the fabric. ] Perhaps I should help you out of it then.

[ Rather than make a motion to do so, her hand holds the fabric away from his neck, giving herself a clear view as she brings the blade in close. This time the cut is shallow, but just as slow, as she draws the blade against where neck and shoulder meet. She only cuts deep enough to ensure it will bleed and lifts the blade away from his skin after about two inches. No need for a terribly long cut, particularly in such a vulnerable place.

She wipes the blade off on his shirt before again looking to his face. ]

[ this time, there's an almost imperceptible flinch in his expression — almost, but still readable. sensation is starting to come back in little waves. the pain from the cut near his neck is something sharp and small, like a paper cut. the stab wound to his shoulder is a dull, pulsating kind of pain. he can feel the blood, he thinks. some kind of dampness.

he spends so much time being distracted by that, he forgets to dissent. ]

That's okay. I'm gonna keep it on.

[ he saw two paths: one was being tortured by kylo and ruining his shirt, and the other was her taking off her shirt and leaving more room for attention he was trying to avoid. naturally, he leaps for the former. he already ruined his pants once for her anyway, so. ]

[ The hint of a flinch catches her attention. Honestly, she's far more interested in his reactions, in causing him pain and general discomfort, than she is in anything else. So much so that his eventual reply more or less goes unheard by her. A good torture session could be its own pleasing reward, but then again, she's somewhat naturally inclined toward pain.

Humming a thoughtful noise, she sits back and looks him over, mentally comparing the wounds. Did location make a difference? Or perhaps it was depth, with sensation returning closer to the surface first? So many questions. So many variables. Her gaze shifts over to the table. To stick with what she has or to change it up already? Decisions, decisions.

When her attention returns to Poe her free hand takes one of his wrists and moves his hand off the ground so as to be within easy reach and view. Perhaps the further from the heart the greater the chance of feeling returning. Although even as she begins to carefully prick each fingertip with the blade she comes to the conclusion that the opposite would make more sense. ]

Feeling anything yet?

[ She doesn't look at him with her question, instead still looking at his hand. Her hand shifts from his wrist, fingers feeling the back of his hand as her thumb runs over his palm, searching for a good spot to stab him where she's less likely to catch a tendon. Oh well, did it really matter? Most anything could be healed, if not by the medical staff and droids, then by the Force.

Still, rather than going the arguably most harmful route of driving the blade through the middle of his palm, she sinks the blade in between the knuckles of his middle two fingers, her other hand holding his steady until the blade pokes through the other side. Her lips twitch in a ghost of a smirk at the blood that quickly flows, and as she carefully pulls the blade back out she wonders how much damage his hands could take until he wouldn't be able to fly again.

Not that she's planning on letting him anywhere near a ship... although my, wouldn't it be glorious if the Resistance surrendered and it was Poe who flew her to accept their surrender? Oh, she's going to have to remember that idea. ]

[ there's a vague shadow of a feeling from the pricking, and then something sharp (still numb, not at full capacity, if that were the case he'd be screaming) when she drives the blade clean through his hand. his eyes go wide — not at the pain, but at the mental panic of what he's seeing. he knows what she's doing, or at least whatever thought she's at least toying with.

she's going for his hands. she's hitting him where it would hurt the most emotionally instead of physically. pretty hard to be a pilot if you can't use your hands properly. the little spark of hope in him that refused to die wanted to believe that there was a chance he'd get to fly out of here. he didn't know when or why or how, but he did know that it wasn't going to happen if something happened to his hands.

and he hated just how hard this blow towards him actually hit. warning sirens go off in his head. ]

Does it make a difference?

[ he felt like she was likely to keep going no matter what his response was. and even asking that question was just as liable to make it worse as it was to make it better, probably. he's slowly acclimating himself to these no win scenarios. nothing he said or did actually made much of a difference in the outcomes. everything was entirely dependent on kylo ren's whims.

there was something equal parts nauseating and depressing in that realization. ]

Yes, actually.

[ She looks back to him then, attention drawn back by the question as much as the noise of his thoughts. It's interesting to her to sense the edge of panic but not so much pain. All this experimenting would be useful but Kylo's already decided she'll simply stick to her usual methods of 'stunning' in similar scenarios. Or turn down the setting on the tool if possible.

(Absently she also wonders how the electric stun compares to Force lightning and whether the latter could achieve such an effect without killing a person. Luckily for Poe, however, that was a skill she never saw fit to pursue. She'd been shocked several times in what felt like the distant past but while she recalls the pain she can't recall ever feeling stunned.)

Eyes running over his features, she's blatantly honest in her next statement. ] I've never used one of those stun batons on someone before. I want to know when feeling and sensation return to you, when you regain control of your body.

