( she doesn't question it, doesn't question who khonshu is or what marc means by it, and it's more of a relief than he'd care to put a name to. it's not her words, her 'I see' that puts him at ease, it's the small smile that'd precipitated it. the usual response, the one he'd half-expected in spite of the way he'd answered without self-consciousness, was condescension. disbelief. the distant agreement of sure, pal whilst their assessment of marc moved to 'ah, one of those'.
it's not imperceptible, but it is slight, the way that marc's posture relaxes — the set of his shoulder, the tension in his arms and hands. it's pre-emptive defensiveness, not aggression, that he lets go of, and he looks away from her down the hall first one way, then the other.
the distant flickering green of an emergency exit sign is the closest they've got to light other than whatever filters in through the windows. a stairwell. probably quieter than anything public-facing. the easiest access point. it's only after he's decided on that, that he looks back to lucina. a nod and, ) Fine.
( it's more mild than brusque, almost — almost — conversational agreement. once upon a time, he'd have said he works better alone, but that's never been true. it'd just been a lie he'd tried telling himself to make himself feel better about how he'd ended up alone.
then, seemingly apropos nothing— ) Marc.
( hey, congrats lucina, you're the first person to get marc's first name, not his surname. )
no subject
it's not imperceptible, but it is slight, the way that marc's posture relaxes — the set of his shoulder, the tension in his arms and hands. it's pre-emptive defensiveness, not aggression, that he lets go of, and he looks away from her down the hall first one way, then the other.
the distant flickering green of an emergency exit sign is the closest they've got to light other than whatever filters in through the windows. a stairwell. probably quieter than anything public-facing. the easiest access point. it's only after he's decided on that, that he looks back to lucina. a nod and, ) Fine.
( it's more mild than brusque, almost — almost — conversational agreement. once upon a time, he'd have said he works better alone, but that's never been true. it'd just been a lie he'd tried telling himself to make himself feel better about how he'd ended up alone.
then, seemingly apropos nothing— ) Marc.
( hey, congrats lucina, you're the first person to get marc's first name, not his surname. )