He's completely baffled by what she's going for, because he's never actually looked closely at the items up there except the journal and that was a duty more than it was invasive--
But he blinks, twice, when the package gets thrust at him, and a tightness immediately grips his chest.
"O-oh." He looks at Taylor again - there's a quiet tweet from Flapjack as the bird finally emerges from Hunter's cloak and settles on his shoulder - before he looks back at the package and carefully opens it.
The garment in the package will spill out like water over his hands if he isn't expecting it - like most things Taylor has made, it's silk. Pristine white and smooth, identically cut to his own cloak.
The crimson cardinal quilted across the center of the back is different, though, and the lining red to match.
It does almost spill, and he catches it in an awkward fumble to clutch it to his chest, before he gets a proper grip on it and gives it a proper look. It's a high quality cape, at least as nice as his Golden Guard cape, but the red lining is much nicer, and when he turns it over--
His eyes go wide and he goes completely still, except for the faint quiver of his lips before he presses his mouth shut and swallows thickly.
He hadn't told her about Flapjack before she made this; he can't have, there was no time between his graduating and now, and this is clearly well-finished. But it still makes his chest ache, and there's a complicated expression across his face that doesn't look upset, necessarily, but it's not- it's just a lot. A lot of emotion.
Eventually he drops onto the bed, holding the cape close to his chest, clutching it with white-knuckled and deeply scarred hands, running his thumb over the edge of one of the embroidery's dark wings.
She sits on the bed beside him, one leg folded under herself, and lifts her hand to softly pet the bird on Hunter's shoulder. But her eyes remain on Hunter's face, trying to keep up with the changes in his expression.
He's aware of her sitting next to him, but he doesn't react to it immediately. He just stays staring at the cape for a bit longer, before he shifts slightly and leans his shoulder against hers again.
"Thanks, Taylor," he says quietly. And again it's not particularly happy or sad, just... emotional.
He rests the cape in his lap as he looks at her while she talks, and there's a fresh pang as she shuts her eyes to focus.
He looks back down at the cape, and a damp sniff escapes him.
"Yeah. That's why I came back here, you know?" His voice is a bit thicker now, but steady enough. "I- I wanna help protect my friends. And I'm safe here. So... maybe I can get a deal for them."
"Protect." She knows that one - it makes her chest tight too. She didn't protect him, when she came back here burning with fear. She doesn't open her eyes, but presses her shoulder more firmly against his.
Hunter glances down at her when she nudges harder against him, and shifts so he can wrap his arm around her chest.
"That's how you got hurt," he says quietly. "You were trying to protect everyone from something from your world. But you-- it wouldn't let you see how it was hurting us, instead."
Leaning in against him feels good, and she takes a deep breath, settling.
"I-" Sigh. She taps her own thigh with her fingertips, many many little dots, and then draws a circle around them. "We. I, we. Swarm, people." And then on her other knee, she sets her fist. "Scion."
The kindness makes her sure he isn't understanding her.
"Scion power," she says, making a large gesture. "Taylor power," gets a small gesture. "I-" She takes a moment to figure that out, and then tilts her head, pushing her hair back to show him the scar there, the one that was there before. "Taylor power swarm people." Big gesture, bigger than the one she made for Scion.
"It grew your powers." He repeats the new word, trying to make the sentence fit in his head, and his eyes narrow. "Is Scion the reason you have powers?"
She makes a frustrated, lonely sound, letting her hand drop. She doesn't know how to say what she means, and she can only hope she's even understanding his questions.
"Hey--" He shifts and takes her hand, a soft squeeze but loose enough she can slip away if she needs to. "It's okay. We'll- we'll get there. You'll find the words again someday."
Flapjack settles down in her lap, pecking gently at where she was poking herself for emphasis before he looks back up at Taylor fondly.
She links her fingers into Hunter's, squeezing back. "Words," she says with a sigh. Why are they so hard? She knows she used to talk all the time. Talking was easier than anything else. Even Flapjack can communicate better than she can, right now.
His thumb runs along the tops of her knuckles, as he gives her a soft smile.
