i want your full attention, starling

As Lecter turned away from him, Mordecai lost a bit of his confidence. He hoped that they would propser in light of this. It seemed more likely than not, given what they had all been through. From betrayals and desertions, to relocating entirely altogether… they had certainly stuck together. And very much like a family, they had taken care of each other. But this was certainly a bit of a different beast, as there seemed to be little or nothing at all that they could do to make Jinx's suffering easier.

The tension that coiled up in the air did not make it any easier to handle for him either. He found that he was shutting himself off to it, perserving in the best way he decided he knew how. “I am sorry this has to happen to us,” he said softly then. “I'm sorry this has to happen to you. I can't fathom what you're feeling.” Mordecai had never experienced a hefty loss. Losing a leader he had come to care about was one thing, but he could not have imagined the pain in losing someone that he loved.

“Whatever you decide to do when the time comes, I'll support your decisions,” he went on to say after a small pause. He questioned the meanings and choices that could have followed in that wake, but it was his offering of loyalty all the same. For as much as he cared about Jinx, he had grown fond of Lecter as well, and did not favor the time when they would be separated.