[Carlisle shakes his head.] No no, you're not making me uncomfortable. No more than I am in my own skin normally. As you said, you have not had a chance to unpack this, and much like the rest of your history, it... may help if you do.
[And ultimately, Carlisle can't help his own curiosity; he suspects Qubit is the same, despite the awkwardness still hanging in the air.
There's something about this tangent that makes the clergyman feel as though the Qubit he came to know isn't entirely gone. What's more, he feels grateful to be let in like this, allowed to witness Qubit tackling a subject even he himself has not dealt with. Perhaps they should take the opportunity to do so, now that it has presented itself — to examine this side of him that he has largely ignored. He may not find another chance to do so, and Carlisle does want to help, even if he's simply acting as an outlet for Qubit to dissect his own emotions.
While they may not have been romantic love, Carlisle has no doubt Qubit's feelings toward Tony were complicated even in the best of times, made all the more so now by what happened. It's no wonder he struggles between wanting to defend his former friend, and feeling guilty for doing so.
Discomfort or not, Carlisle decides to stick with the course. He has his own reasons.]
And... admittedly, I suppose I've never had anyone with whom I could discuss such things. I've never had anyone I truly trusted with them. [Letting people in has never been his forte, either.] If you'll forgive my earlier misstep, I would like to pursue this further for a bit longer. Perhaps it will help us understand one another better, or at least paint for me a clearer picture of you.
no subject
[And ultimately, Carlisle can't help his own curiosity; he suspects Qubit is the same, despite the awkwardness still hanging in the air.
There's something about this tangent that makes the clergyman feel as though the Qubit he came to know isn't entirely gone. What's more, he feels grateful to be let in like this, allowed to witness Qubit tackling a subject even he himself has not dealt with. Perhaps they should take the opportunity to do so, now that it has presented itself — to examine this side of him that he has largely ignored. He may not find another chance to do so, and Carlisle does want to help, even if he's simply acting as an outlet for Qubit to dissect his own emotions.
While they may not have been romantic love, Carlisle has no doubt Qubit's feelings toward Tony were complicated even in the best of times, made all the more so now by what happened. It's no wonder he struggles between wanting to defend his former friend, and feeling guilty for doing so.
Discomfort or not, Carlisle decides to stick with the course. He has his own reasons.]
And... admittedly, I suppose I've never had anyone with whom I could discuss such things. I've never had anyone I truly trusted with them. [Letting people in has never been his forte, either.] If you'll forgive my earlier misstep, I would like to pursue this further for a bit longer. Perhaps it will help us understand one another better, or at least paint for me a clearer picture of you.