Freya X Desmond

Desmond’s heart swelled at the thought that Freya was worried about him. It was just further proof that she was reliable. She was just as committed to him as he was to her.

Desmond forced himself to think about the situation at hand - he wasn’t thrilled at the idea of being subjected to the new girl’s abilities, but he understood it was a necessary evil. Freya didn’t know this, but at the beginning, when she first arrived, the things she showed him... he damn near became an alcoholic trying to wipe those images from his mind. Whatever it was, he couldn’t imagine it being worse than Freya. Anyway, Paragon has trained him to withstand situations of that nature. He had seen so much that not much rattled him anymore.

“I appreciate your concern, but I think I’ll be fine. But you have to help me from the inside. You have to convince her that we aren’t here to hurt her, we’re here to protect her and everyone else.” He affectionately reaches forward and brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I wasn’t going to untie her hands, but I was thinking of untying her feet. If you don’t want me to, though, I won’t. And just to be clear, you don’t have to share your bed. She sleeps on the floor.” He asked, watching her face closely to gauge her reaction.

Desmond watched Freya practically deflate in front of her and he frowned, genuinely upset that he couldn’t give her what she wanted. He just needed her to be strong for this one last test and then she would be done.

“I’m not supposed to tell you this,” He whispered, glancing down the hallway in case Allegra was still lurking, “but if you do well, this should be your last test. You just have to be strong for a little bit longer.” Desmond hadn’t even begun to consider what might happen after this test. Just getting through this experience had been consuming all of his thoughts and energy but now that he mentioned it, he wondered if the prospect of moving off of the compound with Freya would be allowed.

He pulled her in for a hug because he hated seeing her upset. He was her caretaker, though, and sometimes that meant doing things that made her upset but were for the greater good and he knew she understood that. “Are you hungry? We can get some more food before going back in. Do you want anything else?” He paused, “Would having a weapon make you feel safer?” He hadn’t considered giving her a weapon prior to a few seconds ago, but he was willing to toss the idea around. He was confident that she wouldn’t use it on him or herself but he hadn’t ever offered her something so powerful and he pulled away just far enough to look down at her face.

Desmond ushered Freya down the hallway and into the kitchen. He opened the pantry and stepped back, silently offering Freya the opportunity to come forth and pick what she wanted. He didn’t often give her the choice but he was grasping at straws trying to find something to make her feel better.

His eyes never left Freya. Her shoulders appeared to sag under the burden of what she had to do and Desmond wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from this bullshit. She looked so frail and breakable, like she needed someone like Desmond to look out for her. After this, he would do something truly special for her. He would make up for all of this bullshit. He just needed Paragon to see what he saw in her - complete compliance.

“The quicker you convince her, the quicker this is over. I’ll figure out her long term plan, but it won’t be sharing a room with you. Don’t worry. I know you can do it, share your story. Make her see what you saw. You’re so good, Freya, you just have to be strong for this.” Desmond leaned against the wall as he watched her. He knew she was strong enough for this, he knew she would do it. He had spent years training her to do whatever he asked, so even though he was nervous as hell, he had faith she would do it. And he would be so damn proud of her when she did.

Unlike Freya, Desmond was eager to shove her back into the room. The sooner they got this over with, the sooner they could move on. He bit back a sigh of irritation when she sat down but he didn’t hurry her along. Instead, he leaned against a cabinet and stuck his hands in his pockets and watched her as she ate.

He took in another deep sigh as he pondered her question. She hadn’t asked these types of questions in a long time, several years probably, and he bit back the urge to tell her not to ask questions like that. He knew that she didn’t remember much of her life before Paragon and he wanted to keep it that way. He had made himself the center of her world and she didn’t remember anything other than him.

“Be careful with what you ask.” He reminded her sharply, a terse reminder that while he was generous, she needed to remember what he had taught her. But a second later he relaxed, and he ran a hand through his hair before he continued, “I don’t know exactly how long. A decade, maybe more. You got here right before another girl... got away. They wanted to kill you, and I protected you. I saved your life.”

He paused, not sure how much she remembered about Cyra. He was assuming not much, since she was new, but it was just another reminder that he was her protecter. He sighed again, getting impatient with just standing there. The girl tied on the floor better not have gotten herself into any trouble because he was not in the mood to be understanding and lenient.

“Your story since you got here. How this is for the best.” He said, pushing himself off the cabinets and moving towards the hallway back to the room, “Come on, take the rest with you.” He said, waving her on.

Desmond was too irritated to expect the hug, but it immediately softened him. It took him a second but he wrapped his arms around the frail girl, pulling her in close.

“I know it’s hard now, but I will always protect you. You’ll always have me.” He promised her softly, giving her another squeeze before letting her go.

He unlocked the door, holding it open for Freya before peeking in to ensure the new girl hadn’t escape or accidentally hung herself or something stupid like that. When he was satisfied that she was still on the ground where he left her, he turned his attention back to Freya. “Finish your good. You can untie her legs, but her hands should stay restrained. I’m keeping the door locked, but if you need me, just yell. You’re in charge, make me proud.” He didn’t wait for her response before he gave her one last squeeze on the shoulder and disappeared back through the door. A second later, the ‘click’ of the lock sliding into place could be heard.

Lyra watched Freya warily, wondering where she had gone. Her handler no doubt had spoken to her, reminded her of the nonsense she was going to spout to Lyra. She looked at the food then back at Freya, the pity clear in her eyes. "Please," she murmured after a moment. It wouldn't do her any good to refuse the girl's offer. "Thank you," She forced a smile, her sprite-like features lighting up with the expression. "So how do I get food around here?" She inquired, nodding to the jar in Freya's hands.