THE PASSAGE OF TIME

[wooliefrand]

WHO: All
WHERE: The Pasture
WHEN: Day 24 Morning thru afternoon

[THE STORMS HAVE FINALLY CLEARED and the life sliced so now what

how yall doin]

Comments

[debug_mode]

No thank you, I have no need for a book like that at the moment.

...Um.

[she looks around, then lowers her voice.]

I just... you really wanted to know what I was going to say?

[terraria]

( do not be alarmed do not be alarmed do not be alarmed

keeps a curious expression. )

Well... yes.

[debug_mode]

[whispers]

I was going to say... it was nice to see you studying. I know it's really none of my business, but it made me really happy to see.

[terraria]

( he looks a little... embarrassed? scratching the back of his head. )

That's fine. I should be studying and applying my reading lessons.

[debug_mode]

Um... actually, that was sort of something I wanted to talk about.

Possibly? If you'll lend an ear?

[her own face is turning red with shyness.]

[terraria]

Um - certainly. What's the matter?

[debug_mode]

[... takes a breath, steeling herself.]

I have a hard time making trades with flocks or really offering them much of anything. I'm just an ordinary girl and even something like grinding cattails takes me a long time. I'm much better at intellectual things.

That's why, when I heard about your difficulty... I don't want to supplant whoever is already helping you, but I thought maybe I could offer to teach you too, as a 'service'? Not that I have teaching experience, exactly. But, I do enjoy literature and it's something I could see myself doing for you.

...What would you think?

1/4

[terraria]

( 1. she must not know charon is teaching him. she clearly doesn't know, since she mentioned 'whoever is already helping you'.

2. he knows very well she does not like charon. for understandable reasons.

3. he doesn't actually want to tell her that charon's teaching him. because. frankly he's not sure what she'll do, if she'll be sad (not great) or upset (worse) or... anything else. he's not scared of what she might do, he doesn't think she's like that. but still, because of the bad blood, not telling her is a safer bet.

4. this is a field she is clearly confident in. confidence usually denotes skill.

5. this is something she can see herself doing. that's good. it might help her feel more at ease with the rest of the pasture? maybe with lily? maybe sometime down the line she and lethe could talk and find a common ground again? )

2/4

[terraria]

( 6. he knows someone sabotaged their board in the game. he saw those numbers change himself. he might be easy to fool with letters, but numbers are his wheelhouse. he would never mistake a number for something else.

6.5. he doesn't think it was your name, though. when he reads her face, she seems nervous, not deceitful. he could be reading her wrong. there is a risk involved here. different social structures and worlds can mean that facial expressions might express themselves differently. )

3/4

[terraria]

( 7. the last time he let a weed that sounded and acted like a young girl 'help' him, he ended up in a coma for 4 days.

how does he reconcile all of these things?

well, first: he's not going to tell her about charon. in reality, he could use another perspective in teaching, perhaps one that's more concerned with fiction rather than non-fiction, which charon tends to be.

secondly: ... he will take her offer. yeah, last time it went badly. maybe this time will go badly, too. that's fine, isn't it...? it's just him at risk, so it doesn't really matter.

thirdly: he needs to congratulate her on her willingness to stick her neck out. she's clearly nervous and uncertain about this, so... )

4/4

[terraria]

That's quite a generous offer, especially when your time is limited with resource-gathering... thank you, Your Name. I greatly appreciate not only your assessment of my... shortcoming - as it's helped me understand myself far more than I originally had - but that you're willing to help me through it too.

I'll take you up on that, if you're absolutely certain. My lessons are at night, so would it be alright if ours were sometime during the day?

[debug_mode]

[her face lights up.]

Really? That's great!

[Ah, then she remembers to hush again.]

Here? Here might be the best place. If we're quiet. Or is that too obvious? I don't want you to feel embarrassed...

[It'd be terrible if he grew to hate reading after something she did.]

[terraria]

( keeping his voice low and level: )

Oh, it's quite fine. Here makes the most sense, doesn't it? Since there's so much material. I'm not too embarrassed...

( scratches his cheek idly. ) Just try to be patient with me... I'm slow at reading.