[Stephen has made a point to stay near, and as a result, heβs the perfect target for that spontaneous hug, one that nearly keels him over, he was so barely expecting it.
He freezes for a moment, arms out and standing there awkwardly as his brain catches up to him. Stephen was never really any good at this, and he finds himself frustrated β not at her, but at the feeling of inability that strikes him, seeing her reaction to whatever this place is doing. The awful illusions it casts, or the tricks it plays.
He dislikes not having his magic at his beck and call, zero strings attached; he dislikes feeling useless all over again, an emotion that keeps playing its refrain through various parts of his life. He wishes he could help in ways that were tangible and immediate, not in whatever pitiable consolations he can provide just⦠standing here.
As though sensing the uptick in emotional turmoil, his cloak slides off his shoulders and settles on hers. The same weight as hands gently placed on her shoulders β perhaps the meaning is the same.]
Lookβ¦ [What does he say?] Itβs all right.
[Really, thatβs all he can offer, beyond trying to reason everything away. A second passes and Stephen settles his own arm across her shoulders.]
This circus is crueler than it looks. Iβm sorry.
no subject
He freezes for a moment, arms out and standing there awkwardly as his brain catches up to him. Stephen was never really any good at this, and he finds himself frustrated β not at her, but at the feeling of inability that strikes him, seeing her reaction to whatever this place is doing. The awful illusions it casts, or the tricks it plays.
He dislikes not having his magic at his beck and call, zero strings attached; he dislikes feeling useless all over again, an emotion that keeps playing its refrain through various parts of his life. He wishes he could help in ways that were tangible and immediate, not in whatever pitiable consolations he can provide just⦠standing here.
As though sensing the uptick in emotional turmoil, his cloak slides off his shoulders and settles on hers. The same weight as hands gently placed on her shoulders β perhaps the meaning is the same.]
Lookβ¦ [What does he say?] Itβs all right.
[Really, thatβs all he can offer, beyond trying to reason everything away. A second passes and Stephen settles his own arm across her shoulders.]
This circus is crueler than it looks. Iβm sorry.