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"It was pretty unusual that we were temporarily paired, and then immediately permanently paired, y'know? It doesn't necessarily mean anything."
Hange lifts her arm though. She had a feeling he'd be hurt by this.
Hange lifts her arm though. She had a feeling he'd be hurt by this.
She accepts him next to her, looping her arm around his shoulders loosely.
"Does that matter, Betelgeuse?"
"Does that matter, Betelgeuse?"
"There's literally nothing you or anyone else can do about that, so you might as well not worry about it. D'you think you're the only warden who's gone through that kind of thing, anyway?"
"And that's double why I'm not going to get excited when you do." Hange shrugs. She's not unsympathetic to his emotions, in spite of how it comes across, it's just that as far as she's concerned they don't reflect reality, and therefore she shouldn't feed into them.
Time for a subject change!
"How did it go with your guy? Did you like him?"
"How did it go with your guy? Did you like him?"
Hange approvingly ruffles his hair. Good, good, as it should be.
"D'you wanna be friends?"
"D'you wanna be friends?"
"Yeahhhh, that's what I thought."
Hange prods him in the side playfully.
"Well, if you got on, you should try and keep up a relationship with him."
Hange prods him in the side playfully.
"Well, if you got on, you should try and keep up a relationship with him."
"Eh! It's just playing."
She prods at him again, lightly. Just for fun!
She prods at him again, lightly. Just for fun!
"Are you hurt?"
Who knows how and when and where Betelgeuse gets hurt. It bears checking.
Who knows how and when and where Betelgeuse gets hurt. It bears checking.
"Ha ha haaa."
She considers suggesting that very thing, and then has a vision of a future where Betelgeuse is always trying to grab her and tickle her. Ugh, he has enough boundary problems already. No.
"Weird! You should consider getting some books on basic health and such in the library."
She considers suggesting that very thing, and then has a vision of a future where Betelgeuse is always trying to grab her and tickle her. Ugh, he has enough boundary problems already. No.
"Weird! You should consider getting some books on basic health and such in the library."
"Then look for videos or something, I'm sure things like that exist." Hange shrugs. "Total dependency on others isn't cute. It'd be a way for you to take charge of learning new things and taking care of yourself."
"Well, Betelgeuse..." Hange shrugs. "Do you want to depend on what's convenient for other people and what they can do for you at any given moment? I'm not saying you can't get help, and given your track record you should probably check around before you assume something is normal and make a big thing out of it, but... you're your own person. And people will probably be more inclined to help you if you've made some sensible efforts to help yourself first."
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