------A lot of things hadn't simply been impressed upon him at a young age--they had been outright beaten in. Back in the day, anybody that was still alive was for a reason. Anybody that outranked you was for two: tooth and claw. When they spoke, you listened and obeyed, or you were literally pummelled into submission while everyone watched. Early on he learned to begrudgingly accept this hierarchy, and he always made sure to heed the words of the superior fighters. Consequentially, while younger, he spent a lot of time beating up the weaker puppies and keeping a low profile when the adults or older kids were around. In this way he moved quickly through the ranks, but this journey up the ladder came to a screeching halt about when he hit the age of two. Now he was serious competition for even those larger and older than him, and he was a filthy hybrid. While he may have been able to take them one-on-one, the leader of their rowdy pack was not above enlisting the help of his beta and gamma to eliminate the threat. It was then that he left, but only after catching the fool's cronies off-guard and throwing a few good punches.
------Being female and a fraction of his size, not to mention the fact that he outranked her, Anselm certainly wasn't worried about being reprimanded for not obeying Asphyxia's wishes. Still, the hard lessons of his childhood had taught him to generally regard what his elders said--and not to make too many enemies. Arguably, his commitment here was for the sake of covering his own ass, not out of the goodness of his heart. Thus, he was somewhat taken aback by her expression of gratitude, but all the while he was grateful that the mother of his leaders was pleased. Outwardly he betrayed none of this, and instead chose to note the new details she was offering: Naloxone was her mate, obviously. That was all fine and dandy, but once she started to drill into his mind his immediate reaction was to erect a brick wall. Nobody was to see in there but him. Getting into the hearts and minds of others was his job, and anyone that tried to "return the favour" would be met with fierce resistance. Having things known about him was dangerous.
------Again, though, he had studied others enough to know how typical social interaction was supposed to play out. He didn't blink, he didn't tense up, and he didn't hesitate. Why are you so interested in others lives could probably be rhetorical, anyway. He would simply be selective in what he chose to share. "Apparently I'm related to most of Inferni through my cousin," he responded smoothly. "Gabriel, that is," he clarified further, figuring if he didn't she would just ask anyway. He looked at her expectantly; apparently that means you, too his gaze seemed to say.
| Messages In This Thread |