[ It's nice feeling, she thinks, to be letting her guard down and allowing herself this. The lion may have been the one who sought the eagle out, but she doesn't realize how much she's needed this as well until now. There's no hesitance between them, not like there might have been when they were younger and it was the four of them together.
But change is constant in life, especially when one happens to live on the magical side of it, and the best thing they can do to deal with it is to stop working against the flow (just this once).
Rowena can feel him rest his chin on top of her head and she ceases moving, comfortable as they are right now. ]
That depends. What might I get for my silence from the great Godric Gryffindor?
[The banter is nice. Familiar. It might not be as lively as the standard, and it's ill likely to end in some sort of duel (this time), but it's them. And it's not something that's happened very often lately, each of the remaining three founders quietly closing themselves off in ways they never really had before.]
[So he continues with it, for now, as if they're fine, normal, back to a battle of wits Rowena is sure to win eventually; even if the circumstances of being closely knit in a hug that demonstrate something more mournful than the old friendly rivalry. A rather sad undercurrent trying to pull them out to sea.]
But I suppose I can try for bronze, if you prefer.
No, I believe gold will suit me just fine. Let's not skimp out on such a rare thing, shall we?
Still, I wonder if it's enough. After all, one must remember the law of equivalent exchange.
[ She wonders quietly, what the equivalent of losing Salazar would be. Is it this? These hollow words they exchange in a mockery of their normal conversations. Is it the fact that they're trying to pull together and find their footing, like a whole that's lost one of the most crucial bits. Not to say there hadn't been a build up to the entire situation -- she remembers the silent rages Salazar would get into, the biting words they'd exchange over how to keep the school running and with all things put together, maybe it was only inevitable. But she doesn't want to accept that. Not yet. ]
Gold it is then. Though does my gratitude not help reach that potential equivalent?
[Small steps, maybe -- getting the three of them back to their best. A mourning process for a lost friend that will never really end, but Godric knows better than anyone that you can't give up. He had students to teach. A school to run. Two friends that remain that he swears he will never ever let down.]
[He failed Salazar, and Salazar failed him. Perhaps it was only the longevity of their friendship that kept the split from happening sooner. What makes it worse is Godric knows his friend was wrong, so completely wrong and full of prejudices that as much as it hurts, he knows it could have gone no other way.]
[With that train of thought, Godric finds himself idly hugging Rowena a little tighter.]
The potential equivalent is only equal to the potential number of times I'll find myself distracted by you Godric. And we both know that number is infinite.
[ Not that she'd ever really admit she doesn't mind half the times he'd come to bother her. When she's working away on something important, sure, but at other times, she'd found herself liking the company more and more. Especially when it was usually just her tucked into the corner of her study in her lonesome. You've worn her down, Godric Gryffindor.
It's that fact that he'd been around for her even without her asking that makes her stay still when he tightens his grip, even if it's a bit uncomfortable. ]
[He laughs. It's a little more genuine than his previous ones were.]
So what you're saying is my debt will last forever? It just might be worth the pleasure of your company.
[Which to him right now (and always, really), is worth more than any amount of gold. As much as Salazar was his best friend, Rowena was his favorite person to interrupt while working. That's something that will never change, and continuing that trend now is helping. It was something largely for them alone, untouched by Salazar and his departure, even if that was part of the motivation behind Godric's doing so now. But it's unchanged. It's still them, even with the grief underneath. She's still Rowena with her books, and he's still Godric with a penchant for pestering, though he swears she enjoys it. Mostly.]
[And he'll cling to that in the face of everything else.]
[He notices something about her stillness, and so his grip loosens around her. He can be perceptive, sometimes.]
Careful what you say now, Godric. I do have an excellent memory and don't think I'll let you forget what you just said.
[ She laughs with him, happy that at least he seems to be able to laugh too. Even with Salazar gone, this feels like a moment separate from all of the trouble and it feels theirs alone (as if it exists timeless and with no other worries attached).
