Okay, fuck olive branches and rational explanations. It was obvious from her comeback that she wasn't interested in the truth, or at least not in acknowledging it; Rory's sigh was quiet. Most of the fight had gone out of him. He just wanted it all to be over already, so that he could go back to his horses and his goats and his dogs and just forget about this day altogether. Start over.
He didn't answer her, because he was not interested in fighting her, so why lay out more bait? He did notice how her demeanor changed when Zariah arrived, and thought he was too busy disparaging the newcomer to comment on it, he stored it away for future use. Not that Rory was sly or cruel or in the habit of sticking his nose into the machinations of people he didn't even like, but, well.. he was also curious by nature.
Then Jigano came running, an errant ray of moonlight in the night; lithe, graceful, .. dark, with his intense eyes, the thin sword at his hip. A wild thing, just like everyone else.
A wild and unknown thing, but even on that night, something in his eyes softened when they fell upon him.
He asked a question, but Edy beat him to the answer, and Rory felt the growl building in the back of his throat again. Ugh he thought to himself, not particularly worried about how it'd make him seem in Jigano's eyes—he'd been told most of what had happened earlier. "You're smarter than that," he told her tiredly, his blue eyes rolling through his sockets to rest upon her face. "If it had been you lot against only me, you could've brushed me aside like a feather, too." He was never going to take credit for having turned them away. The only thing that had kept them from approaching the Spire was Roana's unwillingness to start sacrificing lives just to get through. Rory had done nothing except hold his crew together and stick his head out to take the blame (and he'd done it really gracelessly).
"And I'm pretty sure a couple of the Ascended were Outlanders," he muttered, but Wessex was already stealing the show. Not that Rory cared; he took little pleasure in arguing with Edy, and truthfully, should've just kept on keeping his mouth shut.
Frayed tempers and fraying nerves, and all.
Rory doubted his magic would be of any use to Wessex instead. Summoning beavers? Nah. Tentative fire manipulation? Nah. Firehands was obviously the best choice, and to his surprise the girl practically melted under Wessex's attention—and Wessex, she transformed into a beast. The dynamic between the two of them was a little disconcerting, if only because it was Wessex and well, Edy.
He flinched visibly when the fire around her hands whispered into life.
Eventually the Ascended turned the girl away from them, and Rory's blank face went in Jigano's direction and he blinked a little, as if silently asking if he was going insane.
Seriously? Wessex and Edy?
He didn't answer her, because he was not interested in fighting her, so why lay out more bait? He did notice how her demeanor changed when Zariah arrived, and thought he was too busy disparaging the newcomer to comment on it, he stored it away for future use. Not that Rory was sly or cruel or in the habit of sticking his nose into the machinations of people he didn't even like, but, well.. he was also curious by nature.
Then Jigano came running, an errant ray of moonlight in the night; lithe, graceful, .. dark, with his intense eyes, the thin sword at his hip. A wild thing, just like everyone else.
A wild and unknown thing, but even on that night, something in his eyes softened when they fell upon him.
He asked a question, but Edy beat him to the answer, and Rory felt the growl building in the back of his throat again. Ugh he thought to himself, not particularly worried about how it'd make him seem in Jigano's eyes—he'd been told most of what had happened earlier. "You're smarter than that," he told her tiredly, his blue eyes rolling through his sockets to rest upon her face. "If it had been you lot against only me, you could've brushed me aside like a feather, too." He was never going to take credit for having turned them away. The only thing that had kept them from approaching the Spire was Roana's unwillingness to start sacrificing lives just to get through. Rory had done nothing except hold his crew together and stick his head out to take the blame (and he'd done it really gracelessly).
"And I'm pretty sure a couple of the Ascended were Outlanders," he muttered, but Wessex was already stealing the show. Not that Rory cared; he took little pleasure in arguing with Edy, and truthfully, should've just kept on keeping his mouth shut.
Frayed tempers and fraying nerves, and all.
Rory doubted his magic would be of any use to Wessex instead. Summoning beavers? Nah. Tentative fire manipulation? Nah. Firehands was obviously the best choice, and to his surprise the girl practically melted under Wessex's attention—and Wessex, she transformed into a beast. The dynamic between the two of them was a little disconcerting, if only because it was Wessex and well, Edy.
He flinched visibly when the fire around her hands whispered into life.
Eventually the Ascended turned the girl away from them, and Rory's blank face went in Jigano's direction and he blinked a little, as if silently asking if he was going insane.
Seriously? Wessex and Edy?
