[ with her wet, little nose, maia brushes it beneath his chin. momentarily, he's distracted by her fussing, trying to calm her within his hands as he knows the moment he lets her leap from his embrace, she'll charge forth once more. but he ignores maia the moment clarisse's proposal actually comes forth. he looks at her, but it isn't with trepidation toward the pen-sword that clouds his gaze. his brows furrow for a quick moment before his lips part, looking at her as though she's grown the two heads that make ladon's physique. ]
[ he doesn't expect her to trust him. being asked to join an elite team of shardbearers by her is strange in itself. though he suspects she's merely doing so for his skill, as he's never been one to properly humble himself until he sounds as though he can barely hold a sword within his grip, let alone wield it, he knows it isn't for the trust she may embrace when she takes to nico or annabeth that sees her coming to him. he's a knight of the golden cadre, and it's within ridire she trusts, not him. but he still finds himself taken aback by her proposal, having never really expected, nor ever presumed, he'd have a place on any elite team where she held power within her hands to whisper a list of names into the shell of ridire's ear. ]
[ maia wriggles within his arms. looking down at her, luke does as he hadn't wished to do, lowering himself to let her leap from his arms. instead of bolting as he had predicted, she simply runs circles around clarisse's legs, before she widens her berth and encompasses them both in her running. returning to his full height, luke bites his lip for a moment. ] Uh. [ this hadn't been what he had been expecting when she'd abruptly woken him up from his impromptu nap. distracted by maia for a brief moment, he watches as she runs laps around them, never quite tiring, behaving as though she's a kid of hermes herself. though his father's cunningness thrums within his veins, he doesn't feel the desire to trick her and say yes, or even have her leap through so many flaming hoops to inevitably reveal his answer is truly no. after his long pause, he looks up at her, pressing his lips together as he glances down at his feet. instead of being sarcastic or even self-deprecating in tone, his own voice is soft, as it cracks slightly, ] I can't.
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[ he doesn't expect her to trust him. being asked to join an elite team of shardbearers by her is strange in itself. though he suspects she's merely doing so for his skill, as he's never been one to properly humble himself until he sounds as though he can barely hold a sword within his grip, let alone wield it, he knows it isn't for the trust she may embrace when she takes to nico or annabeth that sees her coming to him. he's a knight of the golden cadre, and it's within ridire she trusts, not him. but he still finds himself taken aback by her proposal, having never really expected, nor ever presumed, he'd have a place on any elite team where she held power within her hands to whisper a list of names into the shell of ridire's ear. ]
[ maia wriggles within his arms. looking down at her, luke does as he hadn't wished to do, lowering himself to let her leap from his arms. instead of bolting as he had predicted, she simply runs circles around clarisse's legs, before she widens her berth and encompasses them both in her running. returning to his full height, luke bites his lip for a moment. ] Uh. [ this hadn't been what he had been expecting when she'd abruptly woken him up from his impromptu nap. distracted by maia for a brief moment, he watches as she runs laps around them, never quite tiring, behaving as though she's a kid of hermes herself. though his father's cunningness thrums within his veins, he doesn't feel the desire to trick her and say yes, or even have her leap through so many flaming hoops to inevitably reveal his answer is truly no. after his long pause, he looks up at her, pressing his lips together as he glances down at his feet. instead of being sarcastic or even self-deprecating in tone, his own voice is soft, as it cracks slightly, ] I can't.