[ Without thinking too much about it, she takes the mint leaf from him. She chews it carefully as she settles back against the couch with a heavy sigh. Apparently, she doesn't mind the closeness. ]
It's hard to miss. There's not really much we could do about it, though. [ Neither of their powers were useful in fighting. And amplifying would not make any of this better. ]
[ Gansey smiles at her. They never discuss the fact that he gives mint leaves to her, and not to anyone else. It's like an unspoken signal between them. He tips his head back against the cushioned top of the sofa, his eyes on her.
She looks worried, and he can't blame her. ]
Not without getting caught in it ourselves. You didn't hear from Kitty, did you?
[ Gansey reaches to tilt it up, brushing Blue's fingers in the process. That is accidental, but he's not sorry about it, and he doesn't seem in any hurry to move away. ]
Neither have I. Or from Dorian.
[ Finally, he does drop his hand. He folds both of them in his lap, just in case one tries to go missing again. ]
I'm glad you aren't out there. Heropa's having a bad time of it lately.
[ Blue doesn't miss the way his fingers brush against hers. She hates that in such a serious situation, that gentle touch makes her stomach drop. She nearly blushes as she rests her hand in her lap again. ]
Probably shouldn't go back to Heropa for awhile. It's apparently not that safe these days.
[ She hadn't even protested. Maybe she wants to bend the rules, too. Maybe Gansey Prime will be more willing for it, when he joins them both together again and remembers all of this.
That's an excellent thought. He knows that he and Blue have to be careful together, that there are things they cannot do. But surely, it's all right for them to do things like this. It's all right for him to sit with her when the world gets a little bit more terrible, and keep her company, and in some way acknowledge that she's not just his friend.
Surely there isn't so very much wrong with that. ]
Apparently not. I should have this off in a couple of weeks. [ He holds up his broken, left arm, still in its cast. By this stage, it itches far more than it hurts, and is a continual source of annoyance for every clone that labors with it. ] I don't need another one to join it.
Still. It's interesting, isn't it? Magic like that. It's what Whelk tried to do to Noah. A sacrifice, to make magic work. I never expected it to look like this.
[ She glances at his arm, another heavy reminder of what they went through. She doesn't like to think about it too often. For a long time, being here she's felt so disconnected from any potential "war" efforts, or whatever imPorts have been called here to do.
So she lest the rest of the conversation take them. ]
It's what Adam did. [ She adds, maybe still a little disconcerted by it.
She sighs. ] You can't have something for nothing.
[ Gansey winces, disconcerted. It doesn't matter which version of himself is currently in play; none of them like acknowledging what Adam did, much less blaming him for it. ]
Adam didn't do it like this. That boy...
He took a particular pleasure in it. He must have been planning it for a while, as terrible as that sounds. When I used to think of magic, it was always more benevolent than this. I suppose it shouldn't have been. Rose-colored glasses don't always offer the best view.
[ Gansey's shoulders relax a little. He hadn't even been aware of tension in them. Perhaps he'd expected her to tell him off for having too mild a view of the world.
That's not Blue, though. He realizes that would never be Blue. She understands him very well, and sympathizes with him more than more. A smile touches the edges of his lips. ]
Much more. And not always in a good way, as this proves, but...
The goodness is still there, Jane. I believe it. I can feel it. Your family are good examples of it. I think that you are, too.
[ She looks at him out of the corner of her eyes as he talks.
This is what Gansey does for them. He's their hope. Their faith is something deeper and more than them. Even she, surrounded by psychics, had still been won over by the Gansey-charm.
She shakes her head. ]
I'm not the same kind of magic though. At least mirroring doesn't take sacrifice to do.
[ Gansey smiles when her eyes meet his. That's a nice look, the kind that always drums up warmth in his chest.
He always wants to be the person that makes her look like that.
He dares to reach out, to brush his fingertips along the edge of her hand. It's a thing Gansey Prime would be too careful to do. Maybe not after today. ]
You are your own kind of magic. That it's different doesn't make it less valid. You wouldn't have done what that boy did even if it was the cost. I know you wouldn't.
That says more about you than what you can do, honestly.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clone
It's hard to miss. There's not really much we could do about it, though. [ Neither of their powers were useful in fighting. And amplifying would not make any of this better. ]
clone
She looks worried, and he can't blame her. ]
Not without getting caught in it ourselves. You didn't hear from Kitty, did you?
clone
I've sent her a message. I haven't heard back yet, though. [ She answers, holding up her phone to show him.
She sighs. ] I hope she's okay.
clone
Neither have I. Or from Dorian.
[ Finally, he does drop his hand. He folds both of them in his lap, just in case one tries to go missing again. ]
I'm glad you aren't out there. Heropa's having a bad time of it lately.
clone
Probably shouldn't go back to Heropa for awhile. It's apparently not that safe these days.
clone
That's an excellent thought. He knows that he and Blue have to be careful together, that there are things they cannot do. But surely, it's all right for them to do things like this. It's all right for him to sit with her when the world gets a little bit more terrible, and keep her company, and in some way acknowledge that she's not just his friend.
Surely there isn't so very much wrong with that. ]
Apparently not. I should have this off in a couple of weeks. [ He holds up his broken, left arm, still in its cast. By this stage, it itches far more than it hurts, and is a continual source of annoyance for every clone that labors with it. ] I don't need another one to join it.
Still. It's interesting, isn't it? Magic like that. It's what Whelk tried to do to Noah. A sacrifice, to make magic work. I never expected it to look like this.
clone
So she lest the rest of the conversation take them. ]
It's what Adam did. [ She adds, maybe still a little disconcerted by it.
She sighs. ] You can't have something for nothing.
clone
Adam didn't do it like this. That boy...
He took a particular pleasure in it. He must have been planning it for a while, as terrible as that sounds. When I used to think of magic, it was always more benevolent than this. I suppose it shouldn't have been. Rose-colored glasses don't always offer the best view.
clone
I was kind of the same. You've seen my family. It was always smaller and always used to help.
It's a lot more vast than I ever would have realized.
clone
That's not Blue, though. He realizes that would never be Blue. She understands him very well, and sympathizes with him more than more. A smile touches the edges of his lips. ]
Much more. And not always in a good way, as this proves, but...
The goodness is still there, Jane. I believe it. I can feel it. Your family are good examples of it. I think that you are, too.
clone
This is what Gansey does for them. He's their hope. Their faith is something deeper and more than them. Even she, surrounded by psychics, had still been won over by the Gansey-charm.
She shakes her head. ]
I'm not the same kind of magic though. At least mirroring doesn't take sacrifice to do.
clone
He always wants to be the person that makes her look like that.
He dares to reach out, to brush his fingertips along the edge of her hand. It's a thing Gansey Prime would be too careful to do. Maybe not after today. ]
You are your own kind of magic. That it's different doesn't make it less valid. You wouldn't have done what that boy did even if it was the cost. I know you wouldn't.
That says more about you than what you can do, honestly.