[ A light sigh that slips out is the only sign of any discontent Kylo has with the overall situation. Once she's finished speaking she lightly moves his arm, pulling his hand in front of her over his chest so she can more easily see his face as she 'works'. Despite the blood she holds his hand firmly and this time presses the blade into the heel of his hand, although she doesn't cut near as deep. ]

[ okay. maybe it wasn't as bad as he decided it was going to be. (wasn't it?) it doesn't feel much better while she keeps stabbing at his hand. It's sharper now. all of it is sharper. the pain, the feeling of blood flowing out in time with his pulse. the pain. he feels vaguely light-headed now, unsure if it's from the blood loss or just the sight of all that blood being where it didn't belong.

he exhales loudly, 90% out of exasperation for his situation and 10% because he feels like he needs some heavy breathing. ]

I can kind of feel it. Not all the way. Maybe halfway. It hurts, but not near as much as it should. Most stun batons don't usually take someone out that long. For the record. Probably coulda looked that up.

[ that moment when you're kind of out of it enough to no longer care what you do or say 👌 ]

[ Her head tilts slightly as she listens to him, slowly becoming aware of more pain from him as well. His response is more helpful than expected. Exactly what she wants to know, actually.

She gives him a look at his parting remark even as she moves his arm and hand to rest back against the floor next to him. ]

I could have, but why do that when I have someone I can experiment on?

[ Setting the knife on the ground beside them, she holds her hand out to summon another off the table to her. At first it appears perhaps to be a broken knife, just the hilt of one, and she toys with it in her hand for a moment as her gaze settles back on him. Surely a mere knife hilt is harmless, right? ]

Have you ever been struck with a lightsaber before? [ Her thumb presses a small button in the hilt and a pale white blade of light appears only a few inches long. She glances to the knife and then back to him. ] Granted, this is no lightsaber, but it's the same in principle.

[ Attention shifting from his face, Kylo presses her free hand to his injured shoulder, but not before tearing the hole in his shirt a little more so she can better see the wound she created. The hand on his shoulder is to keep it steady in case he feels the pain strongly enough to move. Then she carefully presses the tip of the blade against the wound to cauterize it. She didn't want him bleeding out on her, but he didn't need to know that was half the reason for her changing knives. ]

[ his eyes go wide at the hilt and the lightsaber question. no, he had not, but he saw what happened to finn. or at least, the part where he was carted off to medical and shoved in a bacta bag. finn just about got torn in half.

he's already recreating that nightmare for himself when his activates the hilt. it's smaller than any lightsaber he's ever seen (not that he's actually seen that many in the flesh), but the size didn't do much to assuage his newfound flavor of dread.

when she presses the knife down, he struggles against it. barely, since full range of motion still eludes him, but it's pretty apparent that he can feel it and isn't enjoying what he feels. despite it being limited to one space, the small but deep cut in his shoulder, it feels like the pain is spreading through his entire body somehow. he closes his eyes and clenches his teeth. it's so much, and he knows it could be even worse if he weren't still fighting off the stun baton effects. no smart words leave his mouth now. something between a groan and a scream slips out from behind his teeth, though. ]

[ Ah, yes, this is more what she likes. From the look of fear on his face to the slight struggle he offers to the sound of pain that her simple action gets out of him.

She lifts the knife after another moment or two and inspects the wound, brushing her fingers over it to make sure it no longer bleeds. Satisfied, she starts to turn her attention to the cut near his neck but then she notices how he's closed his eyes. Not one to overlook an opportunity to deliver a lovely surprise, she leans up a little, the fingers of her free hand threading in his hair and the heel of her hand against his forehead as she holds his head against the floor, wanting him still. At the same time her other hand brings the knife close, to where he can likely feel some heat against his face. ]

Keep your eyes closed and try not to move. We wouldn't want any accidents.

[ Of course, if she wants to make sure he doesn't move she can always use the Force. Which is the backup plan to prevent any major damage should he struggle too much, either by choice or involuntarily.

She waits a moment to be certain he's heard her before she leans in closer and begins to draw the blade across his forehead at an angle, above his left eye. Her intent is to mark him in a mirror of how Rey struck her, although not as severe given the smaller blade and the fact she was only using just enough pressure to 'cut' through a few layers of skin and create a mark. Kylo's own scars were long gone, healed part by technology and the rest through the Force. She would have Poe healed up when she was through, probably. Most likely. No need to ruin a pretty face so soon. ]

[ it's hard to not immediately open your eyes the second someone tells you to close your eyes. especially when she grabs his head and forces it down. he feels that much.

there's a feeling bubbling up inside him — he hates it, but immediately knows what it is. fear. He's scared of what's going to happen to him and of how helpless he feels inside this moment. he knows from past experience that if he put his entire body into it, he might be able to jerk away from her. even that much resistance would be worth it.

but he can feel the heat against his forehead, above his eye. if he tried to move now, it'd be worse than the wrong end of the stun gun and probably worse than the normal knife had been, too.

she was cutting into his face.

despite still being some degree of immobile, it felt like all his effort was going into not moving away or screaming or doing anything that would interrupt the knife and make it worse. was it vanity? maybe a little bit of vanity, but mostly pain.

when he thinks maybe she's done, he asks in a shudder: ]

Why? What are you doing?

