Skulduggery

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Counting Glasses Instead | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ 5AM ~ "And you don't know how to feel until the moment's passed."
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Sure, she knew eventful. That didn't mean she meant substantial.

You can always fill holes with meaningless nothings and you'll always be surprised when by the next morning it's empty all over again. Stifling a exhale Lyn finished the first of the new drink's glass off but then Kole propositioned what she saw as the whole bottle of the old stuff and her brow raised by a hair, gaze inquisitive and level to him now, "You know my kind's got two livers exactly for this, right?" Her tone was bemused but definitely interested, jokingly reminding him of that significant anatomical advantage. She still slid the flask aside, nodding ever-so-slightly, "But if you're offering, I can't exactly say no."

Hell, she wasn't good at saying no to much at all, no matter how much the sane parts of her mind crooned for some self-control. It was just a lot easier to drift from bad choice to equally bad choice. This, though, this seemed like the lesser of quite a few evils, to stay here and drink with someone who likely wouldn't throw her off his balcony.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Drowning | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Do I Wanna Know ~ "We could be together if you wanted to."
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Kole's blank grin could be seen disappearing into the kitchen once more, but only for the briefest of moments. His return maintained the same grin, but this time come a rather large bottle, filled with the contents of the previous beverage. It was something, alright. "Right." A hint of hesitation in his voice after finding himself in the act of pouring the glasses full of the golden liquid. Concerning? Maybe, it left him at a disadvantage but Kole could hold his own, too. Being an HRD made him far more tolerable to alcohol too, but he wasn't sure if he could hold up to a Zeltron. Maybe she was a lightweight, crashed and burned quicker than most. For the sake of his pride, that is.

His meal was left alone for the moment, steam flowing from it and visible into the air. It was with one glass in his hand that he moved to clink it together with the other one, presumably in Lyn's hand. "To... odd partnerships." Then, well, you know the rest.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Treading Liquor | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ 5AM ~ "Oh, how I wish you'd live like you were made of glass."
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"To ol' Maltoya, may we throw his killer in the detention centre." Lyn mused as she let the lip of her glass connect with Kole's for a half-assed toast. She was too busy knocking back the drink to put any real effort into the action, but, still, an auspicious start to the proceeding. She swirled the drink a little before sipping a little more casually, pacing herself. The pacing did nothing for her, though, if she really wanted to get drunk she'd need to do shot after shot till the sky turned upside-down. Those were the fun nights.

Somehow suspecting that behaviour wouldn't be welcome, the Zeltron leaned her back up on the counter with all her associated swagger, rolling her head a little to look at him with another curious face, this time choosing her words carefully, "So this isn't your first murder case," Resting her elbows on the counter Lynnori leaned back a little more, gaze on him firmly still, "And you used to be on the force. So what did you work? Homicide?"

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Answers | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Do I Wanna Know ~ "Ever thought of calling, darling?"
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Kole's hand moved to grasp the lower part of his face, forcing a gristle sound as it rubbed down against his stubble. His head nodded a few times, staring off to the right ever so slightly, not all his attention could be fixated upon Lynnori. "Yeah." He first began, his head turning to face Lyn as his free hand idly began making motions within the meal he had left out. Only one more bite to go now. "That and Internal Affairs." His fork full of food rose to his mouth, placing it within for the chewing to begin. He had questions himself, but he was never great at picking his questionnaire battles without being too dominating. It was due to experience in his line of work, of course. You had to push boundaries, poke buttons, and so on. Kole hadn't any intention to make Lyn feel unwelcome.

"You've got no experience in law enforcement?" Kole asked, his mouth freshly vacant of food. The Zeltron hadn't mentioned anything about it, but it was an odd thing to delve into, really. All the while, another two glasses were to find themselves filled.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Avoiding | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ 5AM ~ "And we've got work in the morning; but it's nearly 5 AM."
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The laugh his question got out of her was musical and almost haughty, her head shaking back and forth as she took her third glass of the stuff up to her lips, "Tell you the truth, I'm better fit for the wrong side of things," Knocking back the glass with the grace only a Zeltron could muster she set it back down, a smirk that was impossible to hide forming again, "I told ya', only thing I've got for me right now is flying. And that's all I've done, really. Fly, break a couple laws while flying. Trying to branch out to this other chit is hard, but my parents always thought I was meant for space." Perhaps a bit too much information to lead with, but, oh well. Even if it took a lot more than this to get her properly wasted, the alcohol still made her speak a bit more freely.

