[ He will do it because he must, and any other outcome would give him cause to view himself as less than fit to lead. In the morning, there will be a few short hours before he is expected to appear before the people, and he means to use that time to fine-tune his plans. For the moment, he only wishes to take in this time with her, letting nothing come between them. ]
Hmm? [ He finds it an interesting development that the more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself expressing himself a little more freely. Oh, he is still very much the same person who presents a very guarded persona, but the shell he has kept around himself for so long is beginning to break open a little bit at a time. ]
Of course, of course. [ He shifts just slightly so that he might further nestle himself into her lap and the comfort she offers. He is not accustomed to being cared for like this, because the last time that anyone offered this sort of care was when his mother still lived, but he finds that he likes it every bit as much as he must have when he was younger. ] The only thing that gives me pause is the notion that you will tire of it, and in time come to resent me.
[ It seems to him that one of his shortcomings is his tendency to take so many things to heart, and when he only had himself to worry about, he did not have to fear that he was being too much of a bother to anyone but himself. Now, with her by his side, he fears that she might grow tired of the role of comforter. She has not claimed that as her role in so many words, but her actions and other things she has said seem proof enough.
He falls silent once more, putting a halt to his musings as the aether seeps deeper into the muscles around the once-injured area and a sweeping sense of relief comes over him. The feel of her fingers in his hair brings a small smile to his face, and for just a moment, it feels as though the years have fallen away and he is once more the young man seeking comfort from his mother.
Of course, Alkaid is not his mother, but rather the one he loves, and so all of this is similar but different at the same time. Perhaps the path his thoughts have taken makes little sense, so he keeps them to himself for the moment, choosing instead to simply relax beside her.
But he does have one question for her, brought about by her ministrations. ]
Did your mother offer you comfort like this when you were younger? [ He wonders where she learned how to be so attentive, or if it was an innate skill that she had all along. That would not surprise him, if that turned out to be the case. ]
no subject
Hmm? [ He finds it an interesting development that the more time he spends with her, the more he finds himself expressing himself a little more freely. Oh, he is still very much the same person who presents a very guarded persona, but the shell he has kept around himself for so long is beginning to break open a little bit at a time. ]
Of course, of course. [ He shifts just slightly so that he might further nestle himself into her lap and the comfort she offers. He is not accustomed to being cared for like this, because the last time that anyone offered this sort of care was when his mother still lived, but he finds that he likes it every bit as much as he must have when he was younger. ] The only thing that gives me pause is the notion that you will tire of it, and in time come to resent me.
[ It seems to him that one of his shortcomings is his tendency to take so many things to heart, and when he only had himself to worry about, he did not have to fear that he was being too much of a bother to anyone but himself. Now, with her by his side, he fears that she might grow tired of the role of comforter. She has not claimed that as her role in so many words, but her actions and other things she has said seem proof enough.
He falls silent once more, putting a halt to his musings as the aether seeps deeper into the muscles around the once-injured area and a sweeping sense of relief comes over him. The feel of her fingers in his hair brings a small smile to his face, and for just a moment, it feels as though the years have fallen away and he is once more the young man seeking comfort from his mother.
Of course, Alkaid is not his mother, but rather the one he loves, and so all of this is similar but different at the same time. Perhaps the path his thoughts have taken makes little sense, so he keeps them to himself for the moment, choosing instead to simply relax beside her.
But he does have one question for her, brought about by her ministrations. ]
Did your mother offer you comfort like this when you were younger? [ He wonders where she learned how to be so attentive, or if it was an innate skill that she had all along. That would not surprise him, if that turned out to be the case. ]