Lion Head Mesa [M]No filter on your mouth

"Yes"

Disappointment was etched into her words, etched into the lines that made up the furrow of her brow, yet there was a raw honesty that cut through the air like a blade. She was speaking the truth, and he could feel it like a heavy weight upon his chest.

Anger surged through him like a wildfire, blazing white-hot as he jerked his face away from hers, a snarl contorting his lip in a fierce grimace. How dare she extend kindness to him? How dare she offer decency when he had shown her so little?

However, the bitterest pill to swallow was the confirmation that he was not the only one. There were others—others who had turned a blind eye, others who had failed him when he needed them most.
How dare she.

He paced a circle around the room in deafening silence, hackles raised like spears, and ears tight to the skull.

I need to leave, Machi managed finally, his voice gravelly and harsh with emotion, I'll return soon, just... please, don't go anywhere.

— —

It was nearly an hour later when the man returned to the room, his earlier blaze of fury now extinguished, leaving behind a cold, icy calm in its wake. Legend, are you there? Machi inquired, his tone softened by contrition. After a brief pause, he continued, I apologize for my earlier outburst. I've brought food... and wine.