Just smile and be happy.
The casual quip may have seemed like the end of that conversation if Zavien hadn't raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "'Something else'? Do you have a list?" He knew he was a work in progress, but who wasn't? The idea just made him smile, leaning forward like she might pull out an itemized list of all his faults that she'd noticed thus far. Considering she probably wouldn't, he just pinned her with an amused look.
On the topic of families, the choice of wording didn't really strike Zavien as strange, and even if it had, her discomfort would have been enough to keep him from picking at old wounds. With any luck, they'd have many more dates to delve into dead family members and deep dark secrets. So he settled for raised eyebrows and a soft whistle. "That's a lot." For comparison, he added his answer to her question, "It was just me and my mom." Maybe she would be more intuitive than him, picking up on his own wording, but he was too lost in thoughts of her 'large' family and what that would have been like. He'd grown up in a large community that felt like family, yet he didn't think it would feel the same to be blood related.
Her question in regard to his mom was not quite in the realm of 'better things,' but Zavien tried to keep things light with a nod of his head. "For a time." This time, the smile was more obviously shaded with grief. The passing of years had softened the pain, but her memories still tasted of melancholy and bitter regrets. He didn't say more, not wanting to darken the mood too much. After all, this was only a first date.
Luckily, the next topic made it easy. He was happy to hear that she was finally moving someplace more comfortable than her office, smiling in approval (not that she needed it). Considering her shifting housing situation, and compliment of his own, Zavien gave a smile and the same automatic response that he gave all his friends: "Well, you're always welcome to stay with me." He was taking another sip of his wine before he realized the weight of his offer (again implications). A deep blush spread across his cheeks and he nearly spat the sweet drink from his mouth in a coughing fit. "I - I meant, if you need one. But you still have the Celestine, so you probably don't. But if you did, and wanted to crash at my place, I'd obviously sleep in one of the chairs. But not because of anything to do with you! You're great! Just to be polite..." His voice trailed off as he ran out of breath. Sol peeked open a lazy eye to see the source of the commotion, but quickly determined that his companion was just being an idiot and closed his eye again to resume his snoring. Zavien groaned, placing his hand over the burning of his face, mortified. "Please tell me that didn't sound as bad to you as it felt coming out of my mouth."
On the topic of families, the choice of wording didn't really strike Zavien as strange, and even if it had, her discomfort would have been enough to keep him from picking at old wounds. With any luck, they'd have many more dates to delve into dead family members and deep dark secrets. So he settled for raised eyebrows and a soft whistle. "That's a lot." For comparison, he added his answer to her question, "It was just me and my mom." Maybe she would be more intuitive than him, picking up on his own wording, but he was too lost in thoughts of her 'large' family and what that would have been like. He'd grown up in a large community that felt like family, yet he didn't think it would feel the same to be blood related.
Her question in regard to his mom was not quite in the realm of 'better things,' but Zavien tried to keep things light with a nod of his head. "For a time." This time, the smile was more obviously shaded with grief. The passing of years had softened the pain, but her memories still tasted of melancholy and bitter regrets. He didn't say more, not wanting to darken the mood too much. After all, this was only a first date.
Luckily, the next topic made it easy. He was happy to hear that she was finally moving someplace more comfortable than her office, smiling in approval (not that she needed it). Considering her shifting housing situation, and compliment of his own, Zavien gave a smile and the same automatic response that he gave all his friends: "Well, you're always welcome to stay with me." He was taking another sip of his wine before he realized the weight of his offer (again implications). A deep blush spread across his cheeks and he nearly spat the sweet drink from his mouth in a coughing fit. "I - I meant, if you need one. But you still have the Celestine, so you probably don't. But if you did, and wanted to crash at my place, I'd obviously sleep in one of the chairs. But not because of anything to do with you! You're great! Just to be polite..." His voice trailed off as he ran out of breath. Sol peeked open a lazy eye to see the source of the commotion, but quickly determined that his companion was just being an idiot and closed his eye again to resume his snoring. Zavien groaned, placing his hand over the burning of his face, mortified. "Please tell me that didn't sound as bad to you as it felt coming out of my mouth."
Zavien
