Love mends even the broken parts
At Hotaru’s response to his compliment, Loren grew a bit flustered and withdrawn. He definitely wasn’t used to people flirting with him, so at her comment he just gave her a blank and slightly hooded stare. It was too soon for him to even consider flirting back—he’d just gone through the emotional wringer when it came to relationships—and even if he was in a place where he could think about being with someone else, it wouldn’t have been a stranger. He’d never really been into casual flings. Instead, he found one person and fell madly head over heels in love with them.
That was why it hurt so much when he inevitably ruined it.
”I appreciate your concern, but I think I’ll survive answering a few questions.” His voice came out in a wry drawl, though his eyes were wary; there was something about this woman’s demeanor that put his hackles up. Perhaps it was because he felt a little bit like a mouse being played with by a cat. Well, if she tried to take advantage of his kindness or underestimated him, he’d be more than happy to show her the error of her ways. After all, the torture his family had put him through had been mental as well as magical, so he was wise to the ways of emotional manipulation.
Although he didn’t recognize the name of the world Hotaru hailed from, that wasn’t surprising. There were many Outlanders in the Hollowed Grounds; while many came from Northaven and Northwind, others came from places the Launceleyn couldn’t even begin to imagine. However that didn’t deter him from asking follow-up questions. ”What’s Helovia like, if you don’t mind me asking. And besides Deimos, are there others from your world that made their way into Caido?” From her comment about knowing the general for years, the summoner put two and two together, though it had made him realize how little he knew about the other man, given how taciturn Deimos was. Presumably the Launceleyn should rectify that, so he added it to his seemingly endless to do list.
Once again, the summoner underestimated how quickly news spread through the Hollowed Grounds, even among the new arrivals Granted, he’d told many of them himself, but it didn’t stop him from being surprised that Hotaru was already well aware of the blight. ”I’m so sorry to hear that. Who is your niece?” He decided not to comment on the dirty hands. However, he did resolve to keep a close eye on this woman in the future. If she chose to make trouble for anyone in the Hollowed Grounds, well, he was in theory a part of the militia. And he had a lot of pent up frustration to work out.
That was why it hurt so much when he inevitably ruined it.
”I appreciate your concern, but I think I’ll survive answering a few questions.” His voice came out in a wry drawl, though his eyes were wary; there was something about this woman’s demeanor that put his hackles up. Perhaps it was because he felt a little bit like a mouse being played with by a cat. Well, if she tried to take advantage of his kindness or underestimated him, he’d be more than happy to show her the error of her ways. After all, the torture his family had put him through had been mental as well as magical, so he was wise to the ways of emotional manipulation.
Although he didn’t recognize the name of the world Hotaru hailed from, that wasn’t surprising. There were many Outlanders in the Hollowed Grounds; while many came from Northaven and Northwind, others came from places the Launceleyn couldn’t even begin to imagine. However that didn’t deter him from asking follow-up questions. ”What’s Helovia like, if you don’t mind me asking. And besides Deimos, are there others from your world that made their way into Caido?” From her comment about knowing the general for years, the summoner put two and two together, though it had made him realize how little he knew about the other man, given how taciturn Deimos was. Presumably the Launceleyn should rectify that, so he added it to his seemingly endless to do list.
Once again, the summoner underestimated how quickly news spread through the Hollowed Grounds, even among the new arrivals Granted, he’d told many of them himself, but it didn’t stop him from being surprised that Hotaru was already well aware of the blight. ”I’m so sorry to hear that. Who is your niece?” He decided not to comment on the dirty hands. However, he did resolve to keep a close eye on this woman in the future. If she chose to make trouble for anyone in the Hollowed Grounds, well, he was in theory a part of the militia. And he had a lot of pent up frustration to work out.
loren
