THOTH & MORVEREN
Thoth took the hand offered him, accepting the lie quietly but not really believing it. Tristan was the best liar of his age he knew, but he was also the only one Thoth could see through. Generally speaking, he wasn't good at communication; he had a hard time reading other people and interpreting their meanings, and sorting truth from lies was even harder. Over time, though, he'd picked up... not visible signs so much as feelings, with Tristan specifically. He could sense when something was off in his friend, even if he couldn't always see it. Something was off now.
He staggered as Tristan half-lifted him, having a hard time moving the broken leg. Although the plaster cast was peeling away in the rain, the wooden splint was still holding it firmly in place. In the absence of his walking stick, Thoth had no choice but to put his good hand on Tris' shoulder – a little awkward, since his friend was a few inches taller than him - and use him instead. Progress wasn't as slow as one might expect, even with the limp and the leaning, since Thoth was well-used to having full use of only one leg. Tristan led the way, so Thoth didn't have to think about where they were going and wondered vaguely instead what the nurses would say when he traipsed in soaked. He'd probably be told off something rotten.
“Yeah, I'm not hurt.” He replied casually as they ascended the staircase, concentrating more on where he was putting his feet than the conversation. Progress was slower here; they had to take it one step at a time. Tristan kept quiet until they neared the top, whereupon his assessment of Cynthia's character made Thoth smile. The smile turned a little grim when the prince suggested moving him back to his room. “They're always sending me back to my room, but I always end up back in the infirmary in less than a week anyway.” The healing process was delicate, and Thoth wasn't. He got bored of inactivity too quickly when there was nothing new to read.
The 'off' feeling increased as they walked along the corridor in uncomfortable silence but, since Thoth couldn't pin it down or work out exactly what it was, he kept quiet. After a few minutes, Tristan stopped them.
“If I didn't keep putting myself back there you wouldn't need to visit,” he shrugged in a kind of don't worry about it way, before studying his friend's face with intelligent brown eyes. “You're going to get Tarquin back for you,” he corrected quietly. “Go ahead and beat him up if that's what you want to do, but you'll be doing it to make yourself feel better, not me.”
The silence which followed was more uncomfortable than the last. Thoth didn't press, and was a bit relieved when Tris changed the subject.
“Could be worse,” he supplied with a little smile. “Could look like a drowned rat and stink of horses.”
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