She wasn't, really. It took almost all of her restraint to proverbially crush down the protest that immediately wanted to propel its way out of her. Maybe she was just genuinely incapable of handling a compliment. Whatever was behind that was certainly a lot to unpack and not a weight she should have been putting onto the courageous shoulders of an ambitious wizard.
Despite not arguing with him and simply letting his words fall where they were inclined to, she suspected her expressionβfor at least some moments or twoβmust have given her away. She could have nervously cleared her throat or simply laughed it off, but she didn't do either of those things either. Maybe at the very least, she could don something very humble. Not a dismissal of his generous perception of her, but not a full concession either.
"Sometimes I can say the right thing," she corrected him very gently. "But only sometimes. Perhaps only when it truly counts for something."
For she certainly knew not all of her attempts to use her words had been successful ones. On the contrary, she'd put them through more trouble than they should have as a result of her somewhat stubborn approach to things. There were just some that heartfelt conversation didn't work on, even when it came from someone like Nepione who was too transparent for her own good.
His little self-correction hardly went unnoticed either. Whether that was an indicator of his feelings where she was concerned (for she'd had no plans to ask and thought herself relatively ill-suited for such... things), or whatever else it could have been, she could only speculate. The notion of the former, however, threatened her breath to catch in her throat. Almost imperceptibly, her hands tightened upon his before she carefully lifted it and held it to the consistent thump of her pulse, perhaps a touch quickened by thought and words alike.
"I... would not wish to cause you concern," she admitted, dropping her gaze a bit bashfully, colour dotting along her features. "Or the others." Right. The others. Important to say that part. "I'm not very good at letting others take care of me. Of letting others care for me. About me. At all. I will... try to be better about that." But she would not, could not make him any such promise.
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Despite not arguing with him and simply letting his words fall where they were inclined to, she suspected her expressionβfor at least some moments or twoβmust have given her away. She could have nervously cleared her throat or simply laughed it off, but she didn't do either of those things either. Maybe at the very least, she could don something very humble. Not a dismissal of his generous perception of her, but not a full concession either.
"Sometimes I can say the right thing," she corrected him very gently. "But only sometimes. Perhaps only when it truly counts for something."
For she certainly knew not all of her attempts to use her words had been successful ones. On the contrary, she'd put them through more trouble than they should have as a result of her somewhat stubborn approach to things. There were just some that heartfelt conversation didn't work on, even when it came from someone like Nepione who was too transparent for her own good.
His little self-correction hardly went unnoticed either. Whether that was an indicator of his feelings where she was concerned (for she'd had no plans to ask and thought herself relatively ill-suited for such... things), or whatever else it could have been, she could only speculate. The notion of the former, however, threatened her breath to catch in her throat. Almost imperceptibly, her hands tightened upon his before she carefully lifted it and held it to the consistent thump of her pulse, perhaps a touch quickened by thought and words alike.
"I... would not wish to cause you concern," she admitted, dropping her gaze a bit bashfully, colour dotting along her features. "Or the others." Right. The others. Important to say that part. "I'm not very good at letting others take care of me. Of letting others care for me. About me. At all. I will... try to be better about that." But she would not, could not make him any such promise.