19.Jun.12, 05:08 PM
Tal frowned in empathy. "...I could never laugh at you for something like that, Val," he said, all but purring in an innocent and distant sort of way. He noticed Valerian's little flinch at his proximity and nervously pulled away, over-correcting his own closeness and jerking back farther than the meant to.
His face fell a little bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Was he apologizing for getting too close, or pulling back so suddenly? Either way, his nerves settled considerably when he felt Valerian's hand fall onto his. Tal's eyes lit up and he inched a little bit closer, settling a comfortable but still intriguing distance away. He could feel Val's breath.
"Well..." he said softly, his chin tilting down in a coy, modest little game of eye-contact avoidance. "...I guess she was the first person outside of my family that really treated me like a person, if that makes sense," he said. "...I wasn't just the weird, smart kid in class, or a meal ticket or whatever. She actually took the time to get to know me."
How badly he wanted that in his life again. He kept feeling like he got close, but it was a delicate game. Eri wasn't interested, Breccan was off doing her own thing (though he was certainly still interested, provided he could ever track her down again, but her case kept her so busy!), and Farlint was...well, that hadn't even actually happened.
He still had it in a way, though. He had more friends than he ever had in his life, and every one of them seemed to love him in spite of his laws. Overcome by a sudden stab of emotion, he snaked his way closer to Valerian and buried him in a tight hug. It was a quiet 'thank you' for being one of those people, and perhaps a way to avoid going too deep concerning his long-lost girlfriend.
Shards, he was lonely.
His face fell a little bit. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Was he apologizing for getting too close, or pulling back so suddenly? Either way, his nerves settled considerably when he felt Valerian's hand fall onto his. Tal's eyes lit up and he inched a little bit closer, settling a comfortable but still intriguing distance away. He could feel Val's breath.
"Well..." he said softly, his chin tilting down in a coy, modest little game of eye-contact avoidance. "...I guess she was the first person outside of my family that really treated me like a person, if that makes sense," he said. "...I wasn't just the weird, smart kid in class, or a meal ticket or whatever. She actually took the time to get to know me."
How badly he wanted that in his life again. He kept feeling like he got close, but it was a delicate game. Eri wasn't interested, Breccan was off doing her own thing (though he was certainly still interested, provided he could ever track her down again, but her case kept her so busy!), and Farlint was...well, that hadn't even actually happened.
He still had it in a way, though. He had more friends than he ever had in his life, and every one of them seemed to love him in spite of his laws. Overcome by a sudden stab of emotion, he snaked his way closer to Valerian and buried him in a tight hug. It was a quiet 'thank you' for being one of those people, and perhaps a way to avoid going too deep concerning his long-lost girlfriend.
Shards, he was lonely.