Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.

Something to Give

"I can't believe they were hiding it all this time!"

"Calm down. If they hear-"

"And so much!" Yonsu paced the balcony in small circles. She cleared the deck and only stopped for a split second to spin around at the rail. "You saw how strong they are! And the headmaster! He has powers, too. We didn't even notice!"

"Yonsu-"

"If the KSA had agents like him, we could have prevented all of this!" She hit the opposite rail and turned around again. "We spent all of that time recruiting students when we should have been recruiting them!"

"Please, don't bring that up." Sangeen sunk his head low and rolled his shoulders forward. The rail supported his weight as he leaned on his arms. His wife moved behind him, eagerly making another round, and for once, her passion disheartened him. She would not be able to leave this one alone.

"You okay?"

His head snapped up at the tenderness in her voice. She stood next to him with a stillness that she rarely portrayed, and her hair hid her face from him as she stared into the gardens. He didn't need to see her expression to know what was on her mind. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I didn't know there were people like them." The wind caught in her hair, and she tucked it behind her ear thoughtlessly. "If they side with us, we'd be able to protect our country. We wouldn't have to-"

"We shouldn't rely on them." Sangeen followed her gaze to the gardens below. The sent of flowers stirred with the breeze, but the plants were masked by darkness.

"What?" Her eyes hardened into a glare. Even hidden from his sight, he realized this, and she softened them with great effort. "But they offered us an alliance! You saw how strong they are!"

"They're too strong. We have nothing to offer them in return."

"We're letting them stay here. That was the condition for their support."

"We don't have the ability to make them leave."

"Sangeen…"

"And we will only be a burden to them."

"That's not true. We're not as powerful as they are, but we still-"

"We're already a burden on them." His fists tightened into balls. He took a deep breath and calmly loosened them. "They were dragged into this fight because of me. Would they be so gracious to us if one of them had died? It could have happened easily. We can't help them in anyway. We don't even have KSA resources because I-"

"Sangeen, that's not your fault!"

"We're not going to be able to repay them, Yonsu. I don't understand why they're helping us."

"What makes you think we expect something from you?"

They both swung around at the sound of his voice. Yonsu, as always, was the first to speak. "You were eavesdropping!" The accusation in her tone was undeniable.

"I can't help it if you're talking that loudly." M-21 smirked, matching her fury step for step. "Everyone could hear you."

"So you were the only one that didn't realize this was a private conversation?"

Sangeen gently touched her arm as a reminder to watch her words. She shrugged it off angrily.

"No, I just lost the vote on who would shut you up."

"I'd like to see you try." She stepped forward with a smug grin.

"Yonsu!"

M-21 looked past her at Sangeen. "None of us are here because of anything we can offer. It's nothing like that. You can't give them anything."

"I understand."

"Yeah, then keep it down."

"Alright."

"What was that about?" Yonsu glowered at M-21's back as he joined the others in the living room, but she kept her voice low.

"I think he means that even if we did have something to give, they wouldn't want it. That's just how they are."

"That so?" She murmured even more softly.

Sangeen smiled faintly, enjoying the quiet. In a moment, his wife would realize that she had just lost to M-21 again, and no one would have any peace for the rest of the evening.