[ That Dimitri promises to keep that secret just makes Claude smile something that's not quite genuine but could be. It's slowly dawned on him that for as much as he wants to shelter Dimitri from knowing anything he shouldn't, that also applies as much to his own younger self, as strange as it is to think about. There's too much at play here - for all of them - and too much yet to come in Dimitri's time, and for a fleeting moment he feels every single one of those years between them and then some.
But that heavy feeling of exhaustion's nothing new and hasn't been for some time before this, so Claude sets it aside to listen attentively to the answers given to his questions. Parts of it are not unexpected, given that they match his own thoughts and he'd like to think he could still guess how Dimitri's thought process works. The idealism in it is not unforeseen either; it sends another pang of nostalgia through him for the students they once were. ]
It's not childish to wish for better things. You'll do well to hang onto that view that more can be accomplished that way over any others. And no, that's not a hint about anything in the future. [ A quick grin to counter both the seriousness with which he'd started and to sprinkle in a little misdirection as well. ] Just a tip from someone who finds it very strange that he's more than old enough to be your older brother instead of your peer, for all these introductions have tossed us into.
Anyway. Your assessment of their military matches pretty well with what I noticed while I was staying out there. Bringing in others to help with a fight that's not our own seems rather disorganized at best. Even the Alliance was more organized than that, and that's really saying something. I made a point of getting out as soon as I could to avoid being involved.
[ The pause in which Claude reaches for his own tea to take a sip is definitely a pointed one, if Dimitri was wondering. ]
There has to be a lot that they're sharing with us, and that doesn't bode well for anyone they're asking to join their cause. What they've told you and everyone else upon arriving is the cleanest version of it: a nice little spiel meant to make you inclined to help. But I wouldn't recommend it. Not for you or anyone else, Dimitri.
[ Though that usual genial expression on his face Claude's carried with him through the years never once fades, the underlying message will likely still be clear: don't make him drag you out of the barracks. ]
no subject
But that heavy feeling of exhaustion's nothing new and hasn't been for some time before this, so Claude sets it aside to listen attentively to the answers given to his questions. Parts of it are not unexpected, given that they match his own thoughts and he'd like to think he could still guess how Dimitri's thought process works. The idealism in it is not unforeseen either; it sends another pang of nostalgia through him for the students they once were. ]
It's not childish to wish for better things. You'll do well to hang onto that view that more can be accomplished that way over any others. And no, that's not a hint about anything in the future. [ A quick grin to counter both the seriousness with which he'd started and to sprinkle in a little misdirection as well. ] Just a tip from someone who finds it very strange that he's more than old enough to be your older brother instead of your peer, for all these introductions have tossed us into.
Anyway. Your assessment of their military matches pretty well with what I noticed while I was staying out there. Bringing in others to help with a fight that's not our own seems rather disorganized at best. Even the Alliance was more organized than that, and that's really saying something. I made a point of getting out as soon as I could to avoid being involved.
[ The pause in which Claude reaches for his own tea to take a sip is definitely a pointed one, if Dimitri was wondering. ]
There has to be a lot that they're sharing with us, and that doesn't bode well for anyone they're asking to join their cause. What they've told you and everyone else upon arriving is the cleanest version of it: a nice little spiel meant to make you inclined to help. But I wouldn't recommend it. Not for you or anyone else, Dimitri.
[ Though that usual genial expression on his face Claude's carried with him through the years never once fades, the underlying message will likely still be clear: don't make him drag you out of the barracks. ]