[ If she cared, he wouldn't know what to do with it. Or, more truthfully, he would know. Habit and training would demand he take advantage of such a bright-red target laid out before him. If he couldn't bring himself to do that, he'd be forced to shut himself off. Withdraw, because any vulnerability is equated with strings and scorekeepng in his world. Caring is just another way to use people. An illusion and a suspension of logic. ]
[ He lets her pull her clothes on, absently wiping his hands on a napkin. In perhaps the most familiar pattern in his disjointed time in the City, he sees her to the door. The curl at the edge of his mouth isn't a smile. But it's a quiet and soft facsimile, matching the dim play of shadows and light. Fingering the collar of her shirt, he says, ] Head home fast. Stay away from dark corners. [ It's Stay safe in another vocabulary. Locked up in his head, it's often easy for him to forget a physical end of the spectrum that doesn't deal with pain and violence. Her visits, the tiny fragments of normalcy she brings, are a refreshing time-out. ]
⊕ action
[ He lets her pull her clothes on, absently wiping his hands on a napkin. In perhaps the most familiar pattern in his disjointed time in the City, he sees her to the door. The curl at the edge of his mouth isn't a smile. But it's a quiet and soft facsimile, matching the dim play of shadows and light. Fingering the collar of her shirt, he says, ] Head home fast. Stay away from dark corners. [ It's Stay safe in another vocabulary. Locked up in his head, it's often easy for him to forget a physical end of the spectrum that doesn't deal with pain and violence. Her visits, the tiny fragments of normalcy she brings, are a refreshing time-out. ]