That's the difference, then. You think him a time bomb, but I know— and it is know, Newt, for I have probed his mind more deeply than he realizes, and know him almost as well as I know myself— that he isn't. I believe fully that he has control over himself. He's simply never had reason to bother before.
And yes, I know how that sounds. But the words serial killer have far less weight in our world than they did in the human one. My god, you and I toy with our prey more than he does, and relish their fear aside. He sticks to humans, for he knows that to disobey me on a rule like don't kill other vampires would mean I would drop him in an instant.
[Would she? Well, it depends on what vampire, and why he killed, but tonight is about broad strokes, not details.]
And really, Newt . . . I do like him. He is important to me, just as you are important to me. Both of you are going to have to reconcile that at some point. Be wary if you wish, and if you see something you think good to warn me over, by all means, but until then: you are both mine, and I refuse to give either of you up.
Do you know how often I've had to do this dance with him about you?
[...Mmm. He doesn't love it, but Rosalind does have an incredibly good point: she can see into Harlan's mind and thus her analysis of him objectively carries more weight.]
Fine. If you're really that sure about him, I trust you. I won't ask you to choose between us but all the same, don't ask me to appreciate what you see in him.
We'll be stuck together for an eternity anyhow so he's got plenty of time to change my mind, but I still think he's bad news. What we do when we hunt is different than what he is. Our playing is a hobby; his maiming is an obsession.
[Is it? He doesn't actually know Harlan that well, let alone the nuances of how and why he kills, but it does feel very different to Newt. He'd never had a thirst for bloodshed when he was human. The fact that Harlan clearly did makes him wary.]
If that distinction is a drop in the bucket for you, so be it, but it's a hard line for me. Would he stop if you told him to, do you think?
And I imagine the two of you have been around the block more than once re: me. I'm well aware the dislike runs in both directions.
[Oh, but that's a very good question from Newt, and she pauses for a notable few minutes.]
Yes. I believe he would. Especially if he knew why I was asking him to do such a thing. I would not order him into it, though. Ask, but not order. He deserves that much.
And it certainly does. And yet every single time he asks me to pick favorites, I tell him the same thing I do you.
[Newt hasn't at all called her loyalty into question, but maybe she wants that established a little: that she fights fiercely in both directions.]
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no subject
And yes, I know how that sounds. But the words serial killer have far less weight in our world than they did in the human one. My god, you and I toy with our prey more than he does, and relish their fear aside. He sticks to humans, for he knows that to disobey me on a rule like don't kill other vampires would mean I would drop him in an instant.
[Would she? Well, it depends on what vampire, and why he killed, but tonight is about broad strokes, not details.]
And really, Newt . . . I do like him. He is important to me, just as you are important to me. Both of you are going to have to reconcile that at some point. Be wary if you wish, and if you see something you think good to warn me over, by all means, but until then: you are both mine, and I refuse to give either of you up.
Do you know how often I've had to do this dance with him about you?
no subject
Fine. If you're really that sure about him, I trust you. I won't ask you to choose between us but all the same, don't ask me to appreciate what you see in him.
We'll be stuck together for an eternity anyhow so he's got plenty of time to change my mind, but I still think he's bad news. What we do when we hunt is different than what he is. Our playing is a hobby; his maiming is an obsession.
[Is it? He doesn't actually know Harlan that well, let alone the nuances of how and why he kills, but it does feel very different to Newt. He'd never had a thirst for bloodshed when he was human. The fact that Harlan clearly did makes him wary.]
If that distinction is a drop in the bucket for you, so be it, but it's a hard line for me. Would he stop if you told him to, do you think?
And I imagine the two of you have been around the block more than once re: me. I'm well aware the dislike runs in both directions.
no subject
Yes. I believe he would. Especially if he knew why I was asking him to do such a thing. I would not order him into it, though. Ask, but not order. He deserves that much.
And it certainly does. And yet every single time he asks me to pick favorites, I tell him the same thing I do you.
[Newt hasn't at all called her loyalty into question, but maybe she wants that established a little: that she fights fiercely in both directions.]