She uses the opportunity of him loosening his grip to wriggle her arms out and rests them against his chest instead. There's a brief moment of concentration as she searches and then -- there. She can feel the steady beat against her palm, and though it is faint, it's a good reminder that they are strong enough to carry on. As long as their hearts continue beating, they will be okay. In their own way. ]
I do hope you realize the pleasure of my company comes with some terms and conditions.
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no subject
But change is constant in life, especially when one happens to live on the magical side of it, and the best thing they can do to deal with it is to stop working against the flow (just this once).
Rowena can feel him rest his chin on top of her head and she ceases moving, comfortable as they are right now. ]
That depends. What might I get for my silence from the great Godric Gryffindor?
no subject
[The banter is nice. Familiar. It might not be as lively as the standard, and it's ill likely to end in some sort of duel (this time), but it's them. And it's not something that's happened very often lately, each of the remaining three founders quietly closing themselves off in ways they never really had before.]
[So he continues with it, for now, as if they're fine, normal, back to a battle of wits Rowena is sure to win eventually; even if the circumstances of being closely knit in a hug that demonstrate something more mournful than the old friendly rivalry. A rather sad undercurrent trying to pull them out to sea.]
But I suppose I can try for bronze, if you prefer.
no subject
Still, I wonder if it's enough. After all, one must remember the law of equivalent exchange.
[ She wonders quietly, what the equivalent of losing Salazar would be. Is it this? These hollow words they exchange in a mockery of their normal conversations. Is it the fact that they're trying to pull together and find their footing, like a whole that's lost one of the most crucial bits. Not to say there hadn't been a build up to the entire situation -- she remembers the silent rages Salazar would get into, the biting words they'd exchange over how to keep the school running and with all things put together, maybe it was only inevitable. But she doesn't want to accept that. Not yet. ]
no subject
[Small steps, maybe -- getting the three of them back to their best. A mourning process for a lost friend that will never really end, but Godric knows better than anyone that you can't give up. He had students to teach. A school to run. Two friends that remain that he swears he will never ever let down.]
[He failed Salazar, and Salazar failed him. Perhaps it was only the longevity of their friendship that kept the split from happening sooner. What makes it worse is Godric knows his friend was wrong, so completely wrong and full of prejudices that as much as it hurts, he knows it could have gone no other way.]
[With that train of thought, Godric finds himself idly hugging Rowena a little tighter.]
no subject
The potential equivalent is only equal to the potential number of times I'll find myself distracted by you Godric. And we both know that number is infinite.
[ Not that she'd ever really admit she doesn't mind half the times he'd come to bother her. When she's working away on something important, sure, but at other times, she'd found herself liking the company more and more. Especially when it was usually just her tucked into the corner of her study in her lonesome. You've worn her down, Godric Gryffindor.
It's that fact that he'd been around for her even without her asking that makes her stay still when he tightens his grip, even if it's a bit uncomfortable. ]
no subject
[He laughs. It's a little more genuine than his previous ones were.]
So what you're saying is my debt will last forever? It just might be worth the pleasure of your company.
[Which to him right now (and always, really), is worth more than any amount of gold. As much as Salazar was his best friend, Rowena was his favorite person to interrupt while working. That's something that will never change, and continuing that trend now is helping. It was something largely for them alone, untouched by Salazar and his departure, even if that was part of the motivation behind Godric's doing so now. But it's unchanged. It's still them, even with the grief underneath. She's still Rowena with her books, and he's still Godric with a penchant for pestering, though he swears she enjoys it. Mostly.]
[And he'll cling to that in the face of everything else.]
[He notices something about her stillness, and so his grip loosens around her. He can be perceptive, sometimes.]
no subject
[ She laughs with him, happy that at least he seems to be able to laugh too. Even with Salazar gone, this feels like a moment separate from all of the trouble and it feels theirs alone (as if it exists timeless and with no other worries attached).
She uses the opportunity of him loosening his grip to wriggle her arms out and rests them against his chest instead. There's a brief moment of concentration as she searches and then -- there. She can feel the steady beat against her palm, and though it is faint, it's a good reminder that they are strong enough to carry on. As long as their hearts continue beating, they will be okay. In their own way. ]
I do hope you realize the pleasure of my company comes with some terms and conditions.