[attr="class","matias"]it's a detailed report; possibly the most detailed he's ever written. in it lists all the officers involved and all the suspects they could identify. the rest remain nameless.

"the report doesn't state it, but KING WAYLAND was a close friend of mine."

he tenses, grip tightening around the glass.

"we joined the academy around the same time. we trained together, we fought together, we survived together."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

KING WAYLAND, the name is familiar from the report, of course. Eva turns towards him fully, capturing all of her attention. She listens, nodding, understanding.

Betrayal. It’s heartbreaking. That made the report read in a different light. It was a terrible event, but now it seemed darker. Obviously, that made it even more traumatic for Matias. It wasn’t just physical trauma she worried about now.

Her features turn soft, she tries to hide the concern, “I see,” she begins, shifting in her seat. She’s not sure what to say, or what he wants her to say. He didn’t have to tell her this but for some reason he did. Perhaps he just needed to get it off his chest, talk about it. She’d listen and comfort him however she could. For now, she speaks what’s on her mind, “What a fucking prick,” she has stronger words to describe a dickless traitor but she keeps it pg-13 for now.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]he's not expecting it but her words make him laugh. he raises his glass in a toast, downing it in one.

"cheers to that."

he slides it back over to the barkeep, expression still twisted and sour. his finger taps against the counter, as if agitated.

his words are telling.

"i know where he is."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He laughs and it makes her smile. That’s a start. She laughs along with him, raising her own glass and downing it in solidarity. She’d probably regret that later, considering it was mostly full. Still, it the situation seemed to call for it. Being the empath she is, she couldn’t let Matias drink by himself.

The empty glass finds the bar top, sliding back. He’s anxious, she can tell in the way his fingers tap against the bar, “Oh?” she sits up a bit straighter, tensing. Her thoughts wander in the silence. None of them are good.

“What’re you gonna do about it?”

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"nothing much i can do."

behind vagueness that's thinly veiled behind his words is genuine anger and hurt and rage but never guilt. there's nothing to feel guilty for; king had made his choice.

and so too will matias.

"i'm going to kill him."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

She can’t say she’s surprised by his answer. King tried to kill him, after all. In a world where you need to survive, the threat has to be eliminated. But how did wanting to kill King make Matias any different from him?

Eva’s in a difficult position already. She walks a thin line between justice and her morals. She took an oath to heal, not harm, yet here she was fighting a war and wishing the worst upon those that are trying to snuff out what little good the world has left. The worst is that she finds it all exciting, craves it even. It goes against her core values and makes her rethink who she really is. It’s feelings she’s still sorting through.

She’d want him dead too. But just because she wants something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing. Death seemed too swift of justice for such a betrayal, “Are you really sure that’s what’s going to help?” Would it bring him peace?

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]it wouldn't bring him peace, no. but he has a suspicion that nothing ever will.

his gaze lowers, not defeated in the slightest but perhaps tired. the barkeep returns with their next round of drinks and he's already reaching for his even before it hits the counter.

"what else will?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

The hum of the liquor resonated through her, making her question herself and what place she has in this personal matter. She doesn’t, it’s not her fight. Still, the same strange need to comfort him, heal him, arises. It’s what drove her to visit him in the hospital while he was there. There’s something about him that made her feel whole. That’s something she recognized when he left. Like any good workaholic, she distracted herself in her work and eventually the feeling faded.

“I don’t know,” she admits, honest, “But I don’t think that’s it. Setting out to kill him maliciously doesn’t make you too different from them,” she grabs her drink, sipping to fuel her boldness, ”That’s not what you want,” at least, she hopes that’s not the person he wants to be.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]logic strikes true in her words — he knows it, he understands it, but he just can't feel it. he tenses, focusing on the burn of vodka against the back of his throat.

"i..."

he clears his throat, struggling to will words to leave.

"i don't know how else to avenge my men."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

Vengeance, a slippery slope. It’s powerful, but dangerous. It’s easy to slip, and fall too deep, “Do you think that’s what your men would have wanted for you? A life seeking vengeance?” Her question is part to make him think, but also curious. He knew the men better than she did. What would they want for Matias? Sometimes, people grow selfish in the wake of death, convincing themselves that a certain something is what the deceased would have wanted, but really it was what they wanted, and death was an excuse.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]the truth varies — some would want nothing more than for him to rip king's head right off his shoulders, while others care enough to want king to rot away in a cell for the rest of his life.

he clearly favors the first option, but her words are enough to make him hesitate.

"what would you do?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales

He doesn’t answer the question, but she can see the self-reflection as he thinks on her words. She sips, and waits, and sips again when he deflects it back to her. It’s not too difficult of answer for her, “I wouldn’t be able to kill him,” not outright, at least. Even if his hands were wrapped around her throat, she doesn’t know if she could actually go through with it. That’s just not the kind of person she is, “Seeing him rot away in a jail cell would probably be pretty satisfying,” Some sort of justice, but no justice is unacceptable.

MATIAS SILPH

[attr="class","matias"]"it would drive that fucker insane."

dark thoughts rise from the depths of his subconscious; he does little to suppress them beyond the occasional sip. her presence, surprisingly, keeps most of them at bay.

after a long pause of contemplation, he sighs, muttering:

"i'll bring him in."

[attr="class","noodles"]Eva Morales