Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2022 14:20:12 GMT -5
The expression on her face was evidence enough that his feelings had been leaking through a bit, and the squeeze to her hand, the modest little kiss to her cheek, carefully angled for that gentle brush, had both been carefully calculated to ease any of her concerns. It wasn't a problematic thought at all, just one that had slipped through his defenses to strike at the heart of who he was, because Thomas Skerrick had never been a man with a family or a home to come back to, and in what still felt like a startlingly short period of time, he suddenly found himself with both, and was still wrestling to fit that knowledge into his sense of self. Whatever he ended up seeing himself as, however, Temperance was always a part of it, so he would accept the doubts and insecurities that came with something to lose, because she was still worth all of it.
Replying to Gustav had given him enough of an opportunity to gather his thoughts that the smile, quiet as ever, was back on his lips for the time being, and he was quick to turn it towards Teasa as she questioned the progress of his injuries, catching the little moment as Temperance nearly let something slip, likely her little lapse in attention that had meant she hadn't been ready with a warm cloth for his shoulder this morning. Well, he could use that, too, just... a little more modestly, without nearly provoking controversy by revealing their sleeping accommodations. "Better than last time, thank you" glancing back down at her with his smile flicking upwards and squeezing her hand. "She insists that I put a warm towel on my shoulder every morning, but it must have slipped my attention today. Still, it's nowhere near as stiff as it was to begin with, and my Ribs are improving as well as they can."
That was about as much of the truth as he could dredge out of what was happening with his injuries. since the bandage on his hand was clearly gone now, just a thin white line left on his palm where the knife had cut into it. There wasn't even any redness or tenderness, which was more than enough to tell him that Temperance really know what she was doing when she disinfected a wound. "And no running through the streets or jumping fences into any other woman's yard." He agreed with a laugh, shaking his head at her. "I think I've done enough of that for one lifetime, don't you? Just need to find the right fence, in the end."
Still holding onto Temperance's hand, he turned his attention back to his plate and his tea, which both seemed to have almost miraculously emptied themselves while they were talking, though the comfortable fullness in his stomach was enough of an indication that he had indeed been eating the whole time, slipping another forkful or two of toast and butter and syrup into his mouth in the brief lapses in the conversation when he had a free moment. "And I can't be too upset at how things worked out. I'd rather have Temperance than a full set of uninjured ribs."
Replying to Gustav had given him enough of an opportunity to gather his thoughts that the smile, quiet as ever, was back on his lips for the time being, and he was quick to turn it towards Teasa as she questioned the progress of his injuries, catching the little moment as Temperance nearly let something slip, likely her little lapse in attention that had meant she hadn't been ready with a warm cloth for his shoulder this morning. Well, he could use that, too, just... a little more modestly, without nearly provoking controversy by revealing their sleeping accommodations. "Better than last time, thank you" glancing back down at her with his smile flicking upwards and squeezing her hand. "She insists that I put a warm towel on my shoulder every morning, but it must have slipped my attention today. Still, it's nowhere near as stiff as it was to begin with, and my Ribs are improving as well as they can."
That was about as much of the truth as he could dredge out of what was happening with his injuries. since the bandage on his hand was clearly gone now, just a thin white line left on his palm where the knife had cut into it. There wasn't even any redness or tenderness, which was more than enough to tell him that Temperance really know what she was doing when she disinfected a wound. "And no running through the streets or jumping fences into any other woman's yard." He agreed with a laugh, shaking his head at her. "I think I've done enough of that for one lifetime, don't you? Just need to find the right fence, in the end."
Still holding onto Temperance's hand, he turned his attention back to his plate and his tea, which both seemed to have almost miraculously emptied themselves while they were talking, though the comfortable fullness in his stomach was enough of an indication that he had indeed been eating the whole time, slipping another forkful or two of toast and butter and syrup into his mouth in the brief lapses in the conversation when he had a free moment. "And I can't be too upset at how things worked out. I'd rather have Temperance than a full set of uninjured ribs."