[A meaning. It's clear to him this is what the other man is searching for, even through the free stream of words. Itachi listens without judgment, though it allows him to draw a picture of this stranger in his mind - the earnest need to help and protect, to know that what he was doing had some purpose, some ultimate reason.
The needling sense of nostalgia rises, a warm frothy tide. He had felt that way once. Given a second chance... What could change, and what was beyond one's control? It was impossible to know. And the past was impossible to rewrite.]
I don't know.
[An answer to that hunt for meaning, or an answer to that future concern? Itachi doesn't clarify, even a slight frown touches his lips.]
... It isn't unwise to be prepared. [This, too, holds a certain vagueness. Then he's turning toward the edge of the rooftop, gaze dropping down as if to determine the fastest and most efficient route to the street.] Nonetheless, your willingness to cooperate was appreciated, despite your discomfort with combat.
[Sometimes his words are oblique; this is one of those moments. Sorry, Julian.]
no subject
The needling sense of nostalgia rises, a warm frothy tide. He had felt that way once. Given a second chance... What could change, and what was beyond one's control? It was impossible to know. And the past was impossible to rewrite.]
I don't know.
[An answer to that hunt for meaning, or an answer to that future concern? Itachi doesn't clarify, even a slight frown touches his lips.]
... It isn't unwise to be prepared. [This, too, holds a certain vagueness. Then he's turning toward the edge of the rooftop, gaze dropping down as if to determine the fastest and most efficient route to the street.] Nonetheless, your willingness to cooperate was appreciated, despite your discomfort with combat.
[Sometimes his words are oblique; this is one of those moments. Sorry, Julian.]