10.Feb.12, 05:12 AM
Talian relaxed a bit as he felt Lymsleia's hand on his shoulder. "That's part of the point, really," he admitted. "People at home treated me different. They assumed they needed to tread lightly or mine their words around me. I guess being 'smart' also brands you as a jerk, I don't know..." There was more to that. He frowned a bit, his delicate brow furrowed in unpleasant remembrance. There were also the mockers, both those who denounced him for being a shut-in and those who claimed he only held his rank because of his father. There may have been a little truth to that, but his father was merely a reference. Even with his words and connections, Talian wouldn't have made Master without being able to walk the walk, so to speak.
"It's nice to have people interested in me because of my personality, instead of my knots..." he admitted, speaking partially to both of them. He cocked his head to better hear Valerian's comments about music. "I guess many of us have their craft to lean on. I know for my first few days, I didn't do anything but run around in here and take all the cases I could get my hands on," he said. He felt remarkably comfortable with the pair of them there. He wasn't used to being doted on, which Lymsleia certainly was doing. He also found his preconceptions about Valerian eroding away. Val's snarkiness intimidated Talian the first time around, but now he discovered he rather liked the young man.
Suddenly, he found Valerian awfully close to his ear, muttering a highly relevant comment. He could feel the other man's breath. An involuntary shudder ran through him, though he was at a loss as to explain why. It's sort of what keeps me sane. Talian turned his head slightly towards Val and nodded knowingly, as if to say 'me as well'.
"I...didn't realize I was acting nervous the first time we met," he said. He produced a brief laugh. "You're welcome to stay if you like, but I'm going to be all right, so don't feel obligated," he said. He was being polite, but he looked extremely tired.He clearly appreciated the consideration, though. For one of those few moments since his arrival, he was actually glowing with contentment. Being on his way down from a high may have had something to do with it, but something about this whole meeting felt special to him. How lucky he was to have people like B'jin, Lymsleia, and now Valerian...The only one missing was Erisi, but he couldn't imagine Erisi handling this situation well.
It was nice to have friends.
"It's nice to have people interested in me because of my personality, instead of my knots..." he admitted, speaking partially to both of them. He cocked his head to better hear Valerian's comments about music. "I guess many of us have their craft to lean on. I know for my first few days, I didn't do anything but run around in here and take all the cases I could get my hands on," he said. He felt remarkably comfortable with the pair of them there. He wasn't used to being doted on, which Lymsleia certainly was doing. He also found his preconceptions about Valerian eroding away. Val's snarkiness intimidated Talian the first time around, but now he discovered he rather liked the young man.
Suddenly, he found Valerian awfully close to his ear, muttering a highly relevant comment. He could feel the other man's breath. An involuntary shudder ran through him, though he was at a loss as to explain why. It's sort of what keeps me sane. Talian turned his head slightly towards Val and nodded knowingly, as if to say 'me as well'.
"I...didn't realize I was acting nervous the first time we met," he said. He produced a brief laugh. "You're welcome to stay if you like, but I'm going to be all right, so don't feel obligated," he said. He was being polite, but he looked extremely tired.He clearly appreciated the consideration, though. For one of those few moments since his arrival, he was actually glowing with contentment. Being on his way down from a high may have had something to do with it, but something about this whole meeting felt special to him. How lucky he was to have people like B'jin, Lymsleia, and now Valerian...The only one missing was Erisi, but he couldn't imagine Erisi handling this situation well.
It was nice to have friends.