Re: Thread: The Castle Library
Uh oh. What's this?? Lance is so very earnest as he approaches and goes to his knees. Ballad sits up straight again; her clasped hands stay loose, and her expression goes from engaged and interested to deer-at-twilight wary. There’s that sort of stillness, you see.
But once he begins speaking the wariness is replaced by an ah hah!—he means he walked the Pattern, doesn’t he? And he’s being very earnestly Lance in his apology? Aw! The ah hah! moment is chased by open-hearted congratulations—a quizzical cant to her sudden smile, only because he seems so gloomy about his accomplishment.
“But that’s wonderful!” says she, ardently! leaning forward to push on Lance’s shoulder, like, c’mon, fellow! Be happy! She means to reassure him that she isn’t at all mad! But—he’s got more to say.
I'd've likely died: Ballad raises a skeptical eyebrow.
Ballad, you consume my thoughts... Ballad flushes, then goes pale. She regards her hands, flicking a glance over when Laurence comes near, about faces, goes back to the stacks (no, come back!), then the glance goes back to Lance. Could her eyes be bluer? More like the sky of some fairyland where it is always evening?
Once he's done. "Enough of this, Lance. Enough.
"Which is it? You would have died because of me on the Pattern or you made it through the Pattern because of me? It can't be both. It must be one, or it must be the other. Do you think I like to hear this? Do you think I need to hear this? Why do you want me to hear this? Do you think I want to be cruel to you? I don't, so why are you forcing me into that role? Of course I forgive you for walking the Pattern without my presence. I only wanted to be there as support, I'm glad you're a proper initiate now--it's monumental, it's great. But I don't know that I'll forgive you for locking yourself into this, I don't know what it is. You're just cruel to yourself, and you're using the idea of me to be cruel to yourself, and I don't like it."
Pale, and now flushing again.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:09, Thu 07 Jan 2021.