Pullo didn't know what to make of the moving pictures on screen. That alone had been enough to leave him frozen to the spot just about as soon as he'd walked in, eyes trying to track the tiny versions of people as they moved and talked but weren't really there. And what was more, one of the people was Isabel, obviously older, but still Isabel, crying over her dead man. Who was also in the room.
Vorenus' back was pressed hard against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest in a way that was utterly foreign to him. He was disoriented, confused, and though he would not confess it even to himself, there was a new ache in his chest, coupled with a growing fear.
The small moving, speaking people were difficult enough to absorb, but Isabel... There on the bed, more beautiful than ever as she grieved for the man she had lost. Her Alex? Was he here now, standing next to Isabel as Vorenus stupidly intruded on their reunion? He shook his head, determined to dispel the tinny ringing in his ears.
A moment later he welcomed the ringing, for Isabel was weeping now, the sounds of her ragged breaths audible even through the two palms he'd placed over his ears.
Isabel didn't know what the hell the bookshelf had been playing at but she didn't like it one damned bit. Up on the screen she was crying, low keening sobs. It hurt her ears and threw off her focus. Cursing under her breath, her eyes wet and stinging, Isabel began to hit the projector in frustration.
"Come on!" she practically spat, hands heavily hitting buttons and switches. Finally she gave up, yanking hard on the cord. Immediately the power kicked off and the reel made warbling noises until it came to a complete stop. When it did stop, Isabel sank down onto the floor, pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the reel.
Pullo wanted to go to Isabel when he heard her yell, but Lucius always came first and the look on his face worried Pullo more than he could put into words.
"There there, lamb," he said, soft and soothing. He wrapped his hands around Lucius' wrists and gave a gentle pull, trying to get his hands away from his ears. "Come, let's go..." It might be best to just get him out of the room altogether.
He felt his hand lifted away, and for a moment Vorenus allowed it. He should not be here, Isabel had told him, had lectured him almost on the value of privacy. He could not help her, even were he not intruding.
He turned to follow Pullo, but when Vorenus cast his eyes back for a last look he saw Isabel crumpled on the ground, appearing small despite her height.
"No," he said softly, feeling his heels begin to dig in against Titus' grip. "Isabel?"
Vaguely Isabel was aware of people talking in low voices behind her. She didn't think anything of it. Plenty of people came and went in the rec room no matter what was going on. She simply tried to block it all out, concentrating instead on the feel of the metal against her forehead and focusing on slowing down her breathing again.
Her cheeks were somewhat damp. Watching that had confused her and, even worse, brought up a lot of guilt and repressed feelings as far as Alex had been concerned.
Lifting her head from the reel finally, Isabel made a weak snuffling noise before wiping at her cheeks with the back of one hand.
Then she distinctly heard her name. Slowly, trying like hell to force everything else back inside where she could hurt in private, Isabel twisted round to see who was there.
She should have known.
Forcing a smile, one that wavered considerably from the moment it curved her lips, Isabel nodded over at them, not trusting herself to speak just yet.
Pullo didn't fight Lucius, it would have done no good. And anyway he hadn't wanted to leave their friend either. He looked from Lucius to Isabel, to the man from the moving picture, and back.
"Hello, love." He felt like he should let Lucius go to Isabel, so he stayed where he was.
Vorenus looked to the man, Alex, but he had not yet moved from where he stood. Strange, when Isabel was so distraught. But if Alex would not...
He took a step forward, approaching Isabel with a calm he certainly did not feel. He had no talent for comfort, and he expected he would have even less so now when he could not understand what he had seen, even if Isabel's sorrow was very plain.
"What has happened?" he asked finally, extending a hand as if proposing to lead her away from this. "Your picture...I do not understand."
"Hello, Pullo," Isabel managed to get out, her voice catching in her throat.
As Vorenus loomed in front of her, Isabel had to tip her head back to see him properly. For a long moment, all she could do was stare up at him. Focusing on Vorenus made everything else fade away, if only for a little while.
When his hand came into view, Isabel hesitate for a second before reaching up to take it. "I don't know," she confessed, still visibly shaken by what she'd seen. "That wasn't me. At least, I don't think it was. I've never seen--" She chanced a quick glance in the man's direction. "--I've never seen him before, or any of the others in the pictures."
"Yet you grieved for him," said Vorenus. He could not make the leap that what the projector had shown might have been her future, for the concept of projected film itself was yet too new. He did know this much, should the pictures begin to move again and cause Isabel more distress, the box from which they came from was not impervious to his sword.
