ScarletBeauty88: Thank you, lovie! Much appreciated, and don't worry. Eric won't be a jackass towards Rain forever. Well, yeah he will... just not as vicious haha. He's not used to the whole "people give a crap about me" idea yet.

Guest: I'm so glad you think so! I do plan on divulging a bit more into the compound and initiation process now that Eric is actually taking it seriously, and as for your question about his meal, yes. There was more food implied, I just didn't go into detail haha. He's not just eating potatoes xD

meumeu: I think Jacob felt those bones crunching more than anyone. Poor Jacob. That's what you get for pushing Eric's buttons. At least he didn't get thrown into the chasm like Christina.

Vex: I think it was distracting for Rain as well haha. I don't think Eric is feeling all that enthusiastic about accepting her help (probably mostly because she's a woman) or that she's pointing out so many of his weaknesses, but his Erudite half keeps telling him to just listen and get it over with if he wants to avoid the factionless. I also think that he's fully aware others know he had helped Jacob, but you're right. He'd never admit it. I honestly don't think even he knows why he did it.

Chapter #14: It's Your Choice

Eric wasn't sure how long he had wandered the seemingly endless halls of the compound. In truth, he was hopelessly lost, but he didn't let it concern him. Eventually, he did find his way back to the more inhabited portion of the building. There were maybe a handful of Renaissance still wandering around in the pit, but aside from them it was virtually vacant. It was as he was walking along one of the ledges overlooking the pit that his ears picked up on the sound of two voices, which he almost instantly realized belonged to Rain and Domino. He might not have paid them much mind if he hadn't heard his name.

Stopping, he frowned. Creeping towards the edge of the ledge, he peered downwards to the one below him where the two officers were standing at a relatively close proximity, their voices hushed.

"He doesn't belong here," Domino snapped. "Are you really going to fight me on this?"

"Yes, I am. He's not exactly the first criminal we've ever taken in, Domino."

"No, but he's the first one to ever take part in a genocide! He's Jeanine's property. Do you realize what we're risking keeping him here?"

"First of all, he's not Jeanine's property, even though I'm sure she'd like to think so. He's no one's property."

"Are you really going to risk getting on Erudite's bad side? They have half of Dauntless, and God knows what kind of serums and other weapons they've been concocting."

"They're risking getting on my bad side. I don't take kindly to people messing with my men. You of all people should know that."

"He's not one of your men, Rain!" he exclaimed in frustration.

"Nor is he Erudite's. Not anymore, anyway. You know what happened. You know he left to return to Erudite, and yet where is he now?"

An irritated sigh pushed its way from Domino's lips. "He's an attack dog, Rain. He only has one master. We can't trust him. He's not worth the headache."

"He's worth every goddamn thing Erudite has to throw at me."

Having heard enough, Eric continued on his way, not at all liking the uneasy sensation churning in his gut. When he set foot in the initiate chamber, any conversation that may have been going on ceased with his appearance, falling completely silent. He felt their eyes burrowing through him as he made his way over to his cot and sat down, kicking off his boots before leaning back against the wall. His eyes closed, making it blatantly clear he was not about to take part in any form of conversation. The silence finally broke after a couple more minutes, as everyone resumed their own business.

Cracking his eye open, Eric glanced over to where Jacob sat with Jessica and Tyler. The Erudite was smiling with a split lip, a new glint in his eyes despite the shiner he was sporting. He watched him only for another moment before shutting his eyes once more, determined to get some sleep.

The next morning at breakfast, he sat alone at his table, enjoying a plate full of eggs as he stared pensively across the huge room. However, this peace and quiet was shattered, for right as he was getting comfortable he paused as he caught sight of Jacob heading straight towards him. The glare had returned to his features, dropping his fork into his plate in an irritated manner as the smaller man sat down across from him.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"Don't thank me." Eric's eyes shifted to his sharply. "Just stop whining, and we'll call it even."

