Samuel
How can you say that your truth is better than ours?
Shoulder to shoulder, now brother, we carry no arms
Sam supposed that Zeph's reaction was fair enough, all things considered: if he had been told the story he'd just said, he probably would not have understood either. With an awkward, unhappy laugh he tried to begin again, wondering how to put it all together for someone with no knowledge of the long and complicated history and politics of the Hollowed Grounds, which this whole situation was mired in.
"...So..um...before Longnight, Deimos, the General here and my brother-in-law, he asked for my help." He looked up into Zeph's eyes now, trying to make sure that he listened and understood as the story was broken down. "He wanted me to give some fluid and my fingers--" Sam held up his gloved hand. "--To make a door that would repel the monsters. Because um...well, the monsters are old Ascended, so...we thought it might work." He shrugged, wanting to cringe now at his own stupidity.
"I wanted to help. But the Voice told me it would end badly...I didn't believe her. Then um..while you were gone..." Sam lowered his head into his hands, speaking down to the ground, unable to handle the shame. "One of the Ascended, Wessex, can send messages to our minds; she told us that Rexanna and Clem had been killed because of the door that I helped to make. I guess...it didn't just hurt the monsters." He was glad he didn't know quite how it had happened: he wanted to believe it had been quick and painless.
Rubbing at his eyes that threatened to spill tears, he rambled through the end. "I always seem to mess up and hurt people when I make my own decisions and the Voice was right about this -- so I...I went to the shrine. And I asked her to take me back." Finally he was able to glance up to Zeph again, curious if this would matter to him or not.
"...So..um...before Longnight, Deimos, the General here and my brother-in-law, he asked for my help." He looked up into Zeph's eyes now, trying to make sure that he listened and understood as the story was broken down. "He wanted me to give some fluid and my fingers--" Sam held up his gloved hand. "--To make a door that would repel the monsters. Because um...well, the monsters are old Ascended, so...we thought it might work." He shrugged, wanting to cringe now at his own stupidity.
"I wanted to help. But the Voice told me it would end badly...I didn't believe her. Then um..while you were gone..." Sam lowered his head into his hands, speaking down to the ground, unable to handle the shame. "One of the Ascended, Wessex, can send messages to our minds; she told us that Rexanna and Clem had been killed because of the door that I helped to make. I guess...it didn't just hurt the monsters." He was glad he didn't know quite how it had happened: he wanted to believe it had been quick and painless.
Rubbing at his eyes that threatened to spill tears, he rambled through the end. "I always seem to mess up and hurt people when I make my own decisions and the Voice was right about this -- so I...I went to the shrine. And I asked her to take me back." Finally he was able to glance up to Zeph again, curious if this would matter to him or not.
The blind man sleeps in the doorway, his home
If only I had an enemy bigger than my apathy I could have won
