Torram drew his hand back from Thea's shoulder after a moment, wondering why he'd done it in the first place; perhaps it was that he'd become so accustomed to it in his homeland, it felt only natural. He wished he could say his shyness was gone completely, especially with Thea, but she'd always managed to tangle him up inside. It'd always been more than her looks, too; there was something good in Thea, something that he doubted she'd ever lose, and there was a part of him that wanted to stay close to that light. He wasn't so foolish as to think they'd ever have anything more than friendship, and that was okay. He was just happy they could be friends still, happy she didn't mind his company even though so much had changed for him. Lost a bit in his thoughts, he startled when she suddenly summoned a pink light; his eyes widened, his grin instant.
"Wow!" he said, and then laughed at his own response. How eloquent, Torram! He never knew what Shaman would do to the fairies next; he'd discovered a set of gills and webs between his fingers and toes earlier in the day, and that had been surprising enough. He couldn't help but wonder what else she might have discovered, but her mention of the cold and the time allowed him to put those curiosities at the wayside. He laughed at her teasing, offering her his arm with an elegant half-bow; he'd done it so often back home it came as second-nature, though there was a playful edge to the motion now that he'd not bothered to show to anyone else. Only here in Shaman could he show his true self, the side of him that he'd only shown glimmers of to his family and the other nobles back home. It was a freeing experience, walking in step with Thea to the Castle.
Torram cocked his head towards Thea as she continued, following her bits of news with interest. He laughed a bit at how casual she was about the magic and the flood; only in Shaman did they roll with the punches so easily! He smiled at her mention of Midnight and groaned when she mentioned court gossip.
"I've had enough of that nonsense to last the rest of my life," he admitted, a bit of a glower on his face; he'd borne the brunt of court speculation more than once back home, usually tied to some pretty lady (or man) whom he'd barely spoken to. Personally he was fairly certain his mother had been at the heart of it, since she'd tried more times than he could count to get him married and settled and siring babies. Not that he'd have particularly minded, of course - Torram liked kids fine, and he'd always pictured himself getting married eventually - but he'd seen too much love and happiness in the relationships around him to settle for anything less in his own marriage. How could you tie yourself to a stranger, not knowing their own needs and wants?
He shook those thoughts and grinned again at her mention of Thoth and Tristan; he couldn't help but wonder just what those two had gotten up to since he'd been gone. And Danny, for that matter! Surely by now he'd have graduated and started working. His smile was warm and excited; he'd have to track down his friend soon.
At her question, he turned his gaze back to her for a moment, thinking over her question.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that... It's a bit of a shock, to be honest, with the time difference. I got up to a lot back home, so I always sort of thought... you know, that you guys were moving on too," he gave a small shrug, careful not to dislodge her arm.
"But I don't regret going home," he continued with a warm smile, clearly thinking back over his years at home. "Three of my sisters and one of my brothers got married, and the rest have been busy making babies. I have so many nieces and nephews, it's a little insane. To be honest I'm still expecting a kid to come bouncing out of the woods to demand a horsie ride at any second. Like... childcare PTSD or something."
He laughed at that, his affection for his family obvious in his grin even as he complained about them.
"Ah!" he said then, pointing to a badge on his chest with his free hand. "I passed ranger certification too! Hardest thing ever, but I know Birch'll be proud. I mostly did it to learn bow-crafting, to be honest, but the rest of it was pretty interesting. Though I swear if I never hear 'HURRY UP, MY DUCKLINGS!' again, I'll die a happy man." |
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