Something about Percy's words…bothered Cobra. He began to think, in the very back of his mind, where a tiny piece didn't hate, why it bothered him so, and he questioned.
Was what he was experiencing right now really…real? It certainly felt real, otherwise he wouldn't be circling Lucy like a wary animal. But…just because it felt real didn't mean it felt right.
He stared at Lucy, trying to think his way through the madness. He couldn't make himself relax, no matter how much he paradoxically tried. It was odd. Like wearing darkened glasses on an otherwise bright and blinding day, his perspective on her had been completely skewed, and his emotions along with it. Every memory now brought up fear, suspicion, and distrust.
Still, did that mean that the threads were drawing upon real feelings, maybe dredging up things that were kept hidden? Did he actually…hate her? Even besides when he was in a dark guild?
The thought circled his mind, as he circled Lucy. Percy kept talking, but his words fell on deaf ears. Which emotions was he supposed to put his trust in? The way he'd supposedly felt before, or the way he felt now? How was he supposed to tell the difference?
Why, if he could just hear how she felt, then it would be so much…
Cobra froze. He realized, that in this current state, he could hear her, without almost any conscious effort. Much like his own, the threads Percy attached were amplified to a degree that made it like trying to block out a concert while standing in the middle of a crowd. He could tell just how she felt, every memory screaming in tandem as her fear, her hate, her disgust poured out.
And yet…he didn't really know how she felt. He couldn't hear the most important part of the soul.
The heart.
His flame, he noticed, had gone out inside him.
Through clenched teeth, he forced himself to speak. "Lucy…this isn't…how it's supposed to be."
"Don't speak to me please," she replied. "Don't make this any harder, Cobra."
He clammed up at the use of his codename, even though it was the one she referred to him by nearly every time. Something about its use seemed to reinforce the barrier between the two. How could he fix this…could he fix this?
Maybe not, he realized. But he damn well needed to try.
At that moment, he remembered again the words written to him a few days ago. The encouraging words. It was hard to believe that they came from the same person, but he would use them nonetheless.
"Lucy," he said. "You already know what you want to say to me, so just say it already!"