@piltoversfinest said: Her heart fell to the bottom of her stomach, eyes softening and lips forming a frown. "Little man I .. -" words merely fumbled, disappointment sinking as eyes looked at the ground before them. ".. I'm sorry, I didn't have any other choice. You can trust me, you can trust us ! Please just listen."
vi sounded so inarguably sincere, her plea lacked all arts of deception, drawing out a clear picture that there was no mystery of love lost from her pain-stricken sheen in her eyes.
but ekko's dark, owl-like gaze didn't waver—sharp and gripping. the metaphorical talons in his gaze seemed to clutch her words mid-air, piercing into them as if catching an unsuspecting rodent unawares in the dead layers of night, where deathly silence fell heavy. it wasn't just her words he preyed on—it was her humanity that laid bare beneath his scrutinous intent.
❝ us? no, vi, what about us—you and me, me and you, you and zaun! ❞ his voice stayed low, careful not to stir the children resting on the first level of the old, abandoned last drop. the decrepit bar had been the quickest refuge he could think of to escape the grey. at least until his green signal flare caught the attention of the firelights, who could help haul the kids to the safety of the hideout.
for now, the only thing protecting the children in the lanes, as far as he was concerned, was him and the satchel at his side—loaded with pilfered enforcer masks. a neat sum of bounties from old skirmishes with enforcers, waiting to be modified in ekko's signature ionian fashion. it was him doing this alone, for vi--who and what is standing by him was an alien. a welcomed stranger who tried to trespass in dangerous territories.
ekko saw no sense for her to reach his sensibilities at this point. if she loved him as she once claimed she did, she would have never twisted the knife in his back and broken it off there.
he averts his gaze at the masked adolescents, before leaning over the second-floor railing, his gloved fingers interlocking tightly around the wooden infrastructure. he was holding back—holding back every disturbed emotion threatening to erupt, to spill out and commit something they'd both regret.
he was tired of dead friends. tired of fighting family.
❝ i don't know how i could've been so irresponsible, letting you convince me that that rotten hog maw ever meant us any good. ❞ his teeth ground against each other with such force it felt like they might chip under the pressure. as much as he wanted to keep the blame on her, a part of him knew he had to hold himself accountable for the damages that occurred while he was gone. once again, his actions led to innocents being hurt.
❝ the vi i knew wouldn't have let any blue-belly snort some crap in her ear and make her turn herself into hog-bait. ❞