Zavien
Kai seems determined to avoid admitting that he would have told Lena a lie if he believed Zavien had betrayed him, and that - along with the blatant misunderstanding of his intentions - grates at his composure. His empty hands clench at his side, jaw sharpening beneath the force of his frustrations. His voice rises in answer to Kai's accusations, control shredding beneath an argument that he'd thought over. "Why do you keep making it sound like I was going to find and tell Koa everything?!"
By this point, a few people are leaving the sparring ring, deciding that it might be best if they're not here for this discussion, especially as Zavien appears to lose some of the guilt that had kept his anger at bay. "I didn't want to lie to him, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to take every other possible step first. Me telling him would have made things worse, not better, and I already apologized for not making that clearer!" And yet, Kai continues to shove it in his face like it's a valid reason not to own his threat.
The quiet question gives him pause, anger stuttering as a laughing kid overlays on the image of a man who's hurt him. It's like a mocking picture of how they used to be, the jovial visage of someone he'd thought would never be cruel or heartless enough to intentionally cause harm - even if he managed to pull it off unintentionally with impressive skill. But that kid has been replaced by someone consumed by love, a wild, unpredictable man backed into a corner, showing his teeth and roaring of all the ways he plans to use them. Nothing about this beast is familiar to Zavien, who thought Kai would rather take a beating than hurt those he cares about.
Shaking his head free of the illusion, Zavien lets out a sad sigh, conflict straining the sound in his chest. "Do I? Love changes people and you didn't even hesitate to start throwing threats around. You don't even seem to care now." That his threat hadn't been hollow, that he'd sew chaos just to prevent some of the damage on his pride.
He purses his lips as Kai throws the comparison at him again. It's not lost on him how similar their situations are, and he reiterates that. "I do understand - why you fell in love, why you were worried about Koa, why you panicked when you thought I was going to risk that." His voice grinds out, emotions thick as he tries to get Kai to grasp the crux of Zavien's issue. "But I wouldn't have hurt a friend's relationship over a misunderstanding." He swallows, an imploring hand raising from his side as he explains, "How do I know the next time we argue, you won't go to Soh and tell her some absurd lie just to get back at me?"
By this point, a few people are leaving the sparring ring, deciding that it might be best if they're not here for this discussion, especially as Zavien appears to lose some of the guilt that had kept his anger at bay. "I didn't want to lie to him, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to take every other possible step first. Me telling him would have made things worse, not better, and I already apologized for not making that clearer!" And yet, Kai continues to shove it in his face like it's a valid reason not to own his threat.
The quiet question gives him pause, anger stuttering as a laughing kid overlays on the image of a man who's hurt him. It's like a mocking picture of how they used to be, the jovial visage of someone he'd thought would never be cruel or heartless enough to intentionally cause harm - even if he managed to pull it off unintentionally with impressive skill. But that kid has been replaced by someone consumed by love, a wild, unpredictable man backed into a corner, showing his teeth and roaring of all the ways he plans to use them. Nothing about this beast is familiar to Zavien, who thought Kai would rather take a beating than hurt those he cares about.
Shaking his head free of the illusion, Zavien lets out a sad sigh, conflict straining the sound in his chest. "Do I? Love changes people and you didn't even hesitate to start throwing threats around. You don't even seem to care now." That his threat hadn't been hollow, that he'd sew chaos just to prevent some of the damage on his pride.
He purses his lips as Kai throws the comparison at him again. It's not lost on him how similar their situations are, and he reiterates that. "I do understand - why you fell in love, why you were worried about Koa, why you panicked when you thought I was going to risk that." His voice grinds out, emotions thick as he tries to get Kai to grasp the crux of Zavien's issue. "But I wouldn't have hurt a friend's relationship over a misunderstanding." He swallows, an imploring hand raising from his side as he explains, "How do I know the next time we argue, you won't go to Soh and tell her some absurd lie just to get back at me?"
We wear our scars as proof
that we are still alive.
