I'm not going to hurt you. [ Royce says, and now he sounds annoyed. ] Do you need me to promise that I'm not going to physically harm you? I can promise that.
[ Because the fallout from that would be far, far too much for Royce to even want to consider the option. He's not entirely sure he can trust Kesara, even if she's a child - she's sneaky and he doesn't give her much of a pass just because she's eleven. But his allies would not be pleased if he killed her, and honestly - Royce is pretty sure he himself wouldn't be pleased if he had to kill her. So he rules the option out. He can promise her that at least he won't do that much. Emotionally is a different story - he can't make that promise, because he can't make that promise with anybody.
His voice gets harsh again, low and sharp. ]
What happened between House and I was meant to be between House and I. Ecks and Watson didn't need to be involved. You did not need to be involved. It was settled, and done, and all three of you picked at it and made it bleed.
I could have talked Ecks down from killing me, but Watson stepped in and tried to arrest me. I offered to cooperate, but he wanted to tie me up. While he was trying to restrain me, Ecks k -- killed me. [ Sorry - he still sticks on that word sometimes, but he keeps going, brushing over it. ] I could hold you responsible like I do Watson. I should. This is what happens when you shove your way into a debt between two men that's already been settled.
[ He sighs shortly. ] But you admit it was a mistake. You believe it was a mistake. It's not empty. So I won't. Still. You need to understand now that I might not be able to trust you like I did before.
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[ Because the fallout from that would be far, far too much for Royce to even want to consider the option. He's not entirely sure he can trust Kesara, even if she's a child - she's sneaky and he doesn't give her much of a pass just because she's eleven. But his allies would not be pleased if he killed her, and honestly - Royce is pretty sure he himself wouldn't be pleased if he had to kill her. So he rules the option out. He can promise her that at least he won't do that much. Emotionally is a different story - he can't make that promise, because he can't make that promise with anybody.
His voice gets harsh again, low and sharp. ]
What happened between House and I was meant to be between House and I. Ecks and Watson didn't need to be involved. You did not need to be involved. It was settled, and done, and all three of you picked at it and made it bleed.
I could have talked Ecks down from killing me, but Watson stepped in and tried to arrest me. I offered to cooperate, but he wanted to tie me up. While he was trying to restrain me, Ecks k -- killed me. [ Sorry - he still sticks on that word sometimes, but he keeps going, brushing over it. ] I could hold you responsible like I do Watson. I should. This is what happens when you shove your way into a debt between two men that's already been settled.
[ He sighs shortly. ] But you admit it was a mistake. You believe it was a mistake. It's not empty. So I won't. Still. You need to understand now that I might not be able to trust you like I did before.