"But, hey. For all my-- My whatevers, still trying to do a little good." Wash out the bad.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Answers | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "You know I tried so hard."
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Kole raised an eyebrow at her first answer. He wasn't entirely pure himself, really. It wasn't something that he made known, though, and that's how he preferred it. The less people knew about him the better, as far as he was concerned, and if that meant he lived through a lie? It wasn't going to be the end of his morality. The kind to look after himself first, and then consider someone else second. For someone that didn't really​ know a lot of people, it made choosing easy, and so it was Lynnori that wouldn't be left in the dirt. At least for now, that is - things change all the time. Not always for the best, but everyone knew that.

"Can only try." He commented, sloshing back another glass. It was something strange, the feeling of the burn and it all rolling through his system despite the fact it had little to no effect. Being a Droid wasn't as fun as it seemed, or digit seem fun at all? Likely not. "They wanted you off Zeltros?" He asked, maybe pushing a little too far with the parent-card, but it wasn't as if it really mattered. As he spoke, it was through the same scrunched face, but to a lesser extent. You could adapt to it once you remembered the sensation.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Dragged Down | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ 5AM ~ "Is this really what we envisioned? We won't be 21 again."
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He was definitely pushing -- She even raised an eyebrow in response to the further prodding but didn't seem reluctant to co-operate, "Probably the opposite, actually. I mean, they're engineers. Worked on the big liners when they came into port once the cruise had ended and all. But, I ran away when I was a teenager looking for a good time, so, I can't say I know what they wanted me to do." If she wagered? Probably some sort of exotic dancer.

"And, uh, well, I guess it's a known fact most members of my species don't do monogamy very well, too... Self-indulgent. Made for a strange home environment." Woah, yep, pump the breaks on that. No need to send the whole boat over the waterfall of the tragic childhood, when it was hers and hers alone to drown in. Kole didn't need to get dragged into that mess, especially considering they'd just met. Considering... Yeah. Another drink knocked back down her throat, the glass tapping on the counter briefly to indicate a needed refill on his part. Keep it coming, her gaze silently said.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Answers | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "My feelings just can't discard."
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'Parents'.

It was something he knew, or thought he did. Kole had the life of a farmer set out before him, and he hadn't any desire to toil in the soil. He required something of meaning, something to give him purpose. It was as far as he knew, really. The Galactic Alliance is where he spent his days, over a long, long period of time his life had been indebted to the cause that saw him go. Kole was a killer, efficient and all; it hadn't plagued his mind, but it created his personality. Literally. Then, well, Coruscant Security Force. His 'skillset' was valuable, and so it's there he found himself. 'The Rat', that was Kole.

Kole, of course, began to pour another two glasses. "You the same way?" The HRD asked, a smirk creased across his lips as the glasses began to fill the glasses. She knew what he was talking about, what it meant. Hopefully. Potent liquor was the very best, the kind you can smell and be brought back to a memory of dread combined with glee.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Drowning Now | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ 5AM ~ "And in the haze you see colours, and problems suddenly make sense."
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"Good question."

Ah, now she could start to feel something. Like the liquid courage had untethered some of her resistance to this type of conversation, no longer feeling marbles in her gut whenever she considered this part of her cultural disassociation. Gripping the glass with the daintiness of royalty, Lyn knocked some back before answering, a finger raised pragmatically in the air, "Sometimes I wish I was," The Zeltron began, voice low, the hand raised dropping to the counter again, "But it's kind of hard to believe in that when you see it all go to chit first-hand. Plus, eh, I'm a hopeless romantic, that how it goes? I like the appeal of finding someone, I guess. I've seen people bounce between, what, ten different people though, like it's nothing?" The rest of the drink went, then, "Don't think I could do that."

Like a cycle the glass was set down to await Kole's refill, "You?"

