She smiled slightly before getting dressed and heading to the castle. *** He frowned, looking over at her. "What? Wasn't it obvious?"
He was finishing the cleaning of his study when she arrived, stacking the last few books on the shelves. *** “How could it have possibly been obvious?” she asked, evidently bewildered.
She stepped in, looking around. "Charlie?" *** "All I ever did was want to spend time with you," he said with a frown. "I was so scared when my father told me that you may have just been using me.. Especially after you kissed me. I felt like it meant nothing to you but it meant the world to me."
He glanced back at her and his whole expression brightened. "Wren! Hello!" * * * Her frown deepened and she looked over at him. "Ezekiel... kisses are a part of Nomad culture. We're quite physical with our platonic affections. People even have kids together without feeling that they love each other in that way. You were... dear to me, I'll admit, but... I'm sorry. I led you astray. Kissing you did not indicate that I was in love with you."
She grinned. "Hey. What are you doing?" *** He was quiet for a moment. "I figured that one out already."
“Finished cleaning,” he said, coming over to her. “It was a process.” *** She looked as if she felt guilty, her eyes downcast. “That’s not to say that I didn’t have feelings for you, or that I wouldn’t have had them if given enough time to develop them... it’s just...”
She nodded, her gaze warm. "It looks nice." *** He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You don't have to pity me, Clara."
He looked down at her affectionately. “Like it used to,” he replied. *** She snapped her head towards him, irritation evident on her features. It was interesting; annoyance seem to have some level of adjacency to joy, or at least it had a lighter feeling than the heavy sadness that seem to shroud her as she walked. She raised one eyebrow, her frown deepening. “I’m not pitying you. I just didn’t... I didn’t expect this.”
She tilted her head. "Is Catalina here?" *** He was silent, just watching the ceiling. "Can I be alone?" he asked quietly, not looking at her.
He looked up, frowning. “She’s around here somewhere.” *** She frowned but stood up, her shoulders slacking. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She looked around before giving a slight nod. "Is there anything you have to do today?" *** He didn't say anything, leaning back against the wall heavily.
