apostatised | [log] time is never wasted when you've lived and learned

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[log] time is never wasted when you've lived and learned

Between the things that keep Martel and Candice respectively quite busy, sometimes it takes him a while to corner her to talk (he can corner her really quickly for...other things), to appraise her of what he's been acquiring and generally to do something other than make a nuisance of himself.

Candice is quite possibly the most patient woman in the multiverse, sometimes. Martel likes to give the impression, occasionally, that he lacks any patience whatsoever; this is not true, like many things he likes to give the impression of from time to time.

"There you are."

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"Here I am," she agrees, in the process of tugging off her boots and jacket. Her hat is already discarded. She looks at Martel over her shoulder, smiling slightly, eyebrows raised.

"What do you need?"

Martel leans in the doorway and for a moment he just watches her, quiet and fond. "There's a few things I should let you know about. You have time for me, don't you?"

"Always." She turns around, leaving her boots where they fall, and leans back against the wall behind her.

Look, she'll probably end up like this anyway the longer they talk.

...probably, yeah. Martel closes the door behind him. "First of all: there's a young woman I've taken on as a student. She reminds me distressingly of myself, if that tells you anything-"

"A little, yes. What are you hoping to accomplish with her?" Candice supposes it could be anything- but sorcery is a more likely subject, isn't it? Depending on the mores of the society from which this young woman originated.

"Direction," he says, after a moment's thought on it. "She can have her justice - vengeance, it amounts to the same - without losing her soul in the process. She mightn't, though, left to her own devices."

"Good of you to try to save her from herself," Candice observes.

"Something like that." He sits down, working his shoulder. "Anna, daughter of Gorlois." Will the name ring any bells? It didn't for him. "Too damn clever by half, but she learns quickly. I like her."

"Young, you said." She goes to sit with him, if permitted.

"A woman, if you tilt your head and squint." She's always (well, usually) welcome to do that. In fact, Martel is a fan of 'on' rather than 'with'.

She curls up in his lap, then.

"Younger, or older than your Maria?" Innocently!

Martel sighs, and does not dispute that Maria completely belongs to him. Sure. "Younger, I'd say. No less arrogant, but differently - more like me, again."

Well, there's that.

"I need to learn Latin."

...Candice sees no reason to mention again how there are certain men who definitely see Maria, at least, as a full grown woman. Namely 'Aloysius'.

"I think she'd object to being called arrogant. And yes, you should learn it."

Well, Maria is older. ...and Martel's hatred for Aloysius is cold and constant, yes.

"I'm not saying she's not justified in it," he says, mildly, rolling his shoulder again. "Mm. On that subject, I found us a librarian. There might be a problem with him, but I'm hoping it can be handled."

She slides around, perching on his lap with her legs on either side of him, so she can work her fingertips against his shoulder (since it seems to be bothering him) gently as they talk. It's very natural to her, doing this, and she doesn't ask permission first.

"Oh?"

Martel drops his hands to her waist and gives her a moderately grateful look, so apparently he has no objection to her taking over that. "He shares a face with someone Eirene knew before she died, from what I can tell."

Implied is the fact that if Eirene can't cope with it, he'll just dismiss Doul and find somebody else. He has his moments.

"...I see. Have you talked to Eirene about it?" She's not watching his face but for brief moments when she glances up, but she is paying attention to the way he responds to things she says.

"I intend to, at least." He's doing that thing - he's been getting better and better at it as the months pass and he steadies again, smoothing over his reactions like he's still water. It used to drive Sparhawk mad at times, how hard Martel could be to read when he'd decided to be. "He's got a month to see how things go. Either he stays on at the end of the month, or I pay him for his time and he goes on."

"Good idea. I hope it does work out, though, I know you've needed someone to handle the library. Will he mind if I'm there a lot?"

Digging her fingers in a little harder. Hi.

"It's still my library-" the timbre of his voice is a good gauge of how much he likes that, yes.

"Yes, yes, of course. What's yours is yours." Candice seriously stop you're trying to have a conversation. She's always half-enabling him, though, and then becomes blushing and coy when he takes things to another level. It is their dynamic.

"You'll have to meet the both of them," he says - at around about the underside of her jaw, yes.

"--ah." Her tone is chiding and playful as she tips her head back slightly, though it probably won't accomplish much. "Yes, I'd be happy to. But please make sure you talk to Eirene, and soon."

Martel mutters something probably profane into her skin. "Soon, yes. I will. I'd rather know sooner than later if I need to dismiss him."

"Good. We're finally getting the house situation settled, I don't want it to change, either." She digs her nails in, casually, as punctuation to that. Incentive?

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