I need more Kincaid backstory. I need it. I love Kincaid and Ivy so much, and I just need to know more about Kincaid’s attitude towards Ivy, and what he thinks their relationship is.
I mean, Kincaid has presumably been working professionally for centuries. He’s done some seriously evil shit, killed thousands of people, and now he’ll work for whoever pays regardless of their cause. Amorality is awesome. But then along comes Ivy, and now it’s his job to be the sole guardian of the most important human in the world: a fragile little orphan baby. And things start getting more and more complicated as she grows up. I mean, it’s mostly just headcanon, but I think Kincaid kids himself into believing that stuff like letting Ivy watch otters and letting her eat cookies is part of his duties. He’s not gonna do a half-assed job of anything, and he goes all in because that’s what he gets paid for. But the more immersed in the job he becomes, the more he gives himself over to being a parental figure, because that’s what Ivy needs him to be. She doesn’t need a bodyguard who’s only there to defend her from attackers, she needs a parent. And that’s something Kincaid can do that ensures she is kept mentally and physically healthy and safe. Imagine 5 year old Ivy waking up from a nightmare. Contractually, Kincaid cannot simply sit by and let her work it out for herself, and so he is obligated to comfort her. And yet in doing so, he has to be genuine. He has to start caring about her as a person, and she in turn starts caring about him. And years down the line in Small Favor, we have Kincaid pleading with Harry to save Ivy, because he would lose everything if he lost her. His centuries-old reputation and the girl he cares about more than anyone else.
THAT SAID, part of me still thinks that Kincaid is an Olympic champion when it comes to compartmentalisation. And I’m not entirely sure that he can’t simply switch off his emotions. When Harry looks at Kincaid’s eyes, he describes an alien, emotionless quality to them. Kincaid likes to make people believe that he’s just plain folk, but he’s far from it. I guess my big question is: if push came to shove, would he give up his founding principles to save Ivy?
Personally, I would love love love to see a scene where someone buys Kincaid’s services and has him turn on Ivy, because either he shows us all what a bastard he truly is and kills Ivy, thereby sticking by his assassin’s code, or he ends up murdering the asshat who hired him and ruins his reputation to save his little girl. Either way it would be pretty awesome, although only one of those scenarios would end with me sticking my book in a blender. Even if said book is an audiobook on my phone… I’m a monster why do I think of these things ;w; Ivy forgive me ;w;