[ No, she does not even hesitate. She hands over her life without a second thought, accepting what may as well be a death sentence, so that her brother may have the chance to be free.
He should say no. He should lock them both up for their trespasses and let them rot down here together. He should let them see the futility of their foolish affection, their love, and how it only saw them to their deaths in the end.
...But her conviction is also so familiar, so painfully familiar, in a place within himself that he wishes he could forget, that he has tried to forget. But even now it surges up, giving him pause, causing him to consider her offer, to grant them this small mercy. He has seen enough to know that her word is true — if he lets her brother go with her life as collateral, he will not speak of what he has seen here to others.
Still, it is yet a moment longer before he answers. ]
...Very well.
[ He steps forward then, reaching out a hand — a gnarled, mechanical hand, rusted and creaking, to unlock the cell door and set the Elezen boy free. For just a moment, the flickering candlelight catches on the side of his face beneath his hood, on the jagged, uneven features fused with gears and pipes, broken in some places and bent in others. It would almost seem to be a mask, for how human his eyes seem to be beneath, but why would anyone ever keep on a guise so hideous, so unnatural?
This is no choice of his.
As soon as the cell door opens, another mechanical creature arrives, this one shaped like a spider with grotesque, spindly legs, large enough to ensnare Alphinaud and carry him on his back, whether he likes it or not.
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He should say no. He should lock them both up for their trespasses and let them rot down here together. He should let them see the futility of their foolish affection, their love, and how it only saw them to their deaths in the end.
...But her conviction is also so familiar, so painfully familiar, in a place within himself that he wishes he could forget, that he has tried to forget. But even now it surges up, giving him pause, causing him to consider her offer, to grant them this small mercy. He has seen enough to know that her word is true — if he lets her brother go with her life as collateral, he will not speak of what he has seen here to others.
Still, it is yet a moment longer before he answers. ]
...Very well.
[ He steps forward then, reaching out a hand — a gnarled, mechanical hand, rusted and creaking, to unlock the cell door and set the Elezen boy free. For just a moment, the flickering candlelight catches on the side of his face beneath his hood, on the jagged, uneven features fused with gears and pipes, broken in some places and bent in others. It would almost seem to be a mask, for how human his eyes seem to be beneath, but why would anyone ever keep on a guise so hideous, so unnatural?
This is no choice of his.
As soon as the cell door opens, another mechanical creature arrives, this one shaped like a spider with grotesque, spindly legs, large enough to ensnare Alphinaud and carry him on his back, whether he likes it or not.
This is Alisaie's only chance to say goodbye. ]