[ the words sputter over her tongue. alina knows nina is only asking the same questions that she'd had. she knows it. but it feels like an assault on the one thing that she's been bottling up since she's been here. there's a frantic edge to her reply. ]
Stop. Stop looking for ways to defend him. [ she takes nina by the upper arms. ] I'm telling you the truth. Just— [ a pang of something, there, in her face. ] Believe me.
[ who would?
who would believe the frightened girl who had needed to be dragged to the little palace by force, who had immediately set about searching for ways to escape? the girl who had hidden away from the fact that she was grisha for years? over their own general? this was why she'd needed to flee. she couldn't trust aleksander, couldn't trust baghra, couldn't even trust genya. if she didn't have nina, she had no one. ]
no subject
[ the words sputter over her tongue. alina knows nina is only asking the same questions that she'd had. she knows it. but it feels like an assault on the one thing that she's been bottling up since she's been here. there's a frantic edge to her reply. ]
Stop. Stop looking for ways to defend him. [ she takes nina by the upper arms. ] I'm telling you the truth. Just— [ a pang of something, there, in her face. ] Believe me.
[ who would?
who would believe the frightened girl who had needed to be dragged to the little palace by force, who had immediately set about searching for ways to escape? the girl who had hidden away from the fact that she was grisha for years? over their own general? this was why she'd needed to flee. she couldn't trust aleksander, couldn't trust baghra, couldn't even trust genya. if she didn't have nina, she had no one. ]
Please.