@vaquerros asked: " you're a good listener, it's dangerous - because it's so hard to resist being listened to. " / for rudy.
contained gaze lifts from its prior position, having been focused on cleaning up his boots. rodolfo takes great pride in his gear, in his uniform — on the verge of tucking it into bed at night, in fact. it's unfortunate that he's succumbed to the mindset that it is the fuerzas especiales that makes him who he is. it's why he lives on, suffering the things that he does and often in silence. not through any fault of alejandro's, he's simply always been the quiet kid. always present, always observing and watching but quiet. it's a way of life that lends itself to him well, likely the reason he's still breathing to this day.
he is better at talking now, has been for some time thanks to his brother's efforts. and he's much better at allowing the burdens sat atop his shoulders to slip off into the dirt. knows he does what he can, that he can't achieve anything more. should he miss the mark, he will adapt and prepare for the next time because in his mind, there always is a next time — at least until one dies. thus, he didn't bear the heavy weights alejandro often did. the infectious vehemence of harmful, volatile emotions didn't affect him so, not in the way they seem to seep and ooze from his friend.
should he reach for the bandages? no — it's best to let alejandro bleed sometimes. history tells him, regardless of whether he likes it, loss is where his colonel is strongest. thus, rudy watches as the metaphorical blood and viscera flood the floor. he will help him clean it up, without a sound if need be. the other's choice of words mildly humour him, mostly because he's sure it's something similar to what his mother had once told him. " ¿quién dice que estoy escuchando? [ who says i'm listening? ] " his brother has known him long enough to hear the jest in his tone, albeit very subtle. his lips curve and he pats alejandro's shoulder.
" es difícil resistirse porque tienes cosas que decir, carnal [ it's hard to resist because you have things to say, my friend. ] no hay nada malo en ello [ there is nothing wrong with that. ] " it should be noted he doesn't contribute to the verbal onslaught. doesn't add to the mess or the ooze, doesn't play or toy with it either — unlike some had in the past. merely debates how many mops they might need. " pero voy a tener que comer pronto, así que tal vez llevarlo a una conclusión, ¿hm? [ but i'm going to have to eat soon, so maybe bring it to a conclusion, hm? ] " another joke, followed by a playful narrowing of the eyes. " ¿a menos que estés comprando? [ unless you are buying? ] " / meme.
