[The fading embers of his own anger soon give way to confusion that writes itself plain on his face. The Shard itself is barely even an afterthought in his mind now, so focused on the rapidly growing display of Jinx’s ire. He steps over it, one foot then another, drawing himself closer even as she does so as well. And then that single word rings out against the silence surrounding them and stops him in his tracks.]
What?
[Traitor? Why would she even think that, why look at him now with such anger and betrayal in her eyes? How did she even manage to find her way here, so frantic already before she even pushed her way through the crowds—
And very slowly, through the haze of his faltering adrenaline and the swirling storm confusion and cooling anger, he begins to put the pieces together.
He doesn’t like the picture that’s starting to form.
Recognition and alarm replace the confusion on his face as she quickly pulls out and unpins her gadget. There is no doubt in his mind that now, much older and much more experienced, she must surely have perfected her tinkering skills in the gulf of missing years that stood between them. He needs to stop this before things get worse.]
Powder, this is— [—mistake, big mistake using that name, and he knows it but there’s no undoing it, so he lets the rest of his words barrel on—] We shouldn’t be here, we need to go. And I can explain what this is, what he is.
[Or was? Not permanently, and the truth of that hits him now, hard and fast, but it is the least urgent of his problems in this moment. Tick tick tick.]
no subject
What?
[Traitor? Why would she even think that, why look at him now with such anger and betrayal in her eyes? How did she even manage to find her way here, so frantic already before she even pushed her way through the crowds—
And very slowly, through the haze of his faltering adrenaline and the swirling storm confusion and cooling anger, he begins to put the pieces together.
He doesn’t like the picture that’s starting to form.
Recognition and alarm replace the confusion on his face as she quickly pulls out and unpins her gadget. There is no doubt in his mind that now, much older and much more experienced, she must surely have perfected her tinkering skills in the gulf of missing years that stood between them. He needs to stop this before things get worse.]
Powder, this is— [—mistake, big mistake using that name, and he knows it but there’s no undoing it, so he lets the rest of his words barrel on—] We shouldn’t be here, we need to go. And I can explain what this is, what he is.
[Or was? Not permanently, and the truth of that hits him now, hard and fast, but it is the least urgent of his problems in this moment. Tick tick tick.]