[ it almost goes without saying, the way morningstar responds to the monsters. there's no question if they will be pooling their resources to rise to meet this threat, but how. rey joins two other morningstar agents to back them up when they head down towards the capital to engage the monsters there.

a. when they arrive, amidst the flurry of chittering rodents, a cry of help sounds. the figure stands sort of limp near the mouth of an alley nearby. if rey had the force, she might sense the creature for what it was — might see that this person was not alive at all. but she doesn't. instead, she runs for it, drawing her lightsaber without hesitation.

waiting in the alley for her are a row of gleaming teeth in a wide amphibian mouth. it slurps down the humanoid lure as if swallowing its own tongue and leaps for her.

b. later, after the fight with the angler, and the disposal of the rodents, an napd vehicle pulls up. they look ready to secure the square, well-armed and organized, if a little late. ]

We handled it. [ rey wipes sweat from her forehead as one officer asks, 'we?' ] Morningstar. [ there's no point side-stepping it; rey knows this. she pushes through head-on. ] We may not have a surveillance and reporting network like yours, but we can help.

[ it puts the officers in a weird position — do they report morningstar for this? do they accept the help they desperately need? while they get the area secured, the coordinate on it, and rey turns back to those who'd helped with the fight. ]

I probably should have asked El before I said that.

[ rey doesn't make herself easy to catch.

the trouble with having powers like hers has already shown itself in the fight with catra. if she doesn't have control, she can do a lot of damage. when the slug gets inside of her — and she can feel it, deep down, like a sort of burn — she doesn't let anyone near her. gravity makes certain of that.

the result is ugly. at first, grappling with it, she just wants to get away. but it's as soon as she's away that her anger bubbles out of her. a lifetime of rage bubble out of her at once, feeding the strange creature inside of her.

vines crawl over the feet of the man who tries to escape her wrath, too fast. they entangle him, and he collapses. rey has done away with her lightsaber. this is more visceral. the vines take something out of her, though. her expression is ashen, and so is his, once she draws closer to him. she does't speak. only draws nearer, pressing him flatter and flatter against the street. ]

[ the call comes after she's back to herself. tired as she is, burned out by her power as she is, rey should stay at home. rey should let someone else deal with it. but kylo ren going supernova downtown feels like her responsibility. she can't shake that.

so rey finds him there, bright and burning and so unlike himself. she had expected kylo to look himself, at least, as she had. but he doesn't. he has a face like the skull of some horned beast and he's taller, lankier, than ever. ]

Stop this. [ she tries reason, first. she tries it because subduing him will undoubtedly burn, and she still sports the scars from the last time she'd challenged his power, and because she doesn't want to lay hands on him. not now, not ever. she has buried too many sentiments to let skin contact undo all her hard work. ]

[ ooc; hmu @ protects if you want a custom starter of some kind. prompt one is designed for morningstar recruitment, so anyone looking to be part of the cause, hit A or B! ]