[ Claude just hums at the mention of the dictionary, unwilling to confirm or deny that. There's been a multitude of books recreated in the library to where he couldn't say for sure that one hasn't been placed on the sprawling shelves in the Horizon, but at the same time: something's pulling at the corner of his mind saying he hasn't. There's not one on the shelves of his study either, carefully as he'd recreated books from the Alliance alone in an illusion he hadn't really cared to maintain. But - it wouldn't take long to create one or to change it so the books he has have translations in both Fodlan's language and Almyra's.
Perhaps on the next trip into the Horizon he can tackle that since now his attention goes to his healed hand and the realization that while he'd healed the scratch on Hilda's cheek, he hadn't done anything about her still wrapped hand. Now doesn't feel like the right time to reach for it as he waits for an answer to his question, and Claude can't help but ride out the sinking feeling which comes when Hilda says she doesn't know.
It makes an unfortunate amount of sense. Surprised isn't the right feeling to attach to it since it wasn't unexpected, and neither is the slight wilt plus what he recognizes as a drawing over a veil over the topic. An attempt at a misdirection of sorts, except that to Claude it feels like it reveals more than intended. His brow immediately furrows less in a frown than in thought; while access to her wardrobe would be a veritable bonus, it's the rest of it he doesn't buy. ]
Easier for who?
[ For all his modulation of his reactions well-practiced from years of making them be exactly what he wants someone else to see and nothing more, this one still takes a concerted effort to leave anything else he's feeling out of it. The question's said easy enough despite it being his only focus. Deliberately, no assumptions are put into it or behind the tone even though he doesn't believe she's merely talking about Sylvain's predilection for tidiness.
Any other time he might have let her get away from this with that sidestep. It wouldn't be a stretch to convince himself he doesn't have the right to ask this anymore - or that he doesn't have the right to ask a lot of things, really - but this Claude can't let pass by. Maybe he's imagining it's another piece of the puzzle to understanding what's going on, or maybe that's overstating it, but he doesn't add anything else while looking back at Hilda evenly and waiting for her answer. ]
no subject
Perhaps on the next trip into the Horizon he can tackle that since now his attention goes to his healed hand and the realization that while he'd healed the scratch on Hilda's cheek, he hadn't done anything about her still wrapped hand. Now doesn't feel like the right time to reach for it as he waits for an answer to his question, and Claude can't help but ride out the sinking feeling which comes when Hilda says she doesn't know.
It makes an unfortunate amount of sense. Surprised isn't the right feeling to attach to it since it wasn't unexpected, and neither is the slight wilt plus what he recognizes as a drawing over a veil over the topic. An attempt at a misdirection of sorts, except that to Claude it feels like it reveals more than intended. His brow immediately furrows less in a frown than in thought; while access to her wardrobe would be a veritable bonus, it's the rest of it he doesn't buy. ]
Easier for who?
[ For all his modulation of his reactions well-practiced from years of making them be exactly what he wants someone else to see and nothing more, this one still takes a concerted effort to leave anything else he's feeling out of it. The question's said easy enough despite it being his only focus. Deliberately, no assumptions are put into it or behind the tone even though he doesn't believe she's merely talking about Sylvain's predilection for tidiness.
Any other time he might have let her get away from this with that sidestep. It wouldn't be a stretch to convince himself he doesn't have the right to ask this anymore - or that he doesn't have the right to ask a lot of things, really - but this Claude can't let pass by. Maybe he's imagining it's another piece of the puzzle to understanding what's going on, or maybe that's overstating it, but he doesn't add anything else while looking back at Hilda evenly and waiting for her answer. ]