His hand was a blur, even to his own trained eye, but he caught her hand gently. She was only a child. He had to keep reminding himself of that. He released her slowly, reluctantly. Removing his mask was not something he was used to yet. He wasn't sure he ever would be okay with it. It had been instilled in him not to, so it was just second nature. Was this what she meant? Was he 'surprised' by her action to take it? 

He allowed the mask to peel from his face, still unsure why it was necessary. His skin held a pale glow against the sunlight, accented by shimmering, smooth scars from various encounters through his life. The metal of his piercings glinted, almost matching the luster of his eyes, but his face lay expressionless. He may as well have been a statue carved from the most stubborn marble. 

Suddenly, as he looked at the child's face, he felt something. It was a warming in his chest, and he could feel a small dose of adrenaline enter his bloodstream. He felt... connected somehow to the little girl. It tormented his mind with questions. He knew not how to describe nor name the feeling one has when they make a friend. He had never experienced such a thing. He was hated, feared, or shunned by all. The only emotion he had known for the better part of his life had been hate, but this was different. This was the polar opposite of hate. 

He extended a gloved hand and touched the girl's soft face. He didn't know why he did this. Maybe it was to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. Maybe he wondered if she was feeling the same way. Either way, the interaction was very interesting. The only view he was capable of was an objective one; a cold, logical one. From that perspective, the thing he was feeling was new and that held his attention fully. It captivated him enough not to notice that a man had appeared, practically dragging one of the boys from before with him. By the time Cain noticed, the man was only steps away from him. 

"What is this? You come here and practice voodoo magic on children and practically frighten the life from my boy here?!" The man exclaimed. Cain could hear it in his voice. There was a hint of fear, a trace of regret, but more than that was anger and opposition. This man had likely been ordered to come here, likely by his wife. Cain assumed, having read about families, that perhaps this was a territorial display to show the young boy not to have fear. 

The ex-assassin forced an expression onto his face. If his theory was correct, and this girl had some greater intuition through touch, she would catch on. He deleted all other thought processes from his conscious mind and thought only one thing. "Do I eliminate this man, or not?" He would let her decide. She understood what the father might be feeling much better than Cain ever could, so the decision was hers. 

[@shylarah]