( it isn't new for her to see the look in steve's eyes as he regards her and then hurries to look away like he's done something wrong by even observing her objectively. as if she hadn't learned to stare hard at her own reflection and accept it as it is.
and yet it always stings. but a familiar sting is oft easier to bear than that of the unknown. it is kindness that she fears and mistrusts. brienne doesn't know what to do with such a neutral response, because it strays closer to kindness than mockery. steve is a kind man, she thinks, if not a bit of a mess.
she shifts, the settee beneath her groaning as if to remind her that she does not fit. her hands fold neatly in her lap. )
You were kinder than I expected. Your actions match your words.
( which is... not fair to him, only rare in her experience. for all his cultural habits and expectations, hers will outmatch them: men are often cruel, and ignorant, and unwilling to change. they never take her seriously, and often she must prove herself with deed over word (and often those deeds terminate in their hating and fearing her even more). but he had not protested her or cellar accompanying him to the pit. she had waited for the mockery and laughter from him and quentin after he assuredly learned of her behavior when she and the latter danced together. he's even mostly stopped flinching when she moves too quickly.
no, steve is not that kind of man.
the fact of the matter is she would not be telling him any of this under normal circumstances. but it would sit wrong with her, not to try. not when she has made the decision she has. )
You are all strange in your way. It is difficult, at times, for me to bear the informality.
( when was the last time she was touched so kindly, in the expression of friendship and solidarity? brienne cannot say. )
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Date: 2026-02-19 02:17 pm (UTC)and yet it always stings. but a familiar sting is oft easier to bear than that of the unknown. it is kindness that she fears and mistrusts. brienne doesn't know what to do with such a neutral response, because it strays closer to kindness than mockery. steve is a kind man, she thinks, if not a bit of a mess.
she shifts, the settee beneath her groaning as if to remind her that she does not fit. her hands fold neatly in her lap. )
You were kinder than I expected. Your actions match your words.
( which is... not fair to him, only rare in her experience. for all his cultural habits and expectations, hers will outmatch them: men are often cruel, and ignorant, and unwilling to change. they never take her seriously, and often she must prove herself with deed over word (and often those deeds terminate in their hating and fearing her even more). but he had not protested her or cellar accompanying him to the pit. she had waited for the mockery and laughter from him and quentin after he assuredly learned of her behavior when she and the latter danced together. he's even mostly stopped flinching when she moves too quickly.
no, steve is not that kind of man.
the fact of the matter is she would not be telling him any of this under normal circumstances. but it would sit wrong with her, not to try. not when she has made the decision she has. )
You are all strange in your way. It is difficult, at times, for me to bear the informality.
( when was the last time she was touched so kindly, in the expression of friendship and solidarity? brienne cannot say. )