In many ways, it's deeply unfair that Aleksei knows her so well. It makes it especially hard to lie to him--not that Doki has occasion to lie to him so often--and, worse, it makes him especially keen on ways to get to her. For example: he knows that she loves pirates. So there's a brightness to her eye when she looks around at him, and she doesn't bother trying to disguise it. Why would she? He already knows.
"Bastard," she says, and grins. "Now we've got to go. We had to, before, because of," and Doki flashes her hand at her brother again, just because, a kind of petty small revenge. If he's going to get to her by appealing to things she likes, she'll needle him right back. "But now we've double got to go. But you knew that already, didn't you."
Brat, he thinks, affectionate instead of annoyed. It's easier to pretend nothing's wrong when this conversation takes shape as if they are planning to go sight-seeing, nothing more.
"I knew there was something to make our exile bearable."
Because it is an exile. Perhaps they have not been home in many months, but they had the option to go if it pleased them. Now, Aleksei can't tell whether or not they'll have any say in where they go. Or worse, if he would, and Doki wouldn't.
"We'll get you a glove," he promises, which would at least make it easier to pretend nothing had changed. "And we will befriend all their pirates so when their war is over they'll let us sail with them."
When the war is over. What a big statement. Aleksei hadn't spared a single thought for the war. Is it even close to being over?
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washes up on the safe shores of this thread hello
In many ways, it's deeply unfair that Aleksei knows her so well. It makes it especially hard to lie to him--not that Doki has occasion to lie to him so often--and, worse, it makes him especially keen on ways to get to her. For example: he knows that she loves pirates. So there's a brightness to her eye when she looks around at him, and she doesn't bother trying to disguise it. Why would she? He already knows.
"Bastard," she says, and grins. "Now we've got to go. We had to, before, because of," and Doki flashes her hand at her brother again, just because, a kind of petty small revenge. If he's going to get to her by appealing to things she likes, she'll needle him right back. "But now we've double got to go. But you knew that already, didn't you."
belatedly offers a towel
"I knew there was something to make our exile bearable."
Because it is an exile. Perhaps they have not been home in many months, but they had the option to go if it pleased them. Now, Aleksei can't tell whether or not they'll have any say in where they go. Or worse, if he would, and Doki wouldn't.
"We'll get you a glove," he promises, which would at least make it easier to pretend nothing had changed. "And we will befriend all their pirates so when their war is over they'll let us sail with them."
When the war is over. What a big statement. Aleksei hadn't spared a single thought for the war. Is it even close to being over?