Papercuts

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Maybe Loren would be less caretaker and more friend if Ronin had proven himself capable of taking care of himself. Unfortunately, the ex-captain had a nasty habit of running himself ragged in a misguided attempt to run away from his problems; as the reigning king of bottling things up until the dam broke, Loren knew how self-destructive that kind of behavior was. "Hey. Don’t get upset with me for trying to help. If you want me to back off, say so, but don’t act like a spoiled child and get all sullen.” That might’ve been a bit too aggressive, but all the strangeness and mystery was getting to Loren. Besides, he was getting a bit tired of Ronin’s ongoing dramatics: just because the other man had been through a lot didn’t mean he could fall apart. Loren had been through worse, and no one saw him complaining. "We’ve been done the whole not talking road before, and I thought we agreed to no more lies." His voice came out softer, this time, without the note of challenge it had possessed earlier. At the other man’s agreement that after this, he’d go home and rest, Loren nodded. "Great! I’ll walk you back." Otherwise, there was a greater than zero percent chance that Ronin might just continue to patrol until he dropped from exhaustion. Still, it seemed that the librarian had made his point, so there was no need to belabor it. Loren did make a promise, though, to keep an eye on Ronin. They would need it: as one of the few people actually beloved by most of the populace, the other man could rally them in their time of need. Assuming he was in the right headspace of course. Whatever news the former duke had been expecting to hear—and honestly, given that they were in a new world with new rules, it could’ve been anything—Vayna being pregnant was about the last thing he expected. In fact, his jaw actually dropped. Although he quickly shut it, his eyes were still wide with shock. "C-c-congratulations." Coughing, he tried again. "Sorry. Congratulations, Ronin, that’s fantastic news. I’m so happy for you two.” Although their own relationship had fallen through, that didn’t mean Loren wasn’t happy for his friend; besides, anything that would raise his spirits was welcome. A new life would certainly do it.