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"Bill? Long-distance?" Archie sounded perplexed. "Well...okay! Um...bye-bye." Not knowing how to turn off the phone, he handed it back to Nana.
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"Make sure you check in in a few days, Glory," Nana said once she had the phone back. Glory rolled her eyes.
"Yes, Nana," she replied. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Glory hung up the phone. Slipping it back into her shorts pocket, she stretched a bit and wiggled her toes into the sand. |
Léan was still a little ways out in the water. He was swimming around in circles. The little shark's fin could be seen chasing him, like the two of them were playing tag.
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Glory watched them, grinning a bit. He looked so at ease, playing with his pet...
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It took a few minutes for him to realize that she was finished on the phone. He stayed out for a few more minutes and then slowly swam back up to shore. The shark ventured into the shallow water this time, not wanting to feel left out.
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"Your brother thinks it's adorable you found yourself a pet," Glory teased when he came back.
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Léan frowned. "It is not adorable. It is cumbersome, and slightly amusing." The little shark was more visible in the shallows--it was grayish-blue, with white around its gills.
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"This would be that one time I side with him," Glory said, grinning. "It's very much adorable."
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Léan's frown shifted to a full-blown scowl. "It is not. It is not!" He had issues with being referred to, even indirectly, as 'cute' or 'adorable.'
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Glory couldn't help it, she started giggling.
"You know I'm just teasing you," she said. |
"Still. There is nothing about this that is adorable," Léan muttered, folding his arms across his chest. He looked like a spoiled child.
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Grinning, Glory leaned over and hugged him.
"I think you're cute," she said. And she meant it. |
It was like seeing popcorn pop--the change in Léan's mood was instant. He went quite pink and froze. Then, he shuffled his arms a bit and reluctantly responded. "...Thank you...?" Clearly, he still didn't know how to react to anything of that nature.
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"Just take the compliment," Glory said as she hugged him. After a moment, she said, "This mini-vacation is probably a good thing. This way we don't have your brother trying to interfere."
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"True. He can be irritating," Léan admitted, quietly. He still seemed nervous about physical contact like this, but he seemed comfortable.
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Hugging him was about the best that Glory could do. She wasn't really good at actually explaining how she felt, so she tried her best to show it instead.
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Léan, unfortunately, had issues with both ways of showing his feelings. He always had--it was so hard for him to show that he cared about someone. It was even shown sometimes with his brother.
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After a moment or so, Glory let him go. It was obvious he was uncomfortable. In the back of her mind, she briefly wondered whether Archie was right about him or not.
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Léan sniffed slightly and straightened up. "...What did Arcturus say my problem was? I didn't tell him right out...h-he is skilled at reading me, but...I'm curious as to how he interpreted it..."
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"He... didn't say, actually," Glory replied. Which was technically true. Archie had implied, but not actually stated anything.
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"I thought he wouldn't say too much...surely, he pushed and implied, but I wasn't sure if he would say it straight out..." Léan sighed, half-relieved.
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"He might have implied a few things, but he didn't say anything straight out," Glory hedged. She wasn't sure how much she could say without him clamming up again.
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Léan nodded, then sucked in a deep breath. "I suppose...I suppose if you have suspicions about my current issue, we could now try to talk about it...I'll try not to freeze up."
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"It's up to you," Glory said. Now that she had a fair idea of what he'd been so wrapped up about, she was willing to let him go at his own pace. She didn't mind... it gave her time to think as well.
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"...I will try. But, I...I am afraid you will have to do most of the talking...lest I clam up again..." Léan chewed his lip. "My apologies..."
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