07-28-2015, 08:47 AM
Connor looked at Nox, feelings mixed. The memory of going into that building with Jensen was still fresh. He didn't regret it, not for a moment. But It was hard to think of that without remember what went on there, what he had seen going on. It was that night he had killed someone. It seemed such a strange thing to say. He should feel something about it, the magnitude, the crossing of a moral line, some sense of guilt or awe. Nothing. Or, if he was really honest, there was pride. It was the right thing to do and someone had to do it. This didn't mean he was judge jury and executioner. He knew that. But if something had to be done and the police couldn't do it...well he wasn't going to let the imaginary rules of a nebulous social contract get in the way. Already, he knew the world was far more grey than black and white. The world he lived in now was far more complex than he could have imagined.
"I'm game,"
he said simply. Nox had a look in his eyes. And he was young. A hot head. He would need tempering. Especially if something had happened to his sister. Connor wouldn't tell him what to do. But he would make sure Nox got out of it ok.
He heard fumbling of keys at the entrance even as the little dog started yapping. He looked at Nox seated on the floor. "Could it be her?"
That would be a relief.
The person who walked through the door was not who he expected to see. A storm of emotions did wash over him them. Surrpise. Anger. Affection. Fear. Guilt. He was rooted to the floor, unsure of what to say. It was Aria. For all his words, his understanding of the Atharim and what they had done to her, he found rage bubbling at the surface. But it was tempered by the memory of that first night. Her kindness about Hayden. It was that memory that cooled the rage, that brought him a sense of peace.
It all happened in a moment, but the flash of anger was gone by the time she spoke. And now he could see the pain in her eyes, the way she moved. She was hurting. Her words explained it. Lucas was dead. He didn't know the guy, of course, so it didn't really register as more than words for him. But he could see the devastation it caused her. He felt a desire to comfort her but checked himself. The days of that kind of thing were over. Ayden was his heart and whatever he wanted to do for Aria could not be at the expense of Ayden's trust.
All he could do was smile weakly and with sympathy in his eyes. First Nox and now Aria. Today was not a good day. He breathed in deeply, squaring himself. They were going to need him.
"I'm game,"
he said simply. Nox had a look in his eyes. And he was young. A hot head. He would need tempering. Especially if something had happened to his sister. Connor wouldn't tell him what to do. But he would make sure Nox got out of it ok.
He heard fumbling of keys at the entrance even as the little dog started yapping. He looked at Nox seated on the floor. "Could it be her?"
That would be a relief.
The person who walked through the door was not who he expected to see. A storm of emotions did wash over him them. Surrpise. Anger. Affection. Fear. Guilt. He was rooted to the floor, unsure of what to say. It was Aria. For all his words, his understanding of the Atharim and what they had done to her, he found rage bubbling at the surface. But it was tempered by the memory of that first night. Her kindness about Hayden. It was that memory that cooled the rage, that brought him a sense of peace.
It all happened in a moment, but the flash of anger was gone by the time she spoke. And now he could see the pain in her eyes, the way she moved. She was hurting. Her words explained it. Lucas was dead. He didn't know the guy, of course, so it didn't really register as more than words for him. But he could see the devastation it caused her. He felt a desire to comfort her but checked himself. The days of that kind of thing were over. Ayden was his heart and whatever he wanted to do for Aria could not be at the expense of Ayden's trust.
All he could do was smile weakly and with sympathy in his eyes. First Nox and now Aria. Today was not a good day. He breathed in deeply, squaring himself. They were going to need him.