âThey are,â Clarus agreed, his eyes piercing. Yes. There.
Whenever hints of Tenebrae, or Wolfe being more skilled came up, he re-compensated. A tell, a common one among talented liars. Playing to it a little too strong. People didnât project perfect stories, they were messy.
And Wolfe, every conscious chance he got, was heating exactly the right beats, while slipping when he got carried away.
Clarus didnât miss the shaking hands, either, when he scored the last point, his expression softening. His sense of excitement drained away at that. Damn. He hadnât meant to make the man afraid.
âAs long as one has no ill intent for the king, I have no ill intent towards them,â he said, carefully, thoughtfully. âWhich is easy, an easy world to live in, for me. Especially as Iâve met none recently I thought might be intending him harm. Any mysteries Iâve pursued lately have beenâŚidle curiosities, you might suppose. Ones I didnât mean to pry at if they meant making young guardsman afraid.â
âThough Iâm curious as to why a member of the Crownsguard might be scared of the Shield discovering something he was hiding. Could you hypothesize?â
Alaric swore he could feel the blood pumping in his ears, he tried his best to calm. Picture a meadow of blue flowers--- something his mother had taught him once long ago.Â
At the statement, Alaric stayed still. Trying to think of what to say. Clarus knew, he had to know---- and yet, he was keeping it open, as if there was nothing wrong.
That didnât mean that he wouldnât be killed later that night if he answered wrong.
Or that Marcus would be danger----
âAnd your appetite must be sated.â He replied as his hands began to fidget with the bottle. Alaric didnât turn around, not yet. He had to calm down first, had to be able to keep a neutral face. The young manâs eyes closed once more for a moment before he even attempted to answer his next question.
â--- I suppose, if,â He emphasized his words harshly. â--- if the individual did not feel safe, if they had been hunted in the past. . . I would assume they would like stay hidden. . . for their familyâs sake.â Alaric paused for a long moment and then turned around.
âMay I ask how you came to your. . . curiosities?â He needed to know how much he had been messing up. How much he had let slip.Â