In The Rough

[Reeves]

Looks could be deceiving, one might mistake Morreti for harmless or Siobhan for not observant, and they would be horribly wrong in both cases. He assured her of honesty, and she seemed the sort to expect promises to be upheld. Traditional, partially regimented by this lifestyle perhaps. There was no point hiding it from her, not if he wanted to cultivate trust and loyalty. "I wasn't always called Damian Morreti. I used to be Robert Hughes. Developed software and made a fortune from selling a proof of concept to Ageira. But at no point during my picture prefect life did I ever feel like I was making my own choices. It felt like I was being herded and controlled with what I naively assumed to be my wealth. I refused to be a pawn in a scheme so I left it all behind." This time he did genuinely take a breath before continuing, acutely aware that telling her the whole truth and nothing but the truth was a risk.

"The money, the things, the people who pretended to be my friends. None of it mattered because none of it was really mine. I was allowed to have it because I was shackled by the system, neutered into being compliant. The first real choice I ever did make in my life was to come here, to become one of you. We aren't cut from the same cloth, not anywhere close, but I'd like to believe we're fighting for the same thing. I want a life that feels like it's mine, in my own hands, no one else's and built off my own work." He was remarkably soft spoken as he divulged all of this to her, as if the weight of all of it forced humility. It was clear from the way he was speaking and acting that nobody else knew about his former life. His posture was tense and his eyes had been sharpened by a certain degree of anxiousness. It was invited she wasn't being fed a story or told what she wanted to hear.

"I don't expect that you'll like me very much knowing what you know now. I don't expect that you'll sympathize with my reasons for being here. But I do care, Siobhan. I wouldn't be risking my life the same as everyone else if I didn't. I'm not that man anymore, so I'm asking, please, see me as the man I chose to be. As Damian, one of you." A small part of him was incredibly frustrated that he'd revealed so much about himself, but at the same time he felt compelled to tell somebody. It was obvious that he couldn't keep up this charade of mystery anymore, he needed to rely on somebody. But it wasn't yet clear to him if he'd made the right choice of who that person would be.

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