Rory really did like Ben. He always had. In a way, Ben reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger -- quiet, smart, logical, nerdy, less self-confidence than he really should have. He had functioning legs, of course, but so did everyone else on this island. And it was because Rory liked Ben that it hurt him so much to have to have this conversation in the first place. Rory couldn’t blame Ben for being protective. Not at all. If the situation had been reversed, if he’d gotten wind that someone was manipulating any of his siblings, he probably would’ve had the exact same reaction. The trouble was that Rory couldn’t think of any way to explain it that would somehow keep their friendship intact. Or Fiona’s, for that matter. God. He’d really fucked up, hadn’t he?
Clearing his throat, Rory closed his eyes and refocused for a moment before looking up at Ben from his wheelchair. “Please sit,” Rory offered, extending a hand toward the most comfortable chair in the room. Rory preferred it when people around him were sitting. He always felt far less intimidated that way. It was only a height thing, but to Rory, these things were important. “All right. So I think..” Rory paused. Yes. This was the way to go about this. “I think to explain this I need to give you some background first.” He looked at Ben calculatingly for a few moments before saying, “Have you seen anything... strange lately? Things that you can account for with logic?” He would’ve given examples, but part of him was curious about what Ben would tell him, if he had seen anything. Part of Rory really hoped that he had. It would make this much easier to explain. Sort of.