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Answers | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "The way in which I fell into."
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It was hardly something Kole could relate to. He hadn't been romantically involved, ever. It was simply a luck of the draw, really. Arbra wasn't kind to him, as he hadn't fit into their culture, an outsider if there ever was one. Much in the same way as to how he lives now. It was intentional on behalf of those that engineered him, for you weren't able to feel. Yet, if you spent enough time in the real world things started to change, it started to change you​. Kole, robotic or not, began to become human in his own right. There were difficulties, obstacles, but they were to passed in time.

"Yeah." He mumbled beneath his own breath, as silent reflection of himself.

His hand reached for the bottle, and like a crane he dangled it over the glasses. Kole hadn't felt anything significant yet, and that was a shame. It might explain as to why he has so many bottles, such a wide variety. He wasn't a drunk, but sometimes it was better to alleviate the burdens of reality with a poison that altered it, even if the slightest of details. "Same here." His eyes on the golden liquid that flowed from the bottle on his grip, "Haven't, erh, bothered much with it." It was true, he spent his time alone.

Sometimes he preferred it that way.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Lungs Filling Up | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ Love Won't Sleep ~ "Put out these fires in my headspace, 'cause I'm wide awake."
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A huff left the Zeltron, "Haven't bothered? You'd probably do well. You're the type of most of the galaxy, after all." Lyn didn't specify herself, but the implication was there. An indulgent drink later and her smile seemed just a bit looser, gaze wandering back to him after a brief sojourn away to look at his ceiling of all things, "Yeah. yeah, you'd do well." Her comments were vague but definitely complementary, at least, maybe.

Well. They didn't seem like insults.

Tims time it was her who grabbed the bottle, right by the neck, refilling her glass hastily and tipping it towards him. It was also at this point that she moved to hop right up on his counter to sit. Probably rude. Yeah, definitely a little rude. Her legs crossed, her fingers cradled the glass, she stifled a yawn. Paradise.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Blushed | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "Your heart was never what I once knew."
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An awkward, amused, grinned-accompanied huff escaped Kole in the moment, his eyes turning to the counter whilst his head slowly shook from left to right. "Thanks." Was Kole's verbal response, extending his arm to take hold of the bottle that lie in his peripherals Turning back to see her position herself on the counter. Kole, honestly, didn't think much of it. It might've been rude, but these 'pheromones' changed his perception of certain things she had done. Almost anything she could do, really. Is that how it works? No, it's not. It wasn't the question Kole was asking himself, though. Something more along the lines of what happens when she crashes and burns under all this alcohol?

The waters of life flowed into his own glass once more. It ensnared his attention, being careful not to be too reckless with it, lest he spill it overboard. There was some of it rifling through his system, tearing him apart, but not to the point in which it altered his behaviour or motor-function. It was simply something that was there. Beyond that? Nothing.

His own perceptions of her had lead him to say the following, "I'm sure you're just fine on your own." Kole had pressed off the countertop, standing upright and offering a nod. Another drink down the hatch, disappearing into the void of his internals. There wasn't much of a reaction by now, it had all become so monotonous. Perhaps the only real fear Kole ever had in his life. Things turning into he same old thing day-in-day-out. Most people could relate, or so he hoped was the case.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Not That Drunk On It | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ Love Won't Sleep ~ "Why am I awake? The city sits below and we take shots at the moon."
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Satisfied that her position atop the kitchen surface was secured Lyn threw another one back. Sure, she could feel it now, but one of her livers was on it (Or, at least, she told herself that). More would be inevitably required to keep the buzz up and going, more that he seemed to be supplying all too eagerly and freely, "Yeah, I do. Well. They try. I'm..."

"Picky."

Over navy lashes she looked to Kole, a grin wide enough to see teeth. It was the smile of someone having a genuinely good time, looking for more, even. Yet a tinge of reservation; for all her blind courage and mania, to be in the deep end with only a bottle and an aforementioned smile was an experience not to be treated lightly. It needed you to have a light touch and be a strong swimmer, and unfortunately for Lynnori, she'd never learned how to. To swim, that is.

"Seems like you are, too. Picky, I mean. Unless you really just don't talk to people."

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Oh Dear | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "Lately my skull has kept."
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Exhale.

