>>6284443You can hear the wince in his voice, as he falters. He never wanted to be the one to tell you - But now it’s come to this, he soldiers on all the same.
“-That’s why I didn’t want the others to hear. Because…You know what they’d choose, right? Axiom, Natsumi - They’d do the <span class="mu-i">right</span> thing. The responsible thing. But I keep thinking…After all that, after all you went through - What kind of life is she going to <span class="mu-i">have</span>, you know?”
It feels colder now, somehow. Like there’s a chill in the air, one that has reached the endosteel bones of your fame.
<span class="mu-i">Too late,</span> the passing shadows seemed to whisper. Sly, mocking.
<span class="mu-i">Too late, Joker.</span>
<span class="mu-i">What's done can never be undone.</span>
Dimly, you can hear Daegal saying - miserably, like he wishes it was any other way: “I’m just - I’m sorry, that’s all.”
He straightens. Just a little, carefully avoiding meeting your gaze.
“But…<span class="mu-i">It doesn’t have to be that way.</span> It’s not set in stone; Not yet.”
The offer lingers in the air, unspoken.
“...If we do this - It’s the <span class="mu-i">only</span> thing we can use it on. Hell, even <span class="mu-i">once</span> is dangerous. But…There’s the thing that matters, and the thing that <span class="mu-i">counts</span>. If there’s going to be something <span class="mu-i">beyond</span>...all this-”
Soft, just above a whisper.
“You might want to make the choice that’s <span class="mu-i">right</span>. For her.”
He shakes his head, slow.
“-This kind of thing…It’s too big. For me, at least. When it comes to the hard choices…I mean, I don’t know what I’d do, in your place. So…It has to be you. You've got to be the one to decide."
The light is more subdued, now, as he stands - silhouetted against the faint glow.
Waiting.
[ ] Free
YOU HAVE CONTROL
