[ While he waits for an answer, he is all too aware that it feels as though his heart has seized up inside him. If he has upset her or failed to be attentive to her needs... Well, he will only think of himself as not living up to the reputation of the Borel name.
Without even a moment's hesitation, he wraps his arms around her, carefully pulling her into what he hopes is a comforting embrace. One hand moves to her hair, where it rests for a moment before beginning to carefully stroke the strands.
Something has upset her, and he fervently hopes that it is not something he did, but if it is, he will do everything in his power to rectify it. ]
Have I done something wrong? I would know what it is, that I might attempt making amends for it. [ He speaks at almost the same time she does, and he quickly falls silent so that he might hear what it is that troubles her.
Her words wash over him, and with each one, he feels an ache form in his heart as well. It is a different sort of weight from the one he has been wrestling with. This has less to do with his obligation to his beloved home and more to do with his feelings for her, which he has yet to truly identify.
Those feelings have only been growing stronger, despite his efforts to focus solely on his work and his duty, but some things just cannot be held back no matter how hard one tries. ]
It is not right that you are pulled here and there, not by choice but by the decisions of others. If there was anything I could do, or any decree that I could make that would set you free of all your responsibilities, giving you and your sister the freedom to go where you will and help those you wish to, I would do it without hesitation.
[ Suddenly, his own struggles seem far less important when faced with the gravity of her feelings and her own difficulties. ]
You may have been granted gifts far beyond my comprehension and that of others, but that hardly means you need to be constrained by the requests and whims of- Of anyone. Scions, myself as the Lord Commander, it does not matter.
[ And not for the first time this evening, he realizes that he has begun to resent himself for piling more responsibilities upon her, when, by rights, they should have been handled either by himself or his First Commander, or the Temple Knights.
Now that he sees the effects that such things are having on her, he can hardly feel anything different. ]
I meant what I said earlier, that if ever you and your sister need a place to stay, my home is open to you for as long as you require. Indefinitely, if that is what you need. I realize that does not fully address your longings and your desires, but you have but to ask and I will do what I can to see that your needs are met, to the best of my ability.
[ He may have no jurisdiction over the Scions, but as far as giving her a home, he would do that, and more. It is only the beginning of the realization that he cares for her, even loves her, but those feelings seem to only be growing stronger with every minute that passes. ]
no subject
Without even a moment's hesitation, he wraps his arms around her, carefully pulling her into what he hopes is a comforting embrace. One hand moves to her hair, where it rests for a moment before beginning to carefully stroke the strands.
Something has upset her, and he fervently hopes that it is not something he did, but if it is, he will do everything in his power to rectify it. ]
Have I done something wrong? I would know what it is, that I might attempt making amends for it. [ He speaks at almost the same time she does, and he quickly falls silent so that he might hear what it is that troubles her.
Her words wash over him, and with each one, he feels an ache form in his heart as well. It is a different sort of weight from the one he has been wrestling with. This has less to do with his obligation to his beloved home and more to do with his feelings for her, which he has yet to truly identify.
Those feelings have only been growing stronger, despite his efforts to focus solely on his work and his duty, but some things just cannot be held back no matter how hard one tries. ]
It is not right that you are pulled here and there, not by choice but by the decisions of others. If there was anything I could do, or any decree that I could make that would set you free of all your responsibilities, giving you and your sister the freedom to go where you will and help those you wish to, I would do it without hesitation.
[ Suddenly, his own struggles seem far less important when faced with the gravity of her feelings and her own difficulties. ]
You may have been granted gifts far beyond my comprehension and that of others, but that hardly means you need to be constrained by the requests and whims of- Of anyone. Scions, myself as the Lord Commander, it does not matter.
[ And not for the first time this evening, he realizes that he has begun to resent himself for piling more responsibilities upon her, when, by rights, they should have been handled either by himself or his First Commander, or the Temple Knights.
Now that he sees the effects that such things are having on her, he can hardly feel anything different. ]
I meant what I said earlier, that if ever you and your sister need a place to stay, my home is open to you for as long as you require. Indefinitely, if that is what you need. I realize that does not fully address your longings and your desires, but you have but to ask and I will do what I can to see that your needs are met, to the best of my ability.
[ He may have no jurisdiction over the Scions, but as far as giving her a home, he would do that, and more. It is only the beginning of the realization that he cares for her, even loves her, but those feelings seem to only be growing stronger with every minute that passes. ]