[Obviously, Reynir had the wrong idea about why no one would harass him, but he lets that pass. There's no point in arguing something so unflattering anyway, even if it is true.
But the fact that Reynir isn't planning to Bond with anyone else in any way is a little surprising. In fact, he reads the text over and over for a few minutes trying to work out whether he's joking or not, but he can't find any signs of it not being serious.]
I wasn't intending to either, except for the same circumstances you mentioned. I'll talk to you before I do anything like that, too.
I'm a little confused. I thought someone as sociable as you would only struggle because we're only able to have three Bonds and not more. But if that's what you want, I'm fine with it.
[It still feels weird, there are a dozen half-formed questions in his mind that he wouldn't ask even if he could put words to them. This whole situation feels so fraught and tense, and he feels like he could cause a serious problem with them if he says the wrong thing right now. Especially when the last text comes and Reynir's words come across defensive and sad.]
I know you can't predict those things. I just meant if it was a decision you made. And don't apologize about the faun stuff. That isn't your fault any more than it's my fault that I have weird magic here. There's nothing to apologize about, you didn't do anything wrong.
[It would be easy to leave it there, and his finger hovers over the 'send' button for a long few moments before he goes back to typing.]
I don't mind hearing about romance, and I don't object to it in any way. It isn't that it makes me uncomfortable, it's that it's just something I've never experienced and I don't know what to make of it. I didn't get to try any of that stuff when I was a teenager like most people, so I don't know anything about it and now it's pointless.
well i didn't say i wasn't going to be FRIENDS with anyone else! that would be crazy! i'm just perfectly happy to get close to new people here the regular way, no magical soul binding stuff required!
... onni, just because i'm friendly doesn't mean that i let people get really, actually close to me lightly. you know that, right?
[ Reynir starts to object, to explain yes, he really does have to apologize for the faun stuff. But every time he gets more than a few words in, saying Onni won't be singing the same tune when Reynir's accidentally filling his head with thoughts of... but every time he tries to end that sentence, he fails, and eventually he deletes the whole message.
He is glad, too, because Onni's next text comes through, and Reynir is torn between confusion and hope and most of all, concern, on Onni's behalf. ]
so... it's not that you hate the thought of it, just that it intimidates you? and makes you sad because of how things were when you were growing up, and you feel like you've missed your chance now?
that's so not true, onni. you're not different to 'most' people because everyone figures that stuff out at different times in different ways. you're not too late. it's not pointless. you would never say that to another person, if they were in your place.
there's lots of people out there your age and older who don't have any experience, and don't know if they want any experience. it doesn't matter when you're starting.
you'd never tell a mage who thought maybe he might have magic but wasn't sure, but who hadn't tried out any magic until he was your age, that it was pointless to even start now.
I didn't think you meant friendship. I just thought a lot of Witches would probably want to Bond with someone like you, and you might like some of them. If you've only decided not to Bond with anyone else because you think I won't want to deal with it, don't worry about it. It wouldn't upset me.
[That feels somehow a little wrong, but he's not sure why and so he doesn't correct it. He wouldn't know how, anyway.]
I don't think I did know that. That stuff seems to come easily to you, and you always seem very open. I thought you probably have a lot of close friends.
[The last part leaves him feeling strangely uncomfortable, a little jittery, and he sighs softly to himself, rubs fingers through his hair, uncertain about what's going on inside him. He isn't sure Reynir has guessed right about his feelings, but he also couldn't really say what's wrong with it either. It's frustrating - no one has made him have to think about and verbalize what he's feeling like Reynir has in the couple of months they've been here.]
I wouldn't say it intimidates me, and I wouldn't say I'm sad about it either. It isn't as if I've been pining for romance this whole time, I was fine without it. That's why I think it's pointless. I didn't have some overwhelming need to try that stuff out when I was a teenager, and I still don't really, so I think maybe there's something that just didn't develop, or wasn't there, or is broken about me when it comes to that.
It would be like you say, not too late to try or whatever, if it was something I wanted to do very badly, but I think maybe I'm too old to try to cultivate an interest now, at least on purpose.
Maybe, if I find someone I'm interested in that way I'll try, though that seems like a bad idea if we're only here for a while.
getting another Bond isn't something that had even crossed my mind. i... guess i'll let you know, if it ever does, but i don't see that happening any time soon.
i do have a lot of friends. back home, and people i've met here. but. a lot of them are sort of fair-weather. you know? not... really interested in getting to know anything about me past the surface. people that like me when i'm fun, but... not when i stand up for myself or try to talk about anything serious.
[ Reynir has no objection, to that sort of friendship. Not everything can be soul-baring and deep and meaningful. But he has felt, a little, particularly in the last year or so, that he is sometimes a distraction and entertainment to people, rather than... well, a person. ]
there isn't anything broken about you, onni. please don't say stuff like that about yourself.
