The initial torrent of noise had made Benedict think they were being bombed. Later, he was to discover the schoolhouse destroyed, that residents of this Habble have been injured, reports of a creature made of smoke and wailing like the damned buzzing on everyone's lips.
But the first boom of splintered foundations brought him right back to Habble Morning, to the day Bridget and Reggie faced off in a duel, the day Spire Aurora attacked and did their level best to destroy everything Benedict had ever known up until that moment. For a brief second, he's brought back to that day, the smell of stone dust and gunpowder, the slick hot wetness of Barney Aster's blood spilling over his fingers as he tried to staunch the bleeding, the hum of his gauntlet in his palm sending tingling vibrations up his arm each time he discharged the weapons crystal.
And then he hears Kate's breath hitch and he's slammed back into the present, back to the Surface, back to not understanding what's happening.
He follows Kate to the Town Hall, uncharacteristically grim and silent, all his senses on high alert as he stands behind her, his right hand steady on her shoulder both to ground her and himself, his left quietly flexing at his side like he wished for something to hold in it. Kate's outburst isn't unexpected; others have voiced similar concerns, and Benedict wholly supports each and every question people fling at Graves. Normally he'd be trying to insert himself into this dialogue, acting as mediator in an emotionally charged moment, but the very last thing he feels like doing is placating anyone. He may not have known Credence very well, but anyone with eyes could see that boy needed looking after, and the guilt of not having tried hard enough settles like a lead weight in his gut, keeping the ominous dread he's been feeling company.
"What will you do when you find him?" he finally asks Graves, reiterating Kate's concerns, his voice low but still somehow carrying perfectly well. "Are you going to shackle him? With what? How are you going to stop him when he's strong enough to destroy entire buildings, let alone injure so many residents?"
His golden eyes narrow. "And what if you can't stop him? Are you going to kill him?"
OTA
But the first boom of splintered foundations brought him right back to Habble Morning, to the day Bridget and Reggie faced off in a duel, the day Spire Aurora attacked and did their level best to destroy everything Benedict had ever known up until that moment. For a brief second, he's brought back to that day, the smell of stone dust and gunpowder, the slick hot wetness of Barney Aster's blood spilling over his fingers as he tried to staunch the bleeding, the hum of his gauntlet in his palm sending tingling vibrations up his arm each time he discharged the weapons crystal.
And then he hears Kate's breath hitch and he's slammed back into the present, back to the Surface, back to not understanding what's happening.
He follows Kate to the Town Hall, uncharacteristically grim and silent, all his senses on high alert as he stands behind her, his right hand steady on her shoulder both to ground her and himself, his left quietly flexing at his side like he wished for something to hold in it. Kate's outburst isn't unexpected; others have voiced similar concerns, and Benedict wholly supports each and every question people fling at Graves. Normally he'd be trying to insert himself into this dialogue, acting as mediator in an emotionally charged moment, but the very last thing he feels like doing is placating anyone. He may not have known Credence very well, but anyone with eyes could see that boy needed looking after, and the guilt of not having tried hard enough settles like a lead weight in his gut, keeping the ominous dread he's been feeling company.
"What will you do when you find him?" he finally asks Graves, reiterating Kate's concerns, his voice low but still somehow carrying perfectly well. "Are you going to shackle him? With what? How are you going to stop him when he's strong enough to destroy entire buildings, let alone injure so many residents?"
His golden eyes narrow. "And what if you can't stop him? Are you going to kill him?"