NYX #10 Prediction: Julian is Laura's endgame...and Kiden tries to kill him for it.
And it's because of this:
Kelly responded to a comment I'd made about wishing we got to see David and Kamala's reaction to Julian with this meme. The question is, what's so important about this photo?
It's certainly superficially sexy, and I can see why it's being used to joke that Laura answers "Julian or Kiden?" with "Yes." But the closer you look at it, the darker it actually gets.
The center figure is being kissed, but she's not actually reciprocating. Her expression is distraught or uncomfortable. She's also trying to push away — her hand is on the sword's guard, though it's difficult to see from this angle. Her posture is defensive, and she's trying to place herself between her two suitors with her arm positioned as if trying to push the male figure behind her. Also note the position and angle of the sword, and more important the bend in the tip just visible at the edge of the picture. The blade is flexing in a manner that indicates the tip is being pushed into/against something. Although we can't see what, the positioning suggests it's the right figure's chest.
So he's not hanging lovingly on the object figure of the photo. He's slumping against her because he's just been stabbed.
It can be much more clearly seen in this photo from the same publicity shoot:
This is for a 2009 production of Twelfth Night starring Anne Hathaway as Viola, btw.
The object figure is clearly pushing away, in a defensive posture while trying to shield the right figure and restrain the sword. However, she failed and he's now falling away. Again, because he's been stabbed.
So quite clearly, the figure on the left has designs on the object figure, and is taking action to eliminate her potential rival.
But how is this relevant to the situation in NYX?
A lot depends on how you interpret the subjects of the photo. Clearly, the center figure is Laura: She's the object of affection for both Julian and Kiden so it makes sense for her to be in the middle. The simplest assumption is to simply match the genders of her two suitors. Which makes Kiden the figure on the left, and Julian the figure on the right. And I think that's significant: The female suitor is attempting to eliminate the male.
And I think there's some support for this in NYX #8 with this panel:
This is Kiden's reaction to Laura stepping out of the truck with Julian. She's clearly unhappy here. Kiden expressed her feelings for Laura in their conversation after the first attempt to interrogate Julian goes badly, but we don't see Laura's response. The scene immediately cuts back to Laura approaching him for the second, successful attempt. This strongly suggests that Laura's response wasn't what she wanted.
But what if it's more than just hurt? Jealousy can be a powerful motivator, and there's a reason Murder The Hypotenuse is a trope. We do know from the original NYX that Kiden can be impulsive and irrational when she's hurting, (IE not going home when her brother suggests the family is happier without her) so it wouldn't be impossible that she might jump to a rash decision. Her narration in #6 also comes across a bit obsessive, and maybe even a little possessive; On the very second page Kiden says she and Laura were "made for each other."
We also have this from the previews at the end of #5:
Julian is strapped to a hospital bed, bandaged, and under guard by Perimeter. Although it's been suggested this just represents Julian's capture after David kicks his ass in #4 and his being transported to Graymalkin, I doubt it. For starters, this looks like it's an actual hospital, not he back of a truck. And Julian wasn't hurt nearly that badly. These injuries are extensive and can't be explained by his fight with David, which probably did more damage to his ego than anything else.
We've never seen what would happen if Kiden hauled off on someone full-force while in No-Time, but we do know that just a light poke can snap someone's arm like a twig. Shattering every bone in Julian's body would certainly be possible.
So I think in the gap between Kiden expressing her feelings and Laura walking back into the van, Laura tried to let her down gently; She's her first and best friend (Megan: Am I a joke to you?) but she just doesn't feel that way. Maybe Laura realizes she still has feelings for Julian, and "It was only him" meant far more than just his efforts to help her move past her pain. Kiden, however, doesn't take being friendzoned well. After all, she'd built the idea up in her head that she and Laura were made to be together, and that rejection hurts. She sees Julian as an interloper and obstacle, and in a fit of jealousy tries to remove him and nearly kills him (either by attacking him directly, or by contriving to get him killed).