[⊠She knows, even if she, also, would struggle to find the words to say aloud what âââ was. It was⊠those things. Those painful, meaningful, struggling attempts towards something like understanding or comfort. Or friendship. The thing that took the place of what she thinks ânormalâ friends seem to do, like⊠sightseeing, going drinking, and⊠having fun. The things they never seemed to do without a wound to patch, that kept a rotting spot of doubt alive in her hearts that maybe⊠maybe the two of them, two people who never knew and perhaps never were meant to know what true âfriendsâ were, might just be tragically playing at the word. That âwar godâ and âwarriorâ, in the end, was the only real part.
Except heâs here in her garden now, uncalled and unannounced, and he wants to⊠?]
⊠If youâd like.
[It doesnât seem the time to insist that guests shouldnât do chores, that it would reflect poorly on her as a host. Somehow. Cheeks somewhat ruddy despite herself over being seen in such a womanly and domestic scene, she leads him over to the laundry line, setting down the basket and beginning to pull the clothing and sheets down, putting the wooden pins into a pocket of her apron and folding the dried fabrics before depositing them in the basket.
If she looks a little nervous herself, well. Had Hayame possessed any misconception that she might be successfully keeping her relationship with Claude (Khalid) to herself, hidden even from those who called her friend, it had been shattered by the broadcast. And of the Meridian shardbearers she might expect to trawl through the plethora of information to be gained from the tabloids and citizenry gossiping in the aftermath⊠it was Set. A sound enough strategy, to glean useful information, butâŠ
What- How absurd would it be to announce it now, too late? Should she just pretend itâs not how things are, when a few of the items on the laundry line are very obviously menâs shirts and trousers? (For the record, she is not doing his washing! She had just been doing the washing, and they were dirty, and she isnât so petty as to clean everything but his clothes!)]
Ah⊠Is there some bar you are interesting in granting your patronage?
[Was that a normal thing to say??? The folding is much faster with four hands instead of two, they can go any minute now, but- Ah, theyâve never gone drinking like that, so maybe he doesnât knowâŠ]
I cannot really get drunk on most things⊠Is that a problem?
[⊠She assumed that gods could just. Decide if they got drunk or not??? But with her large form and metabolism⊠Would it still be fun? Her archery students were always complaining it wasnât when she wouldnât get intoxicated with themâŠ]
SET đ
Except heâs here in her garden now, uncalled and unannounced, and he wants to⊠?]
⊠If youâd like.
[It doesnât seem the time to insist that guests shouldnât do chores, that it would reflect poorly on her as a host. Somehow. Cheeks somewhat ruddy despite herself over being seen in such a womanly and domestic scene, she leads him over to the laundry line, setting down the basket and beginning to pull the clothing and sheets down, putting the wooden pins into a pocket of her apron and folding the dried fabrics before depositing them in the basket.
If she looks a little nervous herself, well. Had Hayame possessed any misconception that she might be successfully keeping her relationship with Claude (Khalid) to herself, hidden even from those who called her friend, it had been shattered by the broadcast. And of the Meridian shardbearers she might expect to trawl through the plethora of information to be gained from the tabloids and citizenry gossiping in the aftermath⊠it was Set. A sound enough strategy, to glean useful information, butâŠ
What- How absurd would it be to announce it now, too late? Should she just pretend itâs not how things are, when a few of the items on the laundry line are very obviously menâs shirts and trousers? (For the record, she is not doing his washing! She had just been doing the washing, and they were dirty, and she isnât so petty as to clean everything but his clothes!)]
Ah⊠Is there some bar you are interesting in granting your patronage?
[Was that a normal thing to say??? The folding is much faster with four hands instead of two, they can go any minute now, but- Ah, theyâve never gone drinking like that, so maybe he doesnât knowâŠ]
I cannot really get drunk on most things⊠Is that a problem?
[⊠She assumed that gods could just. Decide if they got drunk or not??? But with her large form and metabolism⊠Would it still be fun? Her archery students were always complaining it wasnât when she wouldnât get intoxicated with themâŠ]