Awakening

[Morven]

She didn’t comment any further on Taicheschski, mostly because she had nothing nice to say, and she considered the matter closed. Morven wouldn’t hesitate to bruise an ego, but she wasn’t cruel – even to arseholes. The healing had been the point, and there had been no trace left of the broken nose. Apparently the fact she’d done the breaking had not filtered out beyond those who witnessed the altercation. She filed Michael’s opinion about the other man away; realised that whispers of discontent in the ranks might actually have substance to them. Not surprising in itself, but worth keeping in mind.

Her arms remained folded for the duration of his confession. She did not flinch at the depiction of such violence, nor seemed to empathise with the bitter edge of what might have been his regret.

“A man comes to kill you, you kill him first,” she said bluntly. There should be no guilt in that, no matter the methods used. She didn’t pry the details, but there was solidarity in the way she said it.

Her expression twitched at the inference the Ascendancy had sent her away, but she kept a careful hold on her tongue. Frustration prickled under her skin nonetheless. “I’m no teacher. If that’s what he wants, he can have DuBois search the register for a better candidate.” Not that she’d let a girl die if she could help, but the idea of being tethered to a place in the Garden appealed about as much as her position at the Facility. “Is stepping up how you ended up here?”