With a pang of sympathy Billy watched Greengrass sink down the floor, and for a brief moment it was visible in his eyes. His wand still pointed at the man, he crouched down to grab the other wand and then stayed there, from a safe distance, and just looked at him.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, the anger in his voice having been replaced by unrestrained desperation now that the threat of Greengrass' wand had been removed. "I know you have your duties, but if I don't do this I'll—" He stopped himself, taking deep, strangled breaths. His heartbeat hadn't been this quick before, and briefly he considered laying down before realizing how absurd the idea was. He needed to lay down. He needed to - stop, at least. He sat back from his crouched position and landed on his bottom, one wand in each hand.
"I need the ingredient, and I need you to be quiet about it." He spoke as if he was working this out in real time, because he was; if Greengrass hadn't been there he would have been talking to himself anyways, because the sound of his own voice was about the only thing grounding him in reality right now. "I'll have to - have to - yes." His words turned to unintelligible murmurs, and even as he looked Greengrass dead in the eye it was apparent that he was talking to himself.
"—I won't hurt him. I won't." He began to move to his knees, his gaze still fixated on Greengrass' wide eyes.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said, the anger in his voice having been replaced by unrestrained desperation now that the threat of Greengrass' wand had been removed. "I know you have your duties, but if I don't do this I'll—" He stopped himself, taking deep, strangled breaths. His heartbeat hadn't been this quick before, and briefly he considered laying down before realizing how absurd the idea was. He needed to lay down. He needed to - stop, at least. He sat back from his crouched position and landed on his bottom, one wand in each hand.
"I need the ingredient, and I need you to be quiet about it." He spoke as if he was working this out in real time, because he was; if Greengrass hadn't been there he would have been talking to himself anyways, because the sound of his own voice was about the only thing grounding him in reality right now. "I'll have to - have to - yes." His words turned to unintelligible murmurs, and even as he looked Greengrass dead in the eye it was apparent that he was talking to himself.
"—I won't hurt him. I won't." He began to move to his knees, his gaze still fixated on Greengrass' wide eyes.
