[ Claude does not, in fact, let her go immediately, muscling her in for a bigger hug. At this point, he's gotten the sensation that Ange may well need it more than he does, which says a lot about Ange's own mental state, and about the state of this goddamn place that it can whip them into such a tizzy. Everyone could use a good hug now and then, anyway; Claude remembers getting bear hugs from Nader when he was a kid, feeling protected and warm in his embrace, like nothing else could possibly hurt him. He may be lacking in Nader's sheer girth (no matter how much he may try to replicate it), but he is at the very least bigger than Ange is.
He can't keep her safe. Not from this place, and certainly not from herself. But he can help her feel like he can, for just a moment. He does relinquish her from his arms eventually though, lip curled in a half-smile seeing her tear-streaked face wiped clean, though he can still see the vestiges of exhaustion in her, the sort you get after you spill your guts without ever having planned on it. ]
Well... you could come with me inside? [ He nods over at the Apothecary. ] I'm beat. I could use a sit down. But I wouldn't mind the company.
[ The place is trashed to hell. He's doing it because he's not going to send her home, not in this condition, and he'd really like to lie down for a few minutes or hours, or possibly days. But also because after everything that's happened, it will do the paranoid corners of his mind good to have a sharp pair of eyes in there with him to catch onto whatever it is he may miss. ]
.. forget the sit down. You should probably just nap.
[ There's no sharpness to her words at all, even when Ange is saying stuff that's a little bit more like the things she would usually say - if neither of them had been through the wringer in their own way over the past week. If they didn't have such a massively embarrassing emotional display.
It's likely the fault of all of those things that her tone is more meek now as she speaks.
Still - she doesn't seem to reject his request, already stepping closer in the direction of the door before she stops to look back at him. ]
It should be safe to do that now. Or-- You know, whatever goes for 'safe' in this place on a normal day.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-12-21 11:20 am (UTC)He can't keep her safe. Not from this place, and certainly not from herself. But he can help her feel like he can, for just a moment. He does relinquish her from his arms eventually though, lip curled in a half-smile seeing her tear-streaked face wiped clean, though he can still see the vestiges of exhaustion in her, the sort you get after you spill your guts without ever having planned on it. ]
Well... you could come with me inside? [ He nods over at the Apothecary. ] I'm beat. I could use a sit down. But I wouldn't mind the company.
[ The place is trashed to hell. He's doing it because he's not going to send her home, not in this condition, and he'd really like to lie down for a few minutes or hours, or possibly days. But also because after everything that's happened, it will do the paranoid corners of his mind good to have a sharp pair of eyes in there with him to catch onto whatever it is he may miss. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-12-23 07:19 pm (UTC)[ There's no sharpness to her words at all, even when Ange is saying stuff that's a little bit more like the things she would usually say - if neither of them had been through the wringer in their own way over the past week. If they didn't have such a massively embarrassing emotional display.
It's likely the fault of all of those things that her tone is more meek now as she speaks.
Still - she doesn't seem to reject his request, already stepping closer in the direction of the door before she stops to look back at him. ]
It should be safe to do that now. Or-- You know, whatever goes for 'safe' in this place on a normal day.