He's airing another chuckle, one that doesn't die immediately after leaving him. In the past, sometimes it's felt as if he couldn't get away with doing that. Laughter is the best medicine, though. It lightens even the most difficult situations, even if not easily. Better to try and fail than not to try at all. For someone like Kainé with the complicated history she has, he can see why she might be apprehensive. He's never tried to push her and he's not going to try anytime in the near future.
"Man, if dinner is the thing that takes me out, I might just have to let it happen. That's one hell of an impressive dinner."
An impressively bad dinner.
He beckons to her with a hand for her to follow along. "Come on. Let's not keep her waiting, eh?"
"If it takes you out, I'm telling everyone I know."
Admittedly, not an impressive list, but the idea is enough to make her smile, a rare thing for her to show in earnest— but if anyone is able to earn one from her, it tends to be Nier. Someday, she'll learn to stop scolding herself for going soft, maybe even sooner rather than later if she's lucky, but for all her talk and her insistence otherwise, it's not such a bad thing.
The idea that she could have a life, that she could pursue something other than vengeance, other than finding a use for her swordarm... it's still new and strange, an aimless way to approach the future. For so long, she'd never considered that she'd have one at all.
Fortunately for her, she has a few people who care enough to see that change.
She sighs heavily, feigning being put-upon as she moves to join him, quickly closing those few steps between them in order to fall into step beside him as they head back towards the village. Her stomach gives a singular twist inward on itself as she remembers when she and Emil had been asked to leave— but things will be different this time. They won't be staying, but they'll be going off to start over somewhere new. It almost doesn't seem real.
"Wouldn't dream of it," she says easily, and manages to refrain from blurting out that Yonah has been kept waiting long enough for one lifetime. "Always wanted to get to know her better. You're not worried I'm gonna be a bad influence?"
"I'm going to look at that like it's a challenge to repair my bruised ego."
This. It's nice. Being able to tease one another. He could live every day like this if he has the opportunity to. Isn't that part of what got him on the idea of travelling across the water? Get them away from everything they've known. An opportunity to create a new, a different, a brighter future for themselves? Don't they deserve that at the very least? In his opinion, they deserve a hell of a lot more, but...
Baby steps.
As she proceeds to join him, he's reminded yet again that these moments are the ones he lives for. Waking every day to her and Yonah. In his ideal world, he'd have everything. Everyone. Weiss. Emil. But right now as things are, this breath of opportunity, he's getting so much more than he ever anticipated. So much more than he feels he deserves.
"You're not worried I'm gonna be a bad influence?"
For just a moment, his footing stops and he turns his attention squarely onto her. He's not even going to ask if she's being serious because he knows she is. Kainé doesn't make light of things like that and she's always the first to assume the worst about herself.
He thinks better of it. He does, but goes for it anyway. Nier reaches over to set a hand atop her shoulder, as best to reassuring as he can muster. Can you be any worse than me, he wonders as he eyes her fondly. "Really. You've known me for how long and you'd think that." He dips down, a lop-sided smile claiming him. "Never. You've never been a bad influence."
He's seen the Kainé she can be when his daughter's in the picture. If anything, he can only hope Yonah will be a portion as strong-willed and determined.
we can probably fade this one soon but it sure left me with a lot of emotions
She flinches when he reaches out to touch her, but only slightly. Wasn’t so long ago that she would have pulled away, put distance between them despite her level of trust for him, but now she stands her ground, willing that impulse to pull back and flee to bury itself deep.
She doesn’t always have to run, especially not with him. He’s family. She’s felt that way for a long while, now.
Her smile pulls to one side. She’s not the type to let being called out like this embarrass her, and she shakes her head in response.
“You’re a weird one,” she says, but her voice is unusually warm with affection. “Right. Should’ve known better than to ask that one.”
He seemed to think the sun shone out her ass, honestly, something she’s not sure she’ll ever be used to.
