[She takes her cue from Jedao and answers in kind, voice
only.]
I'll listen to anything Fives wants to say, so long as it doesn't feel like
a violation of your privacy. And I'm glad that you want me to look after
him. I'm glad if that makes things a little easier for you.
But I look after Fives for his sake first and foremost. I'd like to look
after you too a little, if you're able to let me.
Could I stop by with food occasionally? You don't need to let me in unless
you want to. [Because food, for Tris, is the first line of
affection, while she casts about trying to figure out what other measures
would be safe or welcome.]
I only get down about half of what Fives brings me as it is.
Could you...bring glass things here?
[She said once, when the ship changed, that she didn't really need the forge; and it takes so much effort to go places right now. He so badly doesn't wish to be seen in the halls.]
Of course. [She's surprised by the request, but obviously
completely willing.] We can use my hands as a heat source for the
actual glass blowing. When do you want me there?
The next day she knocks on Jedao's door right after her library shift,
while she knows Fives is off working dinner. She carries a couple of blow
pipes and a basket of other supplies.
"It's Tris," she calls, in case he doesn't feel like opening the door to
anyone he hasn't invited.
He slumps to the door, but he is at least dressed, weary but not gaunt, unshaven but approximately clean.
He invites her in - the wind chime is sweet and constant in its corner - and offers her the one real chair the place has, at his desk, sitting on a crate himself.
"You're always welcome. Thank you for letting me check up on you." Some
people get annoyed with her fretting. Since she's trying to stifle that
urge, she sidesteps onto the subject he asked her here for.
"I've been looking into glassmaking techniques, and I traded for some
metallic salts that we can use to make your next piece iridescent, if you'd
like to."
I don't know if I have the - the right headspace to keep my breath steady as I need to, right now. But I thought I could make something just...tugging the hot glass around, you know, with pliers or what have you.
"We'll work with rods of glass, and you can shape those." She passes her
basket across to him so that he can rummage through it and choose colors
and tools.
"Trying to breathe steadily helps me, but you know what you need and what
you can manage." She reaches up to remove the net holding all of her
braids, then fingers them until she finds the one she wants. "Tell me when
you want to start, and I'll make my fingers hot enough that the glass
should be malleable."
"No meditation breathing for you, then," Tris agrees easily. "Just
something to do with your hands. Keeping my hands busy helps too. It's
part of why I cook so much." The other reason is that Tris doesn't have
enough experience showing affection. Food is the first and easiest way.
Anything else is tentative to begin with, part of an ongoing process of
learning and acclimatization.
Meditation proper sometimes makes Jedao - go away, as he describes it to himself. Dissociate off his ass would be the technical term. He carefully assembles small rods of glass, blues and purples and clear glass to show the colors, has Tris melt them so that he can twist and tug the rods into a bright little glass dragonfly - Fives' favorite. It's soothing work, building up the spirals of color and carefully guiding the shape of the thin translucent wings.
"It's beautiful. For Fives, or for you to look at and think of Fives?" she
asks as he works, smiling softly. "When we go to watch them in the
Enclosure, it's sometimes hard to look away from him."
...They haven't actually watched dragonflies together since their
relationship shifted, Tris realizes as she says it. She couldn't tear her
eyes off of Fives before. This has been a longer time coming than
she admitted.
"Because he's so rarely had anything that isn't?" Tris assumes. "If
something useful comes to mind, that wouldn't be a bad thing, but there's
nothing wrong with the occasional frivolity."
Not now. Not away from the grasp of the Kaminoans and the Jedi. Fives is
allowed to have things of his own, and they don't all need to have a
purpose.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: private
[She takes her cue from Jedao and answers in kind, voice only.]
I'll listen to anything Fives wants to say, so long as it doesn't feel like a violation of your privacy. And I'm glad that you want me to look after him. I'm glad if that makes things a little easier for you.
But I look after Fives for his sake first and foremost. I'd like to look after you too a little, if you're able to let me.
[Jedao is a friend, and she does care.]
private
[The rest is harder. Less because Jedao struggles to ask for help, right now, and more because he just doesn't know what would be better.]
Re: private
Thank you for trusting me, Jedao.
Could I stop by with food occasionally? You don't need to let me in unless you want to. [Because food, for Tris, is the first line of affection, while she casts about trying to figure out what other measures would be safe or welcome.]
private
I only get down about half of what Fives brings me as it is.
Could you...bring glass things here?
[She said once, when the ship changed, that she didn't really need the forge; and it takes so much effort to go places right now. He so badly doesn't wish to be seen in the halls.]
Re: private
Of course. [She's surprised by the request, but obviously completely willing.] We can use my hands as a heat source for the actual glass blowing. When do you want me there?
private
Re: private
The next day she knocks on Jedao's door right after her library shift, while she knows Fives is off working dinner. She carries a couple of blow pipes and a basket of other supplies.
"It's Tris," she calls, in case he doesn't feel like opening the door to anyone he hasn't invited.
private
He invites her in - the wind chime is sweet and constant in its corner - and offers her the one real chair the place has, at his desk, sitting on a crate himself.
"Thanks."
Re: private
"You're always welcome. Thank you for letting me check up on you." Some people get annoyed with her fretting. Since she's trying to stifle that urge, she sidesteps onto the subject he asked her here for.
"I've been looking into glassmaking techniques, and I traded for some metallic salts that we can use to make your next piece iridescent, if you'd like to."
private
[That would be - lovely.]
I don't know if I have the - the right headspace to keep my breath steady as I need to, right now. But I thought I could make something just...tugging the hot glass around, you know, with pliers or what have you.
[Just something to force him to focus.]
Re: private
"We'll work with rods of glass, and you can shape those." She passes her basket across to him so that he can rummage through it and choose colors and tools.
"Trying to breathe steadily helps me, but you know what you need and what you can manage." She reaches up to remove the net holding all of her braids, then fingers them until she finds the one she wants. "Tell me when you want to start, and I'll make my fingers hot enough that the glass should be malleable."
Re: private
Breathe right, he means. "But otherwise I mostly just fret more."
Re: private
"No meditation breathing for you, then," Tris agrees easily. "Just something to do with your hands. Keeping my hands busy helps too. It's part of why I cook so much." The other reason is that Tris doesn't have enough experience showing affection. Food is the first and easiest way. Anything else is tentative to begin with, part of an ongoing process of learning and acclimatization.
Re: private
Meditation proper sometimes makes Jedao - go away, as he describes it to himself. Dissociate off his ass would be the technical term. He carefully assembles small rods of glass, blues and purples and clear glass to show the colors, has Tris melt them so that he can twist and tug the rods into a bright little glass dragonfly - Fives' favorite. It's soothing work, building up the spirals of color and carefully guiding the shape of the thin translucent wings.
Re: private
"It's beautiful. For Fives, or for you to look at and think of Fives?" she asks as he works, smiling softly. "When we go to watch them in the Enclosure, it's sometimes hard to look away from him."
...They haven't actually watched dragonflies together since their relationship shifted, Tris realizes as she says it. She couldn't tear her eyes off of Fives before. This has been a longer time coming than she admitted.
Re: private
Pretty things Fives likes just for their own sake.
Re: private
"Because he's so rarely had anything that isn't?" Tris assumes. "If something useful comes to mind, that wouldn't be a bad thing, but there's nothing wrong with the occasional frivolity."
Not now. Not away from the grasp of the Kaminoans and the Jedi. Fives is allowed to have things of his own, and they don't all need to have a purpose.