[His answer isn't quite immediate, but it's sound when he does give it, speaking quietly out of a moment of absolute stillness. His eyes tick up from the floor where they'd fallen and, slowly, around the answer and the slow exhale, the wall Manticore built for him is subtly dissolving.
Which, at this exact moment, lets more of Ben's uncertainty and discomfort show, the slight widening of his eyes, the fact that when he starts pacing again it's with a distinctly nervous kind of energy rather than bland restlessness. By the time he turns and comes back, he's worrying his lower lip with his teeth, an unprecedented tick for his interactions with Alex.
He doesn't have the words for how this feels, but Alex will translate it for him. Alex will understand.]
It's not safe out here. People can see. People will see. It's never good.
[ Spam ]
[His answer isn't quite immediate, but it's sound when he does give it, speaking quietly out of a moment of absolute stillness. His eyes tick up from the floor where they'd fallen and, slowly, around the answer and the slow exhale, the wall Manticore built for him is subtly dissolving.
Which, at this exact moment, lets more of Ben's uncertainty and discomfort show, the slight widening of his eyes, the fact that when he starts pacing again it's with a distinctly nervous kind of energy rather than bland restlessness. By the time he turns and comes back, he's worrying his lower lip with his teeth, an unprecedented tick for his interactions with Alex.
He doesn't have the words for how this feels, but Alex will translate it for him. Alex will understand.]
It's not safe out here. People can see. People will see. It's never good.