He disappears out into the shop, and as soon as he's out of view Lemm touches experimentally at the base of his horn and winces. No lasting damage, he thinks, but the damn journal hit him like a big stupid tuning fork and he thinks, he thinks he'll blame a concussion for the crawling in his chest and the silly things he's done and the way, even now, he can still see the quill dragging ink off the page and feels like he's still holding someone very small -
- Lemm leans heavily on his desk and closes his eyes, rubbing at his forehead with the heel of his hand. His head is swimming with too much thought and his eyes are stinging. There, see. This is what happens when you start examining yourself. You don't like it.
He takes a shaky breath, and he sighs, and he tidies up. It's slow going on purpose, something to do to keep his hands busy while he tidies his head as well. Notes are plucked up off the floor and re-sorted before they can get trodden on. Relics are examined and returned to their place.
The nasty way he acted and the things he said before the Lord of Shades rocketed away from him is dragged right to the front and examined, despite a good part of him trying to mentally argue himself out of it and insisting it'll make him feel terrible for no good reason.
Under his seat he finds the Arcane Egg. It hit the floor a bit too hard. Some of the fragile petals are chipped. He stares at it in his hand for a bit.
Lemm knows he is going to have to be better. A very daunting prospect indeed, as is the looming threat of further conversation. He doesn't normally deal with the actual consequences of being a cantankerous old fool. But this was very close to a disaster he is not prepared to repeat. A... risk he does not want to take.
When the shop is, if not tidy, then its mess is back in a more familiar shape, Lemm squares off a corner of his desk for his map, a spare quill, and some empty pages. He tucks the Knight's last written note into a drawer and out of the way, next to the confidential ones from earlier. Then he gets back to work, head resting lightly on one hand as he writes.
He really, really wants to check on the Knight. He does not.
no subject
- Lemm leans heavily on his desk and closes his eyes, rubbing at his forehead with the heel of his hand. His head is swimming with too much thought and his eyes are stinging. There, see. This is what happens when you start examining yourself. You don't like it.
He takes a shaky breath, and he sighs, and he tidies up. It's slow going on purpose, something to do to keep his hands busy while he tidies his head as well. Notes are plucked up off the floor and re-sorted before they can get trodden on. Relics are examined and returned to their place.
The nasty way he acted and the things he said before the Lord of Shades rocketed away from him is dragged right to the front and examined, despite a good part of him trying to mentally argue himself out of it and insisting it'll make him feel terrible for no good reason.
Under his seat he finds the Arcane Egg. It hit the floor a bit too hard. Some of the fragile petals are chipped. He stares at it in his hand for a bit.
Lemm knows he is going to have to be better. A very daunting prospect indeed, as is the looming threat of further conversation. He doesn't normally deal with the actual consequences of being a cantankerous old fool. But this was very close to a disaster he is not prepared to repeat. A... risk he does not want to take.
When the shop is, if not tidy, then its mess is back in a more familiar shape, Lemm squares off a corner of his desk for his map, a spare quill, and some empty pages. He tucks the Knight's last written note into a drawer and out of the way, next to the confidential ones from earlier. Then he gets back to work, head resting lightly on one hand as he writes.
He really, really wants to check on the Knight. He does not.