Parker's face remained flat and emotionless as Aurora berated him. Did she think she was proving her point? Because she wasn't. She was simply restating herself with less facts and more vain hope. The world was swiftly curling into darkness, and though some might try to prevent it, they did so for their own good just as much (if not more) than for others around them. If sailor senshi won, they would be preservering the world as they would like it to be. Who was to say that their version of existence was the right one, or even the best? Parker didn't really take sides in the battles that raged on in the streets. It had all just begun, and he was more interested in watching how things played out than in anything else.

When she slammed the money down, braid lightly brushing his face, he dropped his eyes to it, even as she walked away. It was an insult, to be paid by a Crystal girl, to be bought off like some societal whore. His hands didn't move toward the money, just stayed perched on the edge of the table. The bills seemed dirty, rotten even, like taking them might be a compromise of his integrity in some way. He did not follow Aurora, he did not say goodbye. He simply stared at the bills.

After a moment, he reached his hand forward, snatching them up and slowly tucking them into his wallet. Integrity was useless. He needed the money, goddamnit, and though part of him withered to accept such blatant overpayment from a Crystal girl, the lower class, parent-less child in him understood that he needed it. He was an 18-year-old computer repairman. The work was steady sometimes, but a lot of people were nervous to let a kid so young look at their computers. Most of his clientele were much older, people who assumed that young folk were the only ones who understood those strange metal machines.

Parker tucked his wallet away, heaving a sigh. There was no integrity; there was only survival. He needed the money. He would keep the money. She got what she wanted. She got the metal pieces, and she got the last word. He, however, knew that he was right. And when the world came falling to pieces around Aurora Namid, she would understand too. They all would.

Selecting several large pieces for himself, Parker waited until he was certain she was gone, made his purchase, and headed back to Hillworth. Aurora Namid. There had to be a skeleton in her closet, or in her family's. And as he turned to the corner and headed for the subway, Parker was certain of one thing -- he would uncover it. He would uncover her darkness for the entire world to see.