[ Riz grins -- proud, but not proud for the reasons that Krouse may think. Sure, Riz is proud of having a hand in defeating a dragon. He'd never doubted them, really, whether that's blind faith, overconfidence, or simply an accurate appraisal of the abilities of the truly exceptional group of people he found himself thrown together with, by fortune or by fate. But more than that? He's proud of his family. ]
She can't brag about that without bragging about herself, [ he counters. ] She was right there killing the dragon with me.
[ Mother and son: dragonslayers, and dragon-devourers. But he turns to Krouse, the smile on his face small but genuine as Krouse recounts stories of his own Mom. He's glad, he thinks, that they can think about them and smile instead of being caught in the moroseness that is missing them. It's not like they're dead. They're just... apart, for now. ]
Hah! She got your number, huh? That's kinda embarrassing. [ Sorry, Krouse. ] But at least she didn't get on your case about it.
[ He swigs the rest of his coffee (which is a little alarming, considering its size, large even for a human), and sets the cup down with a quiet click of laminated cardboard against the glass table. ]
I bet she was just wishing she could've seen your face when you found it. [ And that she smelled it on him, he figures. That's the biggest giveaway that you really can't shower or deodorize away. ] What'd your Mom do, anyway? Like, for work?
[ He knows that's the sort of thing that's generally considered boring small-talk. But it's interesting too. He's curious about where Krouse is from. It tells you a lot about where he's going. ]
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She can't brag about that without bragging about herself, [ he counters. ] She was right there killing the dragon with me.
[ Mother and son: dragonslayers, and dragon-devourers. But he turns to Krouse, the smile on his face small but genuine as Krouse recounts stories of his own Mom. He's glad, he thinks, that they can think about them and smile instead of being caught in the moroseness that is missing them. It's not like they're dead. They're just... apart, for now. ]
Hah! She got your number, huh? That's kinda embarrassing. [ Sorry, Krouse. ] But at least she didn't get on your case about it.
[ He swigs the rest of his coffee (which is a little alarming, considering its size, large even for a human), and sets the cup down with a quiet click of laminated cardboard against the glass table. ]
I bet she was just wishing she could've seen your face when you found it. [ And that she smelled it on him, he figures. That's the biggest giveaway that you really can't shower or deodorize away. ] What'd your Mom do, anyway? Like, for work?
[ He knows that's the sort of thing that's generally considered boring small-talk. But it's interesting too. He's curious about where Krouse is from. It tells you a lot about where he's going. ]