07-13-2018, 04:22 PM
Jay's face deadened, the colour drained. Pain vised a hard line out of his jaw as he weathered the discussion, powerless. Natalie trusted her instincts; knew too, that even if she were wrong, she would find another way. But there was no battle here to fight; it only needed to play out. She watched as Jay's patience frayed away to brutal shards, and made no attempt to stop him when he finally snapped. Though a sting of tension tightened in her own limbs as he inserted himself in front of Nikolai Brandon.
Foolish, but it was just as well for Brandon to see that whatever gifts raged beneath the skin of the Nine, he still dealt with men and all the rawness that entailed. He could not refuse. He would lose too much, his alliance with Evelyn non-withstanding. Because while she saw little compassion in him -- not in the way she saw compassion in Evelyn -- he clearly understood people; understood the ebbs and flows of give and take. And he played the long game.
She glanced at Evelyn, lest the situation spiral, but there was little need. Brandon acquiesced gracefully, as though the solution offered was the only natural one -- despite the obvious difficulties, which he of course pointed out before offering his blessing. There was no sign of the calculation that must be grinding in his head, but Natalie didn't care how he spun it.
Her gaze averted when he stood to shake Jay's hand, speaking of the souls to be saved in Africa. Days previous, when she confronted him with Masiaka's dead children, he was unmoved. He meant it as encouragement. He meant it as duty. But to Natalie the words only echoed more personal losses; of a village they had already tried and failed to save. Where was the Custody when the refinery burned and soldiers picked off children like game? That he intended for the Nine to go to Africa was no great surprise, but it came too late for the people she cared about.
Her gaze found Evelyn in the space while the men spoke, offering a quiet nod of thanks before Brandon's attention drew her back.
There was a thread of warning in his words, but she met it with a steady gaze. So he understood that she had pulled the strings here, and called her out on it by placing the burden of consequence on her shoulders. That, despite having told him she was no politician. She supposed he had surmised enough to call a lie, though she'd still argue against it. To her disgrace, she was simply good at manipulating people.
In any case, for now she was only concerned with securing Jay's travel, not the potential trap laid before her. Everything beyond that could be dealt with as needs may. It was a fair trade. So she set out no protest, knowing her family would be furious at the blithe way she toyed with the past's echoes. Knowing there was nothing they could do about it either. They were the one's who sent her to the CCD's heart in the first place.
When the room quietened after their departure, Natalie let her chest empty of air. Dealing with Brandon took a mental capacity she simply lacked the energy for tonight; she was glad it had not been necessary to spar words. She pulled a chair and sat for a moment's respite, foot throbbing a chorus. It had stopped bleeding, she thought; in fact the bandages felt dry enough to have latched to the inside of her shoe, so she didn't try to ease it off. Hidden beneath the pool of skirts around her feet it was impossible to tell anything was amiss anyway.
"He's such a prick."
Her lips twitched an irreverent smirk; a dry hum of laughter. She doubted Jay picked out the undercurrents that earned the insult, but she didn't much care if he found the casual way she denigrated the ruler of half the world scandalous. He was the prick who assured Jay's passage home after all, seemingly without quarrel. Though Natalie believed Evelyn was the lynch pin in that easy battle.
She watched him carefully, but didn't ask him if he was okay. Of course he wasn't. But at least he was one step closer to his sister's side. That only left Jensen James, but she had no leverage to offer there; she did not know him beyond the feeds most people had seen flooding the ether.
Foolish, but it was just as well for Brandon to see that whatever gifts raged beneath the skin of the Nine, he still dealt with men and all the rawness that entailed. He could not refuse. He would lose too much, his alliance with Evelyn non-withstanding. Because while she saw little compassion in him -- not in the way she saw compassion in Evelyn -- he clearly understood people; understood the ebbs and flows of give and take. And he played the long game.
She glanced at Evelyn, lest the situation spiral, but there was little need. Brandon acquiesced gracefully, as though the solution offered was the only natural one -- despite the obvious difficulties, which he of course pointed out before offering his blessing. There was no sign of the calculation that must be grinding in his head, but Natalie didn't care how he spun it.
Her gaze averted when he stood to shake Jay's hand, speaking of the souls to be saved in Africa. Days previous, when she confronted him with Masiaka's dead children, he was unmoved. He meant it as encouragement. He meant it as duty. But to Natalie the words only echoed more personal losses; of a village they had already tried and failed to save. Where was the Custody when the refinery burned and soldiers picked off children like game? That he intended for the Nine to go to Africa was no great surprise, but it came too late for the people she cared about.
Her gaze found Evelyn in the space while the men spoke, offering a quiet nod of thanks before Brandon's attention drew her back.
There was a thread of warning in his words, but she met it with a steady gaze. So he understood that she had pulled the strings here, and called her out on it by placing the burden of consequence on her shoulders. That, despite having told him she was no politician. She supposed he had surmised enough to call a lie, though she'd still argue against it. To her disgrace, she was simply good at manipulating people.
In any case, for now she was only concerned with securing Jay's travel, not the potential trap laid before her. Everything beyond that could be dealt with as needs may. It was a fair trade. So she set out no protest, knowing her family would be furious at the blithe way she toyed with the past's echoes. Knowing there was nothing they could do about it either. They were the one's who sent her to the CCD's heart in the first place.
When the room quietened after their departure, Natalie let her chest empty of air. Dealing with Brandon took a mental capacity she simply lacked the energy for tonight; she was glad it had not been necessary to spar words. She pulled a chair and sat for a moment's respite, foot throbbing a chorus. It had stopped bleeding, she thought; in fact the bandages felt dry enough to have latched to the inside of her shoe, so she didn't try to ease it off. Hidden beneath the pool of skirts around her feet it was impossible to tell anything was amiss anyway.
"He's such a prick."
Her lips twitched an irreverent smirk; a dry hum of laughter. She doubted Jay picked out the undercurrents that earned the insult, but she didn't much care if he found the casual way she denigrated the ruler of half the world scandalous. He was the prick who assured Jay's passage home after all, seemingly without quarrel. Though Natalie believed Evelyn was the lynch pin in that easy battle.
She watched him carefully, but didn't ask him if he was okay. Of course he wasn't. But at least he was one step closer to his sister's side. That only left Jensen James, but she had no leverage to offer there; she did not know him beyond the feeds most people had seen flooding the ether.