Lark can warp a fact to suit his needs. And he considers doing that here: give her something that not a lie but is sure as hell not the truth.
But he finds that when he shrugs and faces her more directly, he just goes with the real truth. There's nothing she can do with it that would hurt him. Probably.
"Because I'm trapped here, Rey. I'm at the mercy of an omnipotent madman and a handful of self-serving people I'm told to call 'wardens'. You aren't here to help anyone. You're here for a deal. We all know that. So the best I can hope for on a good day is that you and the other wardens have better self-control and better judgment than I do. And every time one of you beats one of us and gets away with it, it just rubs it in that I'm your prisoner. I'm stuck here under your boot and you can do anything you want to me."
He pauses for a sharp breath, because now that he's speaking, it's more truth than he actually wanted to share. "The reason I care about Tommy is because I have hurt him, deeply, and you know what he did? He gave me a second chance. In return he got my loyalty. I would kill for him. I have killed for him; and I care enough about him that I'll sit back if he tells me to. I betrayed Steve Rogers, and do you know what he did? He didn't put a fist through my face, and he could have. And no one would have stopped him because I'm an unruly, murderous inmate, and he's a warden. That's what it's like here. So why do I care about you? Because you can be better than this. Because Tommy believes you are, and he's not someone who believes in anyone. And maybe I need to believe in someone here, Rey--and if that's not you, if you're just another hypocrite getting a deal off the back of another inmate, say so. I'll respect your honesty. We'll still be civil."
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branchandroot
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Date: 2016-05-04 05:15 am (UTC)But he finds that when he shrugs and faces her more directly, he just goes with the real truth. There's nothing she can do with it that would hurt him. Probably.
"Because I'm trapped here, Rey. I'm at the mercy of an omnipotent madman and a handful of self-serving people I'm told to call 'wardens'. You aren't here to help anyone. You're here for a deal. We all know that. So the best I can hope for on a good day is that you and the other wardens have better self-control and better judgment than I do. And every time one of you beats one of us and gets away with it, it just rubs it in that I'm your prisoner. I'm stuck here under your boot and you can do anything you want to me."
He pauses for a sharp breath, because now that he's speaking, it's more truth than he actually wanted to share. "The reason I care about Tommy is because I have hurt him, deeply, and you know what he did? He gave me a second chance. In return he got my loyalty. I would kill for him. I have killed for him; and I care enough about him that I'll sit back if he tells me to. I betrayed Steve Rogers, and do you know what he did? He didn't put a fist through my face, and he could have. And no one would have stopped him because I'm an unruly, murderous inmate, and he's a warden. That's what it's like here. So why do I care about you? Because you can be better than this. Because Tommy believes you are, and he's not someone who believes in anyone. And maybe I need to believe in someone here, Rey--and if that's not you, if you're just another hypocrite getting a deal off the back of another inmate, say so. I'll respect your honesty. We'll still be civil."