It's still strange, being on the receiving end of comfort. It's neither something he particularly sought before nor was it something he felt necessary for himself. But the awareness of just how many he's lost and how, in this new life, he isn't needed in the same way he once was... the reasons for closing off seem so faintly distant, rendered irrelevant.
The problem is... he knows, definitively, that caring about someone isn't enough to stop him from killing them. He might have held back against Heat and refused to fight him, time and time again, but he's tasted the blood and bone of his allies. He's hunted people since the beginning of his memory. He knows that if he truly wanted to hunt Jack... he would take advantage of Jack's fondness and never give him the chance to realise what was happening. That the thought comes to him so clearly fills him with disgust.
And during the Moon Warp he'd lost all sense, completely sinking deep into pure impulse and instinct without question, leading to the wolf running amok while he had been distracted tearing into John. John, who hadn't been as fragile as he'd thought all this time. John, who would have killed him if he hadn't breathed back life into him.
It's clear to him that his judgement is clouded. Maybe his friends, no, comrades, are more capable than he thought. Can he accept what Jack's offering?
It takes a long time for Serph to respond but eventually he silently nods, the movement easily felt. But he has to make Jack understand; he has to devour to keep control, but even though Jack can't control the wolf... "Varuna isn't like the wolf," he murmurs, tightening his grip on Jack. "A rampaging demon devours all. Friend or foe, it doesn't matter."
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The problem is... he knows, definitively, that caring about someone isn't enough to stop him from killing them. He might have held back against Heat and refused to fight him, time and time again, but he's tasted the blood and bone of his allies. He's hunted people since the beginning of his memory. He knows that if he truly wanted to hunt Jack... he would take advantage of Jack's fondness and never give him the chance to realise what was happening. That the thought comes to him so clearly fills him with disgust.
And during the Moon Warp he'd lost all sense, completely sinking deep into pure impulse and instinct without question, leading to the wolf running amok while he had been distracted tearing into John. John, who hadn't been as fragile as he'd thought all this time. John, who would have killed him if he hadn't breathed back life into him.
It's clear to him that his judgement is clouded. Maybe his friends, no, comrades, are more capable than he thought. Can he accept what Jack's offering?
It takes a long time for Serph to respond but eventually he silently nods, the movement easily felt. But he has to make Jack understand; he has to devour to keep control, but even though Jack can't control the wolf... "Varuna isn't like the wolf," he murmurs, tightening his grip on Jack. "A rampaging demon devours all. Friend or foe, it doesn't matter."