LOREN
As Remi accused Loren of just looking for an excuse, he sent an incredibly hurt expression at the alchemist. The other man had asked the summoner to look, so he did, and his gaze was heartbroken. ”Of course I want him to know. I need him to be okay with this. How can you ask me that?” The Launceleyn’s voice came out in a pained rush as he stared at the other man with injured and broken eyes. ”He was my friend, Remi. And I’m still his. I knew him before I knew you. He was…” The summoner swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat as memories and emotions cascaded over him. ”He was the first person to show me any real kindness. To teach me that touch could be gentle and not just cruel. To bother getting to know me, the real me, to actually want to get to know me.” Indeed, Ronin had been Loren’s first in pretty much every sense of the world.
”So I cannot stand the thought of hurting him any more than I can stand the thought of hurting you.” He pleaded with his eyes, his face, his posture, begged Remi to understand. ”I want him to say yes, Remi. But...he needs to say it.” Loren, at least, wasn’t capable of assuming the king would be fine with this, of relying upon Ronin to show the Launceleyn any more kindness. He'd already received far more than he'd ever hoped for or deserved.
”So I cannot stand the thought of hurting him any more than I can stand the thought of hurting you.” He pleaded with his eyes, his face, his posture, begged Remi to understand. ”I want him to say yes, Remi. But...he needs to say it.” Loren, at least, wasn’t capable of assuming the king would be fine with this, of relying upon Ronin to show the Launceleyn any more kindness. He'd already received far more than he'd ever hoped for or deserved.
But don’t be weary if it’s broken
Families are like that—
they’re split up and always torn.
