The girl watches him with eyes bright and trusting, despite the tears that threaten to break them both. She takes in his words like water through roots that she can't feel anymore, sifting them for something... Something that makes her feel whole again.
She doesn't find it. But she does find hope, and that's almost as good.
"...Really?" She really wants that. She really, really wants this feeling to stop. For things to go back to how they were before, where she felt safe and protected, nestled in the green shade of an entity that towered over her, an embrace more loving than her own mother's. She's never been so far away before, so... Maybe? Maybe it's true. It's the most hope she's had offered to her since all of this started.
"I am.. not sure there is anything anyone can do to make it come sooner." That's the unfortunate truth, isn't it? He could promise her that he'd do anything to make sure that it'd arrive as soon as possible for her, but months upon months upon months of experience in this place have given Inigo the idea that it's not that easy. That it could take a long time - and he doesn't want to give her that much false hope. It'd be too cruel. "That is the difficult part of waiting, isn't it? It can be truly hard to muster the patience."
He pauses, his smile growing a little warmer again, rather than sympathetically sad.
After all, even if he can't provide her with that hope, he can give her a different kind of hope, can't he?
"But you don't have to be alone until that time. If you want, I can be here for you whenever you need me."
The difficult part is waiting, but the voices had always whispered patience to her, so maybe... Maybe she could trust him. Maybe they wanted her to trust him?... He speaks so softly to her, and his smile is so kind that she feels the warmth of it in her chest. A tiny flame to chase away the emptiness.
She wants to hold tightly to that. To swallow it so it lives within her, buried in the warm earth that she never felt before, blooming a bright sapling of her own to nurture. But she doesn't know how, and he isn't like her. She can't sink into him or him into her, so she wrings her hands together and nods shyly.
Well, it's a start, isn't it? That question is kind of sad when you think about it for even a few moments, but he's glad enough that she seems to be willing to listen to him.
It's a start. Maybe he can show her what it's like to not have to be lonely, if she has to even ask him this in the first place. (It's strange-- Is it because this girl has been with that person she spoke of for so long that she doesn't know what it's like to be alone? Not even for a little bit?)
"You make sure there's someone else with you," he simply answers.
Which isn't always that simple of an answer, but in this case Inigo can make it simple, thankfully. Which is why he just smiles at her.
"If you want, I can be that person here for you, if you haven't found anyone else yet. I don't mind at all."
Make sure you have someone else with you. That does seem simple enough... Though she's been around others before, and it wasn't quite the same. Maybe she hadn't found the right person then? Maybe it mattered that he was offering, and that she had to choose. She's never had to do that before.
"Okay."
The girl still looks uncertain, but she wants to try. Maybe he can help, with his kind warmth and his soft words. Maybe she doesn't have to feel like this.
"What do we do?" Is there something different that they need to make him her person? She looks up at him expectantly, waiting for instruction.
That seems like the logical thing to him here, if he thinks about what he can do for the girl. Making sure she isn't alone is one thing, but surely hanging out on the beach here without doing anything wouldn't really help her in the long run, right?
Especially when she's so young. Kids like having fun!
Something that she likes doing?... Is that something that will make him her person? She chews on her lip, and nods after a brief moment. It's not difficult to think of something. There are plenty of things that she likes to do.
"I like climbing trees, and catching insects. And running... I'm very fast. My mummy says I'm the best at chasing rabbits out of the flowers."
Look, what's so wrong about encouraging a little kid, huh? Inigo knows how hard it is to feel like you can't do anything really well, so if this girl has gotten some positive encouragement before, then he's perfectly willing to continue that while her mother isn't here.
"Maybe that's something we should do together. How about we get off the beach and go look for a field of flowers? Maybe there's some rabbits you can chase, and if there aren't, I could tell you a thing or two about the flowers! We could even make flower crowns." He smiles. "Have you ever done that before? It's fun!"
"I have. ...I'm not very good at it." In time, she will be, once her fingers are dexterous enough to tie the stems without fumbling with the knots or breaking them. But she's not yet the woman that she will be, and her motor skills are lacking for the task.
She likes the idea of flowers and chasing rabbits, though--and the praise that he offers seems to brighten her demeanor just a little. She's amenable to the idea of listening to what he knows about the flowers here, different as they are to what she's used to. There's a shyness about her as she inquires further about his offer:
"Can I?" He echoes back at her, but the smile on his face is already giving her an answer before he vocalizes it - right alongside the gentle hand he playfully pats her back with. "I would love to."
