[ Less upkeep. Less wasted money. A blessing in disguise. Practicalities come first, feelings second -- they're from a world where this is an established fact. Only a year ago, Hei would've slipped into this mindset without a hitch. But now... ]
[ He watches her eyes widen at the not-apology. Wonders, if saying a banality like I'm sorry will make the sentiment itself real, and true, and felt. (He already knows it won't. But if anyone deserves at least some measure of expressed contrition, it's Yin.) For the next beat, all he does is quietly assess, his eyes skating over Yin's face. The past is the past; he killed her and she's City Dead. What matters now is trying to understand the changes it brings, and the difficulties they might cause. ]
[ There's a long silence before he asks, quietly: ] How are you feeling?
[ Even if Yin says I'm fine, he'll know if she means it. ]
Action!
[ He watches her eyes widen at the not-apology. Wonders, if saying a banality like I'm sorry will make the sentiment itself real, and true, and felt. (He already knows it won't. But if anyone deserves at least some measure of expressed contrition, it's Yin.) For the next beat, all he does is quietly assess, his eyes skating over Yin's face. The past is the past; he killed her and she's City Dead. What matters now is trying to understand the changes it brings, and the difficulties they might cause. ]
[ There's a long silence before he asks, quietly: ] How are you feeling?
[ Even if Yin says I'm fine, he'll know if she means it. ]