HARROWHARK, GAY GOTH PROM QUEEN

[malewife]

Comments

[malewife]

[ He watches it silently, curious to a fault. Only ten... His own world has allowed children to suffer, or make children into atrocities, so he should be accustomed to it, but he understands it isn't what children need.

He says nothing regarding that. ]

Is she still your reason for living?

[outsidebones]

She is one of them. An important one. But there are other reasons now, as well.

[it's an unpleasant memory, but it's also so far away.]

The other child in that memory, Gideon. She is another reason.

[malewife]

[ It takes him a moment to draw some lines between things he has heard from her. A strong girl, lugging a large sword, someone worth living for. ]

… Your cavalier. [ A normal person would ask why when she tried to kill Harrow, but he also… relates… obviously. ] You will find happiness after this hotel?

Despite all that happened.

[ He looks off to where her parents and their cavalier once were in the memory. ]

[outsidebones]

My cavalier.

[she bites her lip, looking a bit sorry, sad.]

I would like to think so. [...] Being back here again, I wonder if I shall ever truly return. But at the least, I believe she will live even if I don't, and that is some consolation.

[malewife]

... She may not be happy if you're not there with her. It could be a worse fate.

[ But by the tone of his voice, it isn't any chiding or scolding. It's just a truth and, if anything, there's understanding because he feels the same way. He shares because she did. ]

Even if I return with my younger sister, I am unsure of the fate of myself and my companions. [ ... ] We may be miserable until we meet our graves.

[outsidebones]

Your younger sister?

[is that his hostage who he picked kdj over, yikes.]

You may be, but I prefer misery to losing my life, I think. Some forms, at least.

[malewife]

She's my hostage.

[ things are very complicated. ]

You find some of it acceptable?

[outsidebones]

Do I strike you as a person accustomed to happiness? [...] There are things that a person cannot bear, but short of that.

[malewife]

You're still young.

[ He thinks she can learn to be happy more than she knows now. ]

But I suppose this makes you stronger than me.

[outsidebones]

I doubt that very much.

[staring back.]

[malewife]

… There is more to strength than brawn.

[ Stares back at her with the same intensity. ]

[outsidebones]

I know that more than you ever will, and I do not speak of brawn.

Wanting to live isn't strength. It's an instinct. Perhaps you have less of it than I do. It's irrelevant.

[malewife]

You’ve never considered gaining some muscle?

[ leg days are important. ]

Instinct would be the fear of death. Living and surviving are different, unless to you they are the same.

[outsidebones]

She always says this as well. No. I will never adopt a fighting style I am not skilled in. What a waste; no muscle will change that I have a necromancer's physical frailty.

[she's not just scrawny, all necros are kind of unhealthy.]

I don't consider them the same, but I'll settle for the latter if it gets me the chance to attain the former. I don't have the luxury to die. I am not my own to throw away.

[malewife]

Rather than a fighting style, you can extend stamina to outlast opponents.

[ But he can accept necromancers are just all like this. In a kind of annoyed, but not actually annoyed tone: ]

What do you accept praise on.

[outsidebones]

I don't particularly care for it.

[this is such a lie but there's certainly no topic she accepts it gracefully.]

I know what I am and am not good at, I don't see why I ought to care about someone else's opinion.

[malewife]

You're being difficult. No one truly dislikes validation.

[ Him included, actually, but he uses similar reasoning. ]

[outsidebones]

It's condescending.

[no she's being difficult for sure.]