[ Reynir's ears are ringing, a kind of numb shock settling in as he stares at the screen of his watch. He wants to give Onni advice, reassurance. Say whatever is best to help him accept his life, what he wants and doesn't want, help him find his way to happiness. But it's hard to know what is right to say, through the thick fog of his own feelings.
He had actually thought, for a moment, Onni was asking if Reynir wanted to make their Bond Romantic. Like it was something he wanted. And he'd let himself feel that bright, burning sliver of hope, just for a few seconds. But of course, Onni had been looking for reassurance that Reynir wasn't thinking of him that way. And asking for a heads-up, when Reynir started falling for other Witches.
Onni doesn't want romance, and Reynir would have to be selfish beyond belief to think he can change that. It would be wrong of him to try, especially now that the two of them are Bonded. Onni is relying on him. Now is not the time in his life to start being selfish. Not when Onni's already in such a vulnerable place, after losing Tuuri.
Reynir's head is aching, throbbing, his eyes hot with tears that he refuses to shed. So he's in love with Onni, and he has been for... a while, and there's nothing to be done about it. He'll just have to make sure Onni never finds out. ]
i think... you can try or not try, and neither one is a wrong choice. and if only being here for a little while is the only thing stopping you, don't let it. everyone here knows the deal with mirrorbound. it wouldn't be deceiving anyone. things don't need to be permanent, to be important.
[ Reynir's miserable, heart-aching feeling is strong enough now that doubtless some of it is leaking through the Bond, but there's not a whole lot he can do about that. ]
Alright, that's fine then. It's up to you. If you don't want to, I don't mind that either.
[Actually, it's kind of nice to think that Reynir would rather just stick with him. It's less complicated, less likely to involve anyone else and their emotions and dreams and memories. He'd rather just stick to Reynir's.]
Well, like I said before, I'd rather you didn't pretend to be fun when you're not feeling like it. In fact, I think I'd rather talk to you about serious things, and I think you need to stand up for yourself more than you do. I know it's not the same because I'm only one person, but there it is.
[He can feel it, then, that sense of loss and grief that's coming through the Bond, only this time it's coming from Reynir rather than him. It's still hard for him, sometimes, to acknowledge that someone like Reynir can feel that level of misery, strong enough that he can sense the ghost of it through the Bond despite the fact they're not even in the same room or the same house. Beyond that, he doesn't really understand why Reynir is miserable with heartache. Is it because he feels like he doesn't have enough real friends?
There's the possibility that Reynir is upset that Onni said he was a little broken - he'd mentioned that, after all, asked him not to say it and Reynir seems to have particularly strong feelings about how Onni treats himself. That is still strange to think about, let alone feel a little through the Bond. It's such a strong feeling, it feels strange and a little self-absorbed to assume that it's somehow about him.]
I don't mean anything bad, by saying I think something might be broken in me. It's a normal thing that I think a lot of people want, and I don't want it as much as most people. I don't know why.
And that's not the only thing stopping me. I just haven't met anyone I'm interested in that way, and I don't know that I'd be able to do any of the things you need to do to be like that with someone. I'm sure you've noticed I'm not exactly talkative and emotional and all that.
[He's not like the people he's seen have long happy relationships - his parents who smiled and laughed together and talked about childcare and shared jokes together and kissed when they thought he and Tuuri weren't looking. It's hard to imagine someone like him doing anything like that...being broken makes more sense.]
[ Reynir reads it again, Onni's reassurance that he wants to see even the parts of Reynir that are ugly and inconvenient, and that he ought to stand up for himself more. Reynir feels a curious, mingled surge of undeserved joy, and sadness. ]
you're the first one who's said anything like that to me. or at least, the first one who has actually meant it. that's one of the reasons you're so special to me. okay?
[ That's just another reason why he can't let Onni know that his feelings are anything more than just platonic. Onni's friendship is too precious to him to risk it. Not when he has the chance to get really, actually close to someone - someone who isn't Bjarni, anyway.
But the logic of it doesn't make the ache in his ribs any less. ]
maybe it's just a culture thing, but i don't really think it's as simple as that. i mean a lot of guys are really into girls and i'm not, but that's normal. a lot of people really want to have loads of kids and some people don't and that's normal, too. there were plenty of older people in my village who never got married and they didn't seem unhappy about it at all. lots of people here might be obsessed with romance, but that isn't universal.
[ He hesitates, half-convinced he should stop now, for fear of giving himself away. But of course, that's silly. Onni won't suspect a thing. Not when it's clear he had never even considered Reynir as a possible partner in that way. ]
i think you're undervaluing yourself, onni. you talk plenty, and there's nothing wrong with how you express your emotions, even if it's a little different from how other people do. you have so much to offer, that you don't even see about yourself.
maybe it's because you haven't dated, so you don't know that there's a lot worse options out there than someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, and is a little quiet, and has some emotional boundaries. you're a good man, onni. you're responsible, and fair, and caring, and patient, and intelligent, and complicated, and kind. if you ever did get interested in anyone like that... they'd be lucky to have you.
