Relief seeped through him at Art's answer. He hadn't really expected him to say no, but it was something to have gotten it out there, all the same. One more thing that he could push off of the pile of things he had to think about. It wouldn't go away, of course, not really, but it could become part of that background noise that he was holding back instead of something he had to consciously think about and worry about. It could just wait, until the next time it swelled up and overwhelmed him along with everything else.
"Her name's Dionisia Fisk," he said, which was maybe not something he ought to share with Art — he hadn't cleared it with her, anyway, and it was a little incriminating for a stranger to know that sort of thing about her. Art would need to know if he was going to tell her, though, and Ben was sure she would have wanted to hear about it from a real person instead of from the newspaper. "You could just write her. That's probably easier. She — ah, she already knows about the duel," he admitted, a little sheepish. Dionisia knew, but Melody didn't, which was