It was certainly an unexpected gift, but not unwelcome.
He had been cowering again, fear gripping him fiercely and without mercy. Mind you, he wasn’t always a trembling mess, nor a pathetic excuse for a man.- Luigi was just…sensitive. Yeah, that’s what he’d keep telling himself.
So when Ike had given him the plush Yoshi doll, the younger Mario brother felt mixed emotions. It was degrading, demeaning- he was a grown up. Why would he need toys? But, at the same time- he was thankful. The cute little plush brought comfort to him. And Luigi was sure that the swordsman hadn’t meant to embarrass him in any way. All he wanted to do was help
Taking hold of the toy, Luigi smiled shyly. It was definitely thoughtful of the other.
Being affectionate wasn’t really his thing, but neither was watching someone who was obviously scared and taking no form of action. It was with that in mind that he’d handed the toy over, offering no explanation as to why he’d had it in the first place.
Perhaps it was just one of the many things he’d accumulated over the years and found no use for.
“ . . . Heh, you should’ve seen me
when I first started off, I was
such a mess. “
Not something he’d share normally, no, but he felt it would be helpful. After all, even the bravest of warriors had times when they were afraid. Sometimes the more cowardly members of the team just needed a reminder they weren’t the only ones that felt that way. Some were better at hiding it, others found different distractions and methods.
As for he himself, who knew? Maybe he was a bit too self-assured now to let something like that stop him.
“ If you need someone to talk to
I’m not that bad a listener. And
fear is one of those things that
makes someone brave, don’t
forget that. “
Not fear itself, but learning how to fight it, being willing to work around it and keep going. In his experience the most frightened of people could turn out to be the bravest as well, so he wouldn’t underestimate anyone who seemed scared now.