Pat sighed as he saw the sincerity in Mark's eyes. Mark was not playing around and Patrick couldn't get angry if Mark was saying things so plainly.
"Look, I get what you're trying to say, but fucking killed people, Mark. Children who had their whole lives in front of them were fucking murdered like chickens. Blaming yourself is not going to make me let it go. You might have been the catalyst that started her down that path, but she was the one who walked it. The blood is on her hands, not yours."
Mark ran a hand over his face and used his thumb to poke his brow twice before he sighed. Sometimes, he forgets just how much of a humanitarian Pat could be. Even though Pat was someone who hated being around people for a long time, that did not mean that Pat didn't care for humans.
Mark knew that he wouldn't be bothered by a few deaths in a fight and if he saw some monster that was killing people indiscriminately, he wouldn't be too affected by it. But Pat was different. Pat wanted to save everyone. He was the kind of person who believed human life was precious and shouldn't be wasted. That is one of the reasons Pat was always watching out for Mark during their fights.
He always sent Mark to places with the least amount of civilians.
Pat cared about people a lot more than Mark.
"I am not going to sit here and promise that nothing like this is ever going to happen again, but I can promise you that I won't force her into a situation like that again. The only reason why she did what she did was because of my negligence. It was my fault that she killed those two, and it's not going to happen again."
"So what will you fucking do? You'll cut off all ties with humans because of her? You'll cut off ties with me? What happens if she thinks of me as a threat suddenly and decides that I should die too? What then?"
"I'll save you both."
"Don't you fucking play around, you bastard. This is serious. She's a monster on steroids released in the world with no leash. What are you going to do if you have to choose between saving her and saving someone she wants to kill?"
Mark's gaze never wavered and he stared right at Pat with all seriousness.
"Then I'll save everyone. I don't care what happens, or how it happens. If it's you, then I'll save you, and if it's anyone else, then I'll save them too. But I'll always be there for her, no matter what. I love her, Pat, and I'll be by her side, even if the world stands against her."
Pat closed his eyes tightly to look away from the unwavering resolve he could see behind Mark's gaze. It was almost blinding in its intensity. Pat grit his teeth and ran his hand over his face before groaning. What a fucking mess. This is why I hate lovers so much; they're always doing stupid shit for each other without thinking of the consequences.
After some time, Pat finally spoke up.
"Look, if you're going to do shit like this, then at least think about how it affects me too. Do you think I'll just fucking abandon you? If she's killing people, then it affects me too! Ah, fuck! Fine! Do whatever the fuck you want.
"I'm planning to start a guild."
Pat was in the middle of reaching for another soda when Mark said this, and once he heard it, he paused before changing his direction and grabbing a bottle of water instead. What the fuck was Mark talking about?
"A guild? You?"
"Yeah, a guild."
"Why?"
"I know you've noticed it too, but I'm not a fan of any of the guilds around. There's too much bureaucracy and politics involved. I don't like that."
"So you want to create a guild that doesn't listen to the law. That's encouraging. I'm sure the government will fucking love that."
Pat shut the fridge and leaned against it before taking a drink from the water. He eyed Mark closely for some time. Mark was still looking out the window wistfully and Pat spoke up.
"You're doing it for her, aren't you?"
Mark chuckled.
"Can't get anything past you, can I?"
Pat shrugged.
"It was a little obvious."
"Yeah, I guess. But it's not just her. I'm not a fan of following other people's plans. I have my own plans and I can't do that if I'm a part of some other guild. I want a place where Arit will be safe. As a member of my guild, I can look after her.
But I'm not doing it just for her. Even before she became queen, I always wanted to create a guild."