[IC Inbox -- Snowblind]

[heavensreader]

Is it worki - oh. Ahem. This is Kesara Freamon. Please leave your message here and I will call back on you as soon as I can.







Wait, is it still - argh, how do I ma-

Comments

voice; private;

[heavensreader]

[His voice is unclear again. Already high strung from the town's madness, from the conscious effort of maintaining conscious resolve, Kesara is as attentive as a little cat to every sound out of the ordinary. It had made sense for him before to sound like that - in her own mind at least - but why now? Is he simply keeping it up? Or is he truly hurt? Had she been wrong before?

She is always wary of being wrong, but never more than now. She tries to keep her voice neutral, again, but it strays into softness as she speaks on. He could be hurt. A lot of people have been hurt.]

I have. Almost every night. I practised all the sentences you wrote for me before. Do you want to see...?

[advanced]

[He's already half forgotten that he spoke to her not long since, the conversation was so brief and their business concluded.

This feels strange to be doing now, but also a relief. Something to focus on that isn't static, the pain, the terror... so he holds his tablet a bit closer with his good hand and nods. Not that she can see it.]

Show me.

[heavensreader]

[However uncertain she is of him, few things override Kesara's need to prove herself a good student. She flicks on the video to show herself sitting with her notebook on her lap, and lets him see the pages she'd filled with new words. She'd written every sentence he wrote for her, over and over again, practising the difficult characters on a page of their own. The effort shows in the press of ink into paper.

She speaks softly in Mandarin.] Is this good, teacher? [However unsure she is, she's clearly craving his approval.]

[advanced]

[Wow.

He's only ever really taught one person before, and that was boxing techniques to Steve Rogers back in the thirties. He doesn't count the Soldier teaching the other possible Soldiers, it wasn't him, it's not the same. This feels good, though, amazing how much effort she's put in.

It's one of the rarer times that his voice also softens in return, obviously pleased.]

Looks good, you've obviously worked hard.

[heavensreader]

[When he does that, it's hard to keep up her cold suspicion. When he softens, she thinks, maybe he isn't - maybe he is simply a good man, and relieved that she has no dangerous information, and only wants - no.

No one ever only wants anything.]

I practised every day. Dr. Stein always said, every day you haven't practised cancels out a day when you have. [Cherished wisdom from her mentor; whatever his true intentions are, she hopes he appreciates it.] Will you teach me more?

[advanced]

[He doesn't know Dr. Stein well, they've only spoken the once, but he's wary of him from what has been mentioned on the network. Still, he's not Kesara's guardian or even her friend, he has no right to caution her as to her choices in companions.]

Yes, I'll teach you more. Not tonight. I'll contact you again soon.

[He's already half regretting calling her now, just the dumb decision of a drugged mind.]

Practise more and I'll call you in a few days for another lesson.