|
Post by Richter Abend on Jan 8, 2016 12:31:10 GMT -6
"Force of habit."
The Ilian reared his head back, not pulling his shoulder from Guinevere’s touch but not embracing it either. He let out a small sigh at Guinevere’s insistence that he let her do the worrying. Truth was, as much as they joked that she would be his bodyguard, Richter really was awful at not worrying about other people, and even worse at letting other people care about him. It probably originated in the aftermath of his family tragedy, after losing so many of the people he had cared about most. Richter always felt like he was responsible for those around him. For every death, every injury, he felt at fault.
Yet quite hypocritically he refused to let other people feel responsible for him. He’d gotten better at opening up, at not pushing other people away, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let people worry about him without protest. Richter’s relationships gave him a sense of purpose, to protect his loved ones, but keeping other people from doing the same allowed him to partition that side of himself and take the risks that other people wouldn’t for fear of leaving their loved one’s behind. That didn’t stop him from having those fears altogether, but it helped. It was more than a bit selfish, but it had gotten him this far.
“I’m all out of tea,” he said, changing the subject. He put his hands on the edge of the table and pushed himself to his feet. “Would you like me to get you some as well?”
|
|
|
Post by Guinevere von Altenburg on Jan 9, 2016 20:08:12 GMT -6
Gwen watched Richter's facial expressions as he sat in silence. He was clearly thinking about something, and she had a pretty good guess what it was, but she decided to let it be for now. Instead, she let her hand slide off of his shoulder and she shook her head lightly. "Well then, it's time for you to break that habit. I'm gonna worry about you, whether you like it or not." It was just a part of who Guinevere was, right up there with being a soldier. If you were someone she cared about, she was gonna worry about your well being. Simple as that.
The soldier smiled at her former commander as he got to his feet and asked about tea. "Yes, thank you." The conversation between the two of them had taken up so much of her focus that she hadn't even realized they both finished their tea. That same thing had happened a number of times early in her relationship with Rayl. Meals would end and they wouldn't notice for hours because they were simply talking. As their relationship went on, however, times like that happened less and less, to the point where by the end Rayl would leave before a meal ended to attended to business. Not that she blamed him for it, but it was obvious things had changed.
She watched Richter as he moved away to get their tea. Why had that thought come back now? Unless... No. Gwen shook her head. Let's not get silly now. No. Not gonna happen. But maybe.
|
|