This month's wanderings

[killedwithlove]

Who: Cole and anyone who doesn't get away fast enough
Broadcast: No
Action: Everywhere but the Marsiva and Tourist. Sorry Fenris, the Three Twins is fair game again.
When: During this month.

[Cole does this thing, where he parks the Pathstone alongside other ships, and then visits. He does this in a big circuit and then keeps doing it.

He likes visiting. Be prepared to be visited!]

Comments

[killedwithlove]

[Cole's hands were large, broad and long and just a little too bony to be truly elegant. He looks at Tyrion's hand and then to his face.]

It... does?

[tallasaking]

[Tyrion's were far too small and stubby - so there you had it. He nods his head solemnly.]

There are few who have cared for me, truly and honestly, without coin being involved first. There was Pod, of course, and my younger nieces and nephews. Jaime - ah, dear sweet Jaime. [A bitter sweet smile, before he focused on the here.]

You care because I am in pain, nothing more. I ... am grateful.

[killedwithlove]

[Cole touches Tyrion's hand, interested in the differences between them, but he's still listening.]

Jaime wouldn't lie to me, whatever father says, if Jaime says it's true, he wouldn't lie to me, he lied to me, why couldn't any of them stand to see me be happy?

[His hand tightened on Tyrion's.] I'm so sorry. It all hurts so deep, I can't fix it. But I do care.

[tallasaking]

[Grief etched over his face at that memory, pulled in, but it felt good to hear it on someone's lips and not just swimming around in his head drunkenly.]

The question that ties together all the other knots of pain, Cole.

[He squeezed back, his voice quiet.] I am glad. And I shall do you the further burden of now having me care for you, spirit-boy.

[killedwithlove]

Why is that a burden?

[He takes his hand back. Prolonged touching is still unfamiliar to him.]

[tallasaking]

Oh, because horrible things happen to people I honestly care about. Or you might end up betraying me. It could go either way.

[killedwithlove]

Horrible things already happened to Cole. Me. Us.

I don't think I know how to betray someone.

[tallasaking]

[Tyrion is now the one who looked pained at that.]

Then you have my deepest sympathies - and - well, find that you have a distinct disadvantage to the rest of us.

[killedwithlove]

[Cole's nature if to be guileless and honest most of the time. Deception just doesn't come naturally. Betrayal makes even less sense, committing such a deep hurt against someone.]

I know when people are going to hurt others, though. It screams from their eyes and hearts, bleeding brackish black across their words and hands.

[Things flash across his memory, her soft kisses at their wedding, a heavy gold coin tossed to her, his jeering mouth and the light blazing from the statue as they drag him by his arms down to the cells.

He hums softly instead, looking at his feet, toes pushing against the worn leather.]

Why aren't toes better at picking things up?

[tallasaking]

Well, then you do have an advantage there. I never know when people are lying to me.

[he sighed, and Tysha's song clings to his brain once more. His morbid thoughts are dragged out, though, to Cole's ... rather random ones.]

I would have to say because they are short.

[killedwithlove]

[Cole feels music and hums it briefly, rocking back and forth and then pushing it out with another song, the song everyone knows about the Mockingbird.]

But why aren't they longer, so they're more useful?

[tallasaking]

[He starts humming a song about a Mockingbird, while he looks critically at Cole's toes.]

I imagine so our shoes would still fit us.

[killedwithlove]

Oh. Okay.

[For Cole, that's a valid explanation. His critical thinking isn't very acute.]

[tallasaking]

[Well honestly sometimes you just needed to look for the most obvious answer. Or the most humorous one. Tyrion tended to waffle between the two.]

Your feet are rather large to begin with.

[killedwithlove]

Are they?

[He slides off his shoes and stretches his feet out. They are grubby, which is basically normal for Cole.]

They're good at walking, and perching and climbing.

[tallasaking]

[Tyrion leaned over from what he was doing to inspect the other man's toes.]

Your toes seem to be well formed enough for all of those things. Although I would suggest bathing them.

[killedwithlove]

But I haven't been in a fight.

[It might be best not to ask.]

[tallasaking]

While I know bathing between battles is something of a necessity ... I would highly recommend it. If only for clean toes.

[killedwithlove]

But they're in shoes. Why does washing them matter?

[tallasaking]

Well, do you want your shoes to smell? Your clothes? Do you want people to avoid you because you smell like you were rolling about in mud?

[killedwithlove]

Mud doesn't really smell like anything.

[Despite his protests, he seems to be fairly clean. He doesn't get a lot of chances to get overly grubby and he hauls himself into the showers on occasion. Beyond that, he doesn't have most bodily functions]

[tallasaking]

Hmmm, I beg to differ. I've been covered in it enough to know the difference. [He eyed Cole.] Although I suppose you get behind your ears well enough, so I shall stop mothering you.

[killedwithlove]

I never had a mother. Cole did, but she's dead. Elize thinks 'mother' when she's with Jove, but she doesn't say it, and she thinks 'brother' at me.

[tallasaking]

Do you think of her as sister, then, and Jove as mother?

[Did he see anyone as family? Perhaps he was better off without it.]

[killedwithlove]

No. Jove isn't my mother. Elize... reminds me a lot of Bunny, though. Bunny was Cole's sister.

Cole's family is dead.