01-30-2018, 09:55 AM
Natalie receded from the conversation when it returned to polite banalities. It was her nature to seek a connection with those around her, even a disagreeable one, and for a moment the stark honesty had been enough to hold her interest. The entreaty of his envisioned guardians tugged at her; she had even leaned into her reply to those words, drawn to his plea of not having to stand alone. It was the most amenable she had been to anything he had said so far, but if he sensed that shift in her he did not seize on it. Instead he shut her out.
By now his tone held the scathing tolerance of one dealing with an irritant. He berated her on the manner of the military and her face froze over, swallowing back the acid on her tongue. It seemed a waste of breath to point out the irony of the word volunteer, and aside from that, Jay wasn't military; he was Legion Premiere. Being the CEO of a mercenary company didn't give Danjou the right to barter Jay's life like a bargaining chip. Or Brandon the right to facilitate the trade.
The rest, well. They were hardly likely to agree.
Even sensing the bite of words stuffed back down his throat was not enough to coax a wry smile to her lips. For once she took no pleasure in proving subversive. They crossed wires without ever finding cohesion. The point was missed again.
Someone will contact you.
She nodded, perfectly docile, though she had no intention of waiting on that call. She respected his frankness, but it didn't earn him favour. A little knowledge was a dangerous thing, so they said; she could almost feel herself tangling up in it, like thorns across a simple path. And this should have been simple.
When the door closed, Natalie pressed her eyes shut in a moment of respite. Someone hovered to escort her out, but she made them wait. Her chest felt tight, but she had no use for the emotions within it. She pushed it down somewhere dark, somewhere easier to ignore, and stood to address the man who waited.
"Where can I find Representative Avalon?"
By now his tone held the scathing tolerance of one dealing with an irritant. He berated her on the manner of the military and her face froze over, swallowing back the acid on her tongue. It seemed a waste of breath to point out the irony of the word volunteer, and aside from that, Jay wasn't military; he was Legion Premiere. Being the CEO of a mercenary company didn't give Danjou the right to barter Jay's life like a bargaining chip. Or Brandon the right to facilitate the trade.
The rest, well. They were hardly likely to agree.
Even sensing the bite of words stuffed back down his throat was not enough to coax a wry smile to her lips. For once she took no pleasure in proving subversive. They crossed wires without ever finding cohesion. The point was missed again.
Someone will contact you.
She nodded, perfectly docile, though she had no intention of waiting on that call. She respected his frankness, but it didn't earn him favour. A little knowledge was a dangerous thing, so they said; she could almost feel herself tangling up in it, like thorns across a simple path. And this should have been simple.
When the door closed, Natalie pressed her eyes shut in a moment of respite. Someone hovered to escort her out, but she made them wait. Her chest felt tight, but she had no use for the emotions within it. She pushed it down somewhere dark, somewhere easier to ignore, and stood to address the man who waited.
"Where can I find Representative Avalon?"