Jacob remained quiet for a moment. "Is that how you used to train the initiates at Dauntless?"

Eric was silent at first. "No. I never fought them. They fought each other."

Jacob stared at him. "So... you're saying you don't normally help people out."

Eric's fork hit the tray with a noisy clatter. "Either change the subject, or get the fuck out of my face."

The Erudite's hands flew up in surrender. "All right. Take it easy."

Resting his forearms on the table, Eric looked back down, picking up his fork once again. He'd barely gotten another bite in, when two more figures suddenly joined the table, and he looked up to see it was Jessica and Tyler.

Oh, hell no.

"What? Don't want to be seen sitting with the geeky kids?" asked Jessica.

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"My God, do you ever smile?" she pressed anyway. "When's the last time you got laid?"

He quirked a wry eyebrow at her. "Why? You gonna help me with that?"

A cough escaped Jacob as he choked on a mouthful of water, a result from laughing into his cup. Jessica did not share his amusement in the slightest, looking outright offended as her jaw dropped at the crude answer. Eric returned his eyes to his food, satisfied.

Tyler spoke up next. "So, you must have been pretty high in your class to become a Dauntless leader at sixteen."

Eric glanced at him. "Hard work pays off."

"Were you Dauntless born?"

"No."

"What were you?" asked Jacob. "Candor?"

He gritted his teeth in irritation. "What makes you think you can talk to me?"

They fell silent. An awkward silence followed, as Tyler exchanged slightly anxious glances with Jessica.

"He was Erudite."

Their heads lifted at the sudden voice, resembling a trio of meerkats as Eric slowly looked up over his shoulder. His face was nothing short of unenthusiastic as he sent Edward a soured glare, but the blonde hardly appeared fazed as he fearlessly took a seat beside him. Jacob's eyes had taken on a glint of interest, eyes shifting back to Eric curiously.

"You were Erudite?"

"I was born into it." He met his eyes coldly. "That's it."

"Now you're Renaissance," said Jessica, and he shot her a look.

He didn't like Jessica. She was like a mosquito.

"You know, it honestly looks sad," she continued.

"Jess," muttered Jacob under his breath, voice containing warning undertones, but she paid no mind.

"You cling to Dauntless and Erudite like a lost puppy, even though one of them ordered your execution, and the other has made virtually zero effort to get you back."

Eric looked murderous now. The rest of the table had fallen silent yet again, having ceased eating to exchange uneasy glances. The only one who appeared unbothered was Edward, who had taken to setting Eric with an expectant, almost amused stare. Then suddenly, Eric was picking her cup up from her tray and throwing its contents in her face. She sputtered, releasing an exclamation of anger mixed with shock.

"What the hell is your problem?!" she exclaimed.

"He did the same thing to me," said Jacob. "Consider yourself lucky he's not attacking you."

Eric had returned his attention to his food once again, holding back a pleased smirk.

He took in a sharp breath as he heaved his body upwards, the muscles in his arms flexing impressively with the strain. Beside him, Clyde occupied the same bar, and although neither man had so much looked at or spoken to each other, it was obvious to anyone that glanced over that the two had indulged in a silent contest of who could do the most pull-ups. Jessica had scoffed at them as she passed, muttering "men" under her breath as she went. In the midst of another upward heave, Clyde glanced over at Eric from over the top of the bar for the first time since they had started.

"Give up yet, Blondie?" he puffed.

"Why?" Eric pulled himself up. "Getting tired?"

Clyde allowed a small snigger accompanied by a sort of grin as he heaved his body up once again. "It's just I've heard blondes are delicate."

"Well, lucky for me..." Eric grunted as he heaved himself up once again, "I'm a dirty blonde."

The larger man allowed a small laugh and shook his head. Having been watching them with a smile of vague amusement, Rain approached them a few moments later.

"Eric."

He looked down at her, and she motioned for him to come to her. Dropping down from the bar, he walked up to her.