It sounds like he means every word of that. And he does! Aside from the fact that it seems like something that might cheer the girl up - and what could possibly be more important to Inigo than that? - he also just generally likes making flower crowns. No matter the circumstances.
It's just even better when it's for a good cause.
"Come on, there's flowers over this way," he says, starting to walk, gesturing for her to come along. "Do you want to hold my hand over on the way? I don't mind!"
The girl follows hesitantly after him as he starts to walk, first one uncertain step after and then three more, before moving quicker to catch up to his strides. The offer to hold her hand is met with an eager nod, and she reaches up to take his hand with both of hers, holding on tightly like it might be taken from her again without warning.
But she seems to have left behind the tears that she was shedding before, taking after her new friend's hopefulness instead. She'll allow herself to be lead wherever he likes, so long as he doesn't leave.
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no subject
She doesn't find it. But she does find hope, and that's almost as good.
"...Really?" She really wants that. She really, really wants this feeling to stop. For things to go back to how they were before, where she felt safe and protected, nestled in the green shade of an entity that towered over her, an embrace more loving than her own mother's. She's never been so far away before, so... Maybe? Maybe it's true. It's the most hope she's had offered to her since all of this started.
"How soon?... What do I do to make it sooner?"
no subject
He pauses, his smile growing a little warmer again, rather than sympathetically sad.
After all, even if he can't provide her with that hope, he can give her a different kind of hope, can't he?
"But you don't have to be alone until that time. If you want, I can be here for you whenever you need me."
no subject
She wants to hold tightly to that. To swallow it so it lives within her, buried in the warm earth that she never felt before, blooming a bright sapling of her own to nurture. But she doesn't know how, and he isn't like her. She can't sink into him or him into her, so she wrings her hands together and nods shyly.
"How do you... not feel alone?"
no subject
It's a start. Maybe he can show her what it's like to not have to be lonely, if she has to even ask him this in the first place. (It's strange-- Is it because this girl has been with that person she spoke of for so long that she doesn't know what it's like to be alone? Not even for a little bit?)
"You make sure there's someone else with you," he simply answers.
Which isn't always that simple of an answer, but in this case Inigo can make it simple, thankfully. Which is why he just smiles at her.
"If you want, I can be that person here for you, if you haven't found anyone else yet. I don't mind at all."
no subject
"Okay."
The girl still looks uncertain, but she wants to try. Maybe he can help, with his kind warmth and his soft words. Maybe she doesn't have to feel like this.
"What do we do?" Is there something different that they need to make him her person? She looks up at him expectantly, waiting for instruction.
no subject
That seems like the logical thing to him here, if he thinks about what he can do for the girl. Making sure she isn't alone is one thing, but surely hanging out on the beach here without doing anything wouldn't really help her in the long run, right?
Especially when she's so young. Kids like having fun!
"Is there anything you really enjoy doing?"
no subject
"I like climbing trees, and catching insects. And running... I'm very fast. My mummy says I'm the best at chasing rabbits out of the flowers."
no subject
"You do have a real talent there!"
Look, what's so wrong about encouraging a little kid, huh? Inigo knows how hard it is to feel like you can't do anything really well, so if this girl has gotten some positive encouragement before, then he's perfectly willing to continue that while her mother isn't here.
"Maybe that's something we should do together. How about we get off the beach and go look for a field of flowers? Maybe there's some rabbits you can chase, and if there aren't, I could tell you a thing or two about the flowers! We could even make flower crowns." He smiles. "Have you ever done that before? It's fun!"
no subject
"I have. ...I'm not very good at it." In time, she will be, once her fingers are dexterous enough to tie the stems without fumbling with the knots or breaking them. But she's not yet the woman that she will be, and her motor skills are lacking for the task.
She likes the idea of flowers and chasing rabbits, though--and the praise that he offers seems to brighten her demeanor just a little. She's amenable to the idea of listening to what he knows about the flowers here, different as they are to what she's used to. There's a shyness about her as she inquires further about his offer:
"Can you make me one?"
no subject
It sounds like he means every word of that. And he does! Aside from the fact that it seems like something that might cheer the girl up - and what could possibly be more important to Inigo than that? - he also just generally likes making flower crowns. No matter the circumstances.
It's just even better when it's for a good cause.
"Come on, there's flowers over this way," he says, starting to walk, gesturing for her to come along. "Do you want to hold my hand over on the way? I don't mind!"
Wrap here?
But she seems to have left behind the tears that she was shedding before, taking after her new friend's hopefulness instead. She'll allow herself to be lead wherever he likes, so long as he doesn't leave.
yes, that's a good spot!