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His question did not require an honest answer, because when I opened my mouth to defend myself, he barreled on, growing more heated with every word that left his mouth.
"When we started, they used to drag hybrids through the streets. I've seen children tortured, their parents forced to watch them be brutalized just for being alive. The reason they have their prisons and public executions is because we used to halt the violence in the streets and save the victims by any means necessary. I've seen more of my friends murdered for the audacity to help innocent families hide from the Upper Council than you could even begin to fathom."
Guilt rushed through me, an intense discomfort that only came when you knew you had done something wrong.
"I asked Blossom and Tarragon to help us once when I was young. Do you know what they said, Sariel?"
The kettle screeched from the stove. He turned, put together two mugs of tea, then led me into the living room.
I hadn't looked around the old man's space, but it was surprisingly maximalist. Different baubles and trinkets littered the walls and almost every available surface; there were three different throw blankets on the back of his couch and matching pillows in every chair. I moved one aside and dropped into the armchair across from his, blowing on my drink as he settled in himself.
"They said, 'We're always happy to welcome anyone you save into the Free Kingdom, Gingko, but a war is a bit much, don't you think?' Isn't that awful? Hundreds of thousands of people died, and they couldn't be bothered to do anything."
Sipping his steaming drink, Kiyomasa seemed far away for a moment. Then, when he set the mug down on the coffee table between us with a sigh, I knew he needed me to say something.
"I think the Resistance is great," I started slowly, watching his blank expression. "You've all done a lot of good, and it's amazing how much you have managed to push us forward as a society, but I'm— I'm not like you, Director. Or Aria. Or even Auren."
I doidn’t want to say it aloud, that I didn't care.
My world had always been narrow like that; the only people I worried about were the ones that mattered to me. The world was a sick place, and people shouldn't be murdered just because their parents couldn't resist the call of their mate bonds, or even just their raging hormones—but was I, personally, going to be the one to die on that hill? Definitely not.
Was it shitty? Yeah.
"Your mate will join us," he said after a long pause, taking me in with shrewd eyes. "Her heart is pure, and the idea that she could help save so many people from a life like hers? Yours? It will drive her to move mountains on our behalf."
He took another sip of his tea. This time, I followed suit, instantly regretting it when I scalded my tongue. My angel was amused by the mishap, and not for the first time, I wished I could punch him in the throat.
"We almost won once. The current Council is radical, but we managed to get one Resistance sympathizer and two moderates in place at one time."
"What went wrong?"
"They turned on one another, of course. A Council divided is useless."
There was a ticking clock somewhere in his home that chose that moment to make itself heard, chiming loudly as he frowned. "We hadn't been able to stop the hybrid laws from going into place, but at that time, we thought for sure we could get them removed. It was tough to swallow when our plans went belly up again."
We finished our tea in relative silence after that. There was nothing more that could be said. He'd already given me the ominous warning that my mate would risk life and limb for these damn people, and they had ruffled my angel’s feathers enough as it was.
I washed the mug with a brief thank you and goodbye before stepping back out onto the street.
Johnny and Marilyn were waiting for me when I did. My first instinct was to ignore them and keep walking, but the witch glanced between us seriously.
"I'm going to go check on the Director," she said slowly. "You two should talk."
And then she whisked up the stairs and into the house without even pausing to knock.
Johnny blew out a breath, looking anxiously from the front door to me. "I'm sorry, Sariel. I never dreamed it would actually be Auren, and I didn't want to get your hopes up after everything."
I nodded slowly, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "I was a dick about it. It just caught me off-guard."
He scoffed, a small smile tilting his lips. "I don't blame you. I'm still reeling, too."
Johnny bumped his shoulder into mine and walked with me to the cafeteria.
My plans to sulk in my room had been derailed by the Director’s heart-to-heart, and now it was bordering close enough to dinner time that I could justify rerouting to myself.
As it turned out, Johnathan and the others had been helping more with the training of new recruits than any of the patrols or homemaking duties—except Reese, anyway, who Auren had enlisted to help him study some kind of chemical that they were debating deploying against the Upper Council. The idea made me uneasy, but I couldn't get more information without asking her or my brother, and the idea of doing the latter made me want to climb out of my skin.
"Marilyn will probably walk the Director down for dinner,” Johnny said, looking downright giddy at the idea. It immediately set off alarm bells.