"Saved by the bell," Clyde called after him, and he shot him a contemptuous glare over his shoulder.

Rain chuckled. "You've got a request," she said. "Jacob wants to fight you."

Eyebrows drawing together, he looked up over towards ring, where the Erudite was standing in one corner warming up. Blinking, he turned his head back to Rain, expression a level beyond incredulous.

"You can't be serious," he deadpanned.

She shrugged. "He said it's good for him. Said he needed to see his limit."

Eric looked back to the ring, and then back to her yet again, but when her expression didn't waver all he could think to do was look away whilst shaking his head in aggravation. "Un-fucking-believable..." Shaking his head again, he scoffed, and then he headed over to the ring, his expression making his lack of enthusiasm known as Jacob looked up at him.

"You know, there is a difference between bravery and stupidity."

"Just fight me."

Eric stopped, and the next thing the Erudite knew he was receiving a harsh slap upside the head. "Don't be cocky. If you're going to commit suicide, at least learn something from it."

Jacob looked down as Eric pointed to their feet.

"Watch my feet." Eric pointed to his shoulders. "And my shoulders. They tell you more during a fight than anything else. Always study body movements."

Looking back to his eyes, Jacob nodded. Rain and Domino had come to stand on either side of the ring, others having begun to gather around as well as Eric got into guard; Jacob following his lead.

Domino was the one to give the order. "Begin."

Jacob threw the first swing. Eric dodged easily and punched him across the face with an effortless side hook that sent Jacob to the mats within the first few seconds. However, he quickly recovered, lifting his guard, and Eric couldn't help but notice he wasn't nearly as afraid as he was the day prior. But that didn't mean he was going to go easy on him. They proceeded to move around the ring for a minute or two, merely testing each other out at first, but before long Eric had struck him down again.

"Focus," he snapped.

Jacob ducked another swing, and it came as a surprise to everyone when he came back up with a lightning fast upper clip to Eric's chin.

"There you go," praised Rain.

"Good job, Jacob!" encouraged Jessica.

Eric suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, countenance remaining impassive as he ducked another swing from the Erudite. He was playing with him at this point. If not, the guy would have been face down by now. Despite how ridiculous this was, he couldn't help but inwardly praise the Erudite's newly found courage—or maybe it was just delirium from hitting his head so hard. Either way, it was amusing.

He was snapped from his thoughts when Jacob came at him yet again, dropping down in an unexpected attempt to swipe his legs out from beneath him, but Eric jumped above the attack, and the second Jacob was on his feet he'd spun around to throw his elbow into his face. The hard blow sent the kid down for the count, but he wasn't unconscious, which meant to someone like Eric that he could still fight. With a roll of the eyes, he backed up a couple steps.

"You need to stop?" he asked.

Jacob looked up at him, and within a second he was having flashbacks of when he'd asked the same question to Christina. Briefly, he wondered if Jacob would give up like she had.

"No. I'm fine."

Eric quirked an eyebrow at him, watching in vague surprise as he pushed himself back to his feet. The fight didn't last much longer, mostly because he wasn't one to go easy on people just because, and it probably had to do a little with the fact he was bored. Long story short, Jacob didn't give up until he was no longer conscious to make the decision to continue.

Eric watched as the guy was carried off by Clyde and Frank, Jessica hurrying after them to ensure her friend was okay. Eric glanced their way before stepping down from the ring, where Rain confronted him with a collected smile.

"Here to lecture me on being too harsh on him?" he muttered, disinterested as he took a swig from his water.

"Quite the contrary. You gave him the option to give up, but he said no. You also waited for him to get back to his feet before attacking again."

He looked at her, and then over to where Jessica and Tyler were trying to revive their fallen companion. Taking another sip from his water, he walked over to them, making them look up as he took a kneel beside Jacob's unconscious form. Reaching down, he gave his arm a hard pinch, and the Erudite was suddenly jerking to life with a displeasured shout.

