[She didn't outright respond, but she also didn't immediately argue or retort either. Infallible was certainly a word for it. It was important that none of them perceived her as someone who could emotionally be a liability. A bleeding heart, yes. That was fine. Nepione didn't doubt that even she had a limit to what she could handle. It was why she had to take her alone time the way she did. Selûne helped her stay balanced. Reminded her of where her focus needed to be. Not on herself, but on others.
She was not immune, however, to... 'cracking,' as Astarion had put it.
When he asked about her family, she didn't respond. It wouldn't have been important to him, so she didn't see the point. His assumption was accurate, of course, though she supposed her lack of an answer could have been read as anything. The rest of what followed caught her just a touch off guard, however.]
F-fawning over...! [And she could only assume, based on his terms of endearment, that 'musk man' referred to the very wise druid in their midst.] The only thing I'm doing with Halsin is helping him. The same as I help everyone else here. If you want to consider that 'fawning,' then you might as well assume I'm fawning over all of you.
[Blatantly untrue.
She nearly bristled when he referred to her as 'mother,' though he wasn't exactly wrong there either. She definitely mothered all of them, which was ironic considering age differences. But that was simply the way she was. She could no more turn that off than she could have willed herself to stop breathing sans effort in the moments that followed.]
Astarion, you know I don't keep track of that. Did it ever occur to you that I might prefer to focus on someone other than myself?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2023-12-16 05:36 am (UTC)She was not immune, however, to... 'cracking,' as Astarion had put it.
When he asked about her family, she didn't respond. It wouldn't have been important to him, so she didn't see the point. His assumption was accurate, of course, though she supposed her lack of an answer could have been read as anything. The rest of what followed caught her just a touch off guard, however.]
F-fawning over...! [And she could only assume, based on his terms of endearment, that 'musk man' referred to the very wise druid in their midst.] The only thing I'm doing with Halsin is helping him. The same as I help everyone else here. If you want to consider that 'fawning,' then you might as well assume I'm fawning over all of you.
[Blatantly untrue.
She nearly bristled when he referred to her as 'mother,' though he wasn't exactly wrong there either. She definitely mothered all of them, which was ironic considering age differences. But that was simply the way she was. She could no more turn that off than she could have willed herself to stop breathing sans effort in the moments that followed.]
Astarion, you know I don't keep track of that. Did it ever occur to you that I might prefer to focus on someone other than myself?