​This wasn't something he was entirely ready for. His mind, once more, ran rampant with thoughts. Memories and the feelings associated with them, that ultimately led him into a dead-end of absolute nothingness. His response, when it came, was slow, soft, and it was filled with the hesitance that came with never being entirely sure on an answer you game. "I..." An exhale squeezed it's way out of him, flowing into the air between them, but not directly at her. Lynnori wasn't made a customer of his hot breath, not yet. "Haven't found someone." His head slowly nodding forwards in process of coming to understand his own answer, "Yet." He added, almost twitching his head in another nod. Kole almost smirked after he grabbed a hold of the bottle, ready to pour another glass, "But, I've never really been looking." The waters of life, as they had been referred to all too many times, flowed freely once more.

Maybe it was a way to cope with the... stress(?) of the situation he was in? It was certainly foreign, if nothing else. What he had claimed was the truth, though. Kole had never been searching for someone to become involved with. It wasn't even something that ran across his mind, not even once. Yet, in the moment he stood here with a glass in his hand and a burning sensation in his throat, he considered it. Of course, this was due to the 'pheromones', right? If only it were that simple.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Oh Yes | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ Love Won't Sleep ~ "I wanna give it to you, I wanna give it to you."
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Her smile remained, ever-present, ever teasing, "Murder mysteries don't really stand in for speed-dating, do they." The Zeltron said with a near-drawl, the new grin following it up too sappy and slow to be anything like the one from just seconds before. Something different. Her head tilted a little, molten eyes locked on his, "It's pretty late." A fact, a statement. Few more hours would pass regardless of what they did and Coruscant would see the sun rise, their job to resume, the break they currently enjoyed over as the found tranquility was dragged back to strangled Clawdites and mysterious tokens, illegal casinos and mysterious trails.

Just another day on this forsaken world.

Somehow Lyn found it in her to tip the glass back again. She wasn't tipsy, per se, but maybe her organs weren't working as well as she'd thought. There was a nice warm buzz inside. Maybe this stuff was just stronger than she'd first anticipated. Maybe Kole was better at this than she'd assumed. All of the above, more than likely.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Oh Dear | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "Diving line, deep set and paved."
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Kole didn't dare look away; he couldn't, not even if he tried. It was in the moment that their eyes interlocked with one another, shared a gaze into the soul of one another, that Kole's top lip rolled over the bottom, teeth sunk into it as he held it there. His synthetic mind, cautious as can be, considered the intention of such a statement. It sounded... alluring, as if it wanted something. His heart, within his chest, began to pound, a weighty feeling that had his breaths struggle to maintain their level of concealment. He hadn't even motioned to pour himself another glass, for it was this that had ensnared the entirety of his attention. He should of seen it coming, but he never was very bright in regards to the current, foreign situation. A deep breath filled his lungs, his chest rose with only to be released with an air-filled, "Yeah." It was soft, above a whisper, but not by much.

Yes. He caved.

He needed something to say, but he didn't quite know what. It dawned on him that she hadn't even seen the bedroom, the place where she was to be sleeping whilst Kole toughed it out on the couch that rest outside his peripheral vision. "I can show you where you'll be sleeping." His movements were sluggish, but he extended a hand, as if she was to take it from him.

Heart-Rate Rising.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Into The Deep | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ Love Won't Sleep ~ "Tell me is it so bad, 'cause it hurts like that when I think about it."
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It's like egging someone on to do something but when they actually do it, it all falls apart before your eyes, that one thing you wanted turning to dust in your mouth. Uncertainty was something she never felt but it rose in spades now. And yet still Lyn's hand easily slid into Kole's, shrugging, "Yeah, alright." The still-sober part of her mind managed to keep the drunken side of it from spouting on about bedroom jokes and yadda-yadda. No, she was silent like a grave, but twice as lively. Still holding the small glass of liquor because she wasn't gonna put a good drink to waste, she finished it off before they passed the threshold into the next room.

