Isamu gulped. “It would be highly unlikely that you, or any of your trusted confidants, would be in a place to acquire the second book. Doing so would put them, and you, at risk of being discovered. And if the vitrol you spat so wrathfully at me originated from a place of fear, I doubt you would have accepted such an acquisition. Let alone keep it…”
He started to calm down as Ziggy encouraged him to rationalize it.
“But if I am on par with the people you fear, if I really am an addict driven by curiosity, then it would not matter which of those scenarios was real. Should I react at all favorably to being permitted to see this book’s contents, then I have proven to you everything horrible that you accused me of. The fact that I opened it at all can be used against me. And the fact that I do very much want to read it… means that… that you have all the proof you need to tell your entire species to never collaborate with ours again. In the same breath that you swear there will be no judgement…”
“Ziggy…” Minoru interrupted before he could answer. “I don’t know exactly what you said to my brother, but whatever it was, he took it to heart. And it hurt bad enough that he tried to outdrink Joe just so he didn’t have to think about it.”
Ziggy would know that feeling personally. And be well aware of the concern Minoru felt, and was feeling.
“I get that you’re trying to show Isamu that you’re not mad. That you do trust him.” Minoru looked over at his brother. “But I don’t think he knows what words of yours to believe.”
no subject
He started to calm down as Ziggy encouraged him to rationalize it.
“But if I am on par with the people you fear, if I really am an addict driven by curiosity, then it would not matter which of those scenarios was real. Should I react at all favorably to being permitted to see this book’s contents, then I have proven to you everything horrible that you accused me of. The fact that I opened it at all can be used against me. And the fact that I do very much want to read it… means that… that you have all the proof you need to tell your entire species to never collaborate with ours again. In the same breath that you swear there will be no judgement…”
“Ziggy…” Minoru interrupted before he could answer. “I don’t know exactly what you said to my brother, but whatever it was, he took it to heart. And it hurt bad enough that he tried to outdrink Joe just so he didn’t have to think about it.”
Ziggy would know that feeling personally. And be well aware of the concern Minoru felt, and was feeling.
“I get that you’re trying to show Isamu that you’re not mad. That you do trust him.” Minoru looked over at his brother. “But I don’t think he knows what words of yours to believe.”