Even though her words were true, Cain couldn't help but hear Abel more sharply. It was impossible for him to drown out whatever Abel might say, even if it wasn't Abel, and he felt a twisting in his gut that had nothing to do with his injuries. This was nearly unbearable to have someone here to see the suffering he had caused, the gaping maw of regrets where he had locked away the shame over hundreds of years. Only Cain should have been privy to it; now that it was unlocked and floating free, he could feel it weighing him down with every word Abel spoke. He wanted nothing more in the world than to make it up to Abel, to prevent anything from ripping them apart again, but he knew that now was not the time. Abel didn't know and it would only hurt him more if Cain forced it upon him.
Abel was his own problem to be dealt with in his own time. What was also now his problem was the figment of Raine's mother. Her docility and previous tactics had kept her out of Cain's narrow focus but that attack to Raine, the the young woman he had unintentionally taken under his wing when he'd saved her life, was enough to pull him together. Not physically, that would happen on its own time, but he had a lot of rage pent up for someone who would taken advantage of Cain distracting someone to hurt them. If they wanted to hurt him, that was fine (he would recover); he wouldn't stand for someone using him to hurt someone else without his say-so.
His arms came up to cradle the rifle that was already there, long tripod underneath angled perfectly for his shot. He didn't need to worry so much about trajectories and physics here: he really just wanted to shoot the woman and that was what he was going to do. He spared a moment to look down the sights before he pulled the trigger, a high powered shot aiming right for the heart. Head would have been poetic, but Cain was more practical than that and wanted to see what the shadow would do. Was it susceptible to the same things as the form it took? Just what was underneath that facade?
"Raine, keep close," he said. For the moment, he could allow himself clarity. At least until Raine was safe, when it was just him and his own nightmare to sort out. He couldn't lose himself here if Raine was in danger and needed a hand. What he had unintentionally done by changing his focus was leave an opening in another direction. A blot of dark energy fizzled to life aside from Raine and there were only a few seconds of warning before Abel swung a machete angled for her torso, a hacking weapon meant more to lodge and damage rather than make clean slices.
Once Abel landed from his attack, he continued to speak. Not even out of breath, not even bothered by the increased activity of a fight winding up. "what will you do with your protectors gone? you will be alone, and then you will lose."
no subject
Abel was his own problem to be dealt with in his own time. What was also now his problem was the figment of Raine's mother. Her docility and previous tactics had kept her out of Cain's narrow focus but that attack to Raine, the the young woman he had unintentionally taken under his wing when he'd saved her life, was enough to pull him together. Not physically, that would happen on its own time, but he had a lot of rage pent up for someone who would taken advantage of Cain distracting someone to hurt them. If they wanted to hurt him, that was fine (he would recover); he wouldn't stand for someone using him to hurt someone else without his say-so.
His arms came up to cradle the rifle that was already there, long tripod underneath angled perfectly for his shot. He didn't need to worry so much about trajectories and physics here: he really just wanted to shoot the woman and that was what he was going to do. He spared a moment to look down the sights before he pulled the trigger, a high powered shot aiming right for the heart. Head would have been poetic, but Cain was more practical than that and wanted to see what the shadow would do. Was it susceptible to the same things as the form it took? Just what was underneath that facade?
"Raine, keep close," he said. For the moment, he could allow himself clarity. At least until Raine was safe, when it was just him and his own nightmare to sort out. He couldn't lose himself here if Raine was in danger and needed a hand. What he had unintentionally done by changing his focus was leave an opening in another direction. A blot of dark energy fizzled to life aside from Raine and there were only a few seconds of warning before Abel swung a machete angled for her torso, a hacking weapon meant more to lodge and damage rather than make clean slices.
Once Abel landed from his attack, he continued to speak. Not even out of breath, not even bothered by the increased activity of a fight winding up. "what will you do with your protectors gone? you will be alone, and then you will lose."