Pssh. 'Everything I've done'? It was hardly a sacrifice, getting the chance to talk to an intriguing stranger. One of my favorite pastimes, in fact.
[ It's an obvious distortion of the truth; it had been awful, kneeling there and witnessing every second of Astarion's agony, powerless to do anything. But Nikolai presents this re-writing of history to Astarion: an offer. His own inclination is to immediately minimize the seriousness of any terrible thing that might have happened to him. If Astarion wants to play the game of denial, Nikolai is indicating that he will follow along without missing a beat.
He gets to his feet, scooping up the little ball he'd given Astarion in the hopes of grounding him and tucking it away in an inner pocket of his jacket without comment. Nikolai stays close - not enough to smother, he hopes, but near enough that he has some chance of catching Astarion if he were to collapse again. ]
I hope it's not too brazen to offer, but if this Cazador is here, I hope you'll consider me an ally against him.
[ Nikolai stays by Astarion's side as they move through the store, giving a fluid sort of shrug as he explains: ]
You see, I happen to hate bullies and slavers and tyrants of all sorts.
[ In his own world, Nikolai's ability to act against such people has always been somewhat constrained by his status. Kings may have a great deal of power, but they also have limitations. Here, none of that applies, and for once Nikolai and the monster that's mostly dormant inside him are in complete agreement: some people just deserve to be torn to pieces. ]
no subject
[ It's an obvious distortion of the truth; it had been awful, kneeling there and witnessing every second of Astarion's agony, powerless to do anything. But Nikolai presents this re-writing of history to Astarion: an offer. His own inclination is to immediately minimize the seriousness of any terrible thing that might have happened to him. If Astarion wants to play the game of denial, Nikolai is indicating that he will follow along without missing a beat.
He gets to his feet, scooping up the little ball he'd given Astarion in the hopes of grounding him and tucking it away in an inner pocket of his jacket without comment. Nikolai stays close - not enough to smother, he hopes, but near enough that he has some chance of catching Astarion if he were to collapse again. ]
I hope it's not too brazen to offer, but if this Cazador is here, I hope you'll consider me an ally against him.
[ Nikolai stays by Astarion's side as they move through the store, giving a fluid sort of shrug as he explains: ]
You see, I happen to hate bullies and slavers and tyrants of all sorts.
[ In his own world, Nikolai's ability to act against such people has always been somewhat constrained by his status. Kings may have a great deal of power, but they also have limitations. Here, none of that applies, and for once Nikolai and the monster that's mostly dormant inside him are in complete agreement: some people just deserve to be torn to pieces. ]