Jesse discretely blows out an errant flame lingering on the tip of one of his fingers as Sen comes to join him, not bothering to hide his sly smile.
“You’re more capable than you know,” he insists, picking up a stick to nudge the fire with as it crackles almost merrily in the dying light. He never has that problem where it just won’t catch, or it flickers and begins to die down before its time. No, Jesse’s fires burn bright and strong long as he needs them to.
“And the waterfall? Call it a hunch.”
How long will Sen take these half-answers, he wonders? This little dance around the truth? He watches his companion, firelight shining in his eyes as he considers the answer to that.
“Quick detour sounds best, and worth the time. Got to enjoy the little things when you’re on the road this long. And from what you’ve told me, you’ll be on a road a while longer yet.” It’s often that way with quests and the like. They’re rarely ever short and sweet.
"Well, thank you for the vote of confidence, regardless," Sen says with a smile.
There's a moment he purses his lips as he glances to Jesse, eyeing them curiously. He always did have a lot of hunches, lot of them right most of them too. Call it good luck or intuition but no...usually there's more to it. He hadn't bothered to pry though because what would be the point? If Jesse had meant any real harm he could've just killed him in his sleep right now and taken the map.
But, thoughts like that didn't even find purchase in his mind because he had trusted the man. He does sigh though because something was there. He just wasn't sure what. Either way, he sidles up beside Jesse now, his arms wrapping around Jesse's arm as he leans his head on their shoulder. Tired. That's just how he felt right now and well, aside from the fire Jesse had a comforting warmth he wanted to be close to right now.
"It doesn't feel like it is going to end any time soon. You hear about these kinds of things in stories but you never expect you'd need to go on one," Sen reflects as his eyes gaze into the fire. "It makes me tired sometimes...the long roads, the endless wandering. Sometimes I just want to get to the destination and be done with it," he says softly. But, it's then he squeezes Jesse's arm slightly as he shifts to keep his head on their shoulder, "One of the worthwhile things about it though is to have you here."
Jesse raises an eyebrow at the physical contact, but he doesn’t pull away from it. He’s quite physical himself when left to his own devices. In his truer form, most wouldn’t dare come close enough to even try what Sen is doing now. The contact is... nice. Unexpected, but comfortable. He relaxes into it with a quiet sigh.
“I was lucky meeting you when I did, and not just because of the bandits. I’m having a grand ol’ time tagging along, but I also don’t have what you’ve got on the line.”
He smiles down at his companion, then turns his attention back to the fire. He can feel it within him, a physical extension of his power—not unlike how Sen feels, with that bit of power taking root inside of him.
“A journey is a lot like a forge,” he muses. “The person you are when you set out isn’t the person who shows up at the end of it. You get sharpened along the way. Made into something new, something stronger. Ever heard of a trial by fire?”
Alright, maybe he’s going overboard with the fire analogies. He settles his weight against Sen and judges another bit of wood with his stick.
“Point being, this is all part of the process of you getting ready for that destination. I’ve seen it all before, and I see it in you too.”
He makes a soft humming noise as he listens to Jesse speak. He remains otherwise silent as he takes in the words and just looks at the fire. For whatever reason, he always felt a comfort now to being close to Jesse and right now, it only felt stronger. But, things are brought back to reality with what was on the line and it does make him frown if only slightly. "A lot of people are counting on me, it's true. It's hard not to fear about what might happen if I fail," he says softly. How depressing does that sound though.
He at least doesn't give into it or tries hard not to, but having soft reflections on these thoughts does seem to bring them to the surface. Still. The words Jesse gives him are comforting enough and he does nod slowly. "You have a point. It wouldn't have the same meaning if I didn't have to test my mettle in these fires," he answers. Regardless, he finally cranes his head up to smile up at Jesse.
"Who knew you could wax poetic like that. I'm impressed, you should write this down, sell a book when this is over," Sen jokes as he continues to sit beside Jesse, with arms still wrapped around the other man's. A small pause before he says, "I see it in you too, you know. When we started out and where we are now...you're not the same person you were before then. Not in a bad way...just, you've changed."
Another soft hum as Sen just nestles his head more into the man's shoulder, close to the crook of Jesse's neck as he looks at the fire. "Even if I still need to pass through fire...I wouldn't have gotten through this without you."
“Thought I was just all brawn and no brain, didn’t you?” He winks down at Sen, not minding the familiarity at all. It’s interesting, and Jesse hates nothing more than being bored—which is what makes that observation about him even more intriguing.
“Changed how?”
It could be any number of things. Having someone rely on him is a rare thing, for one, and it’s been an age since he was this caught up in a mortal life. Is it changing him, or is he merely returning to old habits?
“Either way, got to say it’s been an honor being along for the ride with you.”
