( he doesn't regret staying behind, even if the days had started to stretch. it was a reminder of what he could expect in his future, if he expected to have much of one. Emma wanted him to consider returning to Storybrooke, yet for him it felt as if she were asking more than either of them could provide. how could a man without a heart survive in a world where he'd died for the very same once? his heart wasn't just missing anymore, it was gone, and there was no getting it back.
a part of him is unsure ALASTAIR will even let him go. they claim to have a mission to preserve timelines, sending him back to one he'd already died in would be the opposite of that. if he was plucked out by accident, it was particularly lucky for ALASTAIR, who could make use of him as long as they wanted, since he had nowhere to go back to.
he pulls back when she does, hands reluctantly falling from where they've landed. a laugh is rare and paired with a smile shortly after even rarer, but she gets one of those, too. Emma is actually not the first to have proven to miss his company, another new sensation for being a part of ALASTAIR, but he likes hearing it. he doesn't hear her say such things often. ) It's good to see you, too. Three months is a long time. ( he's lived a curse for decades and still never felt a stretch quite so long. )
Three days isn't so great either. [It's not a long time, but it felt that way. She has a feeling he doesn't realize that him being here matters to her. He's the only person who's familiar to her here, a friend from a world she hasn't given up on getting back to. If he has, then maybe preparing for the future is smart. When Emma has a sense that things won't go her way, she defaults to bracing herself for the worst. She hasn't quite been able to manage that this time, because she thinks there's hope, even if he doesn't.
He asked her not to worry about saving him. It was fair, she respects it. He doesn't want her to feel like she has to be the savior for him. That doesn't mean she can give up on a friend, though. Graham might not know the difference, but Emma does. Whatever happens next, she doesn't want to think the separation is what they'll need to be getting used to.] You look good; better. [Not tired like he was without the magic.]
( his strategy for dealing with a potential — perhaps inevitable — loss is a bit different. he's lost so much in his life that he's lost his faith that he is capable of holding onto anything. and that didn't bother him as much as it could. that was the way of life; coming and going, starting and stopping. he was alive when he could have remained in the ground. every extra minute after that was a gift, not a curse. it would have been easy to resent the idea that he only had a limited amount of time with someone he cared intensely about. instead, he just wanted to make the most of the time he had.
Emma didn't seem to like that perspective. she found it akin to giving up, and maybe it was. if she was right and they could find a way for him to return to Storybrooke, the time he spent trying to enjoy her company wouldn't be a waste, so why should he stop?
his smile stilts and falls at the reminder of how unwell he'd been without magic, nodding and looking at the floor. for a man who had never cared much for magic, it was ironic that he was bound to it so closely now. ) I feel quite well. Don't worry about that. ( quite well for a heartless man might not be as well as anyone else, but it was enough for now. ) it went about as well as could be expected. We did what we could, I can only hope we put it to good use. ( he pauses, glancing not up again, as if he's considering his next question. ) were you off for breakfast, before I got to you?
( they don't have to go together, but what about in parallel? )
[ Emma did worry about him, there's no telling her not to. He seems normal now, but she has to wonder what else ALASTAIR might have in store for him. They need to be careful about where they send Graham, or all they'll be doing is hurting him instead of working their way through their next mission. Recruits are already taking guesses as to what they're about to face, but Emma won't waste her time on what she probably can't imagine.
It doesn't matter where they go. If it isn't Storybrooke, it's as much of a problem as every other world. At least the people of Nalawi had someone like Graham to teach them. She'd like to think they were able to do some good there, overall.]
The thought had crossed my mind. [Breakfast, together on in parallel. Although given that it's been three months for him, together might not be too much to ask.] Would you like to join me for breakfast? [Just this once, she'll actually ask.]
( he doesn't suspect that ALASTAIR will learn from their mistakes, or even that they remotely care that many of the team had been weakened, dying, and powerless thanks to the world they'd been dropped in. Graham does not think that the force they are trapped working for cares about them in the slightest. if he was gone, they would replace him. hoping ALASTAIR will learn to be more considerate is perhaps an even more lost cause than hoping to see Storybrooke again.
the most he can do is try to learn from it on his own. he just isn't sure what can be done, despite Sieglinde's insistence on finding something. how can a crushed heart be replaced?
he's... well, he's surprised by the suggestion, as apparent by lifted brows. he was going to suggest they head that way, as if being a bit more unspecific might improve his odds of getting her to agree. maybe that is silly to think, it is just breakfast, but he is talking to the woman that attempted to return a hot chocolate he didn't even send her on the pretense it could have been flirting. ) I would be happy to. I don't suppose they've doughnuts, do they?
