[Yeah, that had gone over about as well as he'd expected, though not as violently as it could have. Which mostly made him give a small laugh and an apologetic shrug.]
Alright, fair, I'll give you that. For one, you're a bit smaller, maybe...younger? Though I'm not exactly the best judge of that myself. You look like you dress more for comfort than he did, your voice is a bit different. A little more clean-shaven. [And you're alive.] But I've always been a pretty good judge of character. Let's see. Five minutes, what can I tell about you?
[Oh, he was just poking the wam's nest now, wasn't he? But...to be honest, he'd missed this. Teasing Nick had always been hilarious fun, even when it came with the risk of getting clocked upside the head by a right hook for his trouble. The fact that the blows had never been more than an annoyance, when he knew he could have done real, legitimate damage even to Vash, just proved that Wolfwood had gotten as much amusement out of their little pointless squabbles as he did, even when he was pretending otherwise. If he'd really been angry, he would have made it known very easily.
He turned to walk backwards, looking him up and down appraisingly, making a little show of it by reaching up with his free hand and pinching his chin contemplatively.]
You get frustrated when you're not in control of a situation. You don't like being indebted to other people, and you don't like letting people get too close. People can't be trusted, they'll end up stabbing you in the back or hurting you, maybe even get you killed if they're dangerous enough. Life on No Man's Land is hard, and you like to stay one step ahead of whatevermight get you killed, and you don't have time for nonsense, you'll make the hard decisions without question that other people find appalling because that's how you survive. And the way you see it, people who are too soft are just asking to get themselves killed, and it'll be their own fault when it happens. You...have a nervous tick? [He wiggled his fingers at him, giving him a knowing little smile.] Maybe you smoke, but you're out of cigarettes? And if I don't shut my damn idiot mouth, you're probably about ten seconds away from slapping the taste right out of it so I will.
[He turned back to walk forwards again, and his voice dropped, softer and sadder and so fond, but...well, he certainly didn't stop talking, even though there was a voice inside of his head screaming at him to just shut up, stop it, you're going to get the both of you hurt, this was just asking for trouble, this isn't right, just stop!]
Meanwhile, the Nicholas I knew...grew up in an orphanage, but was taken when he was very young and made to do things that he hated himself for his entire life. He could be gruff and mean and irritable, but...he was kind, he worried about people more than he let on, and once he got close to someone, he...he would do anything he could to keep them safe. He loved the people at the orphanage he grew up in like a family, and all he ever wanted was to be happy, but...he didn't think he was allowed to, because of what he'd been forced to do, and he worried that if the people he loved ever found out, they would hate him for it. So he kept his distance for as long as he could, even though it meant he was hurting himself in the process.
But he was also very loved. He touched the lives of everyone around him, more than he will ever know.
[And...he had gone back around to making himself sad again. Realizing he'd probably overstepped a very large number of boundaries. He was quiet again, the smile on his face disappearing.]
Sorry. I...I just miss him a lot. It's...talking to you is...weird, part of me does want to just...fall back into the same old habits, as if he's back. But that's not fair to you. I dunno how well you know me, where you're from, or...what he's like, but I tend to feel things a little too strongly, sometimes. I'll try to rein it back.
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Alright, fair, I'll give you that. For one, you're a bit smaller, maybe...younger? Though I'm not exactly the best judge of that myself. You look like you dress more for comfort than he did, your voice is a bit different. A little more clean-shaven. [And you're alive.] But I've always been a pretty good judge of character. Let's see. Five minutes, what can I tell about you?
[Oh, he was just poking the wam's nest now, wasn't he? But...to be honest, he'd missed this. Teasing Nick had always been hilarious fun, even when it came with the risk of getting clocked upside the head by a right hook for his trouble. The fact that the blows had never been more than an annoyance, when he knew he could have done real, legitimate damage even to Vash, just proved that Wolfwood had gotten as much amusement out of their little pointless squabbles as he did, even when he was pretending otherwise. If he'd really been angry, he would have made it known very easily.
He turned to walk backwards, looking him up and down appraisingly, making a little show of it by reaching up with his free hand and pinching his chin contemplatively.]
You get frustrated when you're not in control of a situation. You don't like being indebted to other people, and you don't like letting people get too close. People can't be trusted, they'll end up stabbing you in the back or hurting you, maybe even get you killed if they're dangerous enough. Life on No Man's Land is hard, and you like to stay one step ahead of whatevermight get you killed, and you don't have time for nonsense, you'll make the hard decisions without question that other people find appalling because that's how you survive. And the way you see it, people who are too soft are just asking to get themselves killed, and it'll be their own fault when it happens. You...have a nervous tick? [He wiggled his fingers at him, giving him a knowing little smile.] Maybe you smoke, but you're out of cigarettes? And if I don't shut my damn idiot mouth, you're probably about ten seconds away from slapping the taste right out of it so I will.
[He turned back to walk forwards again, and his voice dropped, softer and sadder and so fond, but...well, he certainly didn't stop talking, even though there was a voice inside of his head screaming at him to just shut up, stop it, you're going to get the both of you hurt, this was just asking for trouble, this isn't right, just stop!]
Meanwhile, the Nicholas I knew...grew up in an orphanage, but was taken when he was very young and made to do things that he hated himself for his entire life. He could be gruff and mean and irritable, but...he was kind, he worried about people more than he let on, and once he got close to someone, he...he would do anything he could to keep them safe. He loved the people at the orphanage he grew up in like a family, and all he ever wanted was to be happy, but...he didn't think he was allowed to, because of what he'd been forced to do, and he worried that if the people he loved ever found out, they would hate him for it. So he kept his distance for as long as he could, even though it meant he was hurting himself in the process.
But he was also very loved. He touched the lives of everyone around him, more than he will ever know.
[And...he had gone back around to making himself sad again. Realizing he'd probably overstepped a very large number of boundaries. He was quiet again, the smile on his face disappearing.]
Sorry. I...I just miss him a lot. It's...talking to you is...weird, part of me does want to just...fall back into the same old habits, as if he's back. But that's not fair to you. I dunno how well you know me, where you're from, or...what he's like, but I tend to feel things a little too strongly, sometimes. I'll try to rein it back.