Redtail Rise etude

It didn't matter her intentions with the question. It struck him in a way that hurt, deeply, with the implication. He'd asked himself that same thing, but with the undertone that perhaps if he would not fight, it meant he was of little use to her and to her goals. Whether she meant to or not, the way she asked seemed to almost confirm this. It came near enough that Ashlar hesitated, quietly stricken.

Because I want you to see another way too. He knew better than to say it. He'd seen a change, one he'd been hoping for from the start. He didn't want her to lead this family to the same destruction the last had found, and while he didn't know if his presence was enough, he knew that he could do nothing if he was not here.

You're my family. You, and Prophet, and Augur. He said softly. They don't need me. The silent implication was that she did, and in spite of what she might think, he believed it was true. If she corrected him now and insisted otherwise, it would be harder to make that argument. I want to be here.

Did Avicus disagree?