~ Tнє Pαяα∂σχ Hσυѕє ~ now back to regularly scheduled chaos

Nico blinked, eyes catching on the poem on the dagger. It seemed like a prophecy, and he already hated those when they cropped up in his world, so… why would he tolerate one here? He grit his teeth, hands clenching into fists at his side as he stared at it, hoping that Quincy wouldn’t catch sight of his expression. Actually… hoping that they might, so they would know they were in danger. He didn’t think Kelsier would kill them, even if instructed to – looking up at him, he amended his thought. Kelsier wouldn’t kill them, especially because he was instructed to. Kelsier wasn’t the kind of person who was willing to take orders, not when someone’s life on the line.
How… alive was Quincy? Had the House made their aura stranger to convince Nico that they weren’t actually a person? If that was the case… it wasn’t working.
Almost on reflex, Nico felt his hand moving to grab Kelsier’s. Not to stop him from attacking Quincy – he knew he wasn’t’ going to do that – but perhaps to stop him from attacking the House. Or perhaps to stop himself from attacking the House. He didn’t even seem to realize he’d bridged the gap between them. Kelsier felt like safety, somehow.
Nico’s gaze flicked to Hange and in the quietest voice possible, hopefully so Quincy wouldn’t hear, “We are not doing that. We’re going to find another way out.” The look in his eyes left no room for questions.

Kelsier (and Quincy) | Museum Room | strider <Raintalon>

It was a good thing Nico grabbed Kelsier’s hand, all things considered. He was tensed to fight, not Quincy, but the stupid, arrogant, cruel thing that had created them. The thing that Kelsier now wanted very much to use the lovely jeweled gift they’d been given on.
He might have been shocked at first, but it didn’t last more than a moment before giving way to something darker and stronger. He might have done something vwry stupid if a small hand hadn’t grabbed onto his, forcing his attention down, his eyebrows raising in surprise.
Then understanding.
He gave a tiny nod, letting out a breath. He may have wanted nothing more than to see the House bleed, but losing his temper here wouldn’t only hurt him. For once, he needed to consider the consequences of his actions.
He turned to Hange, hazel eyes still burning, then gave a sharp nod, still holding Nico’s hand. There was nothing to discuss, but he needed to know what their intentions were.

“Of course. I’ll continue the tour when you’re back!” Quincy trilled, turning to look at the dagger again, admiration in their eyes. They hadn’t caught Nico’s expression, or if they had, they hadn’t understood what it meant. Instead they simply turned and walked a short distance away, their back to the others, possibly to give them more privacy.

Kelsier | Truth Room | strider

Kelsier didn’t contradict Nico. He could have...or maybe he couldn’t, under the circumstances. He didn’t try. Lies may have been forbidden here, but the House was a fool if it thought he would just try. If it really thought that it was that simple, truth or lies. He was a thief, deception was his forte, there were more ways to hide something than a simple lie.
Oh, maybe he was simply full of himself. Believing he could outsmart the House, find a loophole in a room ruled by a being that could see inside his head and stop him before he even had the idea. Then again, he mused, loopholes were made for archers, so they could attack. They weren’t flaws, they were calculated risks. Kelsier smiled a little at the thought. Between flaws and calculated risks, Kel knew which the House was more likely to have.
He looked at Nico as the boy smiled, or tried to. His gaze caught on the way it failed to quite happen, and he couldn’t help but be reminded of how he’d been, after Hathsin. When smiles had been lies because there was nothing left for him to smile about in a world she didn’t occupy. He hadn’t known if they would ever be genuine again. He’d smiled out of spite, not joy. He’d smiled because the dark had tried to smother him, and he had told it to back off.
Now...he didn’t doubt that the smiles would come easier to Nico, with time. That they would be genuine again one day. He couldn’t help hoping that he could help the boy get there.
He watched Nico come over, didn’t move as Nico slid down the wall, his eyes gentle as they rested on his son. “Exactly,” he murmured, a small smile pulling at his lips. A real one. “You are capable of as much as I am. You believe in me, right? Well...I believe in you. So by extension you have to believe in you, too.”
He didn’t move as Nico’s head rested on his leg, just watched. “Screw them, then,” he answered simply, his voice unusually soft. “You’re Nico di Angelo, Survivor of Tartarus, the first person ever to kill an Inquisitor. You’ve beaten me, when the fight was fair. If they don’t believe you can do it, then prove them wrong. Prove them all wrong, okay?”

