[Char's eyes flick to the pen as it rolls between Solomon's fingers, his jaw tightening despite himself. He loathes that the sight of it stirs something so sharp in him, but he won't pretend otherwise. He already bloodied his hands over this once.]
So it's a safeguard, then. Insurance for both sides.
[The admission tastes bitter, but he forces it out evenly. As much as he wants to resent Solomon, he can't deny the logic behind binding terms. In war, trust is a luxury. Agreements like this are the currency that keeps people alive.]
I won't fault you for striking a bargain that spares lives. But I'll say this much: Sika isn't collateral. Whatever bond you've forged, it had better honor that truth.
[His tone stays measured, but the edge is there, quiet and undeniable. Not another outburst, not another swing of his fist, but a promise all the same.]
Our "bond" is between Sika and myself, at their precise request. [Calm down, man, he's just doing business.
He sighs, a brittle sort of noise, his gaze down at his lap.]
I'm not planning on harming them, if that's what you're afraid of. But I can't guarantee the same will be thought from others, especially if Sika shows their anger and desperation more openly. Sika is already not one to avoid self-destruction, whether it comes from themselves or another. Even with all the attacks already thrown against them, they have yet once chosen to request aid.
Why do you think I lied to you about the key in the first place, if not to avoid adding further fuel to the fire?
...
In addition to that, they're already finding loopholes around our contract. Small, but noticeable. I'm afraid it won't improve. But I am bound to them, as much as they are to me. And a bind like that will not break unless they achieve their goal.
So if you have concerns? Address them with Sika. They hold the leash in this, not me.
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no subject
So it's a safeguard, then. Insurance for both sides.
[The admission tastes bitter, but he forces it out evenly. As much as he wants to resent Solomon, he can't deny the logic behind binding terms. In war, trust is a luxury. Agreements like this are the currency that keeps people alive.]
I won't fault you for striking a bargain that spares lives. But I'll say this much: Sika isn't collateral. Whatever bond you've forged, it had better honor that truth.
[His tone stays measured, but the edge is there, quiet and undeniable. Not another outburst, not another swing of his fist, but a promise all the same.]
no subject
He sighs, a brittle sort of noise, his gaze down at his lap.]
I'm not planning on harming them, if that's what you're afraid of. But I can't guarantee the same will be thought from others, especially if Sika shows their anger and desperation more openly. Sika is already not one to avoid self-destruction, whether it comes from themselves or another. Even with all the attacks already thrown against them, they have yet once chosen to request aid.
Why do you think I lied to you about the key in the first place, if not to avoid adding further fuel to the fire?
...
In addition to that, they're already finding loopholes around our contract. Small, but noticeable. I'm afraid it won't improve. But I am bound to them, as much as they are to me. And a bind like that will not break unless they achieve their goal.
So if you have concerns? Address them with Sika. They hold the leash in this, not me.