Renewed Discourse

[Toaster]

Olivia locked eyes with Damien, gazing deep into his. She liked to believe that she was a people-person; that she could read a person's intentions from off their face. She knew, however, that she failed as often as she succeeded. The Xeno's eyes, however, betrayed that he was being sincere - this much was obvious even to her.

She hesitated. He was a terrorist, whether he called himself as much or not. Every day, he and his followers killed innocent people in the pursuit of a cause they deemed more worthy than the lives they took. She had dealt with people like that before. Murderers. Monsters. Pedro. Could she look past the acts Damien committed and establish what some might consider a 'normal' relationship with him? How, knowing what he did? Perhaps if he was only a mere grunt, he could be reformed. But instead, he was the leader of the Xeno's most prominent cell, the man behind the cause.

And yet.

Here he was, doing what he did worst. Displaying humanity. Vulnerability. Under these rare circumstances that Olivia had only witnessed a few times before, he seemed like just any other man, suffering from the same emotions that everyone else had to deal with on a daily basis.

She sighed.

"I can't just forget what you are," Olivia finally replied, turning back to her drink.

---

Olivia Sable