( he catches the shift in her voice, the thickness and pitch of it, and he maps out her expression one feature at a time. it's about then that most people would have the manners to look away, but he doesn't even bother with the pretense. another thing he's been good at since well before the war: seeing people. observant, and a quick study. he knows she could sell him just about any lie she wanted to, but he's not so sure this is one.
he can't say you're welcome, or I'm glad, too. those just aren't the kinds of things you say to somebody after something like that. some things are too big, some responses are too light for them, and he'd rather say nothing at all than give it less than it deserves.
acknowledged, respected, and then left alone.
he tips his head in concession, then goes back to turning his screwdriver on the one she held up for him. )
I'll keep that in mind.
( he's not joking. see if it doesn't come up sometime in the future when she least expects it. in the meantime, after a contemplative stretch of silence, he breaks it irreverently. )
Who's the craziest target you ever had?
( is that inappropriate as hell? yes. fucked up? absolutely. the darkest humor on the planet, and still somehow it feels like levity compared to the rest of this conversation. it's just, who else could even compete with them, you know? )
no subject
he can't say you're welcome, or I'm glad, too. those just aren't the kinds of things you say to somebody after something like that. some things are too big, some responses are too light for them, and he'd rather say nothing at all than give it less than it deserves.
acknowledged, respected, and then left alone.
he tips his head in concession, then goes back to turning his screwdriver on the one she held up for him. )
I'll keep that in mind.
( he's not joking. see if it doesn't come up sometime in the future when she least expects it. in the meantime, after a contemplative stretch of silence, he breaks it irreverently. )
Who's the craziest target you ever had?
( is that inappropriate as hell? yes. fucked up? absolutely. the darkest humor on the planet, and still somehow it feels like levity compared to the rest of this conversation. it's just, who else could even compete with them, you know? )