Gustavain chuckles softly at that, a real one this time, one that crinkles his eyes at the corners in a way that will, eventually someday, be etched into his face.
"Such a flatterer," he quips back, his own voice warm and teasing as he looks over at Emet-Selch with a grin, "Careful, or I'll get a big head."
Rather than seeming to particularly mind living with the shade of Azem hovering between them, Gustavain's issue seems to more be how easily he falls into what he doesn't even know are old patterns. He's his own person, of course, has perhaps a bit more in common with Venat at this point than any memory Emet-Selch may have of his Azem. But when it's just the two of them, it's like something tugs inside him, something knows, and all of his typical gift of the gab turns into being able to do a really good Azem impersonation, even though he has no idea that's what he's doing.
The way Gustavain sits up and waves at the scholars as they hail them equally blurs the line between past and present, the way attention shifts to the Warrior of Light the same way it always did when Azem was found out to be back in Amaurot from an excursion. But the way Gustavain's lips curl just so is new, along with the slightly firm tone,
"I'm so sorry, both of you, but I'm afraid now's not a good time. Do you mind coming back later?" it's a moment that makes Hythlodaeus more apparent by his absence-- it would usually be him who would steer onlookers away from the other two-- but it's also got a surprising amount of steel, a tiny hint of he's mine right now, back off behind it. "We have a lot of catching up to do. You understand, right?" it's very polite in tone, but something about it suggests that it could quickly become less so.
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"Such a flatterer," he quips back, his own voice warm and teasing as he looks over at Emet-Selch with a grin, "Careful, or I'll get a big head."
Rather than seeming to particularly mind living with the shade of Azem hovering between them, Gustavain's issue seems to more be how easily he falls into what he doesn't even know are old patterns. He's his own person, of course, has perhaps a bit more in common with Venat at this point than any memory Emet-Selch may have of his Azem. But when it's just the two of them, it's like something tugs inside him, something knows, and all of his typical gift of the gab turns into being able to do a really good Azem impersonation, even though he has no idea that's what he's doing.
The way Gustavain sits up and waves at the scholars as they hail them equally blurs the line between past and present, the way attention shifts to the Warrior of Light the same way it always did when Azem was found out to be back in Amaurot from an excursion. But the way Gustavain's lips curl just so is new, along with the slightly firm tone,
"I'm so sorry, both of you, but I'm afraid now's not a good time. Do you mind coming back later?" it's a moment that makes Hythlodaeus more apparent by his absence-- it would usually be him who would steer onlookers away from the other two-- but it's also got a surprising amount of steel, a tiny hint of he's mine right now, back off behind it. "We have a lot of catching up to do. You understand, right?" it's very polite in tone, but something about it suggests that it could quickly become less so.