[ Though he manages, somehow, to shut his eyes at the moment of impact, nothing can prevent Bradbury from hearing the wet, sickening crack, or feeling blood and brain hit his skin. As close as he is, a good deal of it goes over his chest and clothes as well, and he staggers back, halberd dropping from nerveless fingers. With the force its buried itself into Xanatos' head, it's going to take effort to pull it back out, and right now he can't summon the strength for it.
But he forces himself, chest heaving with effort of not gagging, to look at what exactly he's done, the lifeless body collapsed on the grass. He did that, and while it's not the first body he's seen, or the most grotesque, everything about the situation makes him feel disgusted. He wants to apologize, scream at the crowd, a hundred things all at once - none of them will change what's happened. You'll burn in hell, he remembers telling someone else, what feels like a lifetime ago. He almost wants to tell Matt not to bother; mercy isn't getting him out of this one.
It was self-defense, but even to himself, the words ring hollow. He lifts his head with an effort, glad Matt can't see him right now, and his voice is dull but tightly-controlled when he speaks. ]
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But he forces himself, chest heaving with effort of not gagging, to look at what exactly he's done, the lifeless body collapsed on the grass. He did that, and while it's not the first body he's seen, or the most grotesque, everything about the situation makes him feel disgusted. He wants to apologize, scream at the crowd, a hundred things all at once - none of them will change what's happened. You'll burn in hell, he remembers telling someone else, what feels like a lifetime ago. He almost wants to tell Matt not to bother; mercy isn't getting him out of this one.
It was self-defense, but even to himself, the words ring hollow. He lifts his head with an effort, glad Matt can't see him right now, and his voice is dull but tightly-controlled when he speaks. ]
So what now?