[ At first Ben isn't sure if that reminder is a good thing - 'someone I know' is a very neutral phrase, after all. But then he glances over and sees that smile and he's pretty sure it is someone Kieran liked, not his worst enemy or anything like that. Still, he knows that reminders of home can be painful in this place. Ben is a hell of a lot happier being in this place than most, and even he has run into some painful moments of homesickness. ]
Someone special?
[ It's a gentle prompt; if Kieran doesn't want to talk about them, he could dodge it with a mere word or two. But if he does want to, Ben has opened that door, invited him to say more. ]
You should come by the library sometime. I bet I could find you a book you'd really like.
[ He almost asks if Kieran knows how to read - the old-timey clothes and manner suggest he might be from a different time and you couldn't just assume people are literate, but he can't quite bring himself to ask, in case it's completely insulting.
Instead of that, he looks sidelong at the horse, whose tail is flicking but whose ears aren't facing backward anymore, and who seems a little less restless, at least to Ben's eyes. Without turning to Kieran, he gives a small shrug. He isn't sure why he chooses to say what he says next. Maybe what Kieran had said about getting along with animals more than people had made Ben trust him, a little more than he'd be inclined to otherwise...]
I grew up in a place that could be... bad. When things were hard, I would pick up a book and lose myself in somebody else's story for a while. It made things easier. To forget about my life, temporarily, and just - get lost.
no subject
Someone special?
[ It's a gentle prompt; if Kieran doesn't want to talk about them, he could dodge it with a mere word or two. But if he does want to, Ben has opened that door, invited him to say more. ]
You should come by the library sometime. I bet I could find you a book you'd really like.
[ He almost asks if Kieran knows how to read - the old-timey clothes and manner suggest he might be from a different time and you couldn't just assume people are literate, but he can't quite bring himself to ask, in case it's completely insulting.
Instead of that, he looks sidelong at the horse, whose tail is flicking but whose ears aren't facing backward anymore, and who seems a little less restless, at least to Ben's eyes. Without turning to Kieran, he gives a small shrug. He isn't sure why he chooses to say what he says next. Maybe what Kieran had said about getting along with animals more than people had made Ben trust him, a little more than he'd be inclined to otherwise...]
I grew up in a place that could be... bad. When things were hard, I would pick up a book and lose myself in somebody else's story for a while. It made things easier. To forget about my life, temporarily, and just - get lost.