@fatesown || from here
oh how she vexes him. and he delights in it, usually, the fact that she alone can elicit such a feeling in him. and with so few words. he talks himself into circles under that steady gaze, any attempts at provoking a reaction falling flat. she gives nothing away. cards held close to her chest, as it were. usually.
he knows to listen when she speaks. knows it is an honor to hear her. he does not tend to question her without reason, much as his flair for the dramatic longs for a bit of banter. but her words bring his world screeching to a halt, here, shatter whatever witty retort had been resting on his tongue.
his body acts on instinct when he takes her jaw in his hand. a desperate attempt to grasp at control of the situation when he feels as though she's shaken the very ground beneath their feet. he tilts her face up towards his own, searches her expression for... something. deceit, perhaps. mischief. but he does not know her to be a liar and he sees no playful twinkle in her eye.
she tolerates his grip for a moment longer than he'd expected her to. there is a restrained annoyance in her movements when she shakes him off—annoyance, as though he is the one being unreasonable.
his arm falls back to his side. harmless. for the moment. and he fixes her with a smile that does not reach his eyes.
"though i am not fool enough to doubt your sincerity, i do wonder if you've put enough thought into what your companions might think of such a proposal."
he hates to even mention them. yes, hates. he is precise with his language and has decided no other term can capture the feeling. they monopolize her time and attention, drag her on quest after quest to save the world. jealousy is an ugly emotion and one he thought himself above, but he seethes with it.
