i reach out to my lifeline, the angels laugh in paradise
El does their best to relax as they listen to Bart's instructions, no longer squeezing their eyes closed tight, eyelids smoothing out. It's a strange feeling, floating on the surface, made even stranger once they start moving around. It's as if the ocean is a cushion, and El is lying on it. They smile a little to themself as they think of this.
Their heart is still beating fast as they try to take slower, deeper breaths, indeed feeling the difference in the buoyancy of their body as they inhale and exhale. It helps that Bart is explaining everything much too thoroughly, so El doesn't have any clarifying questions to ask once he's finished. Then, with a bit of awkwardness yet warmth in his funny-sounding accent, he asks them to talk about themself. It's a bit surprising to El, really; this is reflected in how their brows raise before coming down again. The small smile returns to El's face as they try to think of what to say.
"There's not much to tell, really. My last name is Hawke. I was born and raised on a farm in the Grounds." They pause, unsure how much or how little to give away to this man. They don't know anything about him. He could be so devout that to discover he is holding an Abandoned in his arms would horrify him. He could hate thieves. He definitely isn't from around here, which is one reassuring fact they cling to.
"My favorite dessert is a good, fresh ice cream. I want to explore and travel the entirety of Caido, but in all honesty I haven't seen shit. I want to know everything about everything. I know a lot of things about plants and herbs, their healing potential." And stealing, they tack on in their head, deciding against confessing their criminality from the get-go.
"I'm not very religious. Not at all really." They add this after a pause, hoping it will provoke a response that reveals Bart's opinion of the gods.
Their heart is still beating fast as they try to take slower, deeper breaths, indeed feeling the difference in the buoyancy of their body as they inhale and exhale. It helps that Bart is explaining everything much too thoroughly, so El doesn't have any clarifying questions to ask once he's finished. Then, with a bit of awkwardness yet warmth in his funny-sounding accent, he asks them to talk about themself. It's a bit surprising to El, really; this is reflected in how their brows raise before coming down again. The small smile returns to El's face as they try to think of what to say.
"There's not much to tell, really. My last name is Hawke. I was born and raised on a farm in the Grounds." They pause, unsure how much or how little to give away to this man. They don't know anything about him. He could be so devout that to discover he is holding an Abandoned in his arms would horrify him. He could hate thieves. He definitely isn't from around here, which is one reassuring fact they cling to.
"My favorite dessert is a good, fresh ice cream. I want to explore and travel the entirety of Caido, but in all honesty I haven't seen shit. I want to know everything about everything. I know a lot of things about plants and herbs, their healing potential." And stealing, they tack on in their head, deciding against confessing their criminality from the get-go.
"I'm not very religious. Not at all really." They add this after a pause, hoping it will provoke a response that reveals Bart's opinion of the gods.
they say i am my own lifeline
ELEFTHERIA
