A flash of heat and then her eyes were hidden from him, and he winced within, trying to hold back the spark of vicious temper that railed at her distance, her anger, her hurts. He had a name for it, a cause of it, and he fought to master it - fought and won, for the moment, thanks to Isuma's timely interruption and the support she so unstintingly gave him, giving his anger nothing to find purchase on.
At least he wasn't thrown out, handed sullen bread for Rory's sake and shown the door. Her invitation might have been grudging - or was he simply reading it that way, his guilt coloring her gesture? - but it still was an invitation, and he took it with cautious relief, and no little trepidation that he now had to follow through on his request to talk.
Isuma chirruped gratefully at Amalia, letting Jigano launch her lightly so she could pounce on the baker's shoulder and give her big sister a nuzzle of greeting before abandoning both humans for the company of her favorite starwhale. Jigano watched her go with a soft smile that faded as he turned back to Amalia, drawing in a slow breath. "Tea would be welcome, thank you," he said formally - and then winced at the distance in his tone. "Amalia... I..." The words were there, but as he slid into the offered seat they felt thick in this throat, and wholly inadequate for what he wanted to convey. "You look well," he said instead, awkward and uncertain how to proceed. "I'm glad. I...have not known what to do. Whether you wanted to see me again or not," he admitted quietly at last.
At least he wasn't thrown out, handed sullen bread for Rory's sake and shown the door. Her invitation might have been grudging - or was he simply reading it that way, his guilt coloring her gesture? - but it still was an invitation, and he took it with cautious relief, and no little trepidation that he now had to follow through on his request to talk.
Isuma chirruped gratefully at Amalia, letting Jigano launch her lightly so she could pounce on the baker's shoulder and give her big sister a nuzzle of greeting before abandoning both humans for the company of her favorite starwhale. Jigano watched her go with a soft smile that faded as he turned back to Amalia, drawing in a slow breath. "Tea would be welcome, thank you," he said formally - and then winced at the distance in his tone. "Amalia... I..." The words were there, but as he slid into the offered seat they felt thick in this throat, and wholly inadequate for what he wanted to convey. "You look well," he said instead, awkward and uncertain how to proceed. "I'm glad. I...have not known what to do. Whether you wanted to see me again or not," he admitted quietly at last.
