Once released, Wilhelm rubs his wrists. He blows past Istredd with a glare in place of words, because he's got nothing else to say to him. The mage's warning goes in one ear and out the other. He doesn't think it's the shrine that he cares about; it's the ghost of his brother that pulls at his heart and impels his feet forward like gravity. He doesn't realize that...it's all the artifice of the acolytes.
His expression transforms when he meets Erik, anger thawing to relief, the stubborn set of his jaw relaxing into something of a smile. Istredd can't see what Wilhelm sees, but it's clear that whatever he sees, it's very real to him.
"I'm...I don't know," he says after a pause, as if in response to something unspoken. He bites the inside of his lip. "I'm trying."
Another pause, in which he folds his arms over his chest and shifts his weight.
"What if I can't do it?"
Whatever the apparition says to him, it seems to reassure him a measure. Wilhelm steels himself with a slow breath, releasing it with a nod. He cracks a smile at an unheard joke. And he goes on, talking to a brother who is only there in his head.
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His expression transforms when he meets Erik, anger thawing to relief, the stubborn set of his jaw relaxing into something of a smile. Istredd can't see what Wilhelm sees, but it's clear that whatever he sees, it's very real to him.
"I'm...I don't know," he says after a pause, as if in response to something unspoken. He bites the inside of his lip. "I'm trying."
Another pause, in which he folds his arms over his chest and shifts his weight.
"What if I can't do it?"
Whatever the apparition says to him, it seems to reassure him a measure. Wilhelm steels himself with a slow breath, releasing it with a nod. He cracks a smile at an unheard joke. And he goes on, talking to a brother who is only there in his head.