"You know, we did make port," he offers quietly. "And- I'm a warden now. If you like, we could..." He looks down at Flapjack, and the bird chirps encouragingly. "Maybe we could go for a fly?"
Her breath catches as she reaches out to touch the staff, expression brightening considerably. "Fly," she says, much more certainly, wide-eyed as she looks back to Hunter. "We fly."
She remembers them flying out over a wooded coastline, a shoreline almost familiar but wild and beautiful.
Hunter's own face lights up a bit at the recognition, and he stands up, still holding her hand to lead her along if she lets him, invitation as much as it trying not to let his own excitement get away from him.
He'll use the elevator to get them on deck faster, to save her the energy of trying to balance, and his bare-handed grip stays warm and steady in hers.
When they're on deck, it's still dim since the Barge landed inside a burrow, but there's streaks of amber sunlight shining through the narrow exit, and he pauses to admire it briefly, before he holds his staff out, low and easy for Taylor to straddle as it floats in mid-air. "Here- you can sit in front. I'll keep you safe."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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But he blinks, twice, when the package gets thrust at him, and a tightness immediately grips his chest.
"O-oh." He looks at Taylor again - there's a quiet tweet from Flapjack as the bird finally emerges from Hunter's cloak and settles on his shoulder - before he looks back at the package and carefully opens it.
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The crimson cardinal quilted across the center of the back is different, though, and the lining red to match.
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His eyes go wide and he goes completely still, except for the faint quiver of his lips before he presses his mouth shut and swallows thickly.
He hadn't told her about Flapjack before she made this; he can't have, there was no time between his graduating and now, and this is clearly well-finished. But it still makes his chest ache, and there's a complicated expression across his face that doesn't look upset, necessarily, but it's not- it's just a lot. A lot of emotion.
Eventually he drops onto the bed, holding the cape close to his chest, clutching it with white-knuckled and deeply scarred hands, running his thumb over the edge of one of the embroidery's dark wings.
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"Thanks, Taylor," he says quietly. And again it's not particularly happy or sad, just... emotional.
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"I-" Like she does so often now, she gets stuck trying to even complete a thought, let alone share it, and clenches her eyes shut to focus.
"You- staying. Safe."
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He looks back down at the cape, and a damp sniff escapes him.
"Yeah. That's why I came back here, you know?" His voice is a bit thicker now, but steady enough. "I- I wanna help protect my friends. And I'm safe here. So... maybe I can get a deal for them."
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"That's how you got hurt," he says quietly. "You were trying to protect everyone from something from your world. But you-- it wouldn't let you see how it was hurting us, instead."
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"I-" Sigh. She taps her own thigh with her fingertips, many many little dots, and then draws a circle around them. "We. I, we. Swarm, people." And then on her other knee, she sets her fist. "Scion."
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"Scion power," she says, making a large gesture. "Taylor power," gets a small gesture. "I-" She takes a moment to figure that out, and then tilts her head, pushing her hair back to show him the scar there, the one that was there before. "Taylor power swarm people." Big gesture, bigger than the one she made for Scion.
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'Scion... gave you your powers? Or- boosted them, maybe?"
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Flapjack settles down in her lap, pecking gently at where she was poking herself for emphasis before he looks back up at Taylor fondly.
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"You know, we did make port," he offers quietly. "And- I'm a warden now. If you like, we could..." He looks down at Flapjack, and the bird chirps encouragingly. "Maybe we could go for a fly?"
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And Hunter plucks the staff his palisman forms out of the air with his free hand, so he can give Taylor a grin.
"Fly. On my staff."
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She remembers them flying out over a wooded coastline, a shoreline almost familiar but wild and beautiful.
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"Let's go fly."
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"I fly- home, Defiant..." The words lag as she tries to remember the name of her little ship. "Dragonfly."
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When they're on deck, it's still dim since the Barge landed inside a burrow, but there's streaks of amber sunlight shining through the narrow exit, and he pauses to admire it briefly, before he holds his staff out, low and easy for Taylor to straddle as it floats in mid-air. "Here- you can sit in front. I'll keep you safe."
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