Kelsier | Truth Room | strider

Kelsier didn’t know how the serum worked. He didn’t know whether he could say something he believed to be true, but wasn’t. If he could tell that, then couldn’t he tell the future just by saying something and seeing if it escaped his lips? That seemed...like something the House wouldn’t allow. What about something he wasn’t sure about?
I’m going to win.
He grimaced a bit as the words failed to escape. How encouraging. He wished he hadn’t tried it, but then, since when did he care what the House thought?
He looked at Nico. He was telling the truth, he was, and he didn’t believe for a second that he was mistaken. He meant what he was saying. And he wasn’t going to accept anything other than agreement, not this time.
“I don’t think it is flawed, actually,” he said, smiling a little as the words didn’t catch in his throat. He hadn’t expected them to, but it was hard to predict what he could and couldn’t say.
He hoped that his smiles inspired Nico. That’s what they were intended for...besides spite, of course. They were hope. He was hope. And if he could be hope for Nico, he would consider his job well done.
He raised an eyebrow at Nico. “I’m surprised the House let you say that,” he said simply. “I guess it isn't about the objective truth, after all. Or maybe the serum is wearing off.”
He looked at him, expression shifting to something more serious. “You did it alone, Nico. Not even I survived Hathsin alone. That makes a difference, and you know it.”
He shook his head a little, giving a small sigh. “You can say no,” he said quietly, not looking away. “No one can force you to do it. I know you’ve made your choice, and I believe you’ll succeed, but you need to know that it is a choice. Even if it isn’t a fair one.”

Kelsier | Museum Room | strider <Raintalon>

Kelsier listened to Nico quietly, not interrupting as he defended Quincy. His eyes rested on Hange, though.
They were the one he wasn’t so sure about. He could have guessed Nico’s answer without even a pause, of course Nico had no intention of hurting an innocent person. Hange, on the other hand...he didn’t know Hange well enough to tell. It was probably a good idea to figure that out as soon as possible. If they weren’t going to attack, then they could all work on figuring out a way out of the room, but if they were...well. That might complicate things a bit.
“I think we’ve all come to the same conclusion, yes,” he said calmly, watching Hange carefully, though a relaxed smile still rested easily on his features. “Poetic or not, the message is clear enough.”
Nico didn’t quite threaten Hange, he noticed, though he came close. Kelsier didn’t look at the boy, but he didn’t let go of his hand, either. He was about to say more when Hange’s final words registered, and he stiffened in surprise.
“An assumption. That surprises me, somehow. You didn’t seem like that type to jump to conclusions,” he noted, smiling amiably. He couldn’t help his quick glance at Nico...he looked away before his expression could be read. He was not going to get distracted that easily. Not when a life was at stake.
“Nico is right. We are not killing them,” he said simply, meeting Hange’s eyes, still smiling. “So we should start looking for another way out of here, and quickly.”

Hange | Museum room | strider ®Hawkpath® |

Hange's eyes narrowed in disbelief as Kelsier took the boy's - alright, evidently not his son's - side. It appeared they had misjudged him. Well...if it came to it, it seemed they might become the sole carrier of this responsibility.

"I am willing to search for another way out," they said slowly, keeping their temper carefully under wraps for the time being in case the House really was planning to provide them with multiple options. "But you both know the House, that much is clear. If there is no other way out, you should also know that I have no intention of sacrificing the two of you for a pawn."