"I didn't. I'm not." Shaking her head, Isabel's brow and nose wrinkled as she tried to make sense of what she'd seen and what it might mean. Her chin lowered then, nearly to tuck against her chest as she tried to work everything out. "I think it might have...I think it might be something that happens in my future. I'm not sure."
One thing she was certain of, she hadn't ever seen that man before.
Lifting her chin, Isabel gathered what little strength she felt she had left and looked at Vorenus with absolute certainity. "I think the island's trying to screw with me. Get to my head, you know?" Swallowing hard, forcing back another round of tears, she added, "It's doing a pretty good job of it."
Pullo's eyes narrowed. "Not your future anymore," he insisted, putting a hand on Isabel's shoulder, "because you're here now. And nobody's going to die, our enemies won't stand a chance against Lucius and me."
Isabel smiled a watery sort of smile, grateful for the support from both Pullo and Vorenus. If the projector had shown Isabel her future, it was only a possible future. As far as she was concerned, people made their own futures, not destiny or fate.
"Okay," she said, inhaling deeply and attempting to push those images and thoughts out of her mind. One corner of her mouth twitched as she caught Pullo's eyes. "Anyone would be stupid to go up against the two of you."
He looked over at Lucius, his expression wary.
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The small moving, speaking people were difficult enough to absorb, but Isabel... There on the bed, more beautiful than ever as she grieved for the man she had lost. Her Alex? Was he here now, standing next to Isabel as Vorenus stupidly intruded on their reunion? He shook his head, determined to dispel the tinny ringing in his ears.
A moment later he welcomed the ringing, for Isabel was weeping now, the sounds of her ragged breaths audible even through the two palms he'd placed over his ears.
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"Come on!" she practically spat, hands heavily hitting buttons and switches. Finally she gave up, yanking hard on the cord. Immediately the power kicked off and the reel made warbling noises until it came to a complete stop. When it did stop, Isabel sank down onto the floor, pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the reel.
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"There there, lamb," he said, soft and soothing. He wrapped his hands around Lucius' wrists and gave a gentle pull, trying to get his hands away from his ears. "Come, let's go..." It might be best to just get him out of the room altogether.
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He turned to follow Pullo, but when Vorenus cast his eyes back for a last look he saw Isabel crumpled on the ground, appearing small despite her height.
"No," he said softly, feeling his heels begin to dig in against Titus' grip. "Isabel?"
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Her cheeks were somewhat damp. Watching that had confused her and, even worse, brought up a lot of guilt and repressed feelings as far as Alex had been concerned.
Lifting her head from the reel finally, Isabel made a weak snuffling noise before wiping at her cheeks with the back of one hand.
Then she distinctly heard her name. Slowly, trying like hell to force everything else back inside where she could hurt in private, Isabel twisted round to see who was there.
She should have known.
Forcing a smile, one that wavered considerably from the moment it curved her lips, Isabel nodded over at them, not trusting herself to speak just yet.
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"Hello, love." He felt like he should let Lucius go to Isabel, so he stayed where he was.
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He took a step forward, approaching Isabel with a calm he certainly did not feel. He had no talent for comfort, and he expected he would have even less so now when he could not understand what he had seen, even if Isabel's sorrow was very plain.
"What has happened?" he asked finally, extending a hand as if proposing to lead her away from this. "Your picture...I do not understand."
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As Vorenus loomed in front of her, Isabel had to tip her head back to see him properly. For a long moment, all she could do was stare up at him. Focusing on Vorenus made everything else fade away, if only for a little while.
When his hand came into view, Isabel hesitate for a second before reaching up to take it. "I don't know," she confessed, still visibly shaken by what she'd seen. "That wasn't me. At least, I don't think it was. I've never seen--" She chanced a quick glance in the man's direction. "--I've never seen him before, or any of the others in the pictures."
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She looked as disoriented as he felt, her eyes red-rimmed to boot, and Vorenus' hand gripped hers more tightly.
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Looking back to Vorenus, Isabel said again, louder this time, "No." He was definitely not Alex, not even close.
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One thing she was certain of, she hadn't ever seen that man before.
Lifting her chin, Isabel gathered what little strength she felt she had left and looked at Vorenus with absolute certainity. "I think the island's trying to screw with me. Get to my head, you know?" Swallowing hard, forcing back another round of tears, she added, "It's doing a pretty good job of it."
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"Okay," she said, inhaling deeply and attempting to push those images and thoughts out of her mind. One corner of her mouth twitched as she caught Pullo's eyes. "Anyone would be stupid to go up against the two of you."
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