His grin grows all the more and he looks incredibly satisfied with her response. He loves getting under her skin, making her think, giving her reasons to take pause and hesitance. He simply loves keeping her on her toes and showing her a world she's never allowed herself to experience before. Or one she's never had the opportunity to experience.
Removing his hand, he motions to her. "Now, let's go. We've got packing to do and a dinner to live through. The sea waits for no one, Kainé. Let's leave the rest of this behind and make something new for ourselves."
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no subject
"Man, if dinner is the thing that takes me out, I might just have to let it happen. That's one hell of an impressive dinner."
An impressively bad dinner.
He beckons to her with a hand for her to follow along. "Come on. Let's not keep her waiting, eh?"
no subject
Admittedly, not an impressive list, but the idea is enough to make her smile, a rare thing for her to show in earnest— but if anyone is able to earn one from her, it tends to be Nier. Someday, she'll learn to stop scolding herself for going soft, maybe even sooner rather than later if she's lucky, but for all her talk and her insistence otherwise, it's not such a bad thing.
The idea that she could have a life, that she could pursue something other than vengeance, other than finding a use for her swordarm... it's still new and strange, an aimless way to approach the future. For so long, she'd never considered that she'd have one at all.
Fortunately for her, she has a few people who care enough to see that change.
She sighs heavily, feigning being put-upon as she moves to join him, quickly closing those few steps between them in order to fall into step beside him as they head back towards the village. Her stomach gives a singular twist inward on itself as she remembers when she and Emil had been asked to leave— but things will be different this time. They won't be staying, but they'll be going off to start over somewhere new. It almost doesn't seem real.
"Wouldn't dream of it," she says easily, and manages to refrain from blurting out that Yonah has been kept waiting long enough for one lifetime. "Always wanted to get to know her better. You're not worried I'm gonna be a bad influence?"
no subject
This. It's nice. Being able to tease one another. He could live every day like this if he has the opportunity to. Isn't that part of what got him on the idea of travelling across the water? Get them away from everything they've known. An opportunity to create a new, a different, a brighter future for themselves? Don't they deserve that at the very least? In his opinion, they deserve a hell of a lot more, but...
Baby steps.
As she proceeds to join him, he's reminded yet again that these moments are the ones he lives for. Waking every day to her and Yonah. In his ideal world, he'd have everything. Everyone. Weiss. Emil. But right now as things are, this breath of opportunity, he's getting so much more than he ever anticipated. So much more than he feels he deserves.
"You're not worried I'm gonna be a bad influence?"
For just a moment, his footing stops and he turns his attention squarely onto her. He's not even going to ask if she's being serious because he knows she is. Kainé doesn't make light of things like that and she's always the first to assume the worst about herself.
He thinks better of it. He does, but goes for it anyway. Nier reaches over to set a hand atop her shoulder, as best to reassuring as he can muster. Can you be any worse than me, he wonders as he eyes her fondly. "Really. You've known me for how long and you'd think that." He dips down, a lop-sided smile claiming him. "Never. You've never been a bad influence."
He's seen the Kainé she can be when his daughter's in the picture. If anything, he can only hope Yonah will be a portion as strong-willed and determined.
we can probably fade this one soon but it sure left me with a lot of emotions
She doesn’t always have to run, especially not with him. He’s family. She’s felt that way for a long while, now.
Her smile pulls to one side. She’s not the type to let being called out like this embarrass her, and she shakes her head in response.
“You’re a weird one,” she says, but her voice is unusually warm with affection. “Right. Should’ve known better than to ask that one.”
He seemed to think the sun shone out her ass, honestly, something she’s not sure she’ll ever be used to.
GONNA FADE US HEEEEERE
His grin grows all the more and he looks incredibly satisfied with her response. He loves getting under her skin, making her think, giving her reasons to take pause and hesitance. He simply loves keeping her on her toes and showing her a world she's never allowed herself to experience before. Or one she's never had the opportunity to experience.
Removing his hand, he motions to her. "Now, let's go. We've got packing to do and a dinner to live through. The sea waits for no one, Kainé. Let's leave the rest of this behind and make something new for ourselves."