Broken Boulder aaaaaaaaaaa

alarian doesn't react -- as the seconds tick by delight thinks, oh, i've really gone and mucked it up, he won't even speak to me now. he's on the verge of retreat when finally the governor speaks, immediately sending delight into a fluster. 'your eyes are pretty'? what is he meant to do with that? he opens his mouth but no words come out, only a very small squeak: aiee.

the sorry goes right past him, still stuck on pretty, but he manages to come back to himself in time to hear what alarian actually has to say. (pretty?) if he was gobsmacked by the compliment, he's -- no, he's still gobsmacked by the compliment. but the apology is also unexpected.

delight clears his throat and nods, struggling to find his voice for a moment. "no, i -- you don't have to apologise," he says, a little desperately, "i -- i needed that, ali. to be -- i really have no idea what i'm doing and i trust -- trusted queenie to handle it and that was shitty of me." he could've done more from the jump -- could've actually talked to eris for advice, could've kept a better eye on things, could've pushed queenie to take eris' offer up in the first place. he shakes his head. when he speaks, his voice is steadier.

"i don't expect you to be sorry about queenie, either," he says, fighting the urge to retreat. "i mean, i -- it's hard. but. you -- it's your pack, and -- and, um, you have to do... what's best. and i'm, i'm with you," the androgyne bursts out before he can help himself, both relieved and regretful that it's true, that he can't be proper and stand by queenie's side like he's probably supposed to. but the sort of.. leadership she wants -- well, he's never been able to give her that. it was all fun when it was just the two of them (even when it wasn't, he thinks, remembering their fight after queenie's badly-gone promotion) -- but bracken isn't tindómë, and -- he has to think of his babies, too. whatever that...means. for the future. he wants to go back to bed very badly.