[ she watches him work, waiting to take a sip of water until he gives a pleased nod. it had been tiresome, in the beginning, to weather his extreme paranoia; she hadn't understood him as well. now, it's simply routine. and in a strange way, it's become almost soothing to watch. ]
What was their fascination, to even want to touch your scaly little friend?
[ while she isn't afraid of snakes, she certainly isn't bold enough to reach her hand into a tank with a species of unknown or possibly dangerous origin. even now, when she's fairly certain she could handle Emil, she leaves it to Viago. no use in tempting an accident. ]
Don't tell me you're disappointed they made it through. [ she teases, knowing full well that Viago cares more about his Fledglings than anyone would ever attribute to him. the joke also serves as a way to help lighten the tension she can feel in the air–something he typically carries with him, in situations when poison could be on every surface. as another counterpoint, she reaches across the table to put her hand over the back of his clenched fist, slowly dragging her thumb along the ridges of his knuckles. ]
And neither of those things were about you, Vi. I know you've not been sleeping or eating well, but surely there's something of note you've been up to.
[ as if to demonstrate: ]
Nonna gave me some pointers on embroidery, so I could restore this antique shawl I found at the market. The woman said it dated back to the Exalted age, around Madrigal's time.
[ which. she doubts. but even so, it's a little project that keeps her hands busy. she could easily bring it to a modiste to fix, she knows. there's something nice about having something unrelated to the blood and violence in her life to focus on. ]
no subject
What was their fascination, to even want to touch your scaly little friend?
[ while she isn't afraid of snakes, she certainly isn't bold enough to reach her hand into a tank with a species of unknown or possibly dangerous origin. even now, when she's fairly certain she could handle Emil, she leaves it to Viago. no use in tempting an accident. ]
Don't tell me you're disappointed they made it through. [ she teases, knowing full well that Viago cares more about his Fledglings than anyone would ever attribute to him. the joke also serves as a way to help lighten the tension she can feel in the air–something he typically carries with him, in situations when poison could be on every surface. as another counterpoint, she reaches across the table to put her hand over the back of his clenched fist, slowly dragging her thumb along the ridges of his knuckles. ]
And neither of those things were about you, Vi. I know you've not been sleeping or eating well, but surely there's something of note you've been up to.
[ as if to demonstrate: ]
Nonna gave me some pointers on embroidery, so I could restore this antique shawl I found at the market. The woman said it dated back to the Exalted age, around Madrigal's time.
[ which. she doubts. but even so, it's a little project that keeps her hands busy. she could easily bring it to a modiste to fix, she knows. there's something nice about having something unrelated to the blood and violence in her life to focus on. ]