Being told by an old friend or relative that she still cares about you, despite everything that happened in the past, and despite all the time that you were separated, is usually heartwarming and satisfying. But Astros' words and Dexter's opinions turned the tables around: the blonde guy was more preoccupied and saddened than anything else. He'd rather have his mother forgetting about him, at that point. Now I'm the only one left to protect Astros, too...
That weird letter - probably the best adjective to describe it - now reminded Dexter about his family's expectations. Am I ever going to return inside the society or will I live by draining my mother's money forever? If I join a faction, is this still going to be a problem? What if my mother visits me?
Leaving that aside for a moment, Dexter had already some ideas about which faction to join. After all, he wanted to protect the population from those Beasts, so that what happened to him and his father wouldn't happen again (or, at least, would happen less frequently); also, right now he was already protecting Astros.
"My decision...?" Dexter finally whispered.
"My decision is to use these powers you unlocked to protect you, as stipulated by our contract. That always comes first." Dexter made a brief pause. "But if that's why you're here, I have an idea about which faction to join as well."
Only then the blonde guy changed expression, looking darker and more preoccupied. "This will probably need a better explanation later... Am I going to be a magical person forever? Is it possible to have some kind of dual life? Someone still cares about me and wants to help me to fulfill her expectations."
Although he didn't mention it, Dexter was still concerned about Takeshi, especially after hearing Astros' words. Also, he didn't miss one word of what the Mediator said, inevitably becoming more curious and interested about everything he mentioned.
((wow, this took an hour to write down))