Harper
Her quite understanding makes his chest ache, and he turns his hand palm up at the gentle brush of her knuckles, pinky catching at the underside of her own to try and coax it into his as she begins to regale him with a season's worth of changes. It feels better to relax in the sunlight and listen to her voice than to consider his own recent history, and he lets her faint Grounder accent fold around him like unspooling thread that entangles and carries him along the stream of her adventuring like a toy tugboat.
His smile settles and smooths as she continues on, happy for the undeniable upward trajectory of her life despite the bumps and bruises she outlines. "I'm so proud of you," he murmurs, heartfelt, when she finishes - blue eyes bright with it. "I told you it would come, but you found it for yourself. And Dygra - what was she like?" He prods gently, wanting to know more given how integral the goddess has become in his life no matter how unwittingly.
"Once you finally get momentum out of the rut you're in, it can be intimidating, the idea of slowing down," he agrees, lending credence to her fears instead of dismissing them outright. "But now sounds like the perfect time for a bit of slowing down. You have your position, your tasks; external motivators that will keep you moving even if you take some time to just be." He tilts his head toward her with a smile, clearly encouraging her to actually do that. His chest is warm and full on her behalf, glad to see her seizing her third chance at life with both hands the way she always deserved to. Even if he envies her for it at the same time.
His smile settles and smooths as she continues on, happy for the undeniable upward trajectory of her life despite the bumps and bruises she outlines. "I'm so proud of you," he murmurs, heartfelt, when she finishes - blue eyes bright with it. "I told you it would come, but you found it for yourself. And Dygra - what was she like?" He prods gently, wanting to know more given how integral the goddess has become in his life no matter how unwittingly.
"Once you finally get momentum out of the rut you're in, it can be intimidating, the idea of slowing down," he agrees, lending credence to her fears instead of dismissing them outright. "But now sounds like the perfect time for a bit of slowing down. You have your position, your tasks; external motivators that will keep you moving even if you take some time to just be." He tilts his head toward her with a smile, clearly encouraging her to actually do that. His chest is warm and full on her behalf, glad to see her seizing her third chance at life with both hands the way she always deserved to. Even if he envies her for it at the same time.
I cut my teeth on second-hand sentiments
you can't trust a thing I say
you can't trust a thing I say
