Thirteenth Summoning [Accidental Video] || Overworked and Underpaid
[The feed clicks on to show Nat in his study- but unlike his public addresses, he's not sitting calmly at his desk, or even looking at the camera. Instead, he has his back to the device, reaching up to get a book from his top shelf
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Nathaniel.
If you're sleeping, get up.
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[Quietly, without looking away.
Rest for ten seconds and be rewarded. If you want to be a stubborn jerk over it, then Rei will treat you like one, tyvm.]
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They're alive and living in horrible conditions underneath the city.
[She tucks her legs underneath her, watching him quietly.]
I have it all recorded, if you want to watch it.
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[He moves closer- purely so he can see her PCD- his eyes narrowed slightly. This is the best news he's heard all day.]
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It's recording discreeting -- an area with crops that aren't growing very well, numerous ill people lying around, and a lot of machinery. You can hear Rei, quietly hissing to someone that something feels wrong, along with another irritated mutter that her powers aren't working save for her kept transformation. Numerous people are present -- members of their team asking questions, speaking with the scientists, along with an unconscious guard propped against the wall.
Rei herself remains quiet as Nathaniel watches. Overall, it's a sad picture -- but they are in possession of machines powerful enough to render their abilities useless, through some weird branch of magic or whatever the hell it is -- Rei has little idea. It's not her area of expertise. And when the clip is finished, Rei finally speaks.]
Thalatte helped us.
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Another puzzle. Another piece that he had to figure out and maneuver around. This almost made things more complicated. And the recording just hammered it home that Rei had done this without telling him, and as much as he was trying to not let his emotions get in the way, it was proving to be difficult.
Slowly, he moved to stand up, picking up the chalk and moving back to his wall.]
...Thalatte is weak in comparison to the others.
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... she is.
[It's quiet. And Rei falls silent again, as she thinks, before she closes her eyes, her hands folded underneath her chin as she lets out a long breath.]
Fire is unpredictable and can't be controlled unless you're just as unpredictable as it is. It can get away from you if you get overconfident.
[Rei opens her eyes slightly to look at him again.]
I swore that I wouldn't tell anyone about the mission, just like I swore to tell no one else your name. I couldn't break my word. And I'm sorry. [And Rei sounds genuinely guilty, as she watches him.] I never meant to hurt anyone and I was a hypocrite and I won't do that to you again.
[There's only the tiniest pause before Rei closes her eyes again.]
I can't let you summon this thing by yourself.
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[His voice is filled with tension, a few seconds away from snapping.]
There are different types of secrets, Rei. I told you my name because I trusted you to keep a secret. My name wouldn't hurt you- you going to find the scientists would. I'd like to know whether or not you're going to risk your life in the near future.
[His hands tighten into fists.]
I care about you, and if something happened to you- if you didn't even tell me-
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It's difficult, for Rei, to relinquish her own responsibility for her own ability to keep herself safe. She is her own person. There's no need to rely on anyone else to keep her safe. Her entire livelihood is wrapped up in being the blunt force behind the senshi. If Mars can't take care of herself, no one can.
She doesn't know what to say for a moment or two, caught off guard, before she sinks slightly into the couch.]
A soldier follows orders when they have to follow them.
[Quietly, and Rei's eyes are fixated on her PCD as she turns it over and over in her hands.]
I'm sorry I hurt you, but I didn't have a choice. If I had told anyone, it would have endangered the mission, and -- I wanted to tell you, and Cas, but I couldn't. You have -- no idea how hard I fought to want to tell people, but I couldn't. And even if I ( ... )
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[He looks back at her.]
That's the difference between you and I. If you tell me not to go, I'll trust you to take care of yourself.
[But he turns back, shaking his head.]
Nevermind that. You spoke with the scientists? Do you remember exactly what they said about the animus?
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-- I lost my mind when I saw the Animus, Nathaniel.
[It's soft, almost inaudible, as she scrolls through muted video of their journey underground, eyes fixated on the dark video, ignoring his question. It's meaningless, at the moment. The information will be made public by morning. And Rei is having difficulty caring over the rush of success when two of her closest friends are having difficulty talking to her without immense disappointment.]
I didn't want you to face that alone.
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...I'm capable of handling myself. And even if I weren't, I'd rather go insane alone than drag you down with me.
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She knows certain people, of course, that would. The senshi would, in a heartbeat. And she knows certain people in Adstringendum would, like Toushirou, or Castiel, but Nathaniel was different. She didn't want to even begin to focus on why he was different, because it was stupid, and thinking that way was stupid, but he was different, and being told that almost made her want to cry.
Luckily, Rei is Rei, and it takes a lot more than being told you were worth saving via insanity to make her cry, but she resumes her focus on the PCD, quiet. She doesn't know what to say to that save for a murmured:]
I can't make everyone happy. Someone is going to get hurt no matter what I do.
[And Rei tears her gaze away from her PCD to stare at him.]I haven't told Usagi half of what I've been doing with the force. I can't ( ... )
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[He turns a little to look at her, sighing.]
I was raised among magicians. Secrecy is our nature, and if you tell the wrong person the wrong thing, it's a lot worse than hurt feelings.
[Nathaniel takes a deep breath. He's always been solitary- isolated from a painfully young age, unable to really rely on people or count on them for anything.]
Tell Castiel that you told me not to. And that you intervened only because you though I was going to get myself killed without you- which is pretty much the truth anyway.
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[Rei shakes her head slightly, frowning to herself.]
If this goes wrong, I'm going to take my share of responsibility. I'm not going to lie to him and place the blame on someone else. That's going to hurt him more than leaving him out ever will.
[Castiel has so many trust issues as it was. She isn't going to be the one to make them worse.]
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