[ if derrica could reach through the crystal to take laura's hands, she would do that now and squeeze them tightly. this isn't exactly the same as the giddy murmurs she'd shared back in dairsmuid, listing all the best things about the objects of their attentions, confessing optimistic plans. this is something more fraught, but the bones of it are familiar to her. ]
Those are the best ones to be with.
[ a little ruefully. ]
You should talk to him. You don't have to tell him anything, but you should know how he feels. It's worth it, Laura. I promise.
[ Laura, at least, is glad for the distance. The idea of anyone touching her right now is abhorrent. But she is grateful...mostly...for Derrica's kindness.
Even when the advice sounds impossible. He answer is low, embarrassed. ]
[There's a stiffness there she does not mean toward Derrica, born of the idea of saying any of this to Matthias. If he does not laugh at her - and he might - his answer, once spoken, will be inescapable.
She does not know how to feel about that. But she is glad she is alone right now.]
Asking him if he could speak with you alone first would be best. You should speak with him in person. Then just...
[ considers saying "go with your gut feeling" and then thinks better of it ]
Tell him you care for him. You can say exactly what you've said to me, and he'll say how he feels in return. It's not as scary as you think it is. He's kind. He'll make it easy for you.
[She considers it, then decides against it, in little more than the span of a breath. Tell him you care for him is an impossible suggestion, particularly when there is no guarantee that Matthias will answer in kind; at the best of times, words are not her strong suit. And this would not be the best of times.
He is kind. He might make it easy for her. But the possibility that it might not be still looms behind Derrica's urging.]
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Those are the best ones to be with.
[ a little ruefully. ]
You should talk to him. You don't have to tell him anything, but you should know how he feels. It's worth it, Laura. I promise.
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Even when the advice sounds impossible. He answer is low, embarrassed. ]
I would not know what to say.
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[Bafflement.]
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[ hm ]
Gently.
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[There's a stiffness there she does not mean toward Derrica, born of the idea of saying any of this to Matthias. If he does not laugh at her - and he might - his answer, once spoken, will be inescapable.
She does not know how to feel about that. But she is glad she is alone right now.]
What would be gentle?
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[ considers saying "go with your gut feeling" and then thinks better of it ]
Tell him you care for him. You can say exactly what you've said to me, and he'll say how he feels in return. It's not as scary as you think it is. He's kind. He'll make it easy for you.
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He is kind. He might make it easy for her. But the possibility that it might not be still looms behind Derrica's urging.]
Maybe.
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[ derrica knows a no in disguise when she hears one ]
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I will think about asking him.
[Not, necessarily, about confessing.]
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[It might take weeks, and she might not state that's why, but...]