He was content to let their conversation flow around him: it had never quite meant to include him anyway, had only ever been a distraction from him and his silence and his past actions clogging up his throat. So he listened, keen, tucking away the little tidbits offered and wondering at what they meant. Was she seeing Bastien? It certainly seemed that way when she leaned in to confide in them, and Rory's smile was lopsided.
In truth, he had a hard time picturing them together: whimsical and accidentally judgmental Bastien with this .. goddess made flesh, a sharp queen, a wolf dressed as a doe. It was not who he would've guessed her to be with, but then again, could he have guessed that he would stand next to the offworlder white-haired bard, his arm around his waist—such an easy, effortless claim?
No; he definitely would not have guessed it, and on paper, they were quite mismatched too.
People so rarely were who they seemed to be.
Then she said something else: Bastien doesn't eat, really, anymore, and Rory felt something swirl in his thoughts, like ink in water. It was a peculiar wording, a peculiar sentiment, and a peculiar world. The only thing he could think of was Wessex cooking for him after Long Night, saying the exact same thing, so—Bastien had Ascended? Interesting.
"Good," he said quietly, content to leave it there as conversation turned towards grilled worms, fireworks, and foxes. Rory felt something, a twitch of his ghost ears, something subtle changing in his face even though he tried to not change; his gaze slid to Jigano's face, studying his sharp profile. "Did the fox now?" he murmured, amused, and it could've meant something, or it could've simply been a shy echo of the humor—who spoke of foxes like that, anyway?
"It is very good," he confirmed, carefully folding up the beautiful banner, "so I definitely think we should go get some."
[ Maybe this would be a good place to wrap this up and just say they enjoyed some grilled worms together? <3 ]
In truth, he had a hard time picturing them together: whimsical and accidentally judgmental Bastien with this .. goddess made flesh, a sharp queen, a wolf dressed as a doe. It was not who he would've guessed her to be with, but then again, could he have guessed that he would stand next to the offworlder white-haired bard, his arm around his waist—such an easy, effortless claim?
No; he definitely would not have guessed it, and on paper, they were quite mismatched too.
People so rarely were who they seemed to be.
Then she said something else: Bastien doesn't eat, really, anymore, and Rory felt something swirl in his thoughts, like ink in water. It was a peculiar wording, a peculiar sentiment, and a peculiar world. The only thing he could think of was Wessex cooking for him after Long Night, saying the exact same thing, so—Bastien had Ascended? Interesting.
"Good," he said quietly, content to leave it there as conversation turned towards grilled worms, fireworks, and foxes. Rory felt something, a twitch of his ghost ears, something subtle changing in his face even though he tried to not change; his gaze slid to Jigano's face, studying his sharp profile. "Did the fox now?" he murmured, amused, and it could've meant something, or it could've simply been a shy echo of the humor—who spoke of foxes like that, anyway?
"It is very good," he confirmed, carefully folding up the beautiful banner, "so I definitely think we should go get some."
[ Maybe this would be a good place to wrap this up and just say they enjoyed some grilled worms together? <3 ]
