[ Over the very, very long time Sebastian had been alive, he’d found that the best way to tell a lie was to sprinkle in as much truth as possible. It made it easier to keep up, but it also meant that enough of the principles were truth that were it ever discovered, it was also easier to mend. So, most of what he explains is true as he holds her hand gently. ]
…I admit. I worried what your reaction may be when I told you what I am. It is always a concern, for when it comes to my kind, our reputation precedes us. I cannot say it is unfair, for I will not deny that we are at odds with humanity. Just as a rabbit fears a fox, so too does humanity fear us. So, that place we met, it was a strange thing. I did not tell a soul what I was for a very long time. I worried about the repercussions. Yet, when I did, I was surprised. There was hesitation, perhaps uncertainty, but mostly? People were simply… curious. It was a novel thing.
[ …But what’s the lie is how he feels about it. People did view him this way. Why wouldn’t they? Nearly every culture has a story about creatures like him and just how wicked they were. Whether they were literal warnings or simply morality tales, the idea that demons were dangerous remained. However, where some creatures would lament such bias or rage against it… Sebastian felt very little. They were correct, after all.
But for a sympathetic ear, for someone that also feels they’re an outsider to humanity, he’s acutely aware of how the story can ring. And as he continues, he uses their hands to help tell the story. A little squeeze here— ]
You were the first I ever told. Just as here, you simply knew that I was not what I seem to be. I was more than hesitant, and yet, you still treated me kindly. More than kindly, in fact. That simple consideration made it feel as if a great weight was lifted from my shoulders. That I needn’t hide what I was, even if that was a beast.
[ A soft intertwining of their fingers there— ]
It was a lonely thing, before that realization. Lonelier still to return to my world where that was truth once more, where I was trapped only to be summoned at a human’s beck and call as their slave. So, when there was a chance that I might leave that behind…
[ And he lifts her hand, not to kiss as he had done when they last met, but to place her hand against his cheek. The palm of her hand cups his jaw lightly, but his hand over hers is still warm and delicate in its touch. The look on his face could only be described as yearning, like he’s been waiting a very long time indeed for this moment. Or, perhaps, to say something more that now feels inappropriate… If her imagination were to run away with the courtly romance of it all, anyways. ]
I thought I would like to return the kindness you gave to me, if possible. For where else had I felt such warmth but at this touch?
no subject
…I admit. I worried what your reaction may be when I told you what I am. It is always a concern, for when it comes to my kind, our reputation precedes us. I cannot say it is unfair, for I will not deny that we are at odds with humanity. Just as a rabbit fears a fox, so too does humanity fear us. So, that place we met, it was a strange thing. I did not tell a soul what I was for a very long time. I worried about the repercussions. Yet, when I did, I was surprised. There was hesitation, perhaps uncertainty, but mostly? People were simply… curious. It was a novel thing.
[ …But what’s the lie is how he feels about it. People did view him this way. Why wouldn’t they? Nearly every culture has a story about creatures like him and just how wicked they were. Whether they were literal warnings or simply morality tales, the idea that demons were dangerous remained. However, where some creatures would lament such bias or rage against it… Sebastian felt very little. They were correct, after all.
But for a sympathetic ear, for someone that also feels they’re an outsider to humanity, he’s acutely aware of how the story can ring. And as he continues, he uses their hands to help tell the story. A little squeeze here— ]
You were the first I ever told. Just as here, you simply knew that I was not what I seem to be. I was more than hesitant, and yet, you still treated me kindly. More than kindly, in fact. That simple consideration made it feel as if a great weight was lifted from my shoulders. That I needn’t hide what I was, even if that was a beast.
[ A soft intertwining of their fingers there— ]
It was a lonely thing, before that realization. Lonelier still to return to my world where that was truth once more, where I was trapped only to be summoned at a human’s beck and call as their slave. So, when there was a chance that I might leave that behind…
[ And he lifts her hand, not to kiss as he had done when they last met, but to place her hand against his cheek. The palm of her hand cups his jaw lightly, but his hand over hers is still warm and delicate in its touch. The look on his face could only be described as yearning, like he’s been waiting a very long time indeed for this moment. Or, perhaps, to say something more that now feels inappropriate… If her imagination were to run away with the courtly romance of it all, anyways. ]
I thought I would like to return the kindness you gave to me, if possible. For where else had I felt such warmth but at this touch?