mockery is met with the sunshine warmth of a dimpled grin spreading across features, a warmth despite that gaze so devoid of naught but abyssal depth. his eyes swallow light like black holes, demolishing every particle / dematerializing light.
" not at all, stranger, " ( + )
he /does/ enjoy it, of course !! there is no other harbinger that ajax admires more than the captain, with his unrelenting sense of justice and his quiet strength. ajax's admiration is often hard-earned — and it's obvious that he'd honored to be so close.
"i always ( +)
excitement gives way to tension eased from bones, excited stream of consciousness fading into white noise. it's obvious that /someone/ doesn't often receive the open invitation for affection.
captain so safe, so warm.
if ajax had a tail, it would be wagging a mile a minute! but instead, his excitement is clearly displayed in the animated way he chatters into the crook of the captain's neck incoherently.
a quick flick of his wrist is alo that it takes to shake off the bulk of the crimson that stains along his fingers and forearm, the roll of his gaze towards @ToyKuni slow and punctuated. there's no better bonding than casual acts of violence.
" ... you were saying?"
holding his cards to his chest. " yes, miss tianquan. will you be my personal escort today? " however, little can stop him from tongue-in-cheek teasing, even in the face of hostility.
he almost wants to bark a laugh — to remind her that while northland bank is owned by that shrewd superior of his, all employees of the liyue branch answer to ajax and ajax /alone/ ; however, in spite of his distaste towards these verbal games, he is far from incapable of ( + )