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Derp, then I forget about it. Go me. XD
He caught the natural accent in the way a number of her children's names were pronounced; the cyclops himself was not bilingual in any way, especially considering he had yet to master writing and reading again after his amnesia had apparently stolen the abilities from him. But intertwined with the french accent on her tongue was a swell of pride in her voice, a motherly emotions that embraced even just her offspring's names. There was love there, that was evident. There was a lot of love, even in the wake of Noir's death and murder by her own father.
Jefferson was of course no historian in any way; the meanings behind the boys' names were lost to him completely. He sensed an emptiness in her words, a listlessness he could easily recognize as having possessed once upon a time when Addison had disappeared from him for so long, or when she played about in Dahlia during their war with Inferni. It was a fatherly desire for her to be close, to stop her fooling around; it was a fatherly fear that she was beyond him, that he could no longer keep her safe. Jefferson did not know Tayui or the statuses of her remaining children — but hidden in her tone and finalizing sigh, he knew at least one of her litter were placing her in a similar situation as Addison had he. And like he, Tayui was completely powerless.
All the more reason for Jefferson to keep his eye open, he decided. "I'm sorry he did that to you and your family," he said. It was all he could think to say. "At least now he's dead."
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No worries brosef. :O And sorry for my own wait! I didn't see you'd replied 'till now >_< Second pages will be the death of me!
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Tayui wished she could see Haku's death as a good thing, but lately, it didn't seem much like it. She had recognized that Gabriel had done what she could not: murder the beast. But at the same time, there was such a sense of regret knowing that she could never bring Haku to task or bring him to justice to see him squirm before he was finally put down. She wanted revenge and justice and she wanted to throw any concept of mercy in his face and laugh at him when he realized she had none. She wanted to have been the one to have killed him.
"Perhaps," she conceded. She didn't trust this Jefferson fellow enough to impart her true feelings. That was saved only for close friends and true confidantes, which she was quickly running low on. Perhaps one day he would know, but these little secrets were best kept close to the chest.
"All I'm left with is regret now. And it's a horrible, bitter feeling." She could say that much, but any more would be going too far. She was just glad Jefferson understood some of what she was trying to say. Judging on his looks, he'd experienced his fair share of troubles in the past and would probably sympathize; but it was just too soon for Tayui.
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...Me too, apparently. XD
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"Perhaps," Tayui offered in response, an ambiguous and unfeeling reply to an emotionally-charged statement. Jefferson raised his head, green eye analytical; there were countless things being left unspoken between the two, understandable by their quick and early friendship, but when it came to what relatives he had left, the male knew no shame and did not shy away. Tattered ears stood at attention, his reading of her subtle words and movements continuing through her next words. She was left with regret, with bitter feelings, and that solidified his conclusions. He nodded slowly, as if it suddenly dawned on him.
"You wanted to take him down yourself," he said, eye thinning, head still nodding as his thoughts and analytics persisted. "You wanted to finish him off for what he did to you and your daughter, but someone else got to him first." A pause. "He was my brother, but I would have killed him too, first chance I got. I'm glad I didn't have to. I'm tired of killing." His head dipped.
A moment later, eye glanced up at her once more. "What happened isn't your fault," he offered. He could have told her what regret really meant, what failed redemption could really due to a soul. He could have told her that she could turn out like he if she allowed the regret to eat her alive, but he didn't. He remained silent — a stony, gray silence. [/html]
389.
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Tayui was silent as Jefferson spoke. She did not trust herself to say anything lest she say too much. He identified her feelings exactly and Tayui didn't know how she felt about it. It was either a sign that they could grow to be quite close if they shared the same thoughts or a sign that Jefferson knew too much for a reason. She didn't know if outward appearances were anything to go by, but he looked like he might know of a few ways to learn things he would be better off not knowing. She knew that there would have been a time in her life, before Noir's death, that she would not have considered such a deception and trusted Jefferson implicitly. But now, she did not have the luxury of tacit respect. Nothing was inherent and everything had to be earned or learned.
He re-iterated his relation to Haku. Their discussion had now come to a full circle: initially, Jefferson had explained that they were half-brothers, but now, he casually referred to them as brothers. Tayui wondered how much of a difference a single parent made in one's identification of a family member. Did that mean her half-brother Daedalus, the murderer and the arsonist, was really more than just halfway related to her? And did it mean she would one day become like him? She didn't know and feared to dwell on it too long.
Tayui was, however, surprised to hear his admission. If he was tired of killing, who or whom else had he killed? He probably didn't even remember being an amnesiac, and somehow, this saddened Tayui a great deal. There were so many secrets hidden in this wolf.
He surprised her again when he explained that it wasn't her fault. Tayui shook her head, wondering how to reply. She had never considered that: she had done what she could to keep her children safe, but ultimately, the demon Haku had found them. And what of it? She'd played no role in Noir's death -- she couldn't have done anything differently. There was nothing she could have done.
"I know," she replied. "I blame Haku." She paused. "He murdered my daughter and I've now become a monster." Her wording was deliberate: Haku had not made her into a monster. "I am wholly my own creation."
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