Jaden watched Clara out of the corner of his eye, noting how not even a word was put up in response. Seeing her be so submissive before him was saddening, he was so used to her speaking out against everything. And yet now, he could almost feel her desire to get away from him, could see it through the way she walked, how she held herself, how she looked at him as if he was a stranger, or worse, a monster. He couldn't blame her for these feelings, she had been manipulated into such an intense a lurid affair only to wake up to piles of corpses and the man she knew as her mentor claiming responsibility for everything that happened. If he were in her shoes, she'd be leery of being near such a person as well, but he still felt some form of hurt deep inside.

More than anything, however, he felt that he had failed his charge. It had been his duty for centuries to watch over her, protect her, and do his best to guide her, but somewhere along the line, he'd grown complacent. He'd simply gotten used to life in control, had forgotten what exactly he had become all those years ago. And she had almost paid the price for his failure . . . just like Diane had, becoming nothing but a lust-filled shell of who they used to be. The thought nearly caused Jaden to break down again, but he held himself together, leading his charge out of the debauched tomb and to the car. However, as Jaden took the wheel, a familiar stubbornness would set itself on his features, placing his hands at the proper positions upon the steering wheel.

[color=Ivory]"Nice and easy, Jaden . . . nice and easy."[/color]

[hr]

Unfortunately for Jaden and Clara, feeding the former's inner demon did little to improve his driving ability, and his current emotional state actually made him an even worse driver than before. The front of the car was covered in a number of dents and debris from the many things that had collide with it, and Jaden was currently laying his head against the wheel, trying not to think about the dog he'd tried to avoid. The operative word being 'tried'.

[color=Ivory]"Well then, this day is just getting better and better.[/color] Jaden pinched the bridge of his nose as he got out of the car, offering to help Clara as well if she wished to accept. Once inside, he'd wave off any of the serving staff and simply go to his study, where he'd wait for Clara to come and demand answers, as he was sure she'd come to do. He half-expected her to leave him as soon as possible, and while that would probably hurt him deeply, he couldn't very well force her to stay in the same house s the man who violated her, no matter how out of his control the situation had been. It was all his fault, and he'd accept the consequences of his actions.