<strong>Name:</strong>That's Mr. Vor- er, Adam Smith<br/><br/><strong>Location:</strong>Gehenna's, table with Ariel<br/><br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Ariel<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Adam fixated on Ariel. He looked ahead at her, breathing shallow and regular. There was nothing to see beneath the mask, none of the subtle shifts of reaction or flickers of emotion that were so characteristic to intelligent, animated creatures with their sentience. As others regarded Adam, he failed to react to their scrutiny and, indeed, was simply not aware of it. The man hung on the angel's words, and they were a crude transmutation of expected and unexpected. The effect of her voice precluded disappointment, and the tattered nature of his soul precluded exuberance, as she spoke.<br/><br/>When she finished, he nodded his head. It was a very small dip of the chin, the muscles of his neck and shoulders scarcely working to make it so.<strong>"He knows."</strong>Adam replied, addressing the matter of confession, and omitting that he lacked the necessary contrition required to achieve absolution through the act. His soul was the way it was as a result of his choices. He could have chosen to die or suffer but remained pure, and he had rejected those options.<strong>"Everything I could say, He knows."</strong>Adam then tilted his head slightly, as if prompting Ariel to confirm the statement and sentiment. But he did not wait for it to come.<br/><br/>The man hesitated, and it was plain, at least to the angel, that he was contemplating something. He let go of the handle of the metal bar, and raised his hands to the clasps that held his mask on. Adam undid them, and the mask came away from his face. It revealed nothing that the angel was not already privy to; his features were not disguised by the mask to her eyes. Whatever meaning lay behind removing the mask was for him and him alone. But he seemed more vulnerable than he had been a moment ago, a thing easily pacified by any means the angel might choose: even a harsh glance might be sufficient to bring him to heel. His lips parted, but no sound issued forth.<br/><br/>Adam looked down to the mask, which rested in his hands before him, balanced on the table between them. His mouth clamped shut, and he raised his hands, replacing the mask to his face and once again becoming what he was.<strong>"I desired a moment of your light."</strong>Adam said as he affixed the mask into place. He grasped the handle of his weapon.<strong>"Thank you."</strong>