If James's surprise is obvious, so is the brief flicker of relief in Horatio's features. Even if the pessimistic piece of him is fairly certain that tributes with a lick of training are more than capable of feigning surprise, it still feels oddly comforting to have some sense that others have faces capable of betraying emotion.
That's followed, of course, by another heartbeat of relief for the fact that Pellew can't see the continued mobility of his own face before he turns to follow James.
Having someone else to point him in the right direction starts to relax the tension in his shoulders. Having something like a first step--a proper jumping off point in this sea of unknowns--is quietly reassuring.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2017-07-30 02:51 pm (UTC)That's followed, of course, by another heartbeat of relief for the fact that Pellew can't see the continued mobility of his own face before he turns to follow James.
Having someone else to point him in the right direction starts to relax the tension in his shoulders. Having something like a first step--a proper jumping off point in this sea of unknowns--is quietly reassuring.
"Just like harvesting, isn't it?"