[ ...well he'd only been curious as to when she acquired a bear cub for a pet, wondering if he should be imagining an overly zealous teenager or something closer to how she appears now. How long do bears even live? Not like he knows.
But as Vex mentions losing her mother, Levi pauses what he's doing with his hands and just listens quietly. That pain resonates, the oldest and most familiar he carries. He lets her story settle a moment, sinking into his memory. ]
...I see.
[ He glances around then for a clock of some sort to note the time. If there isn't one he'll just carefully guess; usually he's pretty good at estimating when four minutes have passed. ]
[She notices that he gives her space, and for that, she's grateful. Thinking about her beautiful, happy mother as nothing but a body in the ground has fueled her hatred for most of her adult life. And with Thordak dead, she's had to redefine herself, learn to love more of those around her.]
Thank you. I took my pain and anger at the murder of my mother and my childhood home and fueled it into learning as much as I could about dragons. Until the day we took down the monster responsible.
[She gives him a wry smile.]
I couldn't move on and live my life until that part was laid to rest. The fact that we ended up doing so much more than that during our pursuit of Thordak is a bonus. And the timer is on the counter next to the fancy bread toaster.
[ Her story reminds him a little bit of Erwin's - turning the loss of a parent into the driving force in their lives, seeking justice or redemption or revenge. A consuming force, for better or worse. What would Erwin have become, if he'd been able to see his father's beliefs proven right? What would have happened, after?
They'll never know. ]
Glad it worked out for you.
[ Levi spies the timer and fetches it, examining it a moment to figure out how to set it properly, then sets it for three minutes and thirty seconds. He seems a little intrigued by it. ]
Should get one of these.
[ Definitely going to go buy one immediately after he leaves here.
He leans back against the counter as they wait, arms lightly crossed over his chest. ]
Vax and I made it work for us. Remember how I said we were stubborn? It wasn't a joke. We can be reasonable, but not when it comes to Thordak. Or each other.
[She watches him as he plays with the timer before setting it. It's one of the nicest kitchen trinkets she's gotten. Sure, she had a lot more in Folkmore, but with the addition of electricity and indoor plumbing to the castle, she's found more and more things to play with that makes cooking and baking easier.
Earthen Modern Conveniences are great, but simple is sometimes the best.]
It was something I found while searching in the shops. Fun and interesting things are available if you go to the smaller ones where the gelflings and goblins are generally kinder. That particular item came from the shop nearest Elias's bookstore. I think the owner's partner makes it by hand. Somehow.
[Don't ask her. Does she look like magic?]
I'm sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose a parent at any age. Do you mind me asking how?
[ Levi knows plenty of stubborn people. Stubbornness can keep you alive. It can also get you killed, but it tends to be a pretty good motivator.
He looks back at the timer, even more intrigued now. ]
Huh. It's not bad. I'll have to go look.
[ He can bring Erwin along, it sounds like there'll be plenty of things to interest him. Levi doesn't much care how a thing works, so long as it does. ]
She got sick. [ A shadow of old pain crosses briefly over his face, and his left hand flexes a little, seeming without thinking. There's a small, plain gold band on his ring finger. ] Couldn't afford a doctor.
[Stubbornness and impulsivity are some big flaws that both Vex and Vax have had to work on over the years. They've served them well over the years when they were alone, but as of late, not so much.]
If my best friend was here, it would be fun to go looking through the all the shops, but I'm forced to do it by myself.
[Woe is her. Don't you feel sorry for her?]
I'm sorry for your loss. Even coming from a world where magic is rampant, it doesn't always save those who are ill or bring back the dead.
[ What a terrible ordeal for you, Vex, so awful. ]
Thank you.
[ It's still hard to imagine, the idea that death has even a chance of being impermanent. He's heard of it from multiple people, has heard rumors that even here it doesn't last, but it just makes him...quietly envious, really. Even if it doesn't always work perfectly, could they have saved more people? Or would it just hurt more, when they inevitably die (again?) anyway? Even titan serum wouldn't revive a dead person. ]
We don't have anything like that, where I'm from. What would make it fail to save someone?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But as Vex mentions losing her mother, Levi pauses what he's doing with his hands and just listens quietly. That pain resonates, the oldest and most familiar he carries. He lets her story settle a moment, sinking into his memory. ]
...I see.
[ He glances around then for a clock of some sort to note the time. If there isn't one he'll just carefully guess; usually he's pretty good at estimating when four minutes have passed. ]
Sorry about your mom.
no subject
Thank you. I took my pain and anger at the murder of my mother and my childhood home and fueled it into learning as much as I could about dragons. Until the day we took down the monster responsible.
[She gives him a wry smile.]
I couldn't move on and live my life until that part was laid to rest. The fact that we ended up doing so much more than that during our pursuit of Thordak is a bonus. And the timer is on the counter next to the fancy bread toaster.
[She's got a specialty tea timer, what of it?]
no subject
They'll never know. ]
Glad it worked out for you.
[ Levi spies the timer and fetches it, examining it a moment to figure out how to set it properly, then sets it for three minutes and thirty seconds. He seems a little intrigued by it. ]
Should get one of these.
[ Definitely going to go buy one immediately after he leaves here.
He leans back against the counter as they wait, arms lightly crossed over his chest. ]
Lost my mom when I was a brat, too.
no subject
[She watches him as he plays with the timer before setting it. It's one of the nicest kitchen trinkets she's gotten. Sure, she had a lot more in Folkmore, but with the addition of electricity and indoor plumbing to the castle, she's found more and more things to play with that makes cooking and baking easier.
Earthen Modern Conveniences are great, but simple is sometimes the best.]
It was something I found while searching in the shops. Fun and interesting things are available if you go to the smaller ones where the gelflings and goblins are generally kinder. That particular item came from the shop nearest Elias's bookstore. I think the owner's partner makes it by hand. Somehow.
[Don't ask her. Does she look like magic?]
I'm sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose a parent at any age. Do you mind me asking how?
no subject
He looks back at the timer, even more intrigued now. ]
Huh. It's not bad. I'll have to go look.
[ He can bring Erwin along, it sounds like there'll be plenty of things to interest him. Levi doesn't much care how a thing works, so long as it does. ]
She got sick. [ A shadow of old pain crosses briefly over his face, and his left hand flexes a little, seeming without thinking. There's a small, plain gold band on his ring finger. ] Couldn't afford a doctor.
no subject
If my best friend was here, it would be fun to go looking through the all the shops, but I'm forced to do it by myself.
[Woe is her. Don't you feel sorry for her?]
I'm sorry for your loss. Even coming from a world where magic is rampant, it doesn't always save those who are ill or bring back the dead.
no subject
Thank you.
[ It's still hard to imagine, the idea that death has even a chance of being impermanent. He's heard of it from multiple people, has heard rumors that even here it doesn't last, but it just makes him...quietly envious, really. Even if it doesn't always work perfectly, could they have saved more people? Or would it just hurt more, when they inevitably die (again?) anyway? Even titan serum wouldn't revive a dead person. ]
We don't have anything like that, where I'm from. What would make it fail to save someone?