The low whine of the cello was mournful. Collins closed his eyes.

"Go on then," he said without turning back around to look at her. "I won't bother you again."

It was a hard promise to swallow but it was all that he had to give her. An assurance that he would steer clear.

He didn't realize how much it would hurt to see that look in her eyes. It had never mattered before. But then, he had never known his targets before either. They were meaningless marks to him. An animal he could fall in love with just enough to enjoy the hunt and then walk away satisfied. Aerith seemed...to be a different sort of animal. And much the way he felt after Trevor and Sheehan had shunned him for a time, Collins couldn't get over that strange feeling of wistfulness rather than satisfaction from a job well done.

It left the air cold and empty, his heartbeat slowed and languished since the music changed.