Rosalie Kasten is out of luck and out of time. For the last two years, she's been living on borrowed time. After her involvement with the death of Edwin Pierce - Alexander Pierce's son - it's only a matter of time before Hydra comes for her.
James...
𝚴𝛐𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 an introduction does it not? You must once again forgive me because I am truly unsure of how long these things usually take. Time is a strange concept. Always and never moving. By now, most have come to realise it is more of a circle than a straight line. I do think it's time to discuss how I saw the gunslinger for the first time.
The girl was unconscious as I picked up her brother. He was caked in his own body, but I have seen few who were so torn. There was a lightness to his soul, and yet, I could feel the desire for him to stay. It is a question that's often hanging in the air, but it's rarely so split, wanting to stay and yet so relieved that everything is finally out of their hands. There was a lightness to his soul. A single breath of relief. Rose. It was not whispered to me.
The light was yellow, not that of sunshine but the pale kind that shines on a winter day. I looked at her, the gunslinger unable to pull the trigger and to my surprise, her eyes shot open. I was sure she could not see me, they can never see me, but her eyes followed me as if every shape of my features were clear to her. There was not the usual despair or surprise, but that gaze held the purest defiance I have ever seen, and I have seen quite a lot.
I stayed for longer than I ever have, to see if the gunslinger truly saw me, but I realised it did not matter. She wanted to stare directly at death and somehow, she had found a way to do it. Those eyes of defiance would often haunt me. It is not often that humanity haunts me.
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Rosalie turns her head back to James. She's not staring but more curiously looking. He keeps his eyes on the road and seems slightly uncomfortable by her gaze. She didn't think he would mind with his own little staring problem.
"How much do you know about what happened to Ed?" She asks and lazily tilts her head.
There's a slight pain in her neck and she flips down the sun visor. There's a mirror there, and she's quickly able to spot the purple marks forming around her throat. They're appearing as a perfect print of his large metal hand. A shudder goes through her, and she bites the inside of her cheek while a wave of dislike goes over her. Dislike for him.
"Know everyone thought he killed himself," James replies and glances at her.
Rosalie smiles. It's all fake but she needs him to let his guard down.
