As Ruby finally returns to the ship, she is greeted by Captain Bloom, Rey, and Finn.

"There you are!" Rey exclaims, rushing forward to embrace her tightly. Ruby smiles, feeling the warmth of her friends enveloping her.

"Don't worry, I've made it back," Ruby reassures them, returning the hug with equal fervor.

"We thought you were just going from New York to Earth," Finn adds, his voice a mix of relief and concern as he joins the embrace, squeezing Ruby gently.

Rey steps back, eyes sparkling with excitement. "We were worried you'd gotten lost in the galaxy!"

Ruby offered a casual shrug, though her eyes gleamed with a spark of mischief. "Got a little sidetracked," she murmured, her tone playful. "Ran into an old friend in New York—someone who wouldn't take no for an answer when he insisted I come back to Envaro with him." She paused, letting the intrigue linger. "A lot happened while I was away... but here I am," she finished, her lips curving into a soft, genuine smile. A warm glow seemed to radiate from her as she added, "And this time, I'm here to stay."

Captain Bloom nodded, his expression unreadable. "Kylo Ren is waiting in your chambers, Your Highness. He's been expecting you."

Ruby gave a quick nod and made her way to her quarters. As she entered, she found him there, standing silently by the tall windows, his gaze fixed on the sprawling city skyline beyond. She paused in the doorway, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Are you just going to stare at the view, or are you actually going to say hello to me?" she teased, her voice light.

He turned at the sound of her voice, and she caught the shimmer of unshed tears in his eyes. Before she could say another word, he crossed the room in quick strides and pulled her into an embrace so fierce it nearly took her breath away.

"I thought you weren't coming back," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he tried to keep his composure.

Ruby sighed softly, threading her fingers through his dark locks in a soothing gesture. "I'll always come back to you, my dearest apprentice," she whispered, her voice filled with warmth and quiet reassurance.

She pulled back, holding him by the shoulders and studying him closely. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his posture was weary, his usually sharp gaze softened by fatigue.

"Prince Regent doesn't quite agree with you, does it?" she teased, a playful glint in her eye.

He blushed, a faint color rising to his cheeks. "It doesn't, no," he admitted with a sigh, rubbing at his eyes. "I haven't been getting enough sleep... and it doesn't help that I feel everything you do."

Ruby let out a quiet sigh, her voice barely more than a murmur. "I'm sorry," she said, her tone carrying a hint of remorse as she looked down, eyes shadowed by a fleeting sadness.

Kylo shook his head slowly, his expression gentle yet unwavering. "Don't be," he replied, his voice steady and reassuring. "This connection—it's natural. You're my master, and our bond... it's for life." His words held a gravity, as if reminding her of a truth he held sacred, something that transcended spoken promises and touched the core of who they were.

As Ruby's hummed affirmation wafted through the air, she settled beside Kylo on her bed, a tranquil presence in the stillness. His gaze, a piercing scrutiny, dwelled upon his hands, as if the weight of his inquiry hung precariously in the balance. "Did you encounter Antign," he inquired, his voice a low, melodious murmur, "when you walked among the earth's mortal throng, my Master?"

His eyes, two glittering obsidians, seemed to hold a thousand unspoken fears, a thousand unvoiced doubts. Ruby's own eyes, dark rubies aglow with an inner light, gleamed softly in the dimness, as she pondered the weight of his question. "Did...you take a life?" he pressed, his words a hesitant, anguished whisper.

Ruby's demeanor abruptly stiffened, her voice trailing off into an uncertain silence as she shook her head. "I..." she began, but the word hung suspended, a fragile, incomplete thought. Her eyes, like dark pools of troubled water, seemed to cloud over, as if the very memory she sought to suppress threatened to resurface. "Don't bother about it, Kylo," she urged, her tone a gentle but firm rebuff. "Don't worry."

Her voice, a soft, melodious whisper, strove to reassure, but the faint tremble beneath its surface betrayed her own turmoil. Kylo's gaze, a piercing scrutiny, lingered upon her face, as if seeking to unravel the tangled threads of her emotions. The air was heavy with unspoken words, the silence between them a palpable, almost tangible thing.

Kylo's gaze, a burning intensity, turned inward, as if seeking to pierce the veil of Ruby's reserve. "Will you talk to me now?" he asked, his voice a low, husky entreaty, his eyes beseeching hers. Ruby's lips, a gentle, enigmatic smile, curved upward, a subtle, reassuring gesture. "Yes, my dear," she whispered, her voice a soft, melodious breeze that soothed his troubled spirit.

Her fingers, a gentle, fleeting touch, brushed against his cheek, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. Kylo's face, a canvas of conflicting emotions, betrayed a sudden, telltale flush, a deep, becoming crimson that spread from his cheeks to the roots of his hair. "I'll stay here," he murmured, his voice a low, abashed promise, as if the gentle touch had unlocked a deep wellspring of feeling within him.