let my petra go [paisley]

Henrik was looking into the fountain, where he'd asked Paisley to meet him. He was deep in thought and extremely nervous about how this conversation would go. Paisley had given them so much already, and now he was asking her to help him get someone out of jail? Not just anyone either, someone who had taken him captive and threatened both Nils and Paisley.

What was he doing.

He sighed, knowing that he was on the verge of doing something really big. And he knew they could do this. They were all older and stronger, they were wiser. If he and Petra worked together to get the best team to help them, this could succeed. They could do this.

But how could he convince Paisley?

Paisley walked through the garden, looking forward to meeting up with Henri. It always made her happy when one of the brothers actually wanted to leave the house, and weren't just doing it because she'd asked them to.

"Henri?" Paisley called as she entered the part of the alcove that held the fountain. It was where he had asked to meet her.

Henrik looked up as Paisley came toward him. He smiled, glad to see her again. She was so kind, and brought warmth with her wherever she went. He felt so bad even having the conversation he asked her here to have.

"Paisley," he said warmly with a smile. "It's good to see you." How in the world do you start a conversation like this with the one clio who's given you everything?

Paisley's face instantly lit up at Henri's welcome. "It's good to see you too!" she said. "Are you still feeling okay?" Henri had been tied up (lol) with infection for about a week after the trio had returned from the forest, but the last few days he had seemingly felt a lot better.

She walked over and sat on the fountain near where Henri was standing. "What's up?" She'd never even thought about why he might want to meet her here, she'd just come, happy he was finally moving around.

Henrik nodded with a smile. "Yes, I'm feeling much better thanks to you."

He paused, taking a look at the fountain again.

"Paisley, I…I can't begin to thank you enough for everything you've done for Nils and me. You've really changed our lives, I mean Nils is practically a completely different clio because of you. You've allowed us to see the good in the world again, and you've really changed us forever. I don't know what I can do to repay you, but I hope to be able to one day."

He made eye contact with her, his heart full of hope and fear and love and trauma. If he was ever going to pay her back for all she'd done, it would have to be in a world where their torturers didn't exist. "I wish I didn't have to ask more of you, I mean you've housed us and fed us and you've saved my life. But…I really need some help from you. A lot depends on it."

Paisley was shocked to hear all of those things come out of Henri's mouth. She hadn't been expecting praise or adoration when she'd helped Henri and Nils. It had been instinct--the right thing to do. She'd do it again, in an instant, even with the threat of death or kidnapping looming over them.

So when Henri asked for one more favor, she didn't even hesitate to ask, "How can I help?" She was serious, and the extension of assistance was completely genuine. She would do whatever it took to help the brothers. She had a feeling it would have to do with the organization, and if that was the case, Paisley was even more invested. She would do whatever it took to take down the clio who had devastated Nils and Henri so.

Her face was still burning from all of his thanks while she waited for his response.

Henrik took a deep breath.

"I need you to help me get Petra out of jail. I know that she seems like our enemy, but she's really a product of the clio that kidnapped us. She was trained to do what she did, but I visited her in jail and…"

He got very serious all of a sudden.

"Paisley, I want to take them down. It's about time someone stopped them, and Petra is our way of doing that."

Annnnnd then all of that hope and those good feelings sort of crashed around her feet on the cobble-stoned ground.

"Henri," Paisley said, her voice suddenly sounding a little pained. She paused and took a breath. "Henri," she started again, trying to strengthen her tone, "I visited her too."

Her visit hadn't gone so well. Paisley had tried to explain that all she had wanted was to help, which it seemed was what Henri wanted, and Petra had declined. She'd, of course, asked her to let her out, which it seemed she had asked Henri, also.

"I don't blame her for doing what she did," Paisley clarified, wanting to make sure Henri knew that before anything else. "And I want to let her go. But how can we trust her? I asked for her help and she told me no." Paisley really did want nothing more than to let Petra out so that she could help her like she had helped Nils and Henri, but Petra didn't want that. Mostly, Paisley was assuming, because Petra didn't trust her.

And the lack of mutual trust scared Paisley.

Paisley had visited Petra? He couldn't even imagine how that interaction must have gone. Paisley and Petra were from different worlds, and while her genuine goodness and caring and selflessness was well-received by Henri and Nils (especially Nils), he knew that Petra was trained, moreso than the two of them even were, to push clio like that away.

"I'm making a plan," he started, not sure how to go about this conversation anymore -- he hadn't really known how from the beginning.

