There's a knock on Benedict's door after work is done for the day. Colin's there with an earthenware pitcher beaded with condensation. He gives a faint smile.
The door is already partially ajar, but Benedict is on his bed inside, relaxing and reading something in the small amount of time he has after work and before dinner. He angles his head to see Colin, nods in the midst of a yawning stretch, and unfolds himself from the mattress to follow after him.
"Nice day?" he murmurs, a bit sleepily-- he obviously hasn't even been outside yet.
Colin looks sheepish on seeing Bene's reaction. He should have been more sensitive. They were just having a lovely time. He's got to change the subject very quickly.
"So, um. About what we did. Again. Is that...something we're doing now?"
"What? No." Finally, Benedict smiles slightly, as if to reassure him.
"What we do, it's not-- I'm not used to it being--" He waves his hand vaguely, trying to find the words, "...I wasn't supposed to, really. It didn't matter as long as we kept it quiet, but that's just it, talking about it meant you'd already fucked up. I'm-- I was-- supposed to get married. If a girl or her parents find out you'd... you know, it reflects badly on your family."
It's not such a consideration anymore, but these things don't just unstick themselves from someone's brain.
Colin smiles in response, although the concept of two men together being such a scandal is foreign to him. No one in the Circle cared. If you found someone you connected with, you were considered lucky, although you had to keep it secret or you would be separated, regardless of gender.
"Do you have any attraction to women?" he asks curiously. "At all?"
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There's a knock on Benedict's door after work is done for the day. Colin's there with an earthenware pitcher beaded with condensation. He gives a faint smile.
"Want to sit in the garden a bit?"
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He angles his head to see Colin, nods in the midst of a yawning stretch, and unfolds himself from the mattress to follow after him.
"Nice day?" he murmurs, a bit sleepily-- he obviously hasn't even been outside yet.
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"Mint," he repeats with a little smile, "and-- long. Y'know. Painting. ...Byerly."
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Bene falls silent for a while, staring forward in contemplation.
"A year."
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"I'll keep going until it's done."
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"I believe it." He opens the door to the garden and lets Bene through first.
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Words spoken in a bit of a sulk, but good-naturedly enough, and he smiles as he steps out into the dwindling sunlight.
"I keep forgetting it's summer," he remarks, "it's so cold in that stone tower."
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He pours both cups full. "I'm not keen on the oppression, but at least being a mage keeps my drinks the right temperature."
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At this, Bene's spirits seem to dampen slightly, though he tries not to show it as he picks up his cup, sniffs its contents, and takes a drink.
Being a mage. Yes, something he also is, yet with which he can't currently identify.
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"So, um. About what we did. Again. Is that...something we're doing now?"
A slightly coy look.
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"Oh. Um. It," he stammers, clearing his throat, "...like now?" Colin they're in public
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"I guess?" He sets his drink down so he won't kill himself on it right away. "...if you want?"
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"I mean, I want it, but only if you want it."
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"I mean, I-- I like when things are, you know. Spontaneous." He looks at his fidgeting hands. "The way it's been. That's fine."
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"What we do, it's not-- I'm not used to it being--" He waves his hand vaguely, trying to find the words, "...I wasn't supposed to, really. It didn't matter as long as we kept it quiet, but that's just it, talking about it meant you'd already fucked up. I'm-- I was-- supposed to get married. If a girl or her parents find out you'd... you know, it reflects badly on your family."
It's not such a consideration anymore, but these things don't just unstick themselves from someone's brain.
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"Do you have any attraction to women?" he asks curiously. "At all?"
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"I try not to think about it."
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