[ Whatever Ai might think of his words, it's impossible to tell. Her smile says fixed in place, the angle of it stitched perfectly into place, her eyes crinkled just the right amount. You'd never be able to find any flaw in it no matter how hard you looked (and she's tried) but– maybe that's telling in itself. Who could be smiling so brightly in a situation like this? ]
It probably goes without saying but I'm not interested in handing them over to someone who won't care for them properly. [ Her voice is level, almost a little matter of fact even, but her stomach is roiling. Ai knows what it's like to grow up in a house full of mages with nobody to protect you and the idea of Aqua and Ruby knowing it too... ] To be honest, I don't really want them getting involved in any of this, if I can help it. They deserve a chance to just be normal kids.
[ The sort of chance she didn't get.
She doesn't move her gaze from Waver even for a moment. Steam from the tea coils through the air but Ai doesn't make a move to reach for it. ]
If that's what I decide to do, will it be a problem?
Actually, I would have been kind of pissed off if you gave me any other answer.
[There was no hesitation to that remark, the flat delivery abundantly clear that it was sincerity mixed with genuine distaste.]
[Muted green eyes didn't leave Ai for an instant, their owner the absolute picture of calm focus navigating a delicate situation. Stepping around landmines and over corpses, seeking the one path to a desired and needed result.]
And I'm certainly not asking you to hand them over to anyone. Taking you as a student would--on paper--imply that they would eventually follow and therefore dissuade anyone else from getting any bright ideas. Whether that is the case in the future or not is meaningless to me. It's not my choice whether they grow up as mages--in my personal experience, once they're old enough that choice may not even be yours. But it's certainly yours right now, and I would prefer offering my aid where I am in a position to do so.
[ And with that, something... settles behind her eyes, even if her expression doesn't shift at all. A wire of tension drawn tight enough to draw notes from goes slack and the stiff line of her shoulders eases a little in turn. She's not stupid enough to entirely trust this man just yet, especially when it comes to Aqua and Ruby – Ai knows better than anyone that the best kind of lies just come down to telling someone what they want to hear. But this isn't a lie he can take back easily, not without entirely turning her against him. And even if she's weak and underhanded in however many other ways... she's still a mage with enough potential that Saitou had wanted her. The Clock Tower wants her.
If she got it into her head to turn against him and lash out, she doesn't have any illusions that she'd be able to kill him... but she could certainly cause him some trouble. ]
So they'd come along with me and I'd have the final say in anything that happens to them, at least until they're old enough to decide for themselves. [ A firm statement, not a question. ] And as for me...
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no subject
It probably goes without saying but I'm not interested in handing them over to someone who won't care for them properly. [ Her voice is level, almost a little matter of fact even, but her stomach is roiling. Ai knows what it's like to grow up in a house full of mages with nobody to protect you and the idea of Aqua and Ruby knowing it too... ] To be honest, I don't really want them getting involved in any of this, if I can help it. They deserve a chance to just be normal kids.
[ The sort of chance she didn't get.
She doesn't move her gaze from Waver even for a moment. Steam from the tea coils through the air but Ai doesn't make a move to reach for it. ]
If that's what I decide to do, will it be a problem?
no subject
[There was no hesitation to that remark, the flat delivery abundantly clear that it was sincerity mixed with genuine distaste.]
[Muted green eyes didn't leave Ai for an instant, their owner the absolute picture of calm focus navigating a delicate situation. Stepping around landmines and over corpses, seeking the one path to a desired and needed result.]
And I'm certainly not asking you to hand them over to anyone. Taking you as a student would--on paper--imply that they would eventually follow and therefore dissuade anyone else from getting any bright ideas. Whether that is the case in the future or not is meaningless to me. It's not my choice whether they grow up as mages--in my personal experience, once they're old enough that choice may not even be yours. But it's certainly yours right now, and I would prefer offering my aid where I am in a position to do so.
no subject
[ And with that, something... settles behind her eyes, even if her expression doesn't shift at all. A wire of tension drawn tight enough to draw notes from goes slack and the stiff line of her shoulders eases a little in turn. She's not stupid enough to entirely trust this man just yet, especially when it comes to Aqua and Ruby – Ai knows better than anyone that the best kind of lies just come down to telling someone what they want to hear. But this isn't a lie he can take back easily, not without entirely turning her against him. And even if she's weak and underhanded in however many other ways... she's still a mage with enough potential that Saitou had wanted her. The Clock Tower wants her.
If she got it into her head to turn against him and lash out, she doesn't have any illusions that she'd be able to kill him... but she could certainly cause him some trouble. ]
So they'd come along with me and I'd have the final say in anything that happens to them, at least until they're old enough to decide for themselves. [ A firm statement, not a question. ] And as for me...
[ She tilts her head. ]
What does being your student mean for me?