[ he pulls those tears back. with pain comes clarity. was he baiting himeru? no. in reality, he feels an immense amount of sympathy for both of them. however--- it was not himeru who was subjected to the supposed pressure and torture. it was kaname. right? that grin disgusts leona, makes his stomach turn and churn. perhaps he did make a fatal mistake; knowing nothing or very little would keep him in the dark. in the end, he deserves having forbidden knowledge revealed unto him.

does himeru think himself so clever as to believe... someone like leona, who has struggled with his own place in the world, knowing that what he does has no impact on the bearings of his standings, would be so easy to crumble? maybe! maybe.

maybe...

he rubs his face. smacks his own cheeks. both of his ears flit. yeah, he takes himeru's hand with him when he does it. ]

Yeah, a little. [ leona snorts. another cleansing breath. deep in, deep out. ] But you should know by now--- I can protect him in ways you can't.

[ that's the truth of the matter. right? idols are, no matter how beautiful their words or voices are... they're all human. no ounce of natural born magic in any of them. and that makes them weak. ]

And you, too. 'cause what we do here means nothin', but it also means everythin'.

[ is it being protective, or is it being obsessive? the lines are blurred. ]