He wondered what about it that was so hard to understand. We don't want you to be doing this, not now, not without us asking, you don't understand the ramifications—the reasons—the responsibility.
It's not your choice to make.
And yet this woman was here again, as if her continued existence hinged on bringing down the barrier as soon as she could. What's the rush he wanted to ask her, to sneer, perhaps, are you afraid someone will steal your glory?
Who was she, to think she knew better than all of them? Who was she, to decide that her way was the right—and only—way? "No," he responded, his voice tired but his eyes fierce. "I would have done what I could to stop their attempts again, if I had known about it sooner. By the time I heard of it, and arrived, you were too close to the Spire, and I was not interested in risking my life to save you from your own stupidity. You chose to risk your life, knowing fully well how deadly that thing was. A thing many a Natural has done before, too. The only difference is that you got lucky."
He didn't understand what she was trying to do, what she was trying to achieve. Guilt trip him? Guilt trip him into moving out the way? As if she had some fucking higher moral ground? She was like a spoiled brat, put out because she wasn't getting her favorite toy—that wasn't even hers to begin with.
Rory watched her in silence. I have seen this before, bla bla bla. As if this was his to end. As if it was hers to compromise.
Spoiler alert: it wasn't.
"Then for everyone's sake, stop trying to break into the god-damned Spire," he answered her calmly. "Why are you such in a hurry, anyway? Are you afraid it'll get legs and wander off?" He stared at her for a moment. "I don't get why you won't just give us the bloody fucking time to decide what we want to do with it. No, it's just your decision, your intention, your fucking everything, as if you're the only one with good ideas around here." He was bristling slightly, like a wolf pulling back its lips and raising the fur along its back. He breathed in through his nose, tried to smooth himself out.
Sleeplessness made for short fuses. "Why are you so obsessed with doing this, and with doing it now?"
Just go home, Roana. And I don't mean Northaven home. I mean your fucking house.
It's not your choice to make.
And yet this woman was here again, as if her continued existence hinged on bringing down the barrier as soon as she could. What's the rush he wanted to ask her, to sneer, perhaps, are you afraid someone will steal your glory?
Who was she, to think she knew better than all of them? Who was she, to decide that her way was the right—and only—way? "No," he responded, his voice tired but his eyes fierce. "I would have done what I could to stop their attempts again, if I had known about it sooner. By the time I heard of it, and arrived, you were too close to the Spire, and I was not interested in risking my life to save you from your own stupidity. You chose to risk your life, knowing fully well how deadly that thing was. A thing many a Natural has done before, too. The only difference is that you got lucky."
He didn't understand what she was trying to do, what she was trying to achieve. Guilt trip him? Guilt trip him into moving out the way? As if she had some fucking higher moral ground? She was like a spoiled brat, put out because she wasn't getting her favorite toy—that wasn't even hers to begin with.
Rory watched her in silence. I have seen this before, bla bla bla. As if this was his to end. As if it was hers to compromise.
Spoiler alert: it wasn't.
"Then for everyone's sake, stop trying to break into the god-damned Spire," he answered her calmly. "Why are you such in a hurry, anyway? Are you afraid it'll get legs and wander off?" He stared at her for a moment. "I don't get why you won't just give us the bloody fucking time to decide what we want to do with it. No, it's just your decision, your intention, your fucking everything, as if you're the only one with good ideas around here." He was bristling slightly, like a wolf pulling back its lips and raising the fur along its back. He breathed in through his nose, tried to smooth himself out.
Sleeplessness made for short fuses. "Why are you so obsessed with doing this, and with doing it now?"
Just go home, Roana. And I don't mean Northaven home. I mean your fucking house.
