[ooc; there are a few things assumed from a backthread here, but all has been discussed so it should be okay!]
Byrne was miserable. Of all the days he'd been here, he'd never woken up feeling like a literal train wreck until today. His neck ached heavily from the injection he'd been given the night before, but it couldn't compare to the ache he felt in his chest. The emotional ache from everything he'd seen strapped to that chair.
It hadn't been real. But goddamnit, it had felt real, and he hadn't known it wasn't real until after they'd finished 'torturing her'. He wanted to vomit just thinking about it.
The bulletin board was Byrne's first objective once he was led from his room. Luckily, he was one of the first ones there. No doubt Badd would come by here before breakfast trying to see if there was anything left for him. The prosecutor scribbled a very hasty note (http://damned-bulletin.livejournal.com/840380.html) to his partner, slapped it on the board, and then made his way to the cafeteria. He hadn't noticed the shiny new M-U pin on his beret yet, but that was probably a good thing. All he needed to worry about right now was when Badd would get here.
The wait was painful, but short. There he was by the cafeteria door, waiting for him. Thank god. Byrne stood up to rush over to him as quickly as possible, but then a terrifying thought entered his head, a second guess, a hesitation. His feet became metaphorically glued to the floor and he couldn't move forward. Would...would Badd be angry with him? When he learned that Byrne had given in to a servant of the institute? That he'd sworn to her that he would never follow the principles of the Yatagarasu ever again in exchange for Kay's safety? The Kay they had harmed before his eyes, the Kay who had only been a hallucination?
It sounded silly, but... Ever since his first day here, Byrne had imagined himself fighting against the Institute up close and personal. Maybe they'd been foolish, immature thoughts spawned from moments of anger, but it didn't matter. He'd thought of them. And in every scenario his mind came up with, he always imagined himself winning against any torture they threw at him. Resilient. Noble.
But when he had been in that situation for real, he'd given in to them, just like that. There was nothing noble about it. He was a traitor to himself and all he believed in. Foolish enough to fall for such a cruel trick. No matter how real the hallucination felt, even if Kay was a part of it, there was no excuse.
What will Tyrell say?
...He had to go. Even from here, he could see that Badd looked just as upset as Byrne felt inside. Maybe something had happened to him last night, too. He needed to go. And he wanted to go, as much as he feared Badd's reaction.
Byrne swallowed hard, then marched himself over to his friend, eyes locked on him. Not breaking eye contact was a cheap way to try and hide the doubt and shame he was feeling, easily seen through, but he didn't care. Byrne stopped a few feet away from Badd, unable to say anything at first. But he didn't care about that either. Words weren't necessary right now. Just being near the one man he trusted more than anyone else was enough.
no subject
Byrne was miserable. Of all the days he'd been here, he'd never woken up feeling like a literal train wreck until today. His neck ached heavily from the injection he'd been given the night before, but it couldn't compare to the ache he felt in his chest. The emotional ache from everything he'd seen strapped to that chair.
It hadn't been real. But goddamnit, it had felt real, and he hadn't known it wasn't real until after they'd finished 'torturing her'. He wanted to vomit just thinking about it.
The bulletin board was Byrne's first objective once he was led from his room. Luckily, he was one of the first ones there. No doubt Badd would come by here before breakfast trying to see if there was anything left for him. The prosecutor scribbled a very hasty note (http://damned-bulletin.livejournal.com/840380.html) to his partner, slapped it on the board, and then made his way to the cafeteria. He hadn't noticed the shiny new M-U pin on his beret yet, but that was probably a good thing. All he needed to worry about right now was when Badd would get here.
The wait was painful, but short. There he was by the cafeteria door, waiting for him. Thank god. Byrne stood up to rush over to him as quickly as possible, but then a terrifying thought entered his head, a second guess, a hesitation. His feet became metaphorically glued to the floor and he couldn't move forward. Would...would Badd be angry with him? When he learned that Byrne had given in to a servant of the institute? That he'd sworn to her that he would never follow the principles of the Yatagarasu ever again in exchange for Kay's safety? The Kay they had harmed before his eyes, the Kay who had only been a hallucination?
It sounded silly, but... Ever since his first day here, Byrne had imagined himself fighting against the Institute up close and personal. Maybe they'd been foolish, immature thoughts spawned from moments of anger, but it didn't matter. He'd thought of them. And in every scenario his mind came up with, he always imagined himself winning against any torture they threw at him. Resilient. Noble.
But when he had been in that situation for real, he'd given in to them, just like that. There was nothing noble about it. He was a traitor to himself and all he believed in. Foolish enough to fall for such a cruel trick. No matter how real the hallucination felt, even if Kay was a part of it, there was no excuse.
What will Tyrell say?
...He had to go. Even from here, he could see that Badd looked just as upset as Byrne felt inside. Maybe something had happened to him last night, too. He needed to go. And he wanted to go, as much as he feared Badd's reaction.
Byrne swallowed hard, then marched himself over to his friend, eyes locked on him. Not breaking eye contact was a cheap way to try and hide the doubt and shame he was feeling, easily seen through, but he didn't care. Byrne stopped a few feet away from Badd, unable to say anything at first. But he didn't care about that either. Words weren't necessary right now. Just being near the one man he trusted more than anyone else was enough.
Enough to both satisfy and torture him.