Page 1717 -- CLXXXIII.

((Triple Saturday -- Page 3 of 3))
He had to take action, Hector felt. He couldn’t just wait around and hope for the best, not when he was responsible for protecting so many people. If nothing else, he had to ensure that the worst-case scenario didn’t come to pass.

That really only left two options, then. Either attack preemptively or try to talk to the guy.

Both of those seemed like they could go horribly.

But... Hector didn’t really want to attack him. Maybe it was just because he felt bad for Leo. Maybe it was softness on Hector’s part. He didn’t want to make an emotional decision here, but at the same time, there didn’t seem to be a rationally best option.

Except, maybe... well, if talking went awry, then Leo would probably capture him. But if fighting went awry, then the water tank would likely get damaged, AND Leo would probably capture him.

Hmm.

Hector supposed that was about as rational as he could hope for, given the circumstances.

He took a deep breath and tried to prepare himself, thinking over the situation one last time.

A thought occurred him.

‘...Does Leo know what my ability is?’ said Hector.

‘I’ll ask,’ said Garovel. And there was a pause. ‘He shouldn’t. Voreese didn’t have Roman tell him that.’

Interesting.

Okay.

He stepped away from the corner and into the room with Leo.

‘Hector, what are you doing?’ said Garovel.

Hector tried to explain his reasoning as best he could. It took a little while, and he was mindful of Leo turning around the whole time, but Hector managed to impart the gist of it.

‘This is a really bad idea,’ said Garovel at length.

‘Yeah, I know,’ said Hector. ‘But it’s like you said. Sometimes there won’t be a good option left to choose.’

‘Goddammit, don’t throw my own words back at me.’

‘I’m doing this, Garovel. Wish me luck.’

‘Ugh. Good luck.’

Hector took a deep breath and then walked up behind the man. When he was close enough, he decided to armor up fully again. It might conceal his identity somewhat, though he suspected that Leo would be able to guess who he was anyway.

Mainly, he wanted the armor for himself. Heavy as it was, he was somehow more comfortable in it. It didn’t make him feel safer, precisely, but maybe just a little more powerful. He could almost pretend to be someone else while he was wearing it. Someone who actually knew what they were doing.

And he was going to need that feeling, he thought.

Then, finally, Hector dared to speak up.

“...Are you alright?” he asked.


Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Three: ‘Thine addled hearts...’
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Hector saw Leo twitch a little at the sound of his voice. He walked around the bench as his armor clinked noisily with each step, feeling Leo’s gaze on him now. When he reached the other side, however, he noticed that the man’s eyes were wide.

What was he so surprised about, Hector wondered?

Maybe he just hadn’t been expecting to see someone in full plate armor all of a sudden.

Yeah, okay, maybe that made sense.