remember that you can't save everyone
remember that you have to try
Fitting for Morgan, to have found contentment in leadership, to be comfortable in her reign. “It appears you extend stability and respect as well.” A confidence, an assurance, for the people of Halo. What had the citizens experienced from Neron or Zariah’s influence? Maybe the inquiry didn’t matter now, and he gave it no further voice other than the keen distinction in his mind, saving it for another modicum of Machiavellian design. The Grounds had permeance and steadfast regards in spurts (and he didn’t count the Merciless in any of these perceptions): Wessex, for her initial reign, before the encounter with the Fae, and Rexanna, before her untimely demise at his own methods of protection. The latter impression seared against his bones, and his spine was unyielding again for half a second, before pushing it all down and away. Except other beliefs suddenly sparked as well, and there was a haunting drone in his skull (I will disappoint you too); over mistakes, over ignorance, over failures potentially stretching wide, swallowing, consuming, until he’d errored all over again.
His jaw locked, and the General took a long swig, a slow, intermingling breath, to fight the claws, the thorns, of his own making; staring down at the picture of the turtle, and snorting. Habitually, instinctually, Deimos thought about refuting and arguing the compliment over; it’d been easier that way, to not believe himself worth much of anything. To live as a weapon, to breathe and die by the blade, rather than insinuate other means, other measures. But then he’d never be any better, never gain, never prosper, and just slowly erode as he’d always done. So instead, he nodded, the inklings of a smile returning. “Thank you.” The half-grin remained, striving to push through all the other nuances shoving him down, leaving the charcoal and paper available, the renderings of the turtle not taking up the full page. “Came from practice in designing weapons and defenses.”
out for vengeance
DEIMOS