"Son of a—!"

"Points for bravery, kid. I'll give you that."

Jacob blinked up at him, looking as if he were still trying to figure out what had happened on top of absorbing the fact Eric had just paid him an actual compliment. "Thanks…"

With that, Eric stood. "Get up."

Jessica's head snapped up to him. "Seriously? He just—"

"Another word, and you're next."

Her mouth sealed shut.

Satisfied, he looked back to Jacob as he stood. "Most important rule to fighting. Breathe. You hold your breath. That's what wears you out so fast."

Jacob nodded, puffing out a breath of air through his still healing lips.

"And let your opponent come to you. Don't be the first one to attack all the time."

He nodded again, and his friends seemed to be listening just as closely. "Got it."

Eric gave him a brief, impartial onceover before turning and walking off. Once he was a fair distance away, Jacob looked to Tyler and Jessica, smiling as he laughed a little.

"You know, despite feeling like I got hit by a train… I feel great!"

Jessica was shaking her head. "You're insane."

"Maybe you should try pissing him off more often, Jacob," said Tyler dryly.

Having overheard, Eric resisted the urge to smirk as he walked over to one of the punching bags. At one point, his eyes had shifted upwards, and by chance he caught Rain's eyes directly, only to see she was fixing him with a complimentary smile.

Domino reentered the gym some time later after having departed with Rain on a call, and his eyes scanned the room for Eric. When he spotted him, he sneered. "Eyebrow."

Eric's head turned towards him with the usual glare, and Domino nodded for him to follow. "Rain's office. Now."

Eric resisted the urge to growl in aggravation. What the hell could she possibly want now? The others had silenced, staring curiously as he followed the brusque second-in-command out of the room. Clyde exchanged glances with Frank.

Eric had no idea what to expect as he followed Domino through the compound, resisting the urge to ask as he was lead up the steps leading to the level Rain's office was on. However, the second he looked up into the open door of the office, he froze in his tracks when he saw who was standing there with her.

Jeanine.

"Come in, Eric," said Rain.

But his eyes had darkened. "If she wants to speak with me, she can come out here."

Rain exchanged surprised looks with Domino, who arched an eyebrow. Before either of them could say anything, however, Jeanine obliged in the same calm tone of voice as always.

"He's upset. It's understandable."

Turning, she stepped out of the office and came to stand before Eric, giving him a smile that suddenly appeared much too robotic to him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't contact you sooner. Rain told me you were shot during the struggle. Are you alright?"

"Why are you here?"

"I'm here to take you back to Erudite, so should you choose to come."

He paused visibly, eyes searching her face. "What?"

"It was a mistake. One that I highly regret. Know that I had nothing to do with your attempted execution. Max had misunderstood my orders."

The scoff that left his lips had been unintentional, but he made no effort to mend it. "Which part did he misunderstand? The part where he tried killing me, or the part where he served me a roofie of your serum?"

Rain's eyes fell.

Mutters instantly broke out amongst the crowd that had formed. Amidst them, the others had followed from the gym when word had gotten to them of Jeanine. Jacob appeared at the front of the mass, freezing when his eyes landed on the blonde woman. Jeanine remained calm despite the accusatory eyes searing through her, unmoved.

"I had a very thorough conversation with Max. It's been made clear that it was not the intended outcome, and that you are not to be harmed upon your return. You will resume your position in full power. Everything will go back to normal."

"Eric, you're not seriously buying this, are you?" Jacob blurted.

Eric sent him a sharp glare, evidently warning him to shut his mouth or get thrown into the chasm. Jeanine then shifted her attention to the ex-Erudite, her eyes growing a memorable glint when she saw him.

"Jacob. Rain found you, did she? It's been awhile."

Jacob's eyes were unusually cold, glaring at her with a hate so strong it could have melted through iron.

