#«💠» m; Cor

[hartofbalamb]

A knife? Six, Squall knew she had been a pistol, even in his lifetime, but hearing this side of things was something else altogether.

It was sort of bittersweet, in a way...

As much showed in his features as he gazed up at the man, watching him retreat behind proprieties as many did in regards to Squall's late mother, not wishing to sadden the young Crownsguard, and yet it somehow felt more unnatural treating her like she never existed.

There was a quiet plea in those blue eyes, patting the table in invitation, knowing the Marshall was busy, but if there was some small chance he felt the same way...

"You knew her for quite a while, Marshall — what was she like? Before me..."

hartofbalamb:

He’d been taking a drink to wash down the last bit of food he’d eaten when the Marshall’s explanation nearly caused him to choke, snorting loudly into his cup which was soon lowered in favor of pressing the back of his hand to his mouth with a quick, apologetic glance up to his superior.

“That must have been terrible, Sir. No wonder she never told me.” Though his mother’s propensity for improvised weaponry was a familiar one — he’d seen her run people and animals alike away from her flower garden with shoes, baking sheets, and squeegees on more than one occasion. 

He raised his brow at Squall choking, almost doing a spittake at Cor. Cor didn’t blame him, he understood why. It was probably a shock to hear, his mother of all people, and Cor of all people being hit. Cor just rolled his eyes when Squall looked ashamed for laughing. A simple gesture to simply say ‘forget it’.

“It was an accident. Hurt like hell… but she felt bad enough, I can’t make fun of her. She visited me a lot, since I had to take about a month off work.” Cor rubbed his cheek sorely at the very memory of it. He never did like skateboards, or the sight of them after that. Not that he cared for the much before. “She had fast reflexes, although she liked to make a weapon of something around her instead of just using her weapon hold –” Cor pulled his katana from thin air, for a second and then let it disappear. “I should be grateful, the last thing I needed was her pulling a knife on me again–” He covers his face and decides maybe he ought to shut up.

[hartofbalamb]

( @leorugiet​ continued from x )

  Squall’s muscles recoiled despite standing firmly in place, the flutter of eyes denoting his surprise at the other’s firm denial. He shouldn’t have been surprised, honestly. It was not as if Cor hadn’t scolded him before. It was not as if the older man had ever taken help easily. 

  “I can look after myself just fine,” came the response, low and a touch defiant for anyone else that hadn’t known him his entire life. A tone he would never have taken in mixed company, outside the Marshal’s office. 

  “I just thought...-” 

  I just thought that after all these years you’d learn that you could rely on me. I can take delegation. You can relax for once in your life...

  Squall’s lips sealed with a measured exhale through his nose and a faint shake of his head, diverting his gaze to the ground with a squaring of his shoulders.  Let it go.

  “Permission to return to my post, sir.” 

[hartofbalamb]

( @leorugiet​ continued from x )

  Squall supposed that made sense — even his own gunblade was only a gun in title and design but not truly in use. The bullets, if you could even call them that, were compact elemancy flasks designed to combust when triggered by the revolver’s hammer, imbuing his blade-strikes with whatever element he saw fit to pack that day. Most of the time he carried blank rounds that did little more than vibrate the blade, rending jagged gaping wounds into his target. 

  His hand dropped when Cor covered the scar, backing up a couple of steps to resume his duty in helping to sort out the store room. 

  “You must have been young,” he commented offhandedly, lifting a box off the top shelf and blowing the dust from its lid. 

[hartofbalamb]

ofimmortal:

Cor always saw someone who cared for him to be gutsy. He didn’t know why – he just wasn’t used to having someone looking out for him. a small sigh left his lips for a second. maybe he should have watched his own mouth — well never mind now. Cor was Cor it was who he was. 

                 “I understand you are concerned — But.” he sighed softly and turn his head a little. MAYBE he was right, Cor worked, and worked – but he couldn’t just STOP working. Things have fallen apart when he left for a day or two. a simple sigh left his lips as he shrugged a little. “ — You know what, there is something you can assist me with today. With myself having to do the join training on my own – I have some papers I need to be run by a few people. I know it’s grunt’s work – but it gets you out of my training for today, and you are helping me.” 

He had set himself up for the worst, and he was prepared for it, having spoken his mind to at least some degree on the matter at hand. And so that ‘but’ rested on him heavily, weighing down the air between them with guilty anticipation, however it was all for naught as the Marshal seemed to have a change of heart.

“Sir, yes sir,” he straightened properly, his pulse normalizing. “If it lessens the load, even a little, please know I am more than willing to oblige,” he added in reassurance, dismissing the notion of any work being beneath him — unlike some, Squall had never been of mind that any service to crown or country was beneath him, no matter how seemingly menial. 

[hartofbalamb]

( @leorugiet continued from x )

“Intriguing. Anything I can help you with, Sir? Being as you’re coming up a little... short at the moment.”

[hartofbalamb]

( @leorugiet continued from x )

So what?

Squall frowned a little at having his nonchalance thrown back at him, but he would say nothing at first, not wishing to seem any more insubordinate than he already was; what sort or Crownsguard would he be if he allowed himself to be injured on the job and mouthed off to his superior?

Ever the dutiful public servant he would sit as he was bade to do, wincing a little as his dislocated shoulder jostled in its sling, the unintentional humor of the 'shrug it off' comment not lost on him.

"I should be out there helping the others... but if that is an order, Marshall, I will respect it."

[hartofbalamb]

ofimmortal:

Cor couldn’t help but cross his arms over his chest for a moment. He could say the truth – it didn’t matter what he did, he couldn’t rely on kids who can’t pull their weight. so he had to always get down to what’s real. He shooked his head for a second. “ – my pride, the way I am, will not let me burn out. I’ve been doing this for far too long.”

Cor couldn’t help but sigh deeply and placed his hands behind his back. Staring at the other for a moment longer. Slowly shaking his head for a moment longer he couldn’t help but speak a little bit. “ don’t worry about it. I like a kid with guts.” 

A kid with guts... was he that kid? Was his show of concern gutsy? It was all a bit much for him to stomach, treading that fine line between impertinent and dutiful, not having fallen off on the wrong side just yet, but the day was still young — he’d have to tread more carefully while making his points. 

“With all due respect, sir, a man’s pride and his constitution do not oft run parallel. It is not my place to care-take, but there are so few of us left... we need you, Marshal. And you need rest. If there is anything I can to do assist—...”

[hartofbalamb]

( @ofimmortal continued from x )

“—But sir, if you take this all on yourself, you’re going to burn out,” but no sooner had the words come out of his mouth he found them succinctly halted by that stern warning, his lips pressing together in a grim, sheepish line, blue eyes lowering out of respect.

“... Understood,” he relented at last with a humbled tone, lingering in what became several drawn out moments of silence, torn between his concern and his subordination to the Marshal.