Roen could not accept that.
The very idea that someone would risk everything, do everything, to better the lives of others, while willingly damning themselves for it…
The paladin stared at the man seated across the table from her with renewed eyes. He had warned her before--hinted at the extremes he would be willing to go to in order to achieve his goals. She had glimpsed the hidden sadness there, behind his stoic wall of determination and resolve.
Now she knew where that melancholy stemmed from. He honestly believed he did not belong in the light, once the Jewel was brought out of its murk of corruption and poverty; even if he had a direct hand in its emergence.
“I do not believe that,†she said quietly, finally breaking the silence. “You are right. I do not know you. Nor what you have done. But I do believe you want a better future for Ul’dah.â€
Nero answered her with a bitter smile. She could see in his eyes that he thought her naive; she had spied that expression before when he belittled her ideals. But she did not care. There were those brief flashes of doubt when his mask fell, that told her that there was a part of him that wanted to believe. That his path of violence was not the only way. That he could belong in the better world. That he too could be righteous.
“The only thing I know is crime,†his voice was even, almost cold. “I know only how to take life, not how to give it. Removing evil is not the same as creating good.â€
Roen shook her head, her dinner all but abandoned. She searched the man’s eyes, her voice imploring. “You say you are a criminal. And yet you want to do good.†A breath’s pause fell between them as she locked her gaze with him. “You can do good if you want to. I know you do.â€
He said nothing to that; Nero's eyes seemed to stare at the table more oft than not.
“You seem so determined in this path, to fix Ul’dah at any and all cost," Roen continued. "Even if it means you throw away your own life and happiness.†Her expression softened, a hint of sorrow tugging on her brows. “You seem so driven. And filled with anger.â€
When the smuggler answered her with apathetic silence, Roen set aside her questions about his outburst earlier. She suspected there was something in his past that haunted the man so, that sparked a darkness, and perhaps chained him to this unrelenting course. But if he did not want to divulge it, she would not pry. Her faith and hope in him still did not waver regardless.
“What criminal works with the poor? Or gives money away to children and the sick?†Roen’s gaze softened as she recalled the boy and father at Stonesthrow earlier. Her shoulders lifted and fell with a deep breath. “I think you are more than what you think you are. You just want to be what you think you are, because that is what you know.â€
The paladin thought she sensed something else in him at that moment, his brow twitched. “Perhaps you are right," he finally rasped after the long silence. Was that reluctant acknowledgement? She could see that his resolve was faltering, even if just a little. His frown deepened. "But perhaps you are not."
“This,†Roen gestured between them, “is new for me. I have never worked with someone like you. Nor have I ever thought of anything else other than working under the Order and the Sultanate.†She drew herself upright as she inhaled. “And yet here I am. Perhaps both you and I…are on a path we have never walked before.â€
When Nero met her gaze, she held it firmly and gave him a small but gentle smile. “You do not want to walk it because you do not know it. But…neither do I.†She laced her fingers together, clasping her hands in front of her on the table. “But I am willing to try. I know I need to. To change things.â€
The very idea that someone would risk everything, do everything, to better the lives of others, while willingly damning themselves for it…
The paladin stared at the man seated across the table from her with renewed eyes. He had warned her before--hinted at the extremes he would be willing to go to in order to achieve his goals. She had glimpsed the hidden sadness there, behind his stoic wall of determination and resolve.
Now she knew where that melancholy stemmed from. He honestly believed he did not belong in the light, once the Jewel was brought out of its murk of corruption and poverty; even if he had a direct hand in its emergence.
“I do not believe that,†she said quietly, finally breaking the silence. “You are right. I do not know you. Nor what you have done. But I do believe you want a better future for Ul’dah.â€
Nero answered her with a bitter smile. She could see in his eyes that he thought her naive; she had spied that expression before when he belittled her ideals. But she did not care. There were those brief flashes of doubt when his mask fell, that told her that there was a part of him that wanted to believe. That his path of violence was not the only way. That he could belong in the better world. That he too could be righteous.
“The only thing I know is crime,†his voice was even, almost cold. “I know only how to take life, not how to give it. Removing evil is not the same as creating good.â€
Roen shook her head, her dinner all but abandoned. She searched the man’s eyes, her voice imploring. “You say you are a criminal. And yet you want to do good.†A breath’s pause fell between them as she locked her gaze with him. “You can do good if you want to. I know you do.â€
He said nothing to that; Nero's eyes seemed to stare at the table more oft than not.
“You seem so determined in this path, to fix Ul’dah at any and all cost," Roen continued. "Even if it means you throw away your own life and happiness.†Her expression softened, a hint of sorrow tugging on her brows. “You seem so driven. And filled with anger.â€
When the smuggler answered her with apathetic silence, Roen set aside her questions about his outburst earlier. She suspected there was something in his past that haunted the man so, that sparked a darkness, and perhaps chained him to this unrelenting course. But if he did not want to divulge it, she would not pry. Her faith and hope in him still did not waver regardless.
“What criminal works with the poor? Or gives money away to children and the sick?†Roen’s gaze softened as she recalled the boy and father at Stonesthrow earlier. Her shoulders lifted and fell with a deep breath. “I think you are more than what you think you are. You just want to be what you think you are, because that is what you know.â€
The paladin thought she sensed something else in him at that moment, his brow twitched. “Perhaps you are right," he finally rasped after the long silence. Was that reluctant acknowledgement? She could see that his resolve was faltering, even if just a little. His frown deepened. "But perhaps you are not."
“This,†Roen gestured between them, “is new for me. I have never worked with someone like you. Nor have I ever thought of anything else other than working under the Order and the Sultanate.†She drew herself upright as she inhaled. “And yet here I am. Perhaps both you and I…are on a path we have never walked before.â€
When Nero met her gaze, she held it firmly and gave him a small but gentle smile. “You do not want to walk it because you do not know it. But…neither do I.†She laced her fingers together, clasping her hands in front of her on the table. “But I am willing to try. I know I need to. To change things.â€
