Lucem
Ten Thousand Club
Ezra Knight
CS Link
SCENE:
In the Tigers' Web
TIME:
Post-Arc 3, Timeskip 1 | June 3rd
LOCATION:
Nameless Storefront, West District
PARTICIPANTS:
Ezra, Dagger, Elias, Jennifer, Passeri
IN THE TIGERS' WEB
Ezra wasn't sure if Passeri chose not to look his way or if her unquenched bloodlust rendered her incapable of doing so. In the end, it didn't matter. Even though she didn't spare him a single glance, his eyes never left hers. Those magenta pools were usually bright and full of glamor, but now they only pulsed with hate as they reflected the target of her ire. The way she spoke had also changed, leaving no trace of the voice that captivated so many people. It was replaced by something much colder and more threatening.
He remained silent as she responded, still refusing to look away from the man she fully intended to kill. He was already aware of the points she raised, having taken them into consideration when he decided to commit to his insubordinate actions. Nothing she said was wrong, and he never intended to argue otherwise.
Despite giving Passeri his full attention, he remained aware of her construct. It seemed perfectly in tune with her emotions, floating higher as her palpable hate flared. It was clear that she still had every intention of killing Webber. However, what Ezra planned to do about it remained to be seen. Would he interfere again, or would he let her go through with it?
Before he or Passeri could follow through with either of their intentions, Dagger acted first, wasting no time as she made her approach and unceremoniously slit Webber's neck. It felt like all the tension was released, violently dispersed like the air from a popped balloon. Just like that, it was over.
There was a certain numbness that took hold of him, both inside and out. He wasn't sure what kind of expression made its way onto his face before it evened out into something more neutral. He turned away as Dagger dragged Webber across the floor like a sack of garbage, letting his eyes linger on the bloody trail for a moment.
As much as he wanted to avoid murder and violence whenever possible, he sadly acknowledged that this outcome was probably the best he could've hoped for. Passeri didn't kill Webber, and the issue of what to do with him had been solved. But even though both sides seemingly got what they wanted, there were no winners here. It was vexing.
When Passeri finally spoke up again, Ezra gave her his attention once more. Even though the matter was settled, it seemed as though she was trapped in that moment, her hand still poised to bring down the killing blow on a man who was already dead. The only hint that she even registered his presence was the delivery of new orders.
"Understood..." That was all he had to say in response to the instructions she gave. There was no weeping for the dead or a comment regarding what transpired. He simply went to collect Jennifer and gave Elias a nod as he carefully took the silver-haired woman into his arms.
"If you need anything else, let me know." He didn't turn around to look back at Passeri. He had a feeling she was still in that same position, paralyzed by emotions that could no longer be taken out on the person responsible for them.
As he went for the door, the soles of his shoes made contact with the red drops that now stained the floor. In the next moment, the rest of the blood that soaked into the ground and Dagger returned to the corpse's lifeless body. It wouldn't bring back someone who was already dead, but it would make the clean-up easier for the women who stayed behind. Not that it needed to do much else. It wasn't as if he was hopeful that Webber would suddenly start breathing again. That man wasn't the person he was really trying to help.
"Just make sure you stay yourself." Those were the last words he spoke in that room. Even if Passeri came to the same conclusions on her own and still decided to kill Jacob Webber, her doing it after the maniac's influence pushed her into that headspace seemed like the worst outcome. It was hard to say what the aftermath would have been like if she carried it out when she wasn't fully herself. He didn't know her well enough to confidently claim that she'd regret it, and he was more than likely projecting. He acknowledged that, but ultimately, he didn't care.
To him, what mattered was that he did what he felt was right. He took action instead of idly standing by. He wanted to be there, so he came. He wanted to speak up, so he did. If he managed to change anything, that was great, but he wouldn't be discouraged if all he managed to do was take up empty space.
He was still far from where he needed to be. He needed to grow more and do more. But for now, just walking his path and working toward an actual goal was a step in the right direction.
He remained silent as she responded, still refusing to look away from the man she fully intended to kill. He was already aware of the points she raised, having taken them into consideration when he decided to commit to his insubordinate actions. Nothing she said was wrong, and he never intended to argue otherwise.
Despite giving Passeri his full attention, he remained aware of her construct. It seemed perfectly in tune with her emotions, floating higher as her palpable hate flared. It was clear that she still had every intention of killing Webber. However, what Ezra planned to do about it remained to be seen. Would he interfere again, or would he let her go through with it?
Before he or Passeri could follow through with either of their intentions, Dagger acted first, wasting no time as she made her approach and unceremoniously slit Webber's neck. It felt like all the tension was released, violently dispersed like the air from a popped balloon. Just like that, it was over.
There was a certain numbness that took hold of him, both inside and out. He wasn't sure what kind of expression made its way onto his face before it evened out into something more neutral. He turned away as Dagger dragged Webber across the floor like a sack of garbage, letting his eyes linger on the bloody trail for a moment.
As much as he wanted to avoid murder and violence whenever possible, he sadly acknowledged that this outcome was probably the best he could've hoped for. Passeri didn't kill Webber, and the issue of what to do with him had been solved. But even though both sides seemingly got what they wanted, there were no winners here. It was vexing.
When Passeri finally spoke up again, Ezra gave her his attention once more. Even though the matter was settled, it seemed as though she was trapped in that moment, her hand still poised to bring down the killing blow on a man who was already dead. The only hint that she even registered his presence was the delivery of new orders.
"Understood..." That was all he had to say in response to the instructions she gave. There was no weeping for the dead or a comment regarding what transpired. He simply went to collect Jennifer and gave Elias a nod as he carefully took the silver-haired woman into his arms.
"If you need anything else, let me know." He didn't turn around to look back at Passeri. He had a feeling she was still in that same position, paralyzed by emotions that could no longer be taken out on the person responsible for them.
As he went for the door, the soles of his shoes made contact with the red drops that now stained the floor. In the next moment, the rest of the blood that soaked into the ground and Dagger returned to the corpse's lifeless body. It wouldn't bring back someone who was already dead, but it would make the clean-up easier for the women who stayed behind. Not that it needed to do much else. It wasn't as if he was hopeful that Webber would suddenly start breathing again. That man wasn't the person he was really trying to help.
"Just make sure you stay yourself." Those were the last words he spoke in that room. Even if Passeri came to the same conclusions on her own and still decided to kill Jacob Webber, her doing it after the maniac's influence pushed her into that headspace seemed like the worst outcome. It was hard to say what the aftermath would have been like if she carried it out when she wasn't fully herself. He didn't know her well enough to confidently claim that she'd regret it, and he was more than likely projecting. He acknowledged that, but ultimately, he didn't care.
To him, what mattered was that he did what he felt was right. He took action instead of idly standing by. He wanted to be there, so he came. He wanted to speak up, so he did. If he managed to change anything, that was great, but he wouldn't be discouraged if all he managed to do was take up empty space.
He was still far from where he needed to be. He needed to grow more and do more. But for now, just walking his path and working toward an actual goal was a step in the right direction.