[ He'd been watching Barnaby's anxious pacing in silence, expression steadily darkening, but snaps that strained response in the face of Barnaby's utterly stupid, brainless advice. Like hell he was about to let anyone touch his shard in the first place, but seeing Barnaby in this state really makes his blood run cold. Is Barnaby even aware of how fucked up his aura seems now? Is he really unable to connect the dots that Regent probably did this to him?
(His mind goes to Reiji. That selective blindness. The inability to see who'd been the one to slowly ruin him, fill him with rot from the core. His chest feels tight with an acrid sensation.)
The gaze he fixes on Barnaby is still dripping with disdain, but maybe Barnaby can feel the faintest flicker of something else there, too, bolstered by the connection of their shared Legacies. Not concern, exactly, but ... a dark sort of pity, the way a man might view still-life roadkill twitching on the hot asphalt.
Gen exhales slowly before turning away. ]
... I called you that before. Out loud. If other people picked up on it and started calling you by it too, that's not my problem. But -- [ A pause. Gen glances aside, wondering if the Regent has any way of knowing of this conversation. If he risks anything by saying this out loud. His voice lowers just a touch as he mutters, ] -- but I didn't misremember anything. And I don't have any reason to lie to you about this shit.
no subject
[ He'd been watching Barnaby's anxious pacing in silence, expression steadily darkening, but snaps that strained response in the face of Barnaby's utterly stupid, brainless advice. Like hell he was about to let anyone touch his shard in the first place, but seeing Barnaby in this state really makes his blood run cold. Is Barnaby even aware of how fucked up his aura seems now? Is he really unable to connect the dots that Regent probably did this to him?
(His mind goes to Reiji. That selective blindness. The inability to see who'd been the one to slowly ruin him, fill him with rot from the core. His chest feels tight with an acrid sensation.)
The gaze he fixes on Barnaby is still dripping with disdain, but maybe Barnaby can feel the faintest flicker of something else there, too, bolstered by the connection of their shared Legacies. Not concern, exactly, but ... a dark sort of pity, the way a man might view still-life roadkill twitching on the hot asphalt.
Gen exhales slowly before turning away. ]
... I called you that before. Out loud. If other people picked up on it and started calling you by it too, that's not my problem. But -- [ A pause. Gen glances aside, wondering if the Regent has any way of knowing of this conversation. If he risks anything by saying this out loud. His voice lowers just a touch as he mutters, ] -- but I didn't misremember anything. And I don't have any reason to lie to you about this shit.