Shadow of a Life

A Bitter Reunion

Three weeks after her capture, the door to the Talon agent's cell slides open, waking Aina from a fitful sleep. A tall, lean man steps inside, wearing the garb of an Overwatch commando, black hair tousled like he had just woken up. He meets her gaze with stern, dark hazel eyes.

Aina's unbeating heart seemed to skip. No. Nononono NO. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready for this. Not now. Any time but now. Any time that she had her helmet would be fine. Any time that she didn't have to look into those beautiful brown eyes with her own. She could feel guilt seeping through every pore, every crevice of her being. "Seth-" she manages to start, but he silences her with a raised palm as he sits down at the small desk opposite her.

"It's Lieutenant Jamison now." He says calmly, placing his hands in his lap.

She stays silent, her crimson eyes seemed to be locked on his own, unable to move or speak.

He takes a deep breath, in that shaky manor Aina always remembered he did before he spoke a hard truth. "I forgive you, Aina. I know things have been hard for you the past couple of years-"

A switch seemed to have been turned on, because all of a sudden, the agent stands, black steam rolling off her shoulders in waves. "TEN YEARS," she screams, unable to control herself. She knew she had no right to be mad at him. Not a single right in the whole screwed up world. But that didn't stop her. "Ten fucking years. And you stayed here, with them. Not bothering to...to do ANYTHING. You knew I was out there. You knew from the moment the body count from that mission came in! Do you know what it's like to have your own husband not look for you after you disappear? Do you know the shit I went through for-" her furious words turn into a tirade of cursing and screaming. If only she had the ability to cry, to show more emotion than she could.

He stands slowly, his 6 foot stature towering over her own 5'7.  Aina begins stepping back, her crimson eyes wide with fear. He reaches out, firmly grasping her shoulder as he pulls her close into a tight hug. Aina wraps her arms tightly around his chest, averting his gaze. "How in hell's name are you able to forgive me..." She mutters, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

He runs a caloused hand over her short hair, which was beginning to grow back now that it was out of her tight fitting helmet.

"At your funeral," he begins quietly, holding the small of her back with one hand as he continues to hold her head close to his armored chest. "Your entire attack squadron came. Reyes even came for a short while. There was no casket, of course. No body to bury. But we each threw something into the ground. Mainly old pictures and stuff." He pauses, taking a moment to look down at her. She hadn't looked up, but her body was shaking. "I had...debated weather to throw your ring in there too. Apparently it fell off during your mission and they where able to recover it. But..." he trails off, and Aina could feel cold metal pressing into her palm. She looks down at the simple dark grey metal ring, a small ruby embedded in the center. She grips it tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white. "But I decided against it. It seems I made the right decision."

She hadn't felt it at first, but now it was terribly evident. Her shoulder was wet with tears. She chances a glance up at Seth, who had tears streaming down his handsome face. She reaches up to brush them away, but her hand chose that time to deteriorate into smoke. She bites her lip, ignoring the pain it caused. "You didn't answer my question." She murmurs, her body slowly degenerating into smog.

"I forgive you." He repeats simply.

Aina pushes away from him, her face now little more than a turning mass of smoke, her two red eyes burning at the center. "You keep saying that!" She yells again, the ring passing through her translucent fingertips, rolling against the wall. "'I forgive you,'" She mimics. "Just that one line. You keep saying that one fucking line. Why? Do you know what I've done? What I've... what I've become?"

He takes another step forward, but she moves back as he does so. "Aina, please, you don't have to be their puppet anymore. You don't have to-"

"STOP TELLING ME WHAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO!" She screams. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I GO THROUGH EVERY SHITTY DAY."

The man stands there in shock. He had never seen her like this. Never. But he refused to give up. "Aina, please. Just hear me out. I understand what you've done to your former colleagues. I can see what you've become. But you don't have to follow their rulebook, you've never followed anyone's rulebook. That's what I love about you." He says, placing a hand on her cheek, which had begun to solidify slowly.

She sniffs, whiping tears that weren't there from her eyes.

"I'll leave you to think. I can see you need time." He says quietly before walking to the door.

"I love you." Aina murmurs quietly just as he was about to leave. He doesn't respond as be closes and locks the cell door behind him.

She sits down heavily, hugging herself tightly as she takes shaky breaths. Out of shock or sadness, she didn't know.

After a few hours, she manages to make herself move and pick up the ring, placing it on the desk. She wasn't yet ready, or even mentally prepared to put the loop of metal on again.