[ Claude catches that wistfulness and it's nearly enough to make him pause. But he's done that so much lately, hasn't he? Is it worth questioning (to himself) whether Hilda means that because they're currently here in Abraxas where home - either of their homes - are so distant, or because this is an invitation he should offer yet again, and one that will be weighted with that throne she mentions?
Hilda doesn't need yet another reminder of home, he decides. Not when they're standing right here in the very vision of hers, and not when they've already looped around the topic in different memories shared. He lets it go, finding it far easier to slip on a matching smile as they'd done so many times over so many other topics, and this one in agreement that there's no doubt Holst will be in charge of... anything requiring labor, if Claude had to guess. As Holst would prefer it just as much as Hilda, he's certain. But in response to that shiver, there's also a matching wrinkle of his nose to glacial temperatures. ]
I remember a trip to the mountains when I was a kid and seeing snow there. There were lots of streams around and they looked sort of like the ones I was used to, so I immediately went to play in one and was, ah, surprised. I can't imagine a whole lake of it feels much better than that did. How difficult is it to skate on?
[ Is there a way to ask this casually where it doesn't immediately betray that he doesn't know what he'd be doing if they attempted such a thing? No, there isn't. But that's not going to stop Claude from asking it anyway even as more snow starts to fall, as if he's asking about something as simple as the weather. He has a feeling there's only one expert in skating here, and definitely knows it's not him. ]
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Hilda doesn't need yet another reminder of home, he decides. Not when they're standing right here in the very vision of hers, and not when they've already looped around the topic in different memories shared. He lets it go, finding it far easier to slip on a matching smile as they'd done so many times over so many other topics, and this one in agreement that there's no doubt Holst will be in charge of... anything requiring labor, if Claude had to guess. As Holst would prefer it just as much as Hilda, he's certain. But in response to that shiver, there's also a matching wrinkle of his nose to glacial temperatures. ]
I remember a trip to the mountains when I was a kid and seeing snow there. There were lots of streams around and they looked sort of like the ones I was used to, so I immediately went to play in one and was, ah, surprised. I can't imagine a whole lake of it feels much better than that did. How difficult is it to skate on?
[ Is there a way to ask this casually where it doesn't immediately betray that he doesn't know what he'd be doing if they attempted such a thing? No, there isn't. But that's not going to stop Claude from asking it anyway even as more snow starts to fall, as if he's asking about something as simple as the weather. He has a feeling there's only one expert in skating here, and definitely knows it's not him. ]