__________ POV Narration__________
For a long time, Kurapika had thought himself to be the last of his clan, burdened with the task of taking vengeance for all of his family and friends.
He had been alone and wary for the last half of his life, he spent his time training in order to hunt down the Troupe.
Now, to find out he is not actually alone, the information broke his strong facade, he started crying like a child. He no longer needed to shoulder these burdens alone.
He somewhat knew who this man was. He had learned about him from Cheadle after he became a new member of the Zodiacs.
There was no clear record of Ashton's birth, he was a bit of an enigma to everyone that knew his first name.
His family name was barely mentioned in any documentation and it was definitely a fake one too. No one with even a shred of intellect would believe that to be his last name.
'Lennington' was a bit too weird of a name for them to consider real. And it was, Netero just thought it would be funny to name his friend like that.
Kurapika could tell that this person had his own problems, he was even hiding his heritage. But just the knowledge that he was no longer alone was enough for the teenager to break down.
He almost forgot the fact that this man said he also bought some of the eyes himself. Almost... But he was sure there was some explanation to it.
He didn't want to think badly of his last living relative. So he was willing to listen with an open mind. This is exactly what Ashton had in mind with his 'confession'
After all, there was no one alive that could testify against him. Not one person in the world knew his actual origin, just like they didn't know that he could genetically modify himself.
He had kept the whole ordeal as a secret simply because he didn't like prying eyes. Now his secrecy was being rewarded with a successful plan.
Although Ashton's next sentences could make or break their alliance, the Troupe knew that he would do some experiments with the eyes. So he needed to mention that too.
At least, he now knew that Kurapika wouldn't react violently. Not against someone he considers his own blood.
Which meant that at least half of Ashton's plan was already accomplished. He didn't need to worry about being attacked by Kurapika at all.
After all, it is much harder to save the life of someone trying to kill you.
__________ POV Ashton__________
"Hey now... There's no need to cry... There might be more out there too..." I said with a reassuring smile.
He used the sleeve of his suit to wipe his tears, he looked at me. "... Wh- Where were you?"
"I am a much older member of the Kurta Clan... I am even older than the old chairman... I have been exploring the world for a long time..." I will take the 'old grandpa' approach.
I will act my age and mention my seniority.
His eyes widened in disbelief. I guess it's hard to act old when you don't really look it.
"You are still young... Seeing you so consumed by revenge... It sends shivers down these old bones of mine..." Regardless of looks, I can easily sell the whole 'concerned grandpa' act.
He looked down once again. Thinking about some things.
"I... I already knew you were old... I was informed of your identity as a new member of the Zodiacs... But I wasn't expecting... This."
I guess he must've been told of my age and relationship with the previous chairman. That makes things easier.
He seemed to be flabbergasted. After the tears were dried up, confusion set in. Thought like 'why didn't he help us?' and 'why did he want the eyes of his own people?'
Are likely brewing up in this young man's mind... And they will be answered.
"W-Why-" He started a question, and I started responding as soon as the first word came out of his mouth.
"I had detached myself from our clan... Something I regret today, I wanted to explore the world without any worry... I left everyone behind back then. And this is where we are now." I said as I gritted my teeth.
His eyes widened once more, this time in grief. I guess I did a good job selling the 'wayward soul' performance too... Now for 'la pièce de résistance'.
"That... That is one of the things I regret the most in my life... Distancing myself from the people I loved, a cowardly endeavour that only brought me more misery in the end..." I said as a tear slid down my cheek.
Hey now... I wasn't trying to make this so real... Why does my fake act strike this close to home?...
I shook my head quickly dispelling any reflective thoughts I might've had. I can't let this affect me now, I am in the final stages of gaining this child's trust.
He looked at me, his expression was a tragic one. He closed his eyes painfully and seemed to shut down for a second. I left him to think for a bit.
Meanwhile, I will start formulating my next point... Why I needed to use 'our' clan's eyes.
I can't just bluntly say that I wanted to experiment putting it on animals. No, that would defeat the purpose of my last 'quilty' act.
I need to make this one more subtle. I can mention something we both have in common, the special ability of the Scarlet eyes will be what carries this forwards.
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Hope you liked the chapter.
Bit of a shorter chap, I might release another one later tonight tho.
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