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no subject
[Obviously, Reynir had the wrong idea about why no one would harass him, but he lets that pass. There's no point in arguing something so unflattering anyway, even if it is true.
But the fact that Reynir isn't planning to Bond with anyone else in any way is a little surprising. In fact, he reads the text over and over for a few minutes trying to work out whether he's joking or not, but he can't find any signs of it not being serious.]
I wasn't intending to either, except for the same circumstances you mentioned. I'll talk to you before I do anything like that, too.
I'm a little confused. I thought someone as sociable as you would only struggle because we're only able to have three Bonds and not more. But if that's what you want, I'm fine with it.
[It still feels weird, there are a dozen half-formed questions in his mind that he wouldn't ask even if he could put words to them. This whole situation feels so fraught and tense, and he feels like he could cause a serious problem with them if he says the wrong thing right now. Especially when the last text comes and Reynir's words come across defensive and sad.]
I know you can't predict those things. I just meant if it was a decision you made. And don't apologize about the faun stuff. That isn't your fault any more than it's my fault that I have weird magic here. There's nothing to apologize about, you didn't do anything wrong.
[It would be easy to leave it there, and his finger hovers over the 'send' button for a long few moments before he goes back to typing.]
I don't mind hearing about romance, and I don't object to it in any way. It isn't that it makes me uncomfortable, it's that it's just something I've never experienced and I don't know what to make of it. I didn't get to try any of that stuff when I was a teenager like most people, so I don't know anything about it and now it's pointless.
no subject
that would be crazy!
i'm just perfectly happy to get close to new people here the regular way, no magical soul binding stuff required!
... onni, just because i'm friendly doesn't mean that i let people get really, actually close to me lightly.
you know that, right?
[ Reynir starts to object, to explain yes, he really does have to apologize for the faun stuff. But every time he gets more than a few words in, saying Onni won't be singing the same tune when Reynir's accidentally filling his head with thoughts of... but every time he tries to end that sentence, he fails, and eventually he deletes the whole message.
He is glad, too, because Onni's next text comes through, and Reynir is torn between confusion and hope and most of all, concern, on Onni's behalf. ]
so... it's not that you hate the thought of it, just that it intimidates you?
and makes you sad because of how things were when you were growing up, and you feel like you've missed your chance now?
that's so not true, onni. you're not different to 'most' people because everyone figures that stuff out at different times in different ways. you're not too late. it's not pointless. you would never say that to another person, if they were in your place.
there's lots of people out there your age and older who don't have any experience, and don't know if they want any experience. it doesn't matter when you're starting.
you'd never tell a mage who thought maybe he might have magic but wasn't sure, but who hadn't tried out any magic until he was your age, that it was pointless to even start now.
no subject
[That feels somehow a little wrong, but he's not sure why and so he doesn't correct it. He wouldn't know how, anyway.]
I don't think I did know that. That stuff seems to come easily to you, and you always seem very open. I thought you probably have a lot of close friends.
[The last part leaves him feeling strangely uncomfortable, a little jittery, and he sighs softly to himself, rubs fingers through his hair, uncertain about what's going on inside him. He isn't sure Reynir has guessed right about his feelings, but he also couldn't really say what's wrong with it either. It's frustrating - no one has made him have to think about and verbalize what he's feeling like Reynir has in the couple of months they've been here.]
I wouldn't say it intimidates me, and I wouldn't say I'm sad about it either. It isn't as if I've been pining for romance this whole time, I was fine without it. That's why I think it's pointless. I didn't have some overwhelming need to try that stuff out when I was a teenager, and I still don't really, so I think maybe there's something that just didn't develop, or wasn't there, or is broken about me when it comes to that.
It would be like you say, not too late to try or whatever, if it was something I wanted to do very badly, but I think maybe I'm too old to try to cultivate an interest now, at least on purpose.
Maybe, if I find someone I'm interested in that way I'll try, though that seems like a bad idea if we're only here for a while.
no subject
i do have a lot of friends. back home, and people i've met here. but. a lot of them are sort of fair-weather. you know? not... really interested in getting to know anything about me past the surface. people that like me when i'm fun, but... not when i stand up for myself or try to talk about anything serious.
[ Reynir has no objection, to that sort of friendship. Not everything can be soul-baring and deep and meaningful. But he has felt, a little, particularly in the last year or so, that he is sometimes a distraction and entertainment to people, rather than... well, a person. ]
there isn't anything broken about you, onni.
please don't say stuff like that about yourself.