"Y'know," Her sober thoughts could suppress her ill-timed jokes but they couldn't stop her mouth from running still, "You've got a pretty good tolerance. I'm buzzed right now, duh, but you're still going pretty strong. Colour me impressed." Of course, her inability to read him played into the fact she thought he was still pretty sober.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
*Garbled Noises* | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "Two paths too wonderful to depart."
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His hand had slinked out of her own, soft grip. His hand on the opposite side of him in which she stood had moved upwards, the base of his palm rubbing at his eye after bowing into it slightly. He rotated his stance, standing side on from the bed itself, looking back into those amber eyes that rest perfectly within her pink skull. Kole grunted, clearing his throat, "This is, uh-" His tongue poked into his teeth, nodding, pausing "- it." This was such a difficult situation for him. His own alcohol filled body felt the buzz, maybe enough to make a good excuse for something frowned upon. Yet, it didn't show. His internal thoughts were... not as kind to him as they were without that poison, but it was all held at bay for one reason or another. At least, that is, for now.

"Thought you'd be colouring me with all that pink." Kole replied in jest. A sly grin across his face, ready to part ways. It was the waiting, for something, for anything. It was late, though. And Kole wasn't the kind to operate inefficiently. It was almost a remarkable ability to thrive on a lack of sleep, nutrients and more. It was, at the end of the day, something he had entirely placed on the fact of luck. It wasn't as if he had asked anybody else on the topic of it either. In the dark, as it were.

 

[Lynnori Cruz]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment, Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
Into The Deep | Interacting with [member="Kole Harper"] ~ Love Won't Sleep ~ "We're both cynics now; It kills me, but I'd die for you anyway."
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"Ha-ha. Real funny, like I haven't heard that before." Genuinely, she hadn't heard that before. It took a few passes through her slowly-stewing mind to really understand the whole joke but once she did a sleepy and pleased expression took over, a low laugh to follow, arms crossed loosely over her front. The humour did't stop a somber note or two from invading, however, as reality threatened to shatter the fantasy, "I feel like getting all... Tipsy's, a bad idea when we have investigating tomorrow." Whether she willed it or not her mind always was drawn back to the reason they were even breathing the same air in the first place, it was hard to not think on it.

Without it, they were two ships in the night, never meant to crash and burn and create beautiful sparks.

Still. The mood was changing, not even murder could change that (Unless things got very, very concerning very fast). A change of mentality could serve to be beneficial, focus on something else besides grimdark killings perhaps? At least, that logic was how she justified invading Kole's personal space, meandering over like she had all the time on Coruscant. The Zeltron was closer than she probably had a right to be to the HRD now when she came to a halt, arms still in that crossed position, gaze utterly affixed on him and it had yet to leave yet, "You," Lyn breathed, eyebrow raised half an inch to complete the look, "Are impossible to read, you know that?" Of course, part of her meant telepathically. But the dual-meaning worked to their advantage.

 

[Rakaan Horne]

Coruscant, Level 5171, Kole Harper's Apartment Day 1 Of The Job, Late Evening
*Garbled Noises* | Interacting with [member="Lynnori Cruz"] ~ Borderline ~ "And several desires to pursue."
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Kole's neck had craned, his head shifting in it's position to get the most the perfect glance he could on Lynnori. Those blue eyes that rest in their respective sockets fell upon her own amber eyes, seemingly lighting some part of him on fire as he was thrust into a position he had no idea how to conduct himself in. Both of his arms rest down by his side, idly resting as she made the approach. This tension was palpable, and everything turned his brain turned to mush. There was no complex thought, there was nothing he could remember outside of his own experience with this woman, and all of it was restricted to what they had shared. For all intensive purposes, it wasn't special, but to Kole it was. Pheromones, right? Of course, it was what drove him to this point, to the conclusion he made, and the fact that they were standing so close, her breath felt on his face in the dimly lit room, and a bed he was all too familiar with within reach.

​"Maybe it's better that way." He gave a vague response, a barely visible grin teasing his own lips. Much in the way everything that was placed over his face was barely visible, masked by something neutral, uncaring or disinterested. It was never the case, but Kole was simply one to struggle when it came to expression. He hadn't known which sort of 'reading' it was that Lyn had taken part in, but it intrigued him even more. Kole had decided, though, that it was in this moment he was going to shut his mouth, and let Lyn walk that rope. He was too clumsy in a situation such as this to even bother.