Percy took a slow step back, tension tightening his shoulders as reality settled in. He knew exactly who he was dealing with. If Elaine wanted to, she could snap his neck before he even realized what was happening.
"Does it really matter if I don't have one?" he said, his voice shaking, though whether from anger or grief was hard to tell.
"My wife, my child… none of that changes just because I have some kind of skill. So why help us at all if you're just going to treat her like she's worth more than the rest of us?"
The pain in his eyes was raw, unfiltered. Even Gideon felt it. What Percy had gone through wasn't something a person simply moved past.
And Elaine's question hadn't been fair either. A life was still a life, whether it was useful or not.
At least, that belief didn't hold much weight anymore.
"Of course it matters," Elaine replied, her tone calm, almost detached. She tilted her head slightly, the warmth she showed earlier gone without a trace.
