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 Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 10:26 pm
Tony opened one eye, his good eye, to look at her when she told him to be careful. He had been settling down in the bed, head now comfortably nestled in the pillows, and he was ready to drift right off to sleep. Well fed, happy with his company, Tony was in a very good mood and well ready to have a good rest.
Except he didn't want to fall to sleep while she was there. How rude was that? He couldn't just zonk out on her. It had been bad enough the first time, in the elevator, when he nodded off to the story. Now it just seemed like she was taking advantage of it, lulling him into sleep when she thought it was a good time. Not that he could complain, since he was tired anyway.
Still, he made himself stay awake a bit longer.
"Be careful? Of course I will, Amara," he said, offering her a warm smile and moving his hand over to her to pat her knee reassuringly. He didn't know how to be careful, when 'bad guys' could be anywhere, anyone really, and he would never know. But he would do his best to be as careful as he could. For himself and his friends, if they were in danger.
She started reading and he listened for as long as he could, until his head lulled to the side and he began to softly snore. It was like a cat's purr, in a way: he snored when he was sleeping well. If he was having bad dreams or was uncomfortable, he didn't do it. This was not something he was aware of though, because no one had ever been around to tell him.
In any case, he was out like a light, his hand still on her knee.
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Posted: Sun May 16, 2010 10:38 pm
And like the Grinch's heart in that tired old tale, Amara's small heart grew three sizes as well. ... Only it didn't, because hearts couldn't grow, and didn't come in sizes. Patting his hand lightly when he first put it on her knee, she continued to read, just listening to him snoring. Somehow, despite the fact that it should have been annoying, it was nothing of the sort. Instead, it served as a reminder that she was giving him rest, letting him sleep. Perhaps she was taking advantage, but he had told her that she could read to him if she wanted to. He'd listed it off as something to do.
Or perhaps he had meant that she could simply read, and not aloud. Ah well. If he had meant that, it was far too late. She didn't stop reading when she was sure that he'd fallen asleep. It was hard to tell whether he'd stay nodded off if she left off reading, and besides this one was a long story. A long story about a man not unlike Tony, in point of fact. With that same gentle smile, she read and watched. She was not silent, but she was a sentinel, determined as she was to keep him safe.
It was new, this feeling of... of being comforting. She'd been comforted before, but having that kind of power over someone else felt good. The leftover curry in its various containers would keep as well as she could manage it, and the cupcakes would be fine, but Tony... Tony needed looking after. Maybe she could be a sort of guardian, assuming he didn't have one already. It seemed hard to imagine that no one out there was looking out for the man.
Oh, this was all so silly! Ridiculous, $@$#ing ridiculous! Why did this one man seem to tame the savage beast? Well... perhaps there was a certain quality to libraries. Perhaps that quality carried over in their caretakers. Perhaps, perhaps. Whatever the reason, she chose to accept this exception for the time being. After all, what could sparing the life of one lone man hurt her? His starseed was right there in his chest, and he was battered but intact. As far as she was concerned, he was going to stay that way.
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