Photophobia

The Rank

Hux nodded off for a moment and when he woke up he saw that she reached into the pot and took a bite of the larvae she had roasted. He grimaced a little and watched her eat the whole thing without batting an eye.

He was hungry of course, but the prospect of eating these ... things wasn't appealing at all. He grimaced a little. Well, it didn't matter – they had to eat something. He sat down next to her and slowly reached into the pot. He cautiously took a little bite; strangely enough the taste reminded him of bland oatmeal.

He inhaled and ate the whole larva and swallowed it quickly. After a few bites he had gotten used to the taste and his thoughts returned to ... her.

From the corner of his eye he observed her. Rebel, rank unknown, app. 25, skilled survivalist, poor shot.

After they had finished the larvae she filled the pot with water and boiled it before cutting the reptile meat into little pieces. She added the meat and used a thin twig to stir in the pot. After a couple of minutes she impaled a piece of meat and took a bite.

She looked at him and said: "It could use Shiso Leaf, but at least it has a little more taste than the larvae."

He used the sleeves of his uniform as a heat absorber and lifted the hot pot from the fire and put it next to the fireplace. "I'm not familiar with Shiso Leaf," he admitted.

She took two twigs that were lying next to the fireplace and used his dagger to sharpen them. Seeing his precious dagger used for such a mundane task irritated Hux but he didn't say anything.

"It has a musky, earthy taste and goes well with soups and fresh rolls," she explained. She handed him a twig and used hers to fish the pieces of meat out of the hot water.

Again he took a small bite first; after the larva it tasted quite good actually. He felt himself relax, it felt good to eat something that passed as real food. The sun was already setting, Hux felt the last rays on his face as he busied himself in finding another chunk.

"How old are you?"

He froze and slowly looked up. She stared at him with an unreadable expression on her face. What in the blazes was she going on about? "Why do you care?" he cautiously asked.

Obviously it wasn't the answer she had hoped for, she scoffed and pulled the dagger out of her pockets. She started to whittle a twig.

He observed her for a moment, even with a broken arm her movements were elegant and sure. She was indeed very skilled. Why had she asked? Perhaps ... she tried to assess him as he assessed her?

He impaled a piece of meat and ate it slowly. Perhaps he could learn more about her, who she was ... "I'm 34," he finally said.

She put the twig down. "I've never heard of a general that young."

Ah, so she's curious about his career? That was something he could talk about! Then he saw a movement in the corner of her lips and her lifted eyebrow. He knew it. She was only mocking him. At first he felt angry but his anger tickled away. It didn't matter.

"It's not uncommon in the First Order," he just said and put the rest of the meat in his mouth. He swallowed and decided to gather more information nonetheless. "How old are you?"

"26."

Hux waited for a moment, insecure if he should ask further. Well, he had to assess her properly ... "And what's your name?"

"Rose Tico," she said.

Why wasn't she telling him her rank? Was there a reason for withholding this information? He would get to the bottom of it! "What's your rank?"