"It's a shame about that little incident you had," Jeanine continued, her voice laced with obvious undertones of mockery; though, still maintaining a flawlessly professional front.

Jacob's eyes darkened even more, and for a second Eric thought they might turn black.

"A mistake like that is hard to live with. It's no wonder you chose to leave," Jeanine finished.

Eric frowned a little at this, and he looked back at Jacob in vague wonder. Jacob glanced at him fleetingly before promptly shifting his eyes away, seeming determined not to look at him. Appearing satisfied with the damage done, Jeanine turned her attention back to Eric once more.

"I'll give you until tomorrow to think it over. I hope to see you back where you belong, Eric." With that, she turned her head to give Rain a departing nod before leaving with her assigned escorts.

Eric was left standing there, silent as he watched her descend the steps. It had fallen utterly silent around him, the entire compound seeming to have stopped breathing completely, and all their eyes were on him. Even for him, it was a bit unnerving and hardly helped his raging thoughts. Finally, he looked towards the only person he knew wouldn't be glaring at him.

Rain nodded towards her office, and he followed wordlessly, missing the severe look Domino was sending Rain. She shut the door behind them, and from behind the wood they could hear Domino and other officers barking at the others to carry on with their business. Rather than sitting behind her desk, she broke open the liquor cabinet and offered a glass of Brandy, which Eric accepted graciously. She watched as he practically downed it in a single gulp, quirking her eyebrow as he held the glass out for another without bothering to look at her. She poured more into the glass before shutting the cabinet, and rather than sitting behind her desk she leaned back against its front, her eyes calm as she studied him closely.

"I must admit, I'm surprised to see you so ruffled."

He said nothing, staring down at his glass. As he was doing this, Rain's eyes had fallen as well, appearing to be in deep thought. Her shoulders fell slightly as she came to a decision she knew she would likely regret.

"I'm going to be honest with you about something."

He looked up at her finally, taking note of how she licked her lips almost timidly; though, her eyes were calm.

"My labs have been working on a way to counteract Jeanine's mind control serums. We've just recently discovered that it works." Her eyes met his to see he looked genuinely interested. "That's why Jeanine's serum didn't work on you, Eric."

She studied his face closely, watching as his eyes flickered around her face, and then, slowly, she could see it sinking in. At first he looked skeptical, but that rapidly transformed into anger.

"You mean to tell me that the only reason I was attacked was because you spiked me with a fucking experimental serum?" he shouted.

"I would have never given it to you if I had known it wasn't safe."

Before she could so much as process the fact he'd moved, he was grabbing her by the throat, and she was shoved roughly up against the wall. Her hands flew to his, but she made no move to attack when she realized he wasn't applying any potentially lethal pressure on her jugular. His eyes were glowing with a fierce flame, ice cold fire raging within their slate blue depths.

"If you had known it wasn't safe? You mean aside from the fact it got me shot? Did it ever cross your mind I might be, I don't know, killed?" he yelled, face mere inches from her own.

Yet she remained calm, holding his stare solidly, but not challengingly. "Of course it did, which is why I had backup there for you."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I had men undercover in the building, and they were watching you the whole time in case things got ugly. You didn't escape Erudite on your own."

Though he was evidently still furious, his glare had lifted a bit as he thought back on the Erudite that had covered for him while he escaped out the back. It hadn't made sense to him then, but it had been Rain's doing. He stared at the floor as he tried to absorb this new information while at the same time fighting back the unexplainable sensation of betrayal in his gut that kept his hands firmly in place around her neck.

"I know you're angry, and you have a right to be," continued Rain softly. "I'm sorry. It was the only way I could think of to show you how disposable you are to Erudite. A single flaw is all it takes, and they will replace you."

"Then why the hell would she offer for me to return?" he snapped.

