[Sure, she'd have killed him if he didn't have the purification spell. But there's a lot of shoulda-woulda-coulda there -- she wouldn't have gotten him if he hadn't used the regret spell, if he hadn't doubted, if he hadn't shown her that what he was was a guy who would dig the truth out of her without any regard for her feelings, or hadn't made a host of other mistakes leading up to the bite itself. Him surviving it...that's just playing the cards in his hand well, saving himself by the skin of his teeth after a number of bad moves.
If there's anything Atem can understand after his month of the Fog's idea of divine fury, it's having trouble holding back.
He waits, as his apology is processed. Even as a demon, Atem doesn't like to be a liar: he's always manipulated through temptation, not false emotional bonds. He stands by what he said -- and, when she gives a mmn, he takes that as acceptance. That'd be enough for him --
-- so, the offer of information, the very information he was looking for, catches him by surprise. Really? Mukuro'd offer it, just like that? After how he behaved?]
I...
[He's off-balance for a moment, like he's been handed something he didn't expect and doesn't know what to do with it yet. Excuse him for a few seconds, he's got to reshuffle some pieces around in his mind and look at their shape. What does he want to do, here?
It's not the nephilim-brain, that would be ready to weigh the words. It's not the naga-brain that wanted to wrap around his friends, keep them together, keep them safe. It's not even the vampire-brain, which wants to collect data, as much as he can, to make the best possible moves. The question his mind right now, in this form, is asking is, what do you want?]
I do want to understand. As much as I can.
[She's a part of his group of friends, bonded strongly to people Atem cares about. Even when they disagree, she's there to protect people who matter to Atem a lot. She's someone he doesn't want to be a mystery...not because her being a mystery is dangerous, but because if he sees the shape of where her bruises are, he'll be better able to avoid them. He's set enough people off by accident lately.]
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If there's anything Atem can understand after his month of the Fog's idea of divine fury, it's having trouble holding back.
He waits, as his apology is processed. Even as a demon, Atem doesn't like to be a liar: he's always manipulated through temptation, not false emotional bonds. He stands by what he said -- and, when she gives a mmn, he takes that as acceptance. That'd be enough for him --
-- so, the offer of information, the very information he was looking for, catches him by surprise. Really? Mukuro'd offer it, just like that? After how he behaved?]
I...
[He's off-balance for a moment, like he's been handed something he didn't expect and doesn't know what to do with it yet. Excuse him for a few seconds, he's got to reshuffle some pieces around in his mind and look at their shape. What does he want to do, here?
It's not the nephilim-brain, that would be ready to weigh the words. It's not the naga-brain that wanted to wrap around his friends, keep them together, keep them safe. It's not even the vampire-brain, which wants to collect data, as much as he can, to make the best possible moves. The question his mind right now, in this form, is asking is, what do you want?]
I do want to understand. As much as I can.
[She's a part of his group of friends, bonded strongly to people Atem cares about. Even when they disagree, she's there to protect people who matter to Atem a lot. She's someone he doesn't want to be a mystery...not because her being a mystery is dangerous, but because if he sees the shape of where her bruises are, he'll be better able to avoid them. He's set enough people off by accident lately.]