He listened, his hand moving in a comforting rhythm as he thought. The more he heard, the more it felt like an echo of his own argument with Flora. No matter what he'd said, she'd spun it or pick at the parts that didn't matter, making him suddenly wonder if he was at fault, but once he'd gotten enough distance, the emotions had settled and he'd realized that he was even more confused - and bothered by Flora's reaction. But he wasn't as close with the Doubletake as Soh was, and he couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be on the other side after years of knowing the loving, caring part of her.
The next part had him stilling, his hands slowing to a stop as he tightened his hold on her. He'd never seen Soh like this. Even she'd nearly been killed, when Stormbreak had been doomed to fall, when she'd been retraumatized with a companion bond after her loss. None of those times did she sound like this - and it broke his heart.
He squeezed her arm, unable to say anything that would take away that pain or minimize the betrayal of not one, but two friends. How could these women no see how incredible she was? How honest and loyal and inexplicably considerate? That she would never do a thing to intentionally hurt either of them, and that she would bend over backwards to prove her friendship while they created faults where none existed.
A thought scraped insistent in his mind, nagging and increasingly loud as she spoke. He didn't like any of this, and as he pursed his lips, Zavien said, "I think the question is: Why would Colt need Flora's permission to ask you?" She wasn't Soh's keeper, and Colt didn't need her blessing to ask an impressively capable and uniquely experienced woman to consider a business proposal. And what gave Flora the right to talk on Soh's behalf? To say something that would have someone calling her friend a liar?
But Zavien didn't even know the worst of it.
He took the dagger first. New confusion spread over his face, turning to Soh like she'd just randomly changed the subject. But when he opened the letter (and eventually managed to decipher the meaning), Zavien's blood ran cold, and he looked to the dagger with new meaning. Everything was suddenly too loud, his rage feeling like a frozen flame searing through his bones. "This is from Colt?" He'd laughed and shared meals with this woman, helped her fight mud and flowers and herd cattle. They'd shared heartbreaking moments of understanding and advice. Zavien thought he knew her.
"She didn't strike me as an idiot," he shook his head, too sharp, too angry, "but you're the most honest person I know." His knuckles turned white where he gripped the dagger, eyes narrowing into dark slivers of green. Disgust colored his tone as he debated between throwing the dagger off a cliff and burying it in a barrow somewhere. "Maybe it was a good thing she showed her true colors now - before we got stuck on a council with her."
The next part had him stilling, his hands slowing to a stop as he tightened his hold on her. He'd never seen Soh like this. Even she'd nearly been killed, when Stormbreak had been doomed to fall, when she'd been retraumatized with a companion bond after her loss. None of those times did she sound like this - and it broke his heart.
He squeezed her arm, unable to say anything that would take away that pain or minimize the betrayal of not one, but two friends. How could these women no see how incredible she was? How honest and loyal and inexplicably considerate? That she would never do a thing to intentionally hurt either of them, and that she would bend over backwards to prove her friendship while they created faults where none existed.
A thought scraped insistent in his mind, nagging and increasingly loud as she spoke. He didn't like any of this, and as he pursed his lips, Zavien said, "I think the question is: Why would Colt need Flora's permission to ask you?" She wasn't Soh's keeper, and Colt didn't need her blessing to ask an impressively capable and uniquely experienced woman to consider a business proposal. And what gave Flora the right to talk on Soh's behalf? To say something that would have someone calling her friend a liar?
But Zavien didn't even know the worst of it.
He took the dagger first. New confusion spread over his face, turning to Soh like she'd just randomly changed the subject. But when he opened the letter (and eventually managed to decipher the meaning), Zavien's blood ran cold, and he looked to the dagger with new meaning. Everything was suddenly too loud, his rage feeling like a frozen flame searing through his bones. "This is from Colt?" He'd laughed and shared meals with this woman, helped her fight mud and flowers and herd cattle. They'd shared heartbreaking moments of understanding and advice. Zavien thought he knew her.
"She didn't strike me as an idiot," he shook his head, too sharp, too angry, "but you're the most honest person I know." His knuckles turned white where he gripped the dagger, eyes narrowing into dark slivers of green. Disgust colored his tone as he debated between throwing the dagger off a cliff and burying it in a barrow somewhere. "Maybe it was a good thing she showed her true colors now - before we got stuck on a council with her."
Zavien
