This was arguably weird, to console someone about one's own death, after the fact. But it was Nina, and so he had learned not to ask too much of common sense. "You were defeating the Extremis class enemy." You know, otherwise occupied.
"Nina, I said I would never leave." He tried a faint smile, which still looked weird on his face. "It just took me some time to find my way back to you."
Ugh. So what!? That didn't make her feel any less useless.
She looked up at him, unable to stop herself from laughing softly at his attempt to smile. Dork. "Too fucking long, asshole. I was starting to think you weren't coming back at all."
She sighed. "I know. But you don't know what could happen here — the leaders could decide to just be dicks and not bring you back. That wouldn't be your fault. I don't know." A shrug. "I was worried. Wouldn't you be?"
"I know. But they could take any of us here at any time, as I understand it." He'd seen the network this last month and apparently that happened. Not super reassuring, he knew.
"I would mourn, because I know you would not want to return home, and leave the life you've built here." But he was good at mourning, after all. Lots of practice.
"No." Listen he's only tactically smart. He's not good with deep questions like this for himself. For other people he could come up with good advice. For himself? Not so much.
"I have spent so much time where returning home was not a possibility I wanted to entertain." Now, his soul uncorrupted, it's something he doesn't fear anymore. But does he want to as much as he did before?
"It's not an easy decision." She admitted. "I've more or less decided to stay, but I think about all I'm going to lose back home when I do. No one would blame you for whichever road you took in the end, even if I'm bias and would like you to stay here."
"You should stay, Nina. You are the heartbeat and conscience of this place." He pulled her into a hug, fast before she could punch her way out of it. "And I will not leave willingly." That's all he can say right now. But it is a promise.
"The conscience? Please." She laughed — grunted when he pulled her in for a hug. She paused for a second before she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Good."
He was serious. "Who else is willing to challenge our faction leaders. Who else has the courage to fight for this place and all you've grown to love here?" He will not be debating this.
"How bad was the aftermath this time? How much work do we need to do to clean things up?" He was asking about trivial things, but he hadn't released her from the hug, because maybe he needed the reassurance of another person's physical contact right now. Someone who wouldn't entirely judge him for it.
Nina would argue that several people, at the very least, had the courage to fight. But arguing with Gadriel only made her more annoyed, so she decided to just roll her eyes.
"Not as bad as before. Structurally speaking, anyway. Emotionally — I think it's a lot worse, seeing how many people died. But we'll make it."
"I think so." She couldn't say for sure. It sounded like Beleth was asking about someone that had died that, somehow, didn't make it back, but she was choosing to ignore that. "It still sucks, seeing or hearing about your loved ones dying. Like you did, asshole."
It's not like he did it on purpose just to piss her off.
"It was either you or me. I made the obvious choice." She had a complicated network of friends and loved ones here. He had...a cat. And a goddess sort of girlfriend who had accepted his loss with the stoic acceptance he would have expected from her.
"Yes." Like. Duh. Of course he'd try to stop you from sacrificing yourself for him. "Nina. This is what I chose. What I pledged my life to. Your life is pledged to others. Alive."
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"Nina, I said I would never leave." He tried a faint smile, which still looked weird on his face. "It just took me some time to find my way back to you."
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She looked up at him, unable to stop herself from laughing softly at his attempt to smile. Dork. "Too fucking long, asshole. I was starting to think you weren't coming back at all."
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The smile faded, replaced with seriousness. "Nina. I pledged to you I would not leave you. I have never broken a vow. I would not, with you."
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"I would mourn, because I know you would not want to return home, and leave the life you've built here." But he was good at mourning, after all. Lots of practice.
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"You ever figure that out — going back home. Staying. Whatever?"
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"I have spent so much time where returning home was not a possibility I wanted to entertain." Now, his soul uncorrupted, it's something he doesn't fear anymore. But does he want to as much as he did before?
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"How bad was the aftermath this time? How much work do we need to do to clean things up?" He was asking about trivial things, but he hadn't released her from the hug, because maybe he needed the reassurance of another person's physical contact right now. Someone who wouldn't entirely judge him for it.
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"Not as bad as before. Structurally speaking, anyway. Emotionally — I think it's a lot worse, seeing how many people died. But we'll make it."
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That was sobering news. "Everyone is back now, though, right?" Not that it undid death for those who had to be left behind, but it was something.
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"It was either you or me. I made the obvious choice." She had a complicated network of friends and loved ones here. He had...a cat. And a goddess sort of girlfriend who had accepted his loss with the stoic acceptance he would have expected from her.
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