Post by Aras|Ofelia on Dec 8, 2009 19:08:24 GMT -5
It wasn’t really a question of how they found you. It could have been anything from word of mouth to ancestry records to pure luck, or a combination of all of those. It was a question of what to do once they did and the choices you made once they had you backed into a corner.
“They found you, didn’t they?” Even if Melissa wasn’t going back to her apartment, the Hunters could very likely find her again. Vicky had probably told some of the other Hunters, if not the higher-ups, about a useful talisman she’d found; there were probably more than a few pairs of eyes on the lookout for a brown-haired teenage girl with a cheetah talisman.
And as much as he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even suggest a place for her to stay. Melissa couldn’t stay forever at a motel. The Hunters barely trusted him; he couldn’t be sure if his own place was being watched. He didn’t know anyone in town well enough to ask them to keep her safe.
Melissa must have caught something else in his expression when she’d tried to provoke a reaction from him earlier, because she continued to push the matter. Her words seemed to imply that he’d bent under the Hunters’ will with no resistance, that he’d mindlessly obeyed their orders without a dissident thought. His talisman snapped, and it was rather tempting to let it take the reins and reply to Melissa as it wished. Unfortunately, the stream of insults the vulture had in mind (mostly having to do with how ignorant, clueless, and downright stupid she was being) was entirely not conducive to alleviating any of their problems.
“Your mistake,” Aras said, ice in his voice, “is in thinking that I had a choice.” The vulture decided right then and there that if Melissa said anything along the lines of ‘there’s always a choice,’ it was going to conduct a mental mutiny and leave without another word.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he forced himself to relax. He could see how she thought he was being difficult, but there were some things he simply didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t need a confidant; the pity and the offers for help that would inevitably come would be of no use. The only thing they’d do would be to make him second-guess himself on his missions, and despite it all, he still very much wanted to stay alive.
Melissa didn’t look quite ready to conclude their poor excuse for a conversation. With a barely audible sigh, he closed his eyes for a few brief moments, trying to clear his mind. Cluttered thoughts only got in the way, and he wanted to be able to think.
“They found you, didn’t they?” Even if Melissa wasn’t going back to her apartment, the Hunters could very likely find her again. Vicky had probably told some of the other Hunters, if not the higher-ups, about a useful talisman she’d found; there were probably more than a few pairs of eyes on the lookout for a brown-haired teenage girl with a cheetah talisman.
And as much as he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even suggest a place for her to stay. Melissa couldn’t stay forever at a motel. The Hunters barely trusted him; he couldn’t be sure if his own place was being watched. He didn’t know anyone in town well enough to ask them to keep her safe.
Melissa must have caught something else in his expression when she’d tried to provoke a reaction from him earlier, because she continued to push the matter. Her words seemed to imply that he’d bent under the Hunters’ will with no resistance, that he’d mindlessly obeyed their orders without a dissident thought. His talisman snapped, and it was rather tempting to let it take the reins and reply to Melissa as it wished. Unfortunately, the stream of insults the vulture had in mind (mostly having to do with how ignorant, clueless, and downright stupid she was being) was entirely not conducive to alleviating any of their problems.
“Your mistake,” Aras said, ice in his voice, “is in thinking that I had a choice.” The vulture decided right then and there that if Melissa said anything along the lines of ‘there’s always a choice,’ it was going to conduct a mental mutiny and leave without another word.
Clenching and unclenching his fists, he forced himself to relax. He could see how she thought he was being difficult, but there were some things he simply didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t need a confidant; the pity and the offers for help that would inevitably come would be of no use. The only thing they’d do would be to make him second-guess himself on his missions, and despite it all, he still very much wanted to stay alive.
Melissa didn’t look quite ready to conclude their poor excuse for a conversation. With a barely audible sigh, he closed his eyes for a few brief moments, trying to clear his mind. Cluttered thoughts only got in the way, and he wanted to be able to think.