"I'm making a plan to take them down, the horrible clio that tortured us and so many others. We'd be saving so many clio who I'm sure they're holding captive now and who could be captured in the future. I need to do this…and I know Petra will help me. After it's all over, I don't know what will happen. But I know this is worth the risk. And…" he knew it probably seemed completely counterproductive, but it was true -- "I trust her. I do."

Paisley watched Henri's face carefully, first because she was trying to figure a way to talk him out of whatever his plans were. By the end of his request, however, she was watching his face because he had actually maybe-kinda started considering it.

She wondered what Nils thought of the situation. Had Henri talked to Nils about it? He'd probably feel the same as Henri, and if Paisley was being honest with herself, hadn't she felt the same, also? That's why she had originally gone to see Petra. She wanted to trust her. It had been Petra that hadn't trusted Paisley.

"She threatened Nils' life," Paisley said softly, reminding Henri though she was sure he would never forget. For Paisley, remembering that, especially after last night, made her feel sick. Innocent Nils, betrayed by someone he trusted. And now Henri wanted to let that clio go.

Paisley understood his thought process, but she couldn't forget the fear she had felt when she saw the icicle pressed to Nils' throat. "How can we trust her?"

Henrik nodded, knowing very well what Petra had done to Nils. But honestly, she could have done considerably worse.

"That was hard, I know," he said, looking to the ground. "But…that's nothing compared to what those clio put others through. And Petra had me alone, drugged, tied up -- and not a single thing happened to me."

He leaned against the fountain, looking at Paisley again. "She wanted revenge, but I don't think she truly wants revenge against us. She wants revenge against them. And if that's going to happen, it'll have to be with Petra. She knows so much more than we do about them, and what they're like now, and how they function. She wants to help."

Paisley was torn between her desire to help Petra, and her fear that if she released her, it would come back to bite them all. If she let Petra go, and then Petra came back and tried to do worse to the brothers...if she brought more clio with her, and somehow managed to get Nils and Henri... Paisley would never forgive herself. It would have been her fault, for issuing orders to release her.

She took a deep breath and then looked into Henri's eyes. He seemed so passionate about this idea. So sure they they could trust Petra. And Paisley knew that Henri loved Nils more than anything in the world. If he could trust Petra after what she had done...

"Okay," Paisley said, finally, swallowing. She wanted to trust Petra, but realized she couldn't. Instead, she'd decided to rely on her trust in Henri. "I trust you."

Henrik closed his eyes as he smiled gently. She trusted him, and the first step to take those clio down was made. He couldn't believe it, they were actually all going to go through with this.

"Thank you," he breathed, his eyes opening again. "This is going to make such a difference…and we're going to save so many clio. You have a big, strong heart, Paisley. I'm glad someone like you has opportunities to help others -- it seems like that's all you do." He chuckled lightly and took a step closer to Paisley.

"I know this isn't easy for you, but…thank you for trusting me. I won't let you down." He knew he couldn't promise that to her, but everything in him told him to go for this, to at least try. "This will lead to a better life for Nils and for Petra, and for all the others that they've captured and broken down."

Paisley nodded, praying to whatever Gods that were out there listening that everything would turn out alright. Her stomach felt a little queasy, but she realized she also felt a few small tendrils of hope. She did trust Henri, and she knew that he felt this was right. She would have to have faith that things would play out like they needed to. And if something went wrong, she would need to be ready to take action.

"Anything I can do," Paisley said, "I'll do it." She didn't think of herself like Henri described her, but she did know that all she wanted was for things to be okay. For no one to ever be treated like Nils and Henri had. And if this was how to do it--to take a leap of faith and trust, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Henrik smiled and walked up to Paisley, directly in front of her. His hand rested on her shoulder, and moved up to her cheek. "Thank you," he said again, his eyes full of passion and hope and inspiration. While he was so grateful to be here with Paisley, who had just agreed to do something she was very against just because of her trust for Henrik, his mind wasn't all here. His imagination was exploding, and he was ready to see it all get started.

"I'm gonna go talk to Nils," he said. "I have some ideas for how he can help. I'll see you around, okay? Thank you so much."

He leaned forward, kissing Paisley lightly on the forehead. He wasn't sure exactly how to thank her, but he'd try to make it up for her. He'd try to repay her for everything she'd done -- and if he and Nils didn't have to hide anymore, that would be a lot easier for him to do.

And with that, he left with a hop in his step to go talk to his brother.