Oh! Rich! She thought money was of little consequence – and it had been, to her.

He was silent to her assertion, and to her plan. He turned his head to regard her with a cool look, the corner a ways away yet …

“Father had always had a calming effect on me,” he answered, lightly. “Shame about that.”

He let his arms drop and rolled his shoulders, bile in his throat and venom begging to find its target. He swallowed instead.

“You know,” he mused, gasping his hands together as though a profound realization had just come to him. “Yasmin had, too. Even Ali had made me a more confident man than the one before you now. Whatever happened to them, Nisa?” he asked, plaintively, but his gaze was sharp. “Or anyone in the history of history, other than yourself, that I’ve touched for more than five seconds. Were they not challenge enough, Nisa?”

There was a sweetness to the inflection on her name – a bitter sweetness, but a sweetness nonetheless.

Conveniently for Malachi and that lady from knitting with her ear pressed hungrily to the wall, their voices echoed between the odd ambiance between the houses.

Since Malachi hadn't given any direction, she walked without direction. She listened to him and nodded but there was no sign of her worries being eased. In fact, when he spoke of an incident she became far more worried, but kept it contained to not bother him more so.

"What?? Did you report it?" She worried he wouldn't, he seemed to never want to bother anyone. Her eyes met his, begging him silently to say that he had. So the woman wouldn't worry more about what he was going through. She kept walking, but her steps slowed slightly as she waited for his response and wondering what was going on. "Do you know what it was about?"

Nisa walked away so that none of the women she'd tried to befriend would over hear them speak. Her eyes narrowed but only for a moment. She kept her voice light as she walked towards their home.

"So? It isn't like I took father from you. And those others, I don't do any of that because they knew you. Don't be so self centered. They were around and they upset me. Where were you to save them, if you want to say it is just because they were close to you?" She said as she looked to him.

"Have, in all the time this has been happening, ever placed a hand on me to stop me? Have you ever been there to threaten me with the police or anything else? No, you were never there because you never are when it matters." She said casually as she walked. "You didn't even correct the constables when they placed the finger on father even though you knew."

She walked along enjoying the sunlight. "Certainly the dragon deserves the blame for it's destruction, but everyone just complains when there is no knight to stop it, right?"

Report it? No. Of course he hadn’t reported it. What would that do but place an actual target over his head?

Malachi watched her with a careful look, then assured, “yes, I did.”

As Nettie slowed her steps, he followed her lead and slowed his pace as well. So slow that, within seconds, he had stopped completely, and tried not to turn his head when he heard familiar voices carry on. Didn’t want to listen in.

Well, tried not to want to listen in. What bits he caught hardly… made sense… and he knew well the harm of assumptions.

“They were just looking for money,” he said dismissively. “I’m not concerned about the details of it. The constables will take care of it, I’m certain. Tell me about your meeting?”

It felt wrong to be walking away from the house.

He set a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Started walking again, just as directionless as her.

A muscle jumped in his jaw, though he otherwise appeared calm as they walked.

“Don’t you think it,” he said, dropping his voice, “a little improper, to scorch the ones your loved ones care about?”

He flinched when she targeted his absence. He did have a way of disappearing – albeit temporarily, thus far.

“No, Nisa,” he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve covered your tracks instead.”

He bet she thought she was impeccable. Untouchable. A lone dragon in the wind, oblivious to the sweepers of ash below her.

“That,” he gritted out between a smile with teeth, voice level once more, “was my naivety. You said one thing – Baba said the same.”

And neither had made sense. He laced his hands behind him, ignoring the racing of his heart as the corner approached.

“Is that what you’ve wanted? Someone to stop you?”

He caught a glimpse of figures up ahead when they rounded the house … awfully familiar figures. Oh well. He had given them a head start; he doubted they had heard anything. But by Allah, he hoped they didn’t look back.

Nettie immediately relaxed when he told her. She had a small feeling he was lying, but she wasn't going to think that way. She wanted to believe he'd be truthful to her, and he would take care of himself. "Let's get lunch then, you really do look unwell, though it could be from your encounter."

She looked up at him and hoped he would follow her. He hadn't about the water though, he'd followed the brother to Nisa who seemed a bit strange with her though caring. She knew it was better not to delve deeply if it wasn't her place. People didn't like it when outsiders bothered with their personal problems. The woman walked a bit more of an average pace. "If you aren't well... do you want me to walk you home so you can get some rest? You are a very hard worker."

Nisa shrugged. "If someone loves another, they shouldn't do something to deserve being scorched. And no one is perfect, they had their bad sides." She said as she continued on. "Just because we hadn't seen it yet."

She paused for a moment and there was a silence before she resisted the desire to grab his jacket. "Oh? And why would you do that? Are you so worried about more shame? Do you think what I did was right? I did what I did because it was my choice. Whether I had reason or not to do it. I've never put you or father into the consideration when I started, and I won't begin to now. It is amazing I have lasted so long, but I have been much better at cleaning up after myself. You aren't even home enough to clean up, unless you're playing with the police to keep my evidence hidden." She said outright as she looked to him curiously.

Her frown was clear now, "It all started because I didn't care if I was stopped, I did what I had to. And I wasn't caught, so I did some more because of my own reasons, but they too were because I didn't care. Now, I am wondering how long until you no longer care."

From his… encounter?

Malachi looked down at her then, catching her gaze already fixed upon him. If anything, his ‘encounter’ had only lifted his spirits, for the few short minutes it had lasted. He had only lifted his spirits. To think that the detective could have been the source of his distress – while it was not entirely untrue, it was a storm he was willing to weather.

God. He needed to be focusing on God. God and the church and- Nettie, who so caringly tried to tend to him despite his every effort not to be tended to.

“I’m well enough,” he insisted. “But you’re right. I should rest.”

He wouldn’t rest. He’d hardly been able to sit still in that room since the detective had left it. It felt emptier, for having held life beyond his own.

Betraying his better judgement, Malachi glanced behind them. Caught but a glimpse of the siblings walking at a distance, and turned forward again, expression unchanged.

“Walk me home,” Malachi agreed, guiding her in the direction of the church.