[ miles's reflexes are just fast enough that he manages not to move when river comes at him like lightning, flinching as the pen drives into the desk with an audible thunk. he can taste his heart in the back of his throat, staring at river wide-eyed and unmoving, mouth open just enough for shallow breaths.
someone who would know how to hurt. oh, she knows how to hurt, alright -- miles knows training and conditioning when he sees it. but want to hurt... that's something else entirely. anger and old injury born out of fear and torment radiate off her like hot air from an exhaust. it makes him angry -- makes him remember taura, mark, every one of jackson's whole's victim of every dirty trade out there, because she might not have been made by jackson's whole but she was made by someone like it, and that's just as bad. worse, even, if their motivations were as bad as they appear. miles swallows, remembering their first meeting, and his voice goes soft, barely level. ]
[ There's some satisfaction in knowing he's afraid. It's the same part of her that wasn't sure when she cut Jayne. She tilts her head, the stream of consciousness a buzz in the background she can't ignore. ]
Names. Faces. Jackson's Whole. They like trying to break people.
[ the shock registers clearly on miles's face. she catches him by surprise. ]
Where did you -- [ he closes his mouth, brows drawing down, and his gaze falls on the vids again. his lips part again in silent understanding. he swallows, lookig back at her. no, she's not broken. maybe she was once upon a time, but miles would bet she's repaired herself, if that were the case. his voice is still soft. ] You must be a very good listener, then.
You can hear a lot from people. What they say, how they say it.
[ From the way they don't say something. She's not a little mouse anymore, not after the crucible that made her into a real girl all over again. This is her laying her cards out on the table, making sure he knows what he walked into. ]
Most folk don't, though. Most just poke around to find things out.
Poking around has its merits, but, ah...not so much in this case, I suppose.
[ he's got a healthy respect for river now, that's for damn sure. and it's illuminating, too -- not that they've spent much time talking, but he feels like he knows her much better than before. not a complete picture, not even close, but he can grasp the outline of it, maybe. someday, he'd like to be able to fill in the rest. ]
[ if she's aiming to make him feel ashamed, she's succeeded terrifically. boy oh boy is he ever uncomfortable. but he won't protest that he doesn't deserve it. sufficiently cowed, he shifts from foot to foot, but there's still a light of curiosity in his eyes as he looks at her. ]
Would you? Hurt, I mean.
[ he knows she was made to. that she could. but that's a choice. it's always a choice -- that, at least, he'd tried to impress on mark. river, though, seems to have had more opportunity to decide for herself than his brother. miles is just curious to know where she falls. ]
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someone who would know how to hurt. oh, she knows how to hurt, alright -- miles knows training and conditioning when he sees it. but want to hurt... that's something else entirely. anger and old injury born out of fear and torment radiate off her like hot air from an exhaust. it makes him angry -- makes him remember taura, mark, every one of jackson's whole's victim of every dirty trade out there, because she might not have been made by jackson's whole but she was made by someone like it, and that's just as bad. worse, even, if their motivations were as bad as they appear. miles swallows, remembering their first meeting, and his voice goes soft, barely level. ]
And what do you hear now?
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Names. Faces. Jackson's Whole. They like trying to break people.
I'm not broken.
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Where did you -- [ he closes his mouth, brows drawing down, and his gaze falls on the vids again. his lips part again in silent understanding. he swallows, lookig back at her. no, she's not broken. maybe she was once upon a time, but miles would bet she's repaired herself, if that were the case. his voice is still soft. ] You must be a very good listener, then.
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[ From the way they don't say something. She's not a little mouse anymore, not after the crucible that made her into a real girl all over again. This is her laying her cards out on the table, making sure he knows what he walked into. ]
Most folk don't, though. Most just poke around to find things out.
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[ he's got a healthy respect for river now, that's for damn sure. and it's illuminating, too -- not that they've spent much time talking, but he feels like he knows her much better than before. not a complete picture, not even close, but he can grasp the outline of it, maybe. someday, he'd like to be able to fill in the rest. ]
I won't tell anyone.
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[ She picks up the discs. She won't destroy them. She wants to share them with Wanda eventually. Maybe Simon if he ever comes. ]
Opening someone else's mail just 'cause you're curious. It's like to get you hurt.
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Would you? Hurt, I mean.
[ he knows she was made to. that she could. but that's a choice. it's always a choice -- that, at least, he'd tried to impress on mark. river, though, seems to have had more opportunity to decide for herself than his brother. miles is just curious to know where she falls. ]