gratuitous violence; unnecessary, satisfying, heartbreaking
And there's the rub, ultimately - regardless of how many mistakes he's made or how much he might have learned, when his children are involved, Ronin will put the noose around his neck ten times over before seeing them come to harm. Never had he expected Safrin to use their daughter in this way, though, and the pale shock on his face says as much. Swallowing hard - because there is no argument, and she knows it - the Nova feels himself grow cold from the tips of his ears down to the soles of his feet.
"That is the way of the world," he agrees softly, his mouth dry. "...And when there are no more steps back for me to take...?" He already knows the answer, but he wants to hear it from her starlit lips. His throat tightens around the prospect, but if the choice is between self-preservation and letting his daughter flourish and grow... well, there is no real choice at all.
Distantly he wonders how he'll tell all of this to Remi, how their life will look when he's been stripped back to the bones of the man he once was.
"That is the way of the world," he agrees softly, his mouth dry. "...And when there are no more steps back for me to take...?" He already knows the answer, but he wants to hear it from her starlit lips. His throat tightens around the prospect, but if the choice is between self-preservation and letting his daughter flourish and grow... well, there is no real choice at all.
Distantly he wonders how he'll tell all of this to Remi, how their life will look when he's been stripped back to the bones of the man he once was.
RONIN