Sending a message to someone. [ Her reply comes easily. Implying that she's going to record this in some manner. A pity that she already sent his droid back. ] Indirect payback, if you will.

[ Having lifted the knife away at his eyebrow, she turns his head slightly away from her so she has a better view of the side of his face. A moment later she has the blade against his skin again, cutting across his cheek and down almost to his jawline. Kylo's careful, oh so careful, aware that it wouldn't take much additional pressure to turn a mostly superficial wound into something far worse.

Once finished she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and sits up a little to look at her handiwork. ]

You should consider yourself thankful I'm not using my saber for this. It would be quite unpleasant. [ And likely kill him, she imagines. She credits the Force fully for why she didn't end up half blind when Rey wounded her. If the young Jedi thought she could protect the Resistance and its assets, Kylo would show her just how wrong a thought that was. No one could protect Poe now, and any who tried would only find themselves meeting a similar fate. ]

[ it's kind of insulting, that it's not even about him. he's caught in the middle of some kind of fight that has nothing to do with him. but that's just salt in the wound, and the wound stings so much that it doesn't really matter. metaphorical and actual wound. enough sensation is back in his face that it burns, burns enough to make his eyes water. but he's not crying. nope. his eyes are just watering.

he has to stay strong. find some part of himself and cling to it instead of breaking completely. instead of letting pain and fear warp him. ]

I can't believe you're this jealous of my looks.

[ Satisfied with the marks she's made, Kylo turns the blade off so there's no risk of accidental damage at the moment. She doesn't want to do anything else until she can capture a nice clear image to send off. The rest of the Resistance will only see a wound but Rey will know exactly what it is. They should all be thankful she's being so kind in it being more of a superficial wound.

She notices the tears then and she faintly smirks. Leaning down, she flicks her tongue at his cheek, tasting the salt of his tears and the pain that's causing them. ]

On the contrary, if I weren't so fond of your good looks you would likely be screaming in pain right now. [ She releases her hold on his head and trails a finger along the line of the cut, delicately brushing over his eyelid in the process. ] This can all be healed but if I let the blade near your eye... well, we'd just have to replace it.

[ Lightly patting his cheek, Kylo sits up and finally moves to get off of him, taking both knives back to the table as she moves to get her communicator out of her cloak. There's video surveillance in the room of course, but she didn't plan to send footage of the torture. She just wants to share this one little piece. ]

[ wow. she's licking his face. he didn't think he could like anything less than that blade cutting into his face, but here it was. he found it.

the thought of her stabbing? burning? whatever. obliterating his eye made his stomach churn, because he wasn't so sure she wouldn't do it anyway, if pressed hard enough.

he realizes, though, now that she's given him a moment alone, that he can move again. he tries flexing his fingers and toes experimentally, waiting for her to be distracted. there was nothing to be gained by moving now, though. thinking of a plan felt beyond his anxiety-ridden attention span, not when he was this on-edge. but maybe if he kept still, kept that card to his chest. he could gain some kind of advantage.

what kind of advantage? again, no idea. ]

Well, you know, I've always been real interested in cybernetics. Maybe my next eye could see ultraviolet to infrared, like a Keshian.

[ so, instead, he continues to run his mouth. ]

Is that so? I'll have to remember that. [ It almost sounds like they're having a casual conversation as she replies without turning around, adjusting settings on the device to prepare for taking an image. ] Perhaps if you become no longer physically useful to me I'll replace you piece by piece with cybernetics.

[ In a way it's idle conversation because such a thing wasn't presently on her long list of things she could inflict upon him. Dismemberment wasn't a casual thing after all and usually reserved for those ultimately to be killed. Taking a hand though... she supposes it's not out of the realm of possibility if he truly angered her at some point in the near future. Or cutting off somewhere below the knee, make it more difficult for him to get away.

So far he's done nothing to draw her ire, and she was interested in keeping him whole for the time being. There's plenty to occupy herself with that small parameter limiting her torture choices.

Walking back over to him, Kylo again sinks down to kneel, straddling his torso. She's focused on what she's doing and not so much paying attention to any little movements he may or may not be making. ]

Be good and hold still for me. [ The way she says it is like she doesn't expect anything but compliance and she reaches with her free hand to turn his head a little so she can get a clear shot of the cuts on his face. ]

[ that moment when running your mouth sends you to a place you hadn't anticipated. should have have expected kylo to come back with that? probably. did he? no. he was too busy trying to stay as still as possible.

and he stays still. still enough for her to get one good shot, maybe. and then he decides to do something stupid. (more stupid than talking as much as he has.) it's pointless, but all he is is a bunch of pointless acts of defiance in a trenchcoat, at the end.

in a rush, he tries to push her off of him (probably smearing blood all over her with his untreated hand) and tries to scramble away. where??? he has no idea. not here. out of this room at the very least. ]

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