》
"I suppose... " he clicks his tongue, a soft sigh leaving him, "I suppose I have hopes for something deeper. Something I haven't had the chance to experience in... *many* years. But then again, perhaps I am asking too much too soon."
His patience was morr than appreciated. With how closed off he's been, it's almost freeing to finally have another man sat across from him that truly understands well enough to listen rather than attempt to relate. Erik feels like a lone man in this war, sometimes. 》
(⠀⠀strange sat in silence , allowing the other to ramble on. it was a break through , honestly. erik was never the type of man to be so open , so vulnerable. so stephen carefully listen to the other , nodding to show his attention here and there. ⠀⠀)
"Not /bon-bons/..." he mutters with a little roll of his eyes, finger with the ring tapping the table. He really ahould let his guard down, even if it is a little.
"While our dinner is brought up to us, I—would like to enlighten you witb some honesty," he says it carefully》
⠀⠀⠀ do you think i sit and eat bon—bons all day ?? i have duties of my own , maybe not to your same standards , but i do not let them control me. to allow yourself to be at ease , even if only sometimes , will help you in the long run.
》their future."
He pauses, looking toward his own hand, to the empty ring finger that has held only one band in his lifetime. A band turned bloody.
"I have begun to wonder if..." his throat feels dry, and his blue hues seem to soften, the ice melting away a little,》
》sends a message to the cook—someone who happily volunteered for this. "I'm sure you understand that none of this comes easily for me," his voice is still low, icy eyes once again meeting Stephen's, "but your willingness... is appreciated."
He brings a hand up to his lips, pressing them to his knuckles nervously.
"I have a whole island to govern and protect," he mutters, a littlw quieter, more honest, " I do not get many opportunities to be at ease."
Taking out a small pager, not a phone, Erik》
⠀⠀⠀ so uptight .. you can relax a little , be at ease when i am around.
(⠀⠀stephen leaned back , nodding yet again. erik was mildly stubborn in his own sense .. but this was nothing new to stephen. he knew how to handle it and work his way around. ⠀⠀)
Erik scoffs, if only to hide his embarrassment, "I do not /yearn/," he spits, though, there is no real malice behind it. He averts his face, looking distantly as his fingers rub together anxiously, "And it was no false pretense," now he brings his gaze back, icy, serious,》
(⠀⠀stephen watched the others mannerisms shift slightly , he couldn’t help but grow more curious as each second passed. drawing closer as he leaned on the table in front of him , a small smirk residing on his face. ⠀⠀)
》"Billy needs a teacher, and I—" need a companion, he wants to sat, but it feels weak. Foolish. "—simply need another understanding, old mind."
He frowns, wrinkling his nose, and looking down at the table, "I had a dinner planned. I thought it would, at the least, be 》
》sighing as he turns his face away, "Thought that maybe... you would keep me company. It's—hard to find someone who has the capability to understand things from my old, tired eyes."
Erik looked pleased enough with that, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his chin for a moment until Starnge asks him further—and suddenly his face feels red. He swallows thick, adjusting uncomfortably as he crosses his legs a little tighter.
"I..." he clenches his jaw,》
(⠀⠀stephen smiled softly , he couldn’t help but give the other a smile .. ⠀⠀)
⠀⠀⠀ i don’t see why not .. i would love to , really. we can schedule something and start as soon as possible. how does that sound erik .. ?