When Istredd's hand lands on his arm, he tenses — but he doesn't jerk away or brush him off. As Wilhelm listens, his shoulders sink back down. Eventually, his arms unknot. It's not weak to accept help. He'd once told Wanda that he didn't want to be a problem for everyone else to worry about. At the time, he thought that meant seizing any scrap of independence he could, even if he wasn't ready to wield it yet. He thought it meant bearing the burden of his problems alone.
It was that mindset that led him to try activating the tarot card on his own, calling on his untested fire to do the job instead of relying on Kell's skill. And it was that mindest that shut him up in isolation afterward, falling apart where nobody could stumble over the pieces.
Holding his face, massaging fingers into eyes squeezed shut, Wilhelm pushes out a sigh. He nods, reluctantly at first, but then committing.
"Fine." His hands fall away from his face. "I'll...try."
Even in just this handful of words there wobbles doubt. As if to warn Istredd not to expect too much — except for maybe a nice splash of puke on his polished floors.
no subject
It was that mindset that led him to try activating the tarot card on his own, calling on his untested fire to do the job instead of relying on Kell's skill. And it was that mindest that shut him up in isolation afterward, falling apart where nobody could stumble over the pieces.
Holding his face, massaging fingers into eyes squeezed shut, Wilhelm pushes out a sigh. He nods, reluctantly at first, but then committing.
"Fine." His hands fall away from his face. "I'll...try."
Even in just this handful of words there wobbles doubt. As if to warn Istredd not to expect too much — except for maybe a nice splash of puke on his polished floors.