"I don't know, but I don't trust her. I know you have no reason to trust me, either... but, Eric... you need to think about this. I'm being honest with you, because I don't like to build trust on top of keeping secrets. I did what I did to help you. I don't know why Jeanine is offering for you to return, but I know it's not because she cares about you."

"And you do?" he growled, glaring down at her. "You're just like her! You fucking roofied me!"

"You and I both know I'm not like her, and I think deep down you know what I did was necessary."

He didn't say anything, turning his head away from her to glare at the opposite wall. She watched him for a generous moment, examining his face carefully, and only when she could tell it was safe to do so she lifted her hand. Her fingertips made feather-light contact with his cheek, making him blink and look back at her. Just by looking into his eyes, she could see his thoughts raging, swirling like a hurricane within his stormy orbs, and she allowed her hand to flatten against his cheek, her own eyes containing an everlasting calm.

"I am not your enemy, Eric."

It would have been impossible to try and decipher what he was thinking, but the next moment he was releasing his hold on her throat before pushing her hand away and backing up out of her reach, appearing almost as if he had been burned. Rain straightened from the wall, never losing her composure—not once.

"Because I know you need it, I'm going to let you decide," she continued. "If you want to go, you may."

The look he gave her was nothing short of dissecting, eyes having narrowed with darkened suspicion. "Just like that."

"Just like that. No tricks. If you're being forced to stay, then there's no point in keeping you here."

His eyes fell but flickered back towards her when she continued:

"That doesn't mean I want to see you leave."

For the first few seconds, all he did was stare back at her as if trying to detect any trace of treachery, and a minute later she turned away to sit down behind her desk.

"I'll give you the night to think it over. If you're in training tomorrow morning, I'll assume you're staying with us. Either way, I wish you the best of luck."

He said nothing.

Sleep wasn't even a thought in his mind that night as he lay on his cot, staring up at the ceiling vacantly as he tried to sort his thoughts. This proved easier said than done, however. Even the quietest sleepers that barely ever made a peep sounded deafening at that particular moment, and that wasn't even counting Frank and Clyde's thunderous snoring. Gritting his teeth in irritation, he sat up and pulled his boots on before leaving the room, unaware of how Jacob's eye cracked open.

He was sitting on the roof, glaring down over the Renaissance compound. He had gone there in attempt to clear his thoughts, but to no avail. Never before had he felt so lost, but he didn't want to admit that to Rain. He didn't trust anyone at that particular momet. He was brought from his thoughts when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind. When he looked up, he expected to see Rain or Edward standing there, but to his surprise it was Jacob.

"Brooding, much?"

Eric managed a weak glare, but in the end just looked back forward. The younger man sat down beside him, handing over what he realized was a beer. Eric glanced at it, but as tempted as he was he decided against it and looked back forward bitterly.

"Not really all for taking drinks from strangers."

"Seriously?"

He looked back up at him to see the Erudite take a liberal swig from the bottle, swallowing pointedly as he handed it down to him once more.

"Satisfied?"

Eric stared for a long moment. What the hell. Finally, he took it without so much as looking at him, taking a generous swig and savoring the taste on his tongue. He needed about twelve more of these. A long silence drifted between them, but it wasn't as tense as what would normally be expected between the two. Then at last, after about ten minutes, Eric finally turned his head to Jacob, the action in itself heavy with indecision.

"What would you do if Erudite gave you the option to return?"

A prominent and slightly exaggerated "ha" was Jacob's immediate response. "Hell no. The bastards can kiss my ass."

Eric's eyes fell. The response clearly hadn't been what he was looking for. Jacob was eyeing him carefully, his Erudite side exposing itself on a painfully clear scale as he all but dissected him with his eyes as if he were looking under a microscope.

"Why?"

Eric shook his head. "Never mind."

An unconvinced stare was what he received in reply. "Ex-Erudite to ex-Erudite... we both know I'm not buying that."

Eric's jaw tensed slightly in minor annoyance. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"Saw you leave the initiate quarters and figured 'why not, it's not like he's never beaten the shit out of me before'."

