[ Usually, such a comment would have earned at the very least a look of amusement from Barnaby. This time, there’s no humour in his demeanour or in his tone. To him, nothing is funny about this situation. Sturmhond is right, but the implications of that and what it means for him going forward has chilled him to the core. He is indeed distressed, and Justice has picked up on it. It’s exactly why she’s staying close to him now.
They have spoken about it before, but it wasn’t like this last time. There is a subtle, but important, difference regarding how things once were and how they are now. To him, it couldn’t get much worse than this. The timing is wrong, the feelings are wrong— ]
It isn’t that I simply care for him.
[ Anyone could see that he did. But Sturmhond was one of the few people who was able to pick up on the smaller hints, the nuances of their relationship. Even the most one-sided ones. This time, it’s gone beyond even that. When he finally finishes the thought, his tone is so quiet it’s difficult to hear. ]
no subject
They have spoken about it before, but it wasn’t like this last time. There is a subtle, but important, difference regarding how things once were and how they are now. To him, it couldn’t get much worse than this. The timing is wrong, the feelings are wrong— ]
It isn’t that I simply care for him.
[ Anyone could see that he did. But Sturmhond was one of the few people who was able to pick up on the smaller hints, the nuances of their relationship. Even the most one-sided ones. This time, it’s gone beyond even that. When he finally finishes the thought, his tone is so quiet it’s difficult to hear. ]
I've fallen for him.