Ben tensed up at the mention of his uncle. Instantly, old defenses honed in the First Order acted for him, throwing mental walls up between him and the world, pushing his mother's connection and presence away - she was too pitying, she did not understand the magnitude of the wrong Ben had done, what he'd wrought upon Luke's already weary heart - and before he knew it he was standing, buttoning his jacket up as if the layer of clothing could keep out the concern.
He wasn't an expert on the Force or medicine and certainly not the intersectionality thereof, but he would be damned if he was going to let that be an excuse to haul his tired and dead-eyed uncle into this mess. "I am the last person in the galaxy that Master Luke wants to see," Ben said in well-practiced, cold, I-am-of-the-Force-I-need-nothing-else tones (though his mother might be able to sense the actual underlying sentiment was regret and fear of rejection mixed together). "The sentiment is more or less returned. I would much rather go the scientific route than that of the Force. I doubt he would have much information for you in any case; the number of Jedi and Sith alike who fell prey to this is small and very poorly recorded, he can't tell you anything you don't already know."
The familiar sensation of having the walls close in was almost unbearable. He looked at his mother flatly. "Don't bring him into this, Mother. You know it's never resolved anything before." The number of fights Luke and Ben had managed to have over the years was breathtaking given Luke's calm nature. Ben brought out the worst in him and that was putting it kindly.
no subject
He wasn't an expert on the Force or medicine and certainly not the intersectionality thereof, but he would be damned if he was going to let that be an excuse to haul his tired and dead-eyed uncle into this mess. "I am the last person in the galaxy that Master Luke wants to see," Ben said in well-practiced, cold, I-am-of-the-Force-I-need-nothing-else tones (though his mother might be able to sense the actual underlying sentiment was regret and fear of rejection mixed together). "The sentiment is more or less returned. I would much rather go the scientific route than that of the Force. I doubt he would have much information for you in any case; the number of Jedi and Sith alike who fell prey to this is small and very poorly recorded, he can't tell you anything you don't already know."
The familiar sensation of having the walls close in was almost unbearable. He looked at his mother flatly. "Don't bring him into this, Mother. You know it's never resolved anything before." The number of fights Luke and Ben had managed to have over the years was breathtaking given Luke's calm nature. Ben brought out the worst in him and that was putting it kindly.