Seeking the Truth (Rebecca and Simon, OPEN In Between)

[Akirapryde]

Rebecca listened carefully to Simon as he explained what happened on that road. There was no hiding her surprise as he spoke. He was so brazen to provide even less details than he had given over the phone just the day before. If she had only this information to go off of, she would be even more confused. 'Does he really think I am that stupid' she questioned herself. She didn't need magic to reach the assumption that he didn't trust her. It was written across how he left out details in this accounting of what happened. Sadly she couldn't really blame him for not trusting her. After all, she really wasn't sure if she could trust him or his perverted brother. Based on how he was acting now, what ever doubt she had about trusting him was fading fast.

But in that moment, her mind rang out with epiphany. She didn't fully understand where the thought came from but it was clearly a result of her One Mind Two Thoughts spell. Trust in the Cabal was at a breaking point. She knew that she was partially to blame for it. Any unless she at least attempted to reach out and show a bit of trust, she had no right to expect it from them. It just seemed so simple to her. As Simon gave his shorter version of what happened, she started to think of how she could use this as an opportunity to try to show a bit more trust.

And in that moment, that epiphany and the thoughts that followed it were gone like the morning dew when exposed to the midday sun. As Simon started to speak like some mentally challenged child, Rebecca just felt like giving up on all of this. Walking out that door and leaving them behind seemed much easier than dealing with this. She had heard Simon speak before on many occasions and knew that his current form of speech was nothing more than a ruse. 'He must think I am stupid' she thought at the comments. For her it was more than just another sign of the lack of trust between them. This seemed more like a slap in the face. As he finished his little speech she started to reach down and close her notebook. Clearly nothing she could say or do would change this situation, or their opinion of her. She simply had no reason to care what they thought anymore.

'But then again' she thought as she glanced at Kira. Kira had always been the person who did all the interviews. She was the prefect people person. Something that Rebecca never claimed to be. She never knew what to say or when to say it. In that regard, even Richard was better at dealing with people than she was. As she glanced down at her notebook she took a long moment to collect her thoughts. 'Why does everyone expect me to be this prefect person who knows what to say or when to say it' she wondered. She recalled the way Simon had looked past her towards the door just before he plated diner. Counting the plates that Simon put on the table was also a clue that Richard was either close or in the Kitchen. She fingered her notebook thinking long and hard about just getting up and leaving. 'why should I even try if nothing I say or do will change anything' was that nagging voice of the defeatist within her mind.

She knew from their last conversation that Richard had been pissed at her. She was pretty sure that the anger was still there currently and doubted he would let it go soon. There was so much going on around them and so much going on that centered on her. As she played with her notebook for a few more moments she couldn't help but wonder why trouble seemed to follow her. It wasn't like she went looking for it. 'But I know how to find it when I want to' she thought with a half smile. It was more a joke about her own stupidity rather than light at the situation. After all, she leaped in to a large lake after a magical monster that nearly killed her. Her free mind wondered over to the look in Kira's eye when she told Rebecca that Richard had dared to rescue her in the buff. 'God, he does have his moments' she thought as she pictured him leading the charge to save her for that monster. Her smiled broke in to a slight laughter for a second as she pictured the scene in her mind. Rebecca glanced back to Kira as she thought, 'just maybe a bit more effort is all that is needed.'

Rebecca flipped her notebook back open and reached down in to her emotions as she was going to make this last effort to keep the Cabal alive. She pushed any negative thoughts from her mind as she choose which path she would take based on Simon's statement. If this effort fail, well then, Richard will find her parting gift on his bed. After all, he loved reading and she was done reading that Prime Grimoire. She figured that she owed him something for being so willing to put his neck on the line for her and Kira. Not wanted to invade his personally space, she tossed it on to the bed from the hallway.

She looked up from her notebook and gave Simon a genuine smile, "Simon. I know you don't want to talk about this. But so far, it is my understanding" she said then paused a moment to add, "from personal experience, that what one of us does will effect all of us." She made a point in her statement to not use the word friend, because she really didn't feel like they were friends right now. Could it happen, she really didn't know. And she wasn't about to discount anything.

But in her statement, the memory of how meatball was out to hurt her because she shot him and ruined his burglary stung. More because Kira got caught in the middle of it than anything else. "You see Simon again you are right. They are not friends. But does that mean they have to be our enemies? Also your view is flawed. There is more going on here than simply predator and pray, as you like to put it. I know this is true cause I have seen the results of cooperation between vampires and mages. If you killed them in self defense than there is no reason for us to fear." As she spoke, she started to doubt his statement and questioned what he could be hiding. "However, if your side of the story isn't true, than you very well could have placed us all in danger. Making this meeting so much more important."

She fell silent as she thought for a moment. At first she wasn't sure about the events that led up to the deaths of these vampires. But it was in his statement about pray killing the predators that got her starting to worry. She didn't know the truth, but she knew that he wasn't being completely truthful with her. 'What really happened on that road' she thought softly. To get that answer, she had to at least try to reason with him.

Rebecca knew that she could just question his statement over and over again and search for the truth that way. But she also understood that this action would only cause more tension in an already stressed situation. She needed to find a softer approach to get through to Simon. "Simon I've made mistakes. Just like anyone else has. I regretted what I did with meatball cause it put Kira in harm's way" she said truthfully as she glanced over at Kira. There was sadness in Rebecca's eyes. If there was anything Rebecca could do to undo that attack, she would have gladly don it. But it was done, all she could do was learn from that mistake to go on. "I would like to think that if there is something more to your story, that you would include it now."