you were a kindness when i was a stranger.

#i need a moment because i—THE WAY HAL TOUCHES CUTLER HERE. TOUCHING HIS FACE AND SMOOTHING DOWN HIS SUIT JACKET. #no i—i—here is hal with his prodigy (because old ones are very particular about who they turn) #(and destiny has chosen cutler; hal has chosen cutler)#and here he is about to break his protégé down and rebuild him in his own image #and yet— #he’s strangely tender in this fleeting moment #is it a front? it could be because god knows hal has enough charisma to turn his charm on and off again #and it could be a front because they’re in a room full of his other lackeys! and this is going to be a moment where he truly is a monster! #so he’s trying to put cutler at ease with a front! #BUT THEN#whilst you could argue he’s reassuring cutler’s nerves to make the impact more brutal#why bother reassuring him at all? #and of course the way cutler’s mouth widens and his eyes flicker to hal’s mouth as soon as hal’s hands are on his face. #these two are mirrors and parallels and both broken and both rebuilt and— 

Reblogging for the commentary because it is perfect.