Nico frowned back at Hange and Kelsier, hesitating just a little bit as their words reached him. Hange didn’t believe Quincy was a person, then. Did that make killing them easier? It would have been much simpler if they were antagonistic… but no. Nico wasn’t going to let any harm come to them unless every other option had been tried. Unfortunately, this room was huge. It was going to take a long time to search every inch of it. He breathed out, trying to ignore the intensity of Kelsier’s words. If it came to it… Nico had to choose if he would lay down his life for Quincy. If Hange wanted to kill them but didn’t want to sacrifice either Kelsier or Nico… would they be willing to kill Nico if he got in the way? Perhaps the bigger question was whether or not they would even be able to. He frowned – they weren’t there yet.
“I have to uh… use the restroom,” he told Quincy lamely, an attempt at an awkward smile touching his lips. “Could you please show me to the exit?” He noted the way Quincy was looking. If they didn’t lead him to an exit, he would try in the area they very clearly didn’t want him to see. The situation wasn’t ideal, but he would much rather be the one actually searching for options while Hange and Kelsier argued.

Kelsier | Truth Room | strider

Kelsier wasn’t going to thank the House for this room, even if it did mean that they were talking. Even if it meant Kelsier knew the truth. He wouldn’t have wanted to know like this, he would never have chosen to force it out of Nico. Maybe they had come to the conclusion that they thought of each other as father and son, but what was quite possibly the best thing about how their story had happened so far was that Kel had never had the chance to be lulled into a sense that he had any sort of claim to Nico, as most parents were at least tempted to believe at times. It was easy for parents, at least birth parents, to think of their child as an extension of themselves, which was why if they didn’t approve of something, they tended to assume that meant they could deny their children the same thing. There was no excuse for that sort of thinking, in Kel’s opinion, but it did seem easier to avoid when it was so abundantly clear that Kel had chosen and been chosen to be a dad, nothing more. And there was nothing in the world that felt better than being chosen when it wasn’t at all necessary.
The question barely registered before the answer escaped his lips.
“No, my opinion has been wrong before and will be again, it’s far from objectively true. I’m probably wrong about something right now, I just don’t know what,” he said, then blinked, startled. That was not...at all what he would have said normally. “Blunt. Thank you, House,” he added under his breath, shaking his head. That’s definitely what I intended to say, he tried to remark to Nico, then closed his mouth and rolled his eyes. “Ah, even sarcasm is banned,” he said instead, carefully sticking to the facts this time. “I hate that. How am I supposed to communicate?”
He paused, then realized his mistake. Direct question. He grit his teeth. “To be clear, I was asking you, House, not Nico.”
He fell silent, listening quietly to Nico’s reply. He believed that, too. Something like sadness came alive inside him at the realization...Nico really thought that. He breathed out, then slid down the wall so he was resting beside Nico, his head leaned back against the hard surface.
“Heroic,” he murmured, tasting the word. “Right. I did describe it that way, didn’t I? Heroic...” he shook his head, face serious. “Listen, Nico. I think I made a mistake when I described it that way. Maybe the story sounds heroic, but...it was just surviving, at the time. And surviving, it’s never epic, it’s never beautiful. It’s ugly, messy, and real. I didn’t flaunt my power, I didn’t spin majestically through the air, hurtling towards them with daggers and witty remarks poised, a smile on my face. I screamed. I sobbed. It was messy and I didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t even trying to escape at first, you know, I was trying to get to her, to Mare, and when I did...it was too late.”
He looked at Nico, a small, sad smile on his face, “maybe I’m a hero, maybe not. But if surviving was messy for you, all it means is that it was real, nothing more.”
He fell silent. That had been...a lot...but then, wasn’t that what this room was for? For them to talk honestly?
He listened, nodding a little as Nico confirmed what he’d already known. “I never said it was a choice you should have to make,” he told him, not looking away. “Or that there was any way for you to choose to let them die. But don’t start thinking that it doesn’t count as a good thing you’ve done, because that’s easy to think if you forget you had a choice.”