She watches him... and her answer is to squeeze his hand. Gently.
"I read everything they did to you, Henry. Which means... I know how much work, how much they had to hurt you, to make Henry Valentine into someone who hurts the family of someone he loved."
She shakes her head.
"I'm not going to condemn you for that, Henry. As much as I'm sure a part of you wants me to. That's not the way out."
She can hear the retreat in his words. But she knows what she knows. And while she won't say that, he might be able to read it in the liquid darkness of her eyes.
Something truly unpleasant crests over the edge of the empty for the first time in--
He doesn't know how long. It's mild, the feeling, or it would be for anyone else. To him, the fact that it's powerful enough to exist at all means that it's already too much.
He finally draws his hand back and shifts his weight, making to stand.
Watch a movie or something. Why does the very idea of that feel so strange. Why does absolutely everything feel so strange, why isn't the empty doing its fucking job, why can he feel whatever the tightness in his chest is so fucking acutely.
His eyes drop back to the file as she picks it up and he considers taking it and scattering the pages across the barge. At least then he'd be able to do something.
But he's-- frozen, as thoroughly as he was when he tried to kill Arthur. Except its internal now. Not physical. And that's worse.
She's not going to miss that. The folder is in her hands and she's watching him, eyes on his, but she's going to try and see if she can actually look into his eyes, connect with what's there.
"Valentine?" she asks, steady and slow. She's not going to reach out or move towards him. She's just checking in.
She'll give him a quick smile before she heads for the little safe. It's at the back of her cabin, so in all senses, she's giving him a very good chance for an exit. All the same-
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Having his own actions and motivations dictated tidily back to him is sure something. Something that leaves him properly speechless.
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"I read everything they did to you, Henry. Which means... I know how much work, how much they had to hurt you, to make Henry Valentine into someone who hurts the family of someone he loved."
She shakes her head.
"I'm not going to condemn you for that, Henry. As much as I'm sure a part of you wants me to. That's not the way out."
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"That isn't exactly... By the time Anna shot me I'd... taken a fair amount of damage."
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"Anything else you might want to know?"
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He doesn't know how long. It's mild, the feeling, or it would be for anyone else. To him, the fact that it's powerful enough to exist at all means that it's already too much.
He finally draws his hand back and shifts his weight, making to stand.
"No ma'am."
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"You need to go?"
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"Uh." Not eloquent or helpful. "No ma'am, I just-- needed to move."
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"If you want to go, you can. Or you can stick around and we can watch a movie or something."
She reaches down to grab the folder.
"I'm going to go out this back in the safe."
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His eyes drop back to the file as she picks it up and he considers taking it and scattering the pages across the barge. At least then he'd be able to do something.
But he's-- frozen, as thoroughly as he was when he tried to kill Arthur. Except its internal now. Not physical. And that's worse.
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"Valentine?" she asks, steady and slow. She's not going to reach out or move towards him. She's just checking in.
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Valentine. Caleb used to call him that. It was a private joke between them, a camouflaged bit of affection no one would think twice about.
His smile is clearly forced, as hard as he's trying to make it look natural.
"Yeah, I'm all good."
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Her eyes say she can tell.
But she's not unkind. She nods.
"Clearing out?"
She's giving him an exit.
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Punching things sounds good. Punching things sounds excellent in fact.
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"All right. I'll check in in a couple of days. Maybe we can spend some time in the Enclosure. Do a little shooting at a range or something."
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David clears his throat and tries to steady himself.
"Thank you."
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"I'm glad we're going to work together, Henry."
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He nods at her back. "Yes ma'am."
And then he exits, quickly, to go throw up in the nearest empty bathroom.