Her paleness in the glow of the moonlight was the only reason Kylo Ren could see her out there. She'd left the sliding glass door open so that they could still speak, and to air out the room, for which he was thankful. Sweat glistened on both of their bodies, but it didn't take long for them to chill off. Calista leaned over the edge of the balcony, her ankles crossed while she perched on her tip toes. Her hair blew in the wind, wildly, making her look like something, someone, exotic.

Kylo Ren sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, feet on the heated tile floors. He glanced around for his scattered black clothing, and then found his trousers. Stepping into them, he grabbed the bottle of champagne that was on his bedside table. It must have been put there along with the other women who were there before he sent them away. He was glad he did; though there had been some temptation, he would never have met Calista had he taken the bait. The champagne was warm, the bottle dripping wet from the melted ice.

"Aren't you concerned someone might see you?" Kylo Ren asked, admiring her stark-naked body, her bravery, her audaciousness.

"Should I be ashamed of what they might see?" she questioned.

He laughed, "No, I suppose not."

"The worlds are so filled with shame, shameful people. And I ask, why? Why must we be ashamed of the things we do, if they bring us pleasure?" she asked insightfully, then sipped her drink.

"Because sometimes the things we do are harmful to others?"

"There are always consequences to everything we do, good or bad. We cannot live our lives in fear of the bad consequences."

Kylo Ren raised an eyebrow, "You're insightful."

She shrugged, then glanced over the city and ocean, where it met with the night sky and became stars. "Simply observant."

A ship pulled in over the water, a cruise of sorts, with bright white lights and surely filled with drunk men and women. They toured the seas throughout the night, to show people the beauty beyond the city, though they never strayed too far. They always returned by midnight, to send viewers back to the casino where they could spend more money.

"That's my cue," Calista said suddenly, rising from her leaned over position on the balcony, and then slipping back into the warmth of the bedroom. She fished her dress from the floor where it had been kicked sometime during their romp, and she slid back into it with such finesse. It was then that Kylo Ren understood, and it shocked and pained him to figure it out.

"You're..." he began, but the words never left his mouth, as if he were not allowed to speak them.

"Leaving?" she asked. "I'd love to stay, but I was paid for a few hours, nothing more."

"Paid..." he felt the words, but he could not form them.

"You didn't know?" she asked, looking up at him with shock on her expression, probably the same expression that he was wearing. She lowered her shoulders and stepped up to him, still wrapping the belt on over her slender hips. She placed a hand on his cheek, and sighed, "I'm sorry, I thought you knew."

Kylo Ren pushed her hand away, trying not to act like a scorned child, but hurt nonetheless.

"You may go, then," Kylo growled, harshness not his intent.

"I am sorry," she said softly. "I wouldn't have... if I had known that you didn't..."

She gathered herself and turned towards the door. Stepping through the large sliding doors through to the living room, she moved like a ghost. And Kylo Ren knew that soon she would just be a ghost, a ghost in his own mind. Part of him felt ripped apart watching her go, and on terms like that. Another part of him felt betrayed, but he thought back on it and knew that it was clear, the evidence was always there.

"Wait!" he called to her, then stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he could see her again. "Calista, wait."

She turned her head, but not her body, suggesting that she wasn't going to stay for long. Like she had said, her time was up. Her big blue eyes were asking him what he was waiting for, what he was going to say, and that he should get on with it.

"What you do... does it-"

"Bother me? Make me feel ashamed?" she questioned in a sharp voice. Then she shook her head, "Not at all."

"How much?" he asked, though it was not the question that he had in mind. He asked again, to clarify. "How much do you... does it cost?"

"A thousand credits an hour," she replied. "Or five thousand for the whole night."

She cost a lot, more than he had expected. There was a hint of pride in her answer, too, for she knew that she was worth what people paid, and people did pay it. It bothered Kylo Ren to know that people came to Canto Bight, they paid to spend an hour or a night with her, and nothing more. No one would respect her beauty for what she was really worth, without putting a price on her.

"Well, what will it be then?" she asked.

"If not me, will someone else buy your time tonight?" he asked, knowing that it was late but that no one ever slept on Canto Bight.

"There is a good chance," she admitted. "Yes."

"Five thousand credits?" he wanted to make sure it was the right amount.

She nodded, turning to face him. Kylo Ren dug through his pockets and found the hotel card key, and he strode over to her. His quick movements were intimidating, but he slowed when he reached where she was standing. He handed her the card key, which charged everything to his room. Though it wasn't his money that would be used, for Duke Caalgen had paid for it all, he still wanted to go through with this.

She tentatively took the card key from him, and then she scanned it over her forearm. Something lit up inside of her skin, just underneath it. The sight startled Kylo Ren, and then he realized that she was stuck here, like a slave but not quite. She was part of this planet, though, this casino, it owned her. She herself had a device inside of her skin with which people could pay her. It made his insides twist.

"You're free to go," he said then, surprising Calista.

She looked at him quizzically.

"Enjoy the night, you're free to do as you please. Go home, go out, spend the five thousand, make double your earnings with someone else," Kylo Ren's voice was dripping with betrayal.

"And if I wish to stay here, with you?" she asked.

He didn't believe it was what she wanted, "Go. Please."

Do you think he had the right to be upset? To be fair, she assumed he knew. Share your thoughts!