( That's not very Enya of you, Geralt. It takes him aback, catches him completely off guard — and were Geralt nearly anybody else, he'd be escalating right now. Anyone save three or four, a very tiny and selective handful. He'd bark back, raise his chin, give in to the stubbornly persistent part of himself that's been looking for a fight in just about everything lately. He'd probably relish it.
But he's close enough to the guy now that it trips a censor, pings an alert to that dormant but ever-present part of his mind devoted to his people. Unusual behavior, red flag, pay attention.
Admittedly, it does still take a second or two longer than usual for him to reel back from that edge and let go of the impulse, but at this point his temper's still far outmatched by his dedication. For now.
He compromises. Backs down. Still off-kilter, still frustrated, but he's wrangling it into something a less accusatory. )
I think what's behind that door is bad enough that you look like you wanna throw hands over it. I think you'd rather shake hands with a bullet than be within a mile of it, so I don't know. You tell me. ( Again, firmly: ) Why is that here?
no subject
But he's close enough to the guy now that it trips a censor, pings an alert to that dormant but ever-present part of his mind devoted to his people. Unusual behavior, red flag, pay attention.
Admittedly, it does still take a second or two longer than usual for him to reel back from that edge and let go of the impulse, but at this point his temper's still far outmatched by his dedication. For now.
He compromises. Backs down. Still off-kilter, still frustrated, but he's wrangling it into something a less accusatory. )
I think what's behind that door is bad enough that you look like you wanna throw hands over it. I think you'd rather shake hands with a bullet than be within a mile of it, so I don't know. You tell me. ( Again, firmly: ) Why is that here?