His associate is waiting for him, his eyebrows drawn together into what might be the deepest frown Jade had seen to date. With another inward sigh, Jade leads him into the study. The door clicks shut behind them.
There are recriminations, of course, the expected what the hell is going on and the what are you thinking, he's just a kid, you're going too far.
Jade sits quietly through it all, distantly grateful that the other man isn't shouting. He doesn't want Shinjirou to doubt what he's doing. Of course, it's entirely possible that soon, he'll no longer have to care for Shinjirou.
He's not sure how that makes him feel. He's not sure how giving up on the mission makes him feel either; he's never been fond of making big decisions on his own.
In the end, it's simply easier to try keep things as they are. It's not difficult to rebut his associate's points, they're all arguments he's made to himself: Shinjirou enjoys being here, you've heard how he thanked me; we both know this mission requires more extreme methods if I'm to gain the trust of my contacts; I'm trying to ingratiate myself with the dog's owner, he likes this sort of thing...
"He's not even in the country at present," his associate points out, voice still low with anger.
"I know." Jade hesitates, rubbing at his temples. He lowers his voice. "I've been taping him. The videos aren't the best, but they should be enough."
Revulsion twists across his associate's face. "You're sick."
There's no amusement in the way he says it, unlike the slavers and their clients, but Jade is more interested in the barely-visible slump of his shoulders and the tiredness in his voice. It seems like his associate has lost this round. Jade should be satisfied; he only feels hollow, doubtful.
It takes another few minutes for his associate to concede defeat, then another hour and half to discuss their next mission. They finish with little in the way of concrete ideas, and by the time he shows his associate to the door, Jade finds he has trouble maintaining even his usual cordial smile.
no subject
"It's nothing," he says calmly. "Take care."
His associate is waiting for him, his eyebrows drawn together into what might be the deepest frown Jade had seen to date. With another inward sigh, Jade leads him into the study. The door clicks shut behind them.
There are recriminations, of course, the expected what the hell is going on and the what are you thinking, he's just a kid, you're going too far.
Jade sits quietly through it all, distantly grateful that the other man isn't shouting. He doesn't want Shinjirou to doubt what he's doing. Of course, it's entirely possible that soon, he'll no longer have to care for Shinjirou.
He's not sure how that makes him feel. He's not sure how giving up on the mission makes him feel either; he's never been fond of making big decisions on his own.
In the end, it's simply easier to try keep things as they are. It's not difficult to rebut his associate's points, they're all arguments he's made to himself: Shinjirou enjoys being here, you've heard how he thanked me; we both know this mission requires more extreme methods if I'm to gain the trust of my contacts; I'm trying to ingratiate myself with the dog's owner, he likes this sort of thing...
"He's not even in the country at present," his associate points out, voice still low with anger.
"I know." Jade hesitates, rubbing at his temples. He lowers his voice. "I've been taping him. The videos aren't the best, but they should be enough."
Revulsion twists across his associate's face. "You're sick."
There's no amusement in the way he says it, unlike the slavers and their clients, but Jade is more interested in the barely-visible slump of his shoulders and the tiredness in his voice. It seems like his associate has lost this round. Jade should be satisfied; he only feels hollow, doubtful.
It takes another few minutes for his associate to concede defeat, then another hour and half to discuss their next mission. They finish with little in the way of concrete ideas, and by the time he shows his associate to the door, Jade finds he has trouble maintaining even his usual cordial smile.