IC Contact; empatheias

[tenyearslost]

Audio / Video / Text / Messenger Bird / etc

img src

Comments

[retraced]

He wonders, but he doesn't know for certain that something like this would help. But then, the things that do help aren't ones that are obvious to everyone from every world. There are different types of miracles and magic in each individual one, and there's still a lifetime of new things to learn here. It doesn't hurt to try.

"Eh - me?" he answers. "N-no, you're more familiar with things like books! You should be the one to pick it out!"

What if he chooses poorly and it ends up being some terrible, gaudy thing that no one wants to write in at all??

[tenyearslost]

Nnnnnope, nice try. But this is more for Gilbert's benefit than anyone else's, Oz thinks, so he just crosses his arms and gives his servant a look.

"Gilbert," he says sternly, "I'm counting on you, got it?"

[retraced]

This is a whole lot of pressure. Pressure that shouldn't be pressure because to any sort of normal human being this would just be a boring chore, but to someone like Gilbert with Many Feelings he suddenly feels burdened with this very important decision.

It's going to take some time.

"Yeah," he finally answers. "You can count on me."

[tenyearslost]

And that's exactly what Oz was going for. As per usual.

"Great!" He beams, and while he doesn't summon any sparkles, it's close enough. "Then I'm going to head inside for a little bit, okay?"

[retraced]

"Yeah."

He hesitates, thinks about why he'd come out here to talk to Oz to begin with. That's right, Dunamis. He thinks back to the cup he'd repaired, the fence he and Kevin had mended, the ways that he'd been able to summon this power to begin with. At its core, his own power to pull things back together and seal them in beauty and fragility, begins and ends with this young man in front of him.

"I may not have been watching you close enough," he mutters, "but I'm proud of you, Oz."

He pats him on the back, and then pushes him along so he can head back inside. Gil doesn't make any moves to follow, though. It's nice outside, and clearly he's going to need to practice a lot more to catch up to his young master.