He listened to her words even when she misunderstood - deliberately or otherwise - the analogy he had used. And with others he might have remained silent, letting them think what they would. But he could not rebuild a relationship - a friendship, and one that had meant so much to him - on a foundation of misunderstandings and lies of omission. Even Maea had heard him out, however little she had liked his reasoning.
This time and in this place he did not remain silent even as he took her hand with light fingers and returned her squeeze, meeting her eyes in spite of the hurt that had caused his previous quiet query. "Maea... does not wish to see me anymore," he said in answer to her final question. "Because I left. And took her with me." The agreement came to her earlier statement - or accusation. One she had made without giving him a chance to respond, while he was ignorant to her battles with Talyson and Noah. "I left because the Reaper was willing to accept Sunjata's flattery, and Maea's apology. She was still a shark, but at that point I judged she did not come to hunt. Not without provocation." Then he dropped his eyes, inclining his head in recognition of his own responsibility. "Provocation that Maea and I were at risk of providing again." He raised his head, and his gaze was tired. "I did not trust Maea not to rise to further baiting. And I did not think she would leave without Danta's direct order. Or my request." And he did not know the Maverick well enough to judge if he would have made that call or simply sat back and watched things play out. "I stood at Maea's side to protect her. But I left with her to prevent the fight we had almost started. To avoid putting the rest of those in the room in greater danger."
She had called him here today to ask his intentions, and to judge him on them. He regretted his initial decision to protect Maea ahead of all others, but not the one that had come after. Knowing now how the others had viewed it, still he thought the risk of Maea remaining to seethe and potentially snap at the Reaper after her pride had been so sorely tested by the apology had been too great.
But Evie's opinion mattered to him more than that of the others who had been in that room. And his own pride was too great to let the misunderstanding lie. Even though it would not change her opinion of him, he seemed to breathe a little easier once the words were out. "Since then I have spent a great deal of my time in fighting the Void, and protecting Torchline from it. It... does not make for good teatime conversation," he admitted, a touch grim at the reminder of how stark his life had become. "I would like to hear about how it is, raising a son. And how you have been?"
This time and in this place he did not remain silent even as he took her hand with light fingers and returned her squeeze, meeting her eyes in spite of the hurt that had caused his previous quiet query. "Maea... does not wish to see me anymore," he said in answer to her final question. "Because I left. And took her with me." The agreement came to her earlier statement - or accusation. One she had made without giving him a chance to respond, while he was ignorant to her battles with Talyson and Noah. "I left because the Reaper was willing to accept Sunjata's flattery, and Maea's apology. She was still a shark, but at that point I judged she did not come to hunt. Not without provocation." Then he dropped his eyes, inclining his head in recognition of his own responsibility. "Provocation that Maea and I were at risk of providing again." He raised his head, and his gaze was tired. "I did not trust Maea not to rise to further baiting. And I did not think she would leave without Danta's direct order. Or my request." And he did not know the Maverick well enough to judge if he would have made that call or simply sat back and watched things play out. "I stood at Maea's side to protect her. But I left with her to prevent the fight we had almost started. To avoid putting the rest of those in the room in greater danger."
She had called him here today to ask his intentions, and to judge him on them. He regretted his initial decision to protect Maea ahead of all others, but not the one that had come after. Knowing now how the others had viewed it, still he thought the risk of Maea remaining to seethe and potentially snap at the Reaper after her pride had been so sorely tested by the apology had been too great.
But Evie's opinion mattered to him more than that of the others who had been in that room. And his own pride was too great to let the misunderstanding lie. Even though it would not change her opinion of him, he seemed to breathe a little easier once the words were out. "Since then I have spent a great deal of my time in fighting the Void, and protecting Torchline from it. It... does not make for good teatime conversation," he admitted, a touch grim at the reminder of how stark his life had become. "I would like to hear about how it is, raising a son. And how you have been?"
