[Whatever L was expecting out of Myr's reaction, it was something else. Melancholy acceptance, perhaps, even some kind of bittersweet relief. L has offered to remove the conflict so that the venom can drain away in its own time. Painful, perhaps, but ultimately necessary for whatever is left to heal.

Dazed, he blinks back at the face of what does come, and all of it is so difficult to package up neatly, put in a box with a label and shelved for later analysis. In realtime, it requires prompt reaction, and there is simply no way to react promptly to what is perhaps L's first genuine, full realization that there is more to his human worth than the sum of his actions, alone. At least in the eyes of his Bonded, one cruel turn wasn't cause to condemn, or approve of repayment in flesh or blood.

He thinks he understands. Myr's fierce words, tone and posture communicate ultimate sincerity. His anger is real, his passion a force to reckon with, and it's unnerving to L. Passion is spectacular; it can also be dangerous, when expressed by people who would probably be better off kept in a closed box for their entire lives.]

I don't want to die here, any more than I did back home.

[It's just that acceptance makes what feels inevitable a bit easier.]

I don't want to kill, either. You won't hate me, if "all I can do" results in something really...?

[...indefensible.]