(no subject)

[photophobic]

[ Kylo's expression is tight, his eyes intensely sharp- and those who have seen him before will note something else, too. His face is scarred- a long, neatly healed line running right over it, from his brow down to his neck. ]

Thankfully, he hasn't taken his clothing off for the occasion. ]

I'm back.

[ That's it. ]

Comments

voice;

[photophobic]

Yes. You see it.

A decision has to be made. Something has to be discarded.

[subroutined]

Yes, well... Does one input come from a higher priority source than the other?

[photophobic]

[ He thinks that over.
He certainly prefers one reality over the other, given the choice.
But more and more, he is coming to believe that this life is less real than the future that waits to play out. His destiny belongs there, solid and unavoidable. Inescapable. ]

One comes from here, and the other from elsewhere.

>>private

[subroutined]

Then... What I would suggest is to assign the one that came from here priority while you are here, then the one from your galaxy will be priority when you are back there again.

[ Then, he encrypts the feed. He got the impression from the files Hux sent over that Hux-- and Kylo by extension-- liked certain things to bee kept private. ]

You're from the same galaxy as Hux. Can you tell me where? He sent me a map to learn.

[photophobic]

[ Wise. Kylo is likely going to regret not making most of his interactions on the Network private, later.

He listens, almost amused by Ash's assessment, though it does give him a certain level of satisfaction, hearing his decision laid out as the logical choice. He's content to leave that there with a small nod. ]

I am. I was born on Chandrila, though I hardly remember it. Is it important?

[subroutined]

Chandrila... That's right in the middle. Quite far from Hux's planet. Why don't you remember it? Did you move when you were very young?

I suppose it isn't important. I was just curious. I've never met anyone from another galaxy before now. I'd never met anyone from another village before I got here.

[photophobic]

It's one of the Core Worlds. My mother was involved in the politics of the New Republic. Hux's father was... not.

[ Mm. Maybe he'll leave that for Hux to explain. ]

It was all a long time ago. It's unimportant.

[ His eyes narrow slightly as he thinks over Ash's wording, catching something he hadn't noticed before. ]

Had your... the man you replaced. He must have left the village. You count your experiences separate to his.

[subroutined]

[ He would comment on what Hux's files have to say about the New Republic, but he's a bit taken aback by what Kylo goes on to point out. ]

Have I...? [ He hadn't meant to separate himself from Ash Starmer's memories. ] I suppose I have just then, haven't I? It's... a bit like you said. Conflicting inputs. Ash Starmer had been to America. I'd shared a photo of the Grand Canyon. I have that, in my memory. But I haven't actually done that, been there.

[ He didn't use to separate between his experiences and the data that made up his memories. When had he started? Is it a new development? Or had it begun when he'd spent all those years alone in the attic with nothing but his thoughts? ]

I was talking to someone else, recently, who tried to tell me my decisions were mine, not his. I... still don't know how I feel about that.

[photophobic]

[ There's a definite smile in his voice as he replies. More amused than kind, and hardly warm.
Programming and destiny. It's a bizarre experience, discovering similar conflicts to his own in a droid. ]

Ash Starmer was never here. You are. What you choose to do here belongs to you alone.

[subroutined]

[ In contrast, there's a frown in Ash's voice. His debate over how much he should strive to be like Ash Starmer, the real Ash Starmer... it makes things difficult. ]

The only problem is, I'm meant to be him. If I do something he wouldn't have done... [ "Then it's a failure on my part," he doesn't say. ] I'm not sure that's a good thing.

[photophobic]

[ He should leave this well enough alone. He should. He knows.

But he doesn't. ]

Who are you trying to satisfy, by being Ash Starmer?

[subroutined]

[ That's an interesting question... Who is he trying to satisfy? Not Martha. She'd made it clear years ago there was nothing he could do in that regard. ]

Myself? I think. I'm meant to be him. If I'm making the choices he would have made, then I'm doing it right.

[photophobic]

Then be him. If that is what will satisfy you. If that is what you want.

[subroutined]

[ Ash thinks about that for a moment, and decides to take Kylo's advice to heart and be Ash Starmer. He thus switches back to his default Irish accent. ]

Alright. I think that'll do.