He's been working hard for us without incident for a long time. He has other friends now. He's not in danger—not more than any of us. He cares about you.
[ Byerly has no words for how horrifying this prospect is. So he simply scowls, and fishes a bit of lemon out of his water, and hucks that lemon straight at Bastien's face. ]
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[ It's not (intentionally) cruel or dismissive. It comes from a real, rather melancholy belief. ]
I can afford him some protection for the moment. He wants to preserve that.
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He's been working hard for us without incident for a long time. He has other friends now. He's not in danger—not more than any of us. He cares about you.
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I - would prefer, I think, if it were using me, instead. If you're right, then it'll make it worse still when I fail him.
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[ Anyone else, he'd have feigned defaulting to papa. ]
You—you know, that's between you and him.
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What's between me and him?
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Whether he calls you dad.
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[ Byerly has no words for how horrifying this prospect is. So he simply scowls, and fishes a bit of lemon out of his water, and hucks that lemon straight at Bastien's face. ]
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But he doesn’t laugh, and once he’s peeled the lemon off and dropped it into his own cup, the grin goes away. ]
They are going to be harder on you than I was.
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I know.
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Stoically. I suppose.