dreadinquisitor | Fade Rift IC: Inbox

He'd thought about her, of course. Had wondered if he should try to find her, try to apologize... but he hadn't been certain that wouldn't just make things worse. To have her find him was unexpected.

And something of a relief, as well as terrifying.

Digging in a herb bed, his hands full of earth and a smear of dirt on his cheek when she approached, he straightened to his knees tensely.

"...He tried," he replied, brushing his hands together slowly. "He told me you two were to be bonded and it -- didn't go well. Was that not true?"

"It is." All right, there. Common frame of reference. Pel keeps eye contact as she sits on a bench, thereby directing him to do the same. She approves of a shem willing to dig in the earth and get dirt under his fingernails, at least. This one might be worthy of one of her clanmates. "Or, it went pretty well until he left. I honestly don't entirely understand what happened in his head because he's absolutely terrible at talking, but he did leave. No mistreatment or anything, just..."

Deep breath.

"What else did he say?"

"Admittedly, it gets more confusing after that," he said softly, blinking as he replayed the conversation over in his mind again (as if he'd stopped). He rubbed the back of his wrist against his cheek as he rolled up off his knees and onto his heels, rising from the bed to approach the bench. "But I think - I'm certain, he regrets what happened. And that he's deeply sorry that he hurt you."

"He is." She swallows. "He thinks he can punish himself into being a better person because he doesn't know how to just...make better choices. He could probably use your help there, if...that's what you want...to do?"

She peers up at him.

Maxwell paused, caught momentarily off guard by the question - namely because it came from her.

"I--" he blinked again, and his head tipped. "I'm not sure he wants anything from me, at the moment, but I will always be here for him, if he needs me."

Okay, okay. They seem to be friends. Pretty good friends, maybe.

"That's good." Light touch, light touch. No meddling, this isn't really her affair. "Did you meet recently?"

He shook his head, not surprised that Gavin's clan didn't know about him. Lest of all her, likely being the reason they'd met at all.

"It was several years ago. At the annual Tourney in the Free Marches."

She nods faintly.

"Good." She's done here, really. This is all she needed to establish.

"I've work to do. Thank you for your time." She pushes to her feet.

His eyebrows twitched, veeing slightly in surprise, but after a beat he merely ducked his head.

"Of course," he replied. "And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Fade Rift IC: Inbox

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