[He isn't in any way expecting what she does next. It's true that not knowing her name has always brought with it a certain tone of awkwardness when it came to their interactions but Hythlodaeus has never held it against her, knowing that he couldn't possibly understand her situation. He has been lucky enough to be joined in this place by people who know him for himself and not only by the familiar shade of his soul and can't say how he would have felt had Emet-Selch arrived here and known him as a completely different person.
Hythlodaeus chuffs out a soft breath and his lips tilt in a wry half-smile when she addresses him by his job title (former, he supposes), only for him to blink and blurt out a soft, surprised laugh at the final words.]
Hero? Come now. I did nothing deserving of that kind of praise.
[He moves his hand from her shoulder to the top of her head, giving it a soft pat in a way he hopes comes across as the fondness it is and not condascending.]
There is one hero of Eitherys here, and she is standing right in front of me.
[ The pat on her head comes across just as he had hoped; a fond, reassuring weight that is anything but condescending. Era feels something warm unfurl in her chest and realizes she recognizes this feeling. Hythlodaeus's hand is larger and more slender than Thancred's, and the motion a bit more soft where his was firm; confident. But the way it fills her with that rare mixture of safe-warm-comfort-happy is near identical. Enough for her to let out a soft 'oh', as she instinctively leans up into the touch, seeking out more of it.
Family, she realizes. A brother.
It is almost enough to distract her from the way he dismisses himself. ]
...Perhaps it was different in your Etheirys, but mine would have been destroyed long before my friends and I could save it if not for you.
[ Despite her frown she still continues leaning into his hand — and if he tries to pull it away, she'll reach out and make him keep it there. ]
...and when I was drowning in the Aetherial Sea, I remember your hands pushing me back toward my loved ones' voices. [ Well. Him and Hades both, but she knows if she mentioned the esteemed Emet-Selch that Hythlodaeus would downplay himself again. ] So, if nothing else, Hythlodaeus will always be a hero to me.
[Well, she's not going to be deterred, and far be it from him to argue with her about it. Instead he simply lets out a patient little huff and shakes his head with a smile, giving her hair one last gentle ruffle before he drops his hand away.]
I suppose I can accept that much.
[If he must. Besides, they're having such a nice time here, pushing against what she thinks of him just wouldn't do at all. She's hardly the only person who thinks far more of him than he would say of himself after all...]
I would very much like to test this bow somewhere with a little more space, but can I interest you in a drink before we go rushing off anywhere?
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-06-12 07:14 pm (UTC)Hythlodaeus chuffs out a soft breath and his lips tilt in a wry half-smile when she addresses him by his job title (former, he supposes), only for him to blink and blurt out a soft, surprised laugh at the final words.]
Hero? Come now. I did nothing deserving of that kind of praise.
[He moves his hand from her shoulder to the top of her head, giving it a soft pat in a way he hopes comes across as the fondness it is and not condascending.]
There is one hero of Eitherys here, and she is standing right in front of me.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-13 01:46 pm (UTC)Family, she realizes. A brother.
It is almost enough to distract her from the way he dismisses himself. ]
...Perhaps it was different in your Etheirys, but mine would have been destroyed long before my friends and I could save it if not for you.
[ Despite her frown she still continues leaning into his hand — and if he tries to pull it away, she'll reach out and make him keep it there. ]
...and when I was drowning in the Aetherial Sea, I remember your hands pushing me back toward my loved ones' voices. [ Well. Him and Hades both, but she knows if she mentioned the esteemed Emet-Selch that Hythlodaeus would downplay himself again. ] So, if nothing else, Hythlodaeus will always be a hero to me.
no subject
Date: 2024-06-22 07:46 pm (UTC)I suppose I can accept that much.
[If he must. Besides, they're having such a nice time here, pushing against what she thinks of him just wouldn't do at all. She's hardly the only person who thinks far more of him than he would say of himself after all...]
I would very much like to test this bow somewhere with a little more space, but can I interest you in a drink before we go rushing off anywhere?