Eric turned his head to him, staring. "It's also not like I've never thrown someone off a roof."

Jacob didn't look fazed at all, his unimpressed expression unfaltering. It was incredible on an insulting level how confident the Erudite had grown around him. Hell, he was starting to remind him of Edward. Eric had half a mind to throw him off the roof right then just to prove a point, but he didn't. In truth, the kid wasn't really doing anything other than trying to talk to him, but his pride was getting in the way of his logic as usual when it came to these types of situations. If there was anything he hated more than being seen in an emotional state, it was being called out on it.

"What did Rain say to you when you went into her office?" asked Jacob. "What's her take on all this?"

Eric continued to glare at him for another couple of minutes, but then he was looking down at his beer with a sort of resigning exhale. What the hell. He proceeded to debrief him on the conversation he'd had with Rain, and what she had told him. The entire time, Jacob's face remained placid, listening silently as he analyzed every word. When Eric had finished, he nodded and leaned back on his hands leisurely.

"Well, she's not using you."

Eric scoffed. "Forgive me if I'm not inclined to believe that."

"I saw you two in the gym the other night."

He froze.

"Something tells me if she were using you, she wouldn't be helping you train. I'm assuming that's not all she's done for you, either," Jacob concluded.

Against his will, Eric began recalling all of his encounters with Rain, frowning as he ticked everything off in his head. Deep down, despite his current anger towards her, he knew she had done a lot of things she hadn't needed to, and to his further displeasure he began to think back on the night she had discovered the bruises left on his hips. He could still feel her hands on his hips, and her feather-light touch as she cleaned the blood from his wounds. Without realizing it, his grip had clenched tighter around the bottle in his hands. In less than fifteen minutes, she had learned more about him than anyone ever had. It was mortifying just thinking about it.

"You want my honest opinion?" asked Jacob.

He looked at him.

"If you're actually considering going back, you're even stupider than you look."

It was a very bold statement—a statement that would have likely gotten him killed had it been any other situation, but he was given a surprise. Jacob had expected a slap upside the head, at the very least, so he was more than shocked when Eric surprised him by allowing the smallest of smirks to appear on his face after a lengthy silence. It lasted a millisecond, and then he was looking back down at his drink, smile disappearing just as quickly as it had formed.

Jacob blinked, completely nonplussed. Then he stuck out his bottom lip briefly as he looked back forward. "I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Don't make it gay."

The Erudite smirked, taking a swig from his own beer. "Can I just say this?"

Eric looked back at him.

"There, you have power… assuming they're not just trying to trick you... which they probably are. Here, you have people who actually care about you."

A guffawing scoff left Eric's lips. "Like who?"

"Rain definitely cares about you." Jacob shrugged. "That Edward guy has helped you out a few times as well... and despite the fact I know you can't stand my existence and probably wouldn't bat an eyelash if I got killed, I don't want to see you get shot in the head."

Eric looked at him.

"But don't get me wrong... you're a dick."

It almost looked like he would smile again, but he didn't, his expression remaining unreadable.

Jacob shrugged. "It's better than what you have with Erudite. Rain may have given you the serum without telling you, but she did it because she wanted the best for you." With that, he lifted his hands. "I'm done being lame." Leaning back on one hand, he lifted his beer back to his lips.

Eric stared at him for a what felt like forever before he finally returned his stare back forward, silent as ever.

"How long do you have to make a decision?" asked Jacob offhandedly.

"If I don't show up at training tomorrow morning, it means I've left."

He nodded, sighing. "Well..." He gave Eric's arm a genial nudge with his fist and clambered to his feet, "see you tomorrow at training."

Eric's head snapped up, but he was already walking back towards the stairwell. He glared after the Erudite's back, eyes narrowing.

Smartass was pushing it.

Don't get too brave, Jacob. Comments? Thoughts? What will Eric do?