In The Rough

[Reeves]

Siobhan would find herself left with deafening silence for the minute or so Morreti took to breathe in deeply, before finally facing her again. It didn't seem as if he'd used the time to scheme up an answer, it was more like he needed to look at something for a little longer so that he had an adequate reminder for himself. "I'm sure it was unnerving when I immediately brought up my thoughts on your eyes. But it was hardly a case of idle flirtation. Nobody's really asked before, I'm not sure why that is, but I've always been willing to answer." Pausing as if for a breath, he just smiled and focused on the two orbs of flint again.

"When I first saw the Alliance it had nothing, maybe less. No ships, no money, no connections. Worthless. But I'd never seen people so willing and ready to throw themselves at danger the way they did. The fact they had nothing, it gave them everything. People are so content to underestimate all of you, I think they're just afraid of potential. And rightfully so."

Another span of silence consumed the room as his face sharpened into seriousness, the smile fading. He wasn't done yet and didn't offer a potential for interjection, there was still so much more to be said.

"I didn't have a reason to be here. I found one. In that way, your call sign is fitting. Diamond in the rough. Where people saw rejects, I saw soldiers. Where people saw ashes, I saw fire. And I knew down to my bones the only thing I needed to do anymore was stoke it. That's why I like your eyes so much. Reminds me of the moment I made that decision. To take what everyone else threw away and turn it into a monument of how wrong they were."

The more he spoke, the more genuinely passionate he sounded. All the qualities of somebody who could give rousing speeches. The uncanny art of sweeping everyone up in what he felt, captivating the presence of a room, that certainly explained how he'd got here.

"You don't need to look any further than yourself for the answer to that, Siobhan. You're the personification of all the reasons why. And maybe if you trusted me I could stoke the fire in you that you've let time and doubt extinguish."

He was finished talking for the moment, towards the end his tone had softened and become more personal when addressing her directly. A demagogue in the making, that's what he truly was even if it couldn't be seen yet. But it was equally undeniable that he meant everything he said. Whether or not she chose to believe it was up to her now. Freedom was the cause, freedom was hers in the moment.

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On indefinite hiatus because the current state of gameplay sucks - ping me over discord if replies are needed