The touch takes her off guard, and she looks up at him with a flicker of momentary surprise that leaves her expression unguarded, all her careful neutrality vanishing for just an instant. The defenses all go back up a moment later, but not entirely, and she doesn't pull away from the contact.
"Maybe. You'd know better than I would. I'm just not sure that..." She stops, and glances away again, lips pressed together while she wrestles with how to say this - or whether to say it at all. He did save her life, and she knows he's ready to defend her to the others - specifically Stark - as soon as he gets a chance. He probably deserves a little honesty right now.
"The others from the Cortexiphan trial," she says finally. "We only found them because their abilities were... out of their control. No one had ever explained to them what happened, or why these things were happening to them, and... They killed people. All of them, horribly, and mostly by accident. The last time I saw them..."
Olivia pauses and grimaces a little. Before they died. Because she asked them to risk their lives for her, and for the man who'd ruined all their lives in the first place. She sighs and pushes on.
"They'd learned to control it. I never could. I've tried, but it's all tied into feeling and emotion, and I'm..."
Her throat closes for a second, choking off whatever she'd been about to say. She swallows hard, staring at the floor. If she looks at Steve now, he's going to see how scared she is of herself, of what she could do, that she might never go back...
Olivia shakes her head and repeats simply, "I can't control it. And it was one thing when I was just seeing things, or crossing over, because at least then I couldn't hurt anyone but myself. But this..."
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"Maybe. You'd know better than I would. I'm just not sure that..." She stops, and glances away again, lips pressed together while she wrestles with how to say this - or whether to say it at all. He did save her life, and she knows he's ready to defend her to the others - specifically Stark - as soon as he gets a chance. He probably deserves a little honesty right now.
"The others from the Cortexiphan trial," she says finally. "We only found them because their abilities were... out of their control. No one had ever explained to them what happened, or why these things were happening to them, and... They killed people. All of them, horribly, and mostly by accident. The last time I saw them..."
Olivia pauses and grimaces a little. Before they died. Because she asked them to risk their lives for her, and for the man who'd ruined all their lives in the first place. She sighs and pushes on.
"They'd learned to control it. I never could. I've tried, but it's all tied into feeling and emotion, and I'm..."
Her throat closes for a second, choking off whatever she'd been about to say. She swallows hard, staring at the floor. If she looks at Steve now, he's going to see how scared she is of herself, of what she could do, that she might never go back...
Olivia shakes her head and repeats simply, "I can't control it. And it was one thing when I was just seeing things, or crossing over, because at least then I couldn't hurt anyone but myself. But this..."