Commander's New Clothes

Chapter Four: Hardly Necessary

Only three people had ever been inside my home, four if I counted my father. Aloy and I never had friends over. I didn't have any friends I would have liked to invite over anyway, and I think Aloy was always a little embarrassed about where we lived, even though no one in the entire village exactly lived a life of glamour. My mother and I always worked with clients outside of the house, sometimes in a makeshift tent Aloy would set up, most of the time in the homes of the clients themselves. Most people considered it as a perk; having a service come to their house. They were happy, and we didn't have to embarrass ourselves. A win-win.

The situation of Kylo Ren though? There couldn't possibly be a win-win in that. I could have told him no. But he would be angry. Or I could have done as he said. And then he would get a glimpse into my actual life. I would lose control over how I wanted to display myself.

Having him get a peak into who I actually was? A literal nightmare to imagine. He already had the power to do so much damage, and he barely knew me.

Now I had to consider how his arsenal of cruelty would grow as he used all of the ugly parts of my life against me.

And there were plenty of ugly parts. Where I lived. The fact that my father was dead. And my mother was gone.

How would I explain where my brother was?

I supposed he didn't have to know about Aloy. Hopefully nothing in the house would give him away.

I don't suppose he'd patiently wait outside while I hid any incriminating evidence.

Oh one moment Commander! I need to make my wonderful home perfect for you!

Imagine that.

We began walking towards the hut, him walking in front of me as if he were the one leading me and not the other way around. After a few moments, he stopped.

I wanted to say something snarky, use this tiny bit of power I had against him. He didn't know where we were going. And I did.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

Instead, I swallowed my pride and took a few steps so that I was in front of him. And I kept walking.

I didn't turn back to make sure he was following. I don't think he could move quietly if he tried. Another downfall of his current attire; it wasn't made for stealth at all.

Just loud and intimidating. His outer appearance was made purely to instil fear in others.

How charming.

The thought popped into my mind that I was doing a good deed in disguise. By giving him new garments, perhaps I could make him a little less terrifying.

But at the cost of what? The new outfit would, in theory, be more comfortable. More stealthy.

More practical.

More practical for committing terrible deeds. Deeds I didn't want to think about. Actions and blood I didn't want to have on my hands.

I supposed whatever I created for him wouldn't render me responsible for his actions. It may make it easier for him to move, easier for him in combat. But it couldn't control his conscience.

If he even had a conscience.

After walking in silence, and panic, we finally arrived outside of the hut. I walked up to the door (if you could even call it that) and turned to face him.