Conall rolled his eyes good-naturedly to say yeah, small mercies. One at a time was plenty. But it was his turn to laugh at her comparison to diricawls – and laugh he did, long and hard. “You might have a point there,” he conceded eventually, however ridiculous it sounded. Never where you last saw ‘em, toddlers and diricawls both. “And you can handle the diricawls alright,” he said (proudly). So most likely the children would be no trouble for her.
The ghost of his laughter faded ever-so-slightly at the next question. “Sure, I might be,” he affirmed – and much as he didn’t like to deal in certainties and binding obligations when it came to where he would be, he certainly wanted to be here. “I’d like to be,” Conall added, more deliberately – in case she supposed he didn’t care. He’d abandoned her before, put himself first; he was trying to be better than that.
“Got nothing else on the docket yet, at least,” he continued, tone bright, if grimacing internally. Maybe he could pretend this was a good thing and not because he had to sort out this leg problem before he could manage going anywhere further than half a mile.
The ghost of his laughter faded ever-so-slightly at the next question. “Sure, I might be,” he affirmed – and much as he didn’t like to deal in certainties and binding obligations when it came to where he would be, he certainly wanted to be here. “I’d like to be,” Conall added, more deliberately – in case she supposed he didn’t care. He’d abandoned her before, put himself first; he was trying to be better than that.
“Got nothing else on the docket yet, at least,” he continued, tone bright, if grimacing internally. Maybe he could pretend this was a good thing and not because he had to sort out this leg problem before he could manage going anywhere further than half a mile.