[ Reynir's ears are ringing, a kind of numb shock settling in as he stares at the screen of his watch. He wants to give Onni advice, reassurance. Say whatever is best to help him accept his life, what he wants and doesn't want, help him find his way to happiness. But it's hard to know what is right to say, through the thick fog of his own feelings.
He had actually thought, for a moment, Onni was asking if Reynir wanted to make their Bond Romantic. Like it was something he wanted. And he'd let himself feel that bright, burning sliver of hope, just for a few seconds. But of course, Onni had been looking for reassurance that Reynir wasn't thinking of him that way. And asking for a heads-up, when Reynir started falling for other Witches.
Onni doesn't want romance, and Reynir would have to be selfish beyond belief to think he can change that. It would be wrong of him to try, especially now that the two of them are Bonded. Onni is relying on him. Now is not the time in his life to start being selfish. Not when Onni's already in such a vulnerable place, after losing Tuuri.
Reynir's head is aching, throbbing, his eyes hot with tears that he refuses to shed. So he's in love with Onni, and he has been for... a while, and there's nothing to be done about it. He'll just have to make sure Onni never finds out. ]
i think... you can try or not try, and neither one is a wrong choice.
and if only being here for a little while is the only thing stopping you, don't let it.
everyone here knows the deal with mirrorbound. it wouldn't be deceiving anyone. things don't need to be permanent, to be important.
[ Reynir's miserable, heart-aching feeling is strong enough now that doubtless some of it is leaking through the Bond, but there's not a whole lot he can do about that. ]
no subject
[Actually, it's kind of nice to think that Reynir would rather just stick with him. It's less complicated, less likely to involve anyone else and their emotions and dreams and memories. He'd rather just stick to Reynir's.]
Well, like I said before, I'd rather you didn't pretend to be fun when you're not feeling like it. In fact, I think I'd rather talk to you about serious things, and I think you need to stand up for yourself more than you do. I know it's not the same because I'm only one person, but there it is.
[He can feel it, then, that sense of loss and grief that's coming through the Bond, only this time it's coming from Reynir rather than him. It's still hard for him, sometimes, to acknowledge that someone like Reynir can feel that level of misery, strong enough that he can sense the ghost of it through the Bond despite the fact they're not even in the same room or the same house. Beyond that, he doesn't really understand why Reynir is miserable with heartache. Is it because he feels like he doesn't have enough real friends?
There's the possibility that Reynir is upset that Onni said he was a little broken - he'd mentioned that, after all, asked him not to say it and Reynir seems to have particularly strong feelings about how Onni treats himself. That is still strange to think about, let alone feel a little through the Bond. It's such a strong feeling, it feels strange and a little self-absorbed to assume that it's somehow about him.]
I don't mean anything bad, by saying I think something might be broken in me. It's a normal thing that I think a lot of people want, and I don't want it as much as most people. I don't know why.
And that's not the only thing stopping me. I just haven't met anyone I'm interested in that way, and I don't know that I'd be able to do any of the things you need to do to be like that with someone. I'm sure you've noticed I'm not exactly talkative and emotional and all that.
[He's not like the people he's seen have long happy relationships - his parents who smiled and laughed together and talked about childcare and shared jokes together and kissed when they thought he and Tuuri weren't looking. It's hard to imagine someone like him doing anything like that...being broken makes more sense.]
no subject
you're the first one who's said anything like that to me. or at least, the first one who has actually meant it.
that's one of the reasons you're so special to me. okay?
[ That's just another reason why he can't let Onni know that his feelings are anything more than just platonic. Onni's friendship is too precious to him to risk it. Not when he has the chance to get really, actually close to someone - someone who isn't Bjarni, anyway.
But the logic of it doesn't make the ache in his ribs any less. ]
maybe it's just a culture thing, but i don't really think it's as simple as that.
i mean a lot of guys are really into girls and i'm not, but that's normal.
a lot of people really want to have loads of kids and some people don't and that's normal, too.
there were plenty of older people in my village who never got married and they didn't seem unhappy about it at all.
lots of people here might be obsessed with romance, but that isn't universal.
[ He hesitates, half-convinced he should stop now, for fear of giving himself away. But of course, that's silly. Onni won't suspect a thing. Not when it's clear he had never even considered Reynir as a possible partner in that way. ]
i think you're undervaluing yourself, onni.
you talk plenty, and there's nothing wrong with how you express your emotions, even if it's a little different from how other people do.
you have so much to offer, that you don't even see about yourself.
maybe it's because you haven't dated, so you don't know that there's a lot worse options out there than someone who doesn't have a lot of experience, and is a little quiet, and has some emotional boundaries.
you're a good man, onni. you're responsible, and fair, and caring, and patient, and intelligent, and complicated, and kind.
if you ever did get interested in anyone like that... they'd be lucky to have you.