[ He sighs quietly, doing all that he can not to curse under his breath. No, he can't technically bar Lyney from the pankration ring simply on the grounds of having lost badly. Maybe if the boy had sustained worse injuries, but he'd rather not even think of that. As it stands, it's his to use as he sees fit. It's just...
What is it, really?
He'd like to cast his eyes elsewhere--would like to put out of his mind the bandages that wrap Lyney's skin, the bruises come to life in all the places he once touched. He can't: it's as if Lyney is holding his jaw again, keeping his eyes where they belong, making sure he sees exactly what's set before him. And what's before him isn't what he wants for Lyney, isn't the smile he's come to enjoy or the safety for the boy he imagines within Meropide's walls.
It's the same thing it always was. He wants Lyney to be happy, and this isn't happiness. Whatever drove this--whatever strains his voice now and puts him on the defensive--doesn't come from a place of healing. Of protection. That much, he's sure of. ]
...It's as you say. I can't deny you your right to the pankration ring. The facility is there for you to use as you like, as it is for all inmates at the Fortress.
[ It's his turn to reach out--to lean forward and gently tilt Lyney's chin up, to make him look at him when he speaks. ]
But I can't let you go on the wrong suppositions, either. Lyney. If this isn't about last time, then correct me as you see fit--but if it is, I never said you were my mistake.
no subject
What is it, really?
He'd like to cast his eyes elsewhere--would like to put out of his mind the bandages that wrap Lyney's skin, the bruises come to life in all the places he once touched. He can't: it's as if Lyney is holding his jaw again, keeping his eyes where they belong, making sure he sees exactly what's set before him. And what's before him isn't what he wants for Lyney, isn't the smile he's come to enjoy or the safety for the boy he imagines within Meropide's walls.
It's the same thing it always was. He wants Lyney to be happy, and this isn't happiness. Whatever drove this--whatever strains his voice now and puts him on the defensive--doesn't come from a place of healing. Of protection. That much, he's sure of. ]
...It's as you say. I can't deny you your right to the pankration ring. The facility is there for you to use as you like, as it is for all inmates at the Fortress.
[ It's his turn to reach out--to lean forward and gently tilt Lyney's chin up, to make him look at him when he speaks. ]
But I can't let you go on the wrong suppositions, either. Lyney. If this isn't about last time, then correct me as you see fit--but if it is, I never said you were my mistake.