NOAH
I'll follow you down, through the eye of the storm
Noah didn't care about her past. Well, sort of. His caring about her past really only meant that he cared for how she took it and used it to shape her future. That she once sold her body to men (and women?) to feed her children was a part of her life. Noah could accept that. He knew it would never be fair of him to say "You shouldn't have done that..." or "Weren't there other options...", because he had never been in that situation. He wasn't a parent. He wasn't desperate to keep other souls but his own alive. He didn't know. He didn't understand. Therefor, he could only accept it. Where Noah could have opinions, however, was in her future. Her future with him. How did what she endured, what she learned, fit into what she wanted to become, where she wanted to go? Those were the things Noah cared about.
Now, in her present, Noah was her guardian. No matter her past, no matter who spoke ill of her, Noah would stand. In his presence, he would not allow someone to speak of her or to her as that man did. He meant it, too -- if they had been in Halo, Noah would have set a higher threat on any man than he did the one here in Torchline. No matter where they went, Noah knew vile people would be there. In Halo, though, he had the ability to truly do something about it.
He let her pull him into the alley and speak with him, and he let out a breath. ”No, we don’t need to end the trip early. Let’s just go back to the inn.”
