“That’s the second time you’ve asked,” Harmony chuckled. She turned from the night time scenery they had been gazing at together to face him. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll join you,”
Before he could say anything she held up a finger to him. “But only if you can answer this question correctly. ‘Why do you want me to join you?’
There’s an insecurity she’s asking him to soothe. One born from a realization she had not so long ago.
Urbain would have asked anyone to help him if they were strong. It didn’t have to be her on that roof. All this time she’d deluded herself into thinking she was ‘special’ to him. It was the second time in her life she’d made that mistake. She wasn’t looking for a third. “It doesn’t have to be me does it? Philippe is bigger, more more intimidating than me, stronger than me. You have an entire fleet of trainers at your disposal. Urbain is just as good a trainer, you could’ve asked him,” Harmony took a step toward him, searching his expression. “Why me?”
It was rare for her to say the quiet part out loud. Embarrassing. But that was proof of just how serious she was.
“On an unrelated topic. I’ve been thinking of going home sometime soon. I might stay. If I had something to tie me here,” or someone
In short, if he answered correctly, she’d join the Syndicate just as he’d always wanted. If he answered wrong, she’d leave the city, possibly forever.
"Idiot. Of course it has to be you."
He turns over the Mega Stone that's hidden in his jacket pocket, trying to look as calm as he can be given how hard his heart is thundering. The stone in the pin was Greninjite, an exceptionally rare specimen, the deep blue color cut with a slash of red and black.
"Listen, everyone has a role to play here. Philippe is the one who holds me back, stops me from losing my cool when I'm not thinking clearly. My grunts all work as a unit and prop each other up, and their strength is the Syndicate's strength. The base that keeps us solid. I'm the one who has to make the tough decisions when it matters most, pushes the others forward and gives direction to my men who haven't found theirs yet. But what I want-- what I need--"
A bit of color rises to his cheeks, and he adjusted his glasses as an excuse for a brief pause.
"What I need is someone who will push me forwards when I hesitate, who will help me make the difficult decisions. A secret weapon." The corner of his mouth twitches. "Do you think that I never doubt myself? That I take any of this lightly?"
He removes his hand from his pocket, the Syndicate pin between two fingers as he brings it up to her, stopping just short for permission to pin it to her lapel.
"I need a chessmaster, Harmony."
