[Was that flush of red there all along on his cheeks? A thrill of the hunt and exhilaration of flight? Or had her words of encouragement and offer of a prize for his work caused it to appear?
It wasn't really like him to accept silly tokens of appreciation for anything but looking down at Aerith and her flower was like looking at an eager puppy with a toy in its mouth. In other words, extremely hard to say no to.
There was something to be said for the fact that they already knew each other. Even if they were on opposite sides of life, even if they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, the fact that they were from the same world meant a lot. It was really good to see her.
Maybe Rude was too sentimental. He put on a good front, kept a straight face at all times, but when it really came down to it he had a soft heart and a love for romantic notions. Nobility, chivalry, honor and loyalty--these things meant something to the big Turk despite the airs he put on. They were his (not-so-)secret guilty pleasures. Ideals he romanticized and sought when he could--but things that rarely played a part in the life of a Turk.
Aerith represented these lost ideals to Rude. Not only was she kind and caring in a world that was largely unkind and unforgiving in nature, she saw the good in everyone around her. Even those that didn't deserve it. And despite her gentle nature somehow she still was no pushover. She always stood up for her beliefs and those around her. She was quite admirable.
Watching over her all these years made her something special, too. It was hard not to grow attached to someone whenever a lot of time was spent around that person. It had never been hard to want to protect her from the dangers of the world. But it wasn't always easy to be the bad guy when that was his job and she was the target.
He reached out and carefully plucked the flower from Aerith's grasp.]
Thanks.
[Rude looked at the flower for a quiet moment as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with it or say to her. There were a lot of things he might have wanted to say--but none that wanted to come out. None that probably needed to. Some things just shouldn't be said. No need to upset the scales.
He tucked the flower in his front pocket and looked back at her. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a dying sputter from the robot he'd forgotten about in his idle grasp. He frowned down at it.]
Any suggestions?
[He said as he held it out almost as if offering it to her. He wasn't, of course, but he was asking if she had any preferences on what he did with the thing. Toss it in the trash, stomp on it for good measure, return it to its owner... it was in her hands.]
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It wasn't really like him to accept silly tokens of appreciation for anything but looking down at Aerith and her flower was like looking at an eager puppy with a toy in its mouth. In other words, extremely hard to say no to.
There was something to be said for the fact that they already knew each other. Even if they were on opposite sides of life, even if they didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, the fact that they were from the same world meant a lot. It was really good to see her.
Maybe Rude was too sentimental. He put on a good front, kept a straight face at all times, but when it really came down to it he had a soft heart and a love for romantic notions. Nobility, chivalry, honor and loyalty--these things meant something to the big Turk despite the airs he put on. They were his (not-so-)secret guilty pleasures. Ideals he romanticized and sought when he could--but things that rarely played a part in the life of a Turk.
Aerith represented these lost ideals to Rude. Not only was she kind and caring in a world that was largely unkind and unforgiving in nature, she saw the good in everyone around her. Even those that didn't deserve it. And despite her gentle nature somehow she still was no pushover. She always stood up for her beliefs and those around her. She was quite admirable.
Watching over her all these years made her something special, too. It was hard not to grow attached to someone whenever a lot of time was spent around that person. It had never been hard to want to protect her from the dangers of the world. But it wasn't always easy to be the bad guy when that was his job and she was the target.
He reached out and carefully plucked the flower from Aerith's grasp.]
Thanks.
[Rude looked at the flower for a quiet moment as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with it or say to her. There were a lot of things he might have wanted to say--but none that wanted to come out. None that probably needed to. Some things just shouldn't be said. No need to upset the scales.
He tucked the flower in his front pocket and looked back at her. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a dying sputter from the robot he'd forgotten about in his idle grasp. He frowned down at it.]
Any suggestions?
[He said as he held it out almost as if offering it to her. He wasn't, of course, but he was asking if she had any preferences on what he did with the thing. Toss it in the trash, stomp on it for good measure, return it to its owner... it was in her hands.]