#only his brilliance anyway. gale the scholar. gale the professor.

[recitedemise]

It's comfortable. With Charles, he's discovering that most things are. It's a bit like reading by a fire or slipping into pjs after a harrowing sort of day. Curiously, his ristretto slips tender and sweetened on his palate. Huffing a laugh, Gale's rather inclined to blame it on him.

"And I've the creeping suspicion that you believe me a coy man. Last I checked, it isn't exactly much of a stone's throw from subtle, is it?" he quips back in kind. "Don't misunderstand me. Had I the mind to prove you wrong, you would do a considerable deal more than suspect my motives." He's too smart to trifle with a play at dense, after all! "In fact, I imagine you'd would know it beyond a shadow of a doubt."

And Gale's right. He's but a man of intention. He's bold, voracious, and had fallen where he's fallen for his goddamned zealotry. Charles' subtlety's more nurtured, but a round of the royal game as he bides himself his time. Thoughtfully, Gale tongues at his gums to taste his coffee's rich acidity. In comparison, all the world knows of his fierce grandiosity.

And yet... "I don't expect praise," he continues. Oh? "Despite what you may believe, I find they land sweeter when handed freely as opposed to — I don't know. Being wrenched out of you alongside your teeth." Gale leans back a little, something utterly revealing in the slope of his shoulders. Kindness isn't something he's seen much, is it? Eyes crinkling, he schools back his features with that teasing veneer. "Besides, it can't be that difficult to find something worth flattering me for. It's better it comes naturally."

a declaration so matter-of-fact it only just conceals that charles finds himself a little flustered, too. he is being straightforward in a way he rarely affords himself, a directness that's for gale's benefit more than his own. perhaps that's what it is.

                   his response follows so quickly as to leave no room for doubt -- this to aid them both. ❝ no. though i suspect in your case it's not so much a quest for answers but a quest to prove me wrong. all i ask is that you acknowledge your own bias. ❞

                   the accusation, despite its dry delivery, is not genuine, of course. charles understands the need to question intimately, much like he understands suspecting unsavoury motives behind promises which sound too good to be true. it is a mistrust which marks them both as survivors. even without ever having openly addressed it, this counts for a lot, as far as charles is concerned.

                   ❝ i don't appreciate having my judgement questioned so brazenly, you see. ❞ deliberately snooty as he lifts his cup of tea. just in time to hide the wry curve of a smile. ❝ or else if this is your attempt at fishing for compliments, you are being woefully unsubtle about it. ❞