. * victor and caroline .
one arm wraps more firmly around him , fingers curling into his jacket as her forearm brackets around him . there’s a flicker of something there , veins coiling up his neck and then disappearing before she can get a good look . and she wishes it were surprising . but she’s suspected for some time that there was something holding him to trinity . something beyond his general asshole demeanor . ❝ yeah , ❞ her voice is breathless , tinged with the slightest bit of panic . ❝ likewise . ❞ turning her head just slightly , caroline manages a feeble attempt at a glare . now is not the time to be stubborn . she needs a plan . something to bargain with . and she has nothing . she can’t betray the drakes , she’s not lara croft , she’s a researcher with an apparently terminal case of danger magnet syndrome . his suggestion will buy them time . time enough for trinity to get there and rescue him . and then he’ll be okay . he’ll be fine , and she’ll… be with the enemy . useless . a liability . and she might not know the ins and outs and technicalities of this life , but she knows that the survival rate of liabilities is pretty low . but he’ll be okay , and right now that’s what matters . nodding , caroline grips him more securely , ❝ tell me what you need me to do . ❞
he can’t help the saddened smile that forms , soon allowing a shaky breath to escape him . this life isn’t safe for her , even with her ties to croft or the drakes . danger will always be around the corner , lurking . ❝ care , ❞ victor whispers , securing an arm around her . inhaling sharply , mismatched eyes continue to look at her as a way of reassurance . ❝ we are getting out of here ... and then you’re finding croft . i’ll find you , ❞ he tells her , silently urging her to get up so that he can get up with her . he’ll find her when the time is right , when he can convince trinity that they can’t have him without her ( because they won’t let him die ). in the meantime , victor will cast an illusion to buy them time ; making it look like the two of them are here when in reality they’re long gone .