Silco wonders if he might be losing his mind.
...It started with the small things, sneaking up on him like a sea-current, seeming innocuous at first. Irritability, bitterness, wariness that became paranoia - feelings he'd felt in the past that he'd thought he'd left behind seemed to return with a newfound vengeance, one he couldn't find the cause of. And with those emotions came thoughts, ones that didn't make sense - like his mind was just waking up from a dream where he'd been somewhere else.
He'd thought it might be trauma. Perhaps he hadn't fully let go of his grievances towards Vander after all. Whether or not to blame himself for that, or to listen to the voice telling him that Vander couldn't be trusted... over time, it's become a more difficult decision than he's ever wanted to admit. But even what Vander had done couldn't explain all of it.
Especially when it came to Powder. He'd always been fond of the child, but now, that fondness has become almost possessive. He wants to snatch her away from the world, from Vander - from anyone and everyone who might hurt her, and the only thing holding him back is an equally strong sense of guilt - sorrow without explanation that seems to choke him whenever he's least expecting it. It feels like... like he's failed her. Like somewhere, sometime, he did everything wrong, and didn't notice until it was too late. He can't explain those feelings, but he doesn't doubt them - not really, even though he's sure everyone would tell him he should.
Even now, as she stands here, those alien emotions seem to claw at him fiercely; unrelenting. It's enough to make him doubt his sanity, and yet disregarding them feels like it would be a grave sin; one he can't let himself commit. He doesn't want to fail her again. Not his daughter.
"...Did you say something, Jinx?" As he's drawn back into awareness, the words escape him unconsciously. Even though that's not a name he's ever known her by - not here, in this world.
@blubombs ( plotted starter! )
