ʀᴀғᴇ ᴀúʟʟᴀ ᴀ ʟᴀ sᴏᴍʙʀᴀ ᴅᴇ (maginus) wrote in repose,
When Oona was done cooking her newest portion Rafe wasted little time helping himself to much of the same, not really consciously copying what she had selected so much as he was curious about the selection available and keen to try all of it. The wolf didn’t care what they ate so long as there was plenty of it, though it wouldn’t be in the least bit put out if Oona helped herself to the entirety of the portion of soy that had been brought over. With a shake of his head he said sincerely, “I’m not. Honestly.” Again he put his hand on his heart, holding her gaze as he did so in the hopes that she would see that sincerity for herself. “If I’ve learned anything during my time in Repose it’s that nothing is impossible.”
But even as he was saying that he picked up on the changes in her, right down to the shift in her scent. Subtle but tangible things, at least to him, that told him she suddenly wasn’t so comfortable anymore. He actually saw the goosebumps, easy enough with her arms and shoulders bared now that her jacket had been removed. She was genuinely unsettled. Was it his mention of the memories or the recollection of the incident with the maze? There was no way for him to be sure without asking but the last thing he wanted to do was push her down that path if it was making her feel in any way wrong.
“As far as I can tell,” he said, regarding the reality of it. “I don’t know if putting the clocks together will actually do anything, but what happened earlier in the year was very real.” And very uncomfortable for most involved, from what he had been able to ascertain. “As for putting it together,” he said, taking in a breath and using the time in which he was paused to set his own freshly cooked food on a plate, “I don’t see why not.” With a cant of his head he added, “So long as we can find our fourth piece.” Because someone out there was holding out on them, for whatever reason.
It felt wrong not to ask. Too wrong, suddenly, to just ignore what had happened, even if the moment had passed.
“Are you all right?” he asked her, frowning a little. “For a minute there you seemed—” What? Unnerved? He wouldn’t hazard any guesses. He would let that sentence hang unfinished between them, to do with as she wished. Oona might not want to talk about it and if that was the case then he would honour that.