( there weren't any last time he was in Oska, but a man can dream, can't he? )
[It's just breakfast. The least formal, supposedly most important meal of the day. They can have breakfast together without either of them reading too much into it, while hot chocolate flirtation would be a different thing entirely.]
I heard they go all out for celebrations, but I wouldn't hope for a donut at breakfast. [ALASTAIR knows how and when to party. It probably doesn't apply to a regular morning.] You might have to settle for a scone and a cup of fruit.
[Or some similarly non-threatening baked good. She knows he's not much for meats these days, and she won't push it.] Come on, we'll find you something. [She'll even lead the way. It's good that he caught her as soon as he thought he could, but they can eat and catch up. They've always been good at multi-tasking.]
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a part of him is unsure ALASTAIR will even let him go. they claim to have a mission to preserve timelines, sending him back to one he'd already died in would be the opposite of that. if he was plucked out by accident, it was particularly lucky for ALASTAIR, who could make use of him as long as they wanted, since he had nowhere to go back to.
he pulls back when she does, hands reluctantly falling from where they've landed. a laugh is rare and paired with a smile shortly after even rarer, but she gets one of those, too. Emma is actually not the first to have proven to miss his company, another new sensation for being a part of ALASTAIR, but he likes hearing it. he doesn't hear her say such things often. ) It's good to see you, too. Three months is a long time. ( he's lived a curse for decades and still never felt a stretch quite so long. )
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He asked her not to worry about saving him. It was fair, she respects it. He doesn't want her to feel like she has to be the savior for him. That doesn't mean she can give up on a friend, though. Graham might not know the difference, but Emma does. Whatever happens next, she doesn't want to think the separation is what they'll need to be getting used to.] You look good; better. [Not tired like he was without the magic.]
Did everything go as planned?
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Emma didn't seem to like that perspective. she found it akin to giving up, and maybe it was. if she was right and they could find a way for him to return to Storybrooke, the time he spent trying to enjoy her company wouldn't be a waste, so why should he stop?
his smile stilts and falls at the reminder of how unwell he'd been without magic, nodding and looking at the floor. for a man who had never cared much for magic, it was ironic that he was bound to it so closely now. ) I feel quite well. Don't worry about that. ( quite well for a heartless man might not be as well as anyone else, but it was enough for now. ) it went about as well as could be expected. We did what we could, I can only hope we put it to good use. ( he pauses, glancing not up again, as if he's considering his next question. ) were you off for breakfast, before I got to you?
( they don't have to go together, but what about in parallel? )
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It doesn't matter where they go. If it isn't Storybrooke, it's as much of a problem as every other world. At least the people of Nalawi had someone like Graham to teach them. She'd like to think they were able to do some good there, overall.]
The thought had crossed my mind. [Breakfast, together on in parallel. Although given that it's been three months for him, together might not be too much to ask.] Would you like to join me for breakfast? [Just this once, she'll actually ask.]
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the most he can do is try to learn from it on his own. he just isn't sure what can be done, despite Sieglinde's insistence on finding something. how can a crushed heart be replaced?
he's... well, he's surprised by the suggestion, as apparent by lifted brows. he was going to suggest they head that way, as if being a bit more unspecific might improve his odds of getting her to agree. maybe that is silly to think, it is just breakfast, but he is talking to the woman that attempted to return a hot chocolate he didn't even send her on the pretense it could have been flirting. ) I would be happy to. I don't suppose they've doughnuts, do they?
( there weren't any last time he was in Oska, but a man can dream, can't he? )
no subject
I heard they go all out for celebrations, but I wouldn't hope for a donut at breakfast. [ALASTAIR knows how and when to party. It probably doesn't apply to a regular morning.] You might have to settle for a scone and a cup of fruit.
[Or some similarly non-threatening baked good. She knows he's not much for meats these days, and she won't push it.] Come on, we'll find you something. [She'll even lead the way. It's good that he caught her as soon as he thought he could, but they can eat and catch up. They've always been good at multi-tasking.]