[ Her silence seems to speak volumes to him. How many times has he said something and she's had a quick comeback ready to go? That includes whenever he'd had the vague (or outright) sense she was redirecting him as deftly as ever in a deflection - a trick Claude certainly knows well from keeping it in his own box of tools to extricate himself from this or that.
This feels different even before Hilda sags in place like she's wilting beneath something. The lack of a real look when she turns his way, kind of, also feels telling and his brows furrow together when she goes about picking out paints like nothing happened at all. Except it had, and he doesn't want to let it be brushed aside quite so easily. ]
It's not pressure to remind you you're capable of anything you set your mind to.
[ Doubt, admittedly, is one of those things he's not the best at addressing if only coming from years of having to be self-reliant where it left no room for anything but moving forward for him. But that doesn't mean Claude doesn't understand what Hilda's saying without saying it when it still lurks beneath her attempt to sound like they're discussing something small and insignificant, and he's careful to link their fingers together to give her hand another squeeze before continuing. ]
And that doesn't mean there's any expectations Just because something might not work out the first time you make it - and I'm not saying that's what's going to happen - doesn't mean the next try will have the same results. [ And, well, this is the point where Claude decides there's likely no point in pretending he's bought whatever partial truths she's slipped him over the night - ] Even if one necklace doesn't work the way you meant for it to while working on everything beyond the crafting when it comes to the magic, you've still created something to be proud of, and to be proud over for trying it.
That doesn't mean it's the end, either. Then it becomes the first step to build on, and you'll know what to do for the next one.
[ There's a good chance the merchant is giving them both strange looks at this point, or possibly hoping this will result in the sale of more paint than it seemed at first, but Claude's not paying attention. His attention is entirely on Hilda. ]
no subject
This feels different even before Hilda sags in place like she's wilting beneath something. The lack of a real look when she turns his way, kind of, also feels telling and his brows furrow together when she goes about picking out paints like nothing happened at all. Except it had, and he doesn't want to let it be brushed aside quite so easily. ]
It's not pressure to remind you you're capable of anything you set your mind to.
[ Doubt, admittedly, is one of those things he's not the best at addressing if only coming from years of having to be self-reliant where it left no room for anything but moving forward for him. But that doesn't mean Claude doesn't understand what Hilda's saying without saying it when it still lurks beneath her attempt to sound like they're discussing something small and insignificant, and he's careful to link their fingers together to give her hand another squeeze before continuing. ]
And that doesn't mean there's any expectations Just because something might not work out the first time you make it - and I'm not saying that's what's going to happen - doesn't mean the next try will have the same results. [ And, well, this is the point where Claude decides there's likely no point in pretending he's bought whatever partial truths she's slipped him over the night - ] Even if one necklace doesn't work the way you meant for it to while working on everything beyond the crafting when it comes to the magic, you've still created something to be proud of, and to be proud over for trying it.
That doesn't mean it's the end, either. Then it becomes the first step to build on, and you'll know what to do for the next one.
[ There's a good chance the merchant is giving them both strange looks at this point, or possibly hoping this will result in the sale of more paint than it seemed at first, but Claude's not paying attention. His attention is entirely on Hilda. ]