[Lazarus gives his remorseless (defiant) confession, and Paul nods in perfectly understanding acceptance. It's beside the point, and would be a little cruel, to observe that the plan never would have come to fruition. Paul has no intention of letting their security be breached like that twice.
But then again: he never intended this to happen. He never even saw it coming, which is one of the only things he's meant to be able to do, prophecy or no prophecy. He never let himself imagine Lazarus would be capable of this extent of recklessness. That of the two of them, it wouldn't be his error that exposed the vulnerable tether between them; that of the two of them, it would be Paul crouched over Lazarus in a moment of desperate, furtive weakness.
Paul hates seeing him like this, almost as much as he can tell Lazarus hates to be seen like this. All he wants is to put an end to it, to relieve the shrinking tension in Lazarus' stick-insect coiling limbs, to bring him in from this chilled, stinking room.
(So why does his thumb stay crooked at the tender outer curve of Lazarus' eye socket? Why is his hand still closed around his elbow?)]
Thank you for being honest with me.
[He could inflect it with irony, or layer it with disappointment, but he says it as he means it - sincerely, even encouragingly. It's good practice to reward the kind of behavior you want to see.]
One more question, and we can see to this. [This, an abbreviating euphemism he emphasizes with a light increase of gripping pressure, his other thumb worked neatly into the joint.] Is there anything else you want to tell anyone? Anything you think you should say?
no subject
But then again: he never intended this to happen. He never even saw it coming, which is one of the only things he's meant to be able to do, prophecy or no prophecy. He never let himself imagine Lazarus would be capable of this extent of recklessness. That of the two of them, it wouldn't be his error that exposed the vulnerable tether between them; that of the two of them, it would be Paul crouched over Lazarus in a moment of desperate, furtive weakness.
Paul hates seeing him like this, almost as much as he can tell Lazarus hates to be seen like this. All he wants is to put an end to it, to relieve the shrinking tension in Lazarus' stick-insect coiling limbs, to bring him in from this chilled, stinking room.
(So why does his thumb stay crooked at the tender outer curve of Lazarus' eye socket? Why is his hand still closed around his elbow?)]
Thank you for being honest with me.
[He could inflect it with irony, or layer it with disappointment, but he says it as he means it - sincerely, even encouragingly. It's good practice to reward the kind of behavior you want to see.]
One more question, and we can see to this. [This, an abbreviating euphemism he emphasizes with a light increase of gripping pressure, his other thumb worked neatly into the joint.] Is there anything else you want to tell anyone? Anything you think you should say?