"You have your moments, I suppose. We can't all be the smart one all the time," Sen answers with something of a playful coyness himself. However, there's not much to say with jokes is there? He could keep teasing all night, but when Cole asks that question he does have to give it some thought.
His face becomes pensive, as he shuts his eyes, keeping his head on Cole's shoulder. "Kinder. Sure, you pretend you aren't sometimes but I can tell. There's a look in your eye now when you want to help others. You say it's for a change of pace, Cole, but I think you genuinely want to help others now.
Sure, you find it fun but...there's definitely some satisfaction you get from it," Sen answers softly. He does smile though at the man's words, "Careful, Cole or you may just steal my heart away if you keep saying such things to me."
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no subject
“You’re more capable than you know,” he insists, picking up a stick to nudge the fire with as it crackles almost merrily in the dying light. He never has that problem where it just won’t catch, or it flickers and begins to die down before its time. No, Jesse’s fires burn bright and strong long as he needs them to.
“And the waterfall? Call it a hunch.”
How long will Sen take these half-answers, he wonders? This little dance around the truth? He watches his companion, firelight shining in his eyes as he considers the answer to that.
“Quick detour sounds best, and worth the time. Got to enjoy the little things when you’re on the road this long. And from what you’ve told me, you’ll be on a road a while longer yet.” It’s often that way with quests and the like. They’re rarely ever short and sweet.
no subject
There's a moment he purses his lips as he glances to Jesse, eyeing them curiously. He always did have a lot of hunches, lot of them right most of them too. Call it good luck or intuition but no...usually there's more to it. He hadn't bothered to pry though because what would be the point? If Jesse had meant any real harm he could've just killed him in his sleep right now and taken the map.
But, thoughts like that didn't even find purchase in his mind because he had trusted the man. He does sigh though because something was there. He just wasn't sure what. Either way, he sidles up beside Jesse now, his arms wrapping around Jesse's arm as he leans his head on their shoulder. Tired. That's just how he felt right now and well, aside from the fire Jesse had a comforting warmth he wanted to be close to right now.
"It doesn't feel like it is going to end any time soon. You hear about these kinds of things in stories but you never expect you'd need to go on one," Sen reflects as his eyes gaze into the fire. "It makes me tired sometimes...the long roads, the endless wandering. Sometimes I just want to get to the destination and be done with it," he says softly. But, it's then he squeezes Jesse's arm slightly as he shifts to keep his head on their shoulder, "One of the worthwhile things about it though is to have you here."
no subject
“I was lucky meeting you when I did, and not just because of the bandits. I’m having a grand ol’ time tagging along, but I also don’t have what you’ve got on the line.”
He smiles down at his companion, then turns his attention back to the fire. He can feel it within him, a physical extension of his power—not unlike how Sen feels, with that bit of power taking root inside of him.
“A journey is a lot like a forge,” he muses. “The person you are when you set out isn’t the person who shows up at the end of it. You get sharpened along the way. Made into something new, something stronger. Ever heard of a trial by fire?”
Alright, maybe he’s going overboard with the fire analogies. He settles his weight against Sen and judges another bit of wood with his stick.
“Point being, this is all part of the process of you getting ready for that destination. I’ve seen it all before, and I see it in you too.”
no subject
He at least doesn't give into it or tries hard not to, but having soft reflections on these thoughts does seem to bring them to the surface. Still. The words Jesse gives him are comforting enough and he does nod slowly. "You have a point. It wouldn't have the same meaning if I didn't have to test my mettle in these fires," he answers. Regardless, he finally cranes his head up to smile up at Jesse.
"Who knew you could wax poetic like that. I'm impressed, you should write this down, sell a book when this is over," Sen jokes as he continues to sit beside Jesse, with arms still wrapped around the other man's. A small pause before he says, "I see it in you too, you know. When we started out and where we are now...you're not the same person you were before then. Not in a bad way...just, you've changed."
Another soft hum as Sen just nestles his head more into the man's shoulder, close to the crook of Jesse's neck as he looks at the fire. "Even if I still need to pass through fire...I wouldn't have gotten through this without you."
no subject
“Changed how?”
It could be any number of things. Having someone rely on him is a rare thing, for one, and it’s been an age since he was this caught up in a mortal life. Is it changing him, or is he merely returning to old habits?
“Either way, got to say it’s been an honor being along for the ride with you.”
/walks in a year late with starbucks
His face becomes pensive, as he shuts his eyes, keeping his head on Cole's shoulder. "Kinder. Sure, you pretend you aren't sometimes but I can tell. There's a look in your eye now when you want to help others. You say it's for a change of pace, Cole, but I think you genuinely want to help others now.
Sure, you find it fun but...there's definitely some satisfaction you get from it," Sen answers softly. He does smile though at the man's words, "Careful, Cole or you may just steal my heart away if you keep saying such things to me."