When enemies are at your door, I'll carry you way from war
A stiffness snaps through Kaisel like a chill in the wind the moment Jack’s tone parts the air for far too long. His lips crease deeper into the neutral line of someone trying very hard to retain composure, and for a moment, the grind of his teeth against each other is enough noise to swallow up some of Jack’s acrimony. The lower portion of his eyes pinches in, narrowing his copper gaze into something more like burnished flint.
What Kaisel sees though, isn’t a man poised to strike, dressed up as he is with a sharp smile trying to pass off as a dagger. This is a man who’s trying to shield his own hurt, and though that makes him no less dangerous, it alters the reach and the angle of how he jabs. That Jack doesn’t offer him much of an eye, much less a name, does not land on his pride like a set of teeth trying to tear through it. It’s confirmation that he’s not the only one who’s been beneath a shadow at times; Jack’s been shouldering one too.
If they’d had this run in sooner, if he’d heard these words before all the other ones Flora had given him, Kaisel is sure he would not have found the steel inside him that he does now. For the first time since Jack had scarred him though, Kaisel is not afraid of the Captain, or what he means. The divine tattoo has its role to play in that, but the force of the grip given to him by the woman at his side deserves most of that credit, and the last bit of it belongs to dear ol’ Jack himself. It doesn’t mean he’s not cautious, or that he’ll underestimate Jack, but it’s like finally stepping out into the sun again.
”You’re blaming Flora,” Kaisel says low and even, gaze watching the Captain start to gather for departure. ”And me. But it’s what you did, or didn’t do, too many times.” The only poison in her mind has always ever been the Captain. If he’s looking for answers, for the why, he needs only find it in his own hands as much as anyone else’s.
Pulsing the lace of his fingers back in response to Flora’s voice, to the steady hold of her, he says the best goodbye he can manage to Jack. Kaisel swivels his full attention to Flora, brushing away the barbs that exist with a wide smile that begs to celebrate what they’ve accomplished. ”Wanna try out that body chocolate?”
What Kaisel sees though, isn’t a man poised to strike, dressed up as he is with a sharp smile trying to pass off as a dagger. This is a man who’s trying to shield his own hurt, and though that makes him no less dangerous, it alters the reach and the angle of how he jabs. That Jack doesn’t offer him much of an eye, much less a name, does not land on his pride like a set of teeth trying to tear through it. It’s confirmation that he’s not the only one who’s been beneath a shadow at times; Jack’s been shouldering one too.
If they’d had this run in sooner, if he’d heard these words before all the other ones Flora had given him, Kaisel is sure he would not have found the steel inside him that he does now. For the first time since Jack had scarred him though, Kaisel is not afraid of the Captain, or what he means. The divine tattoo has its role to play in that, but the force of the grip given to him by the woman at his side deserves most of that credit, and the last bit of it belongs to dear ol’ Jack himself. It doesn’t mean he’s not cautious, or that he’ll underestimate Jack, but it’s like finally stepping out into the sun again.
”You’re blaming Flora,” Kaisel says low and even, gaze watching the Captain start to gather for departure. ”And me. But it’s what you did, or didn’t do, too many times.” The only poison in her mind has always ever been the Captain. If he’s looking for answers, for the why, he needs only find it in his own hands as much as anyone else’s.
Pulsing the lace of his fingers back in response to Flora’s voice, to the steady hold of her, he says the best goodbye he can manage to Jack. Kaisel swivels his full attention to Flora, brushing away the barbs that exist with a wide smile that begs to celebrate what they’ve accomplished. ”Wanna try out that body chocolate?”
Kaisel
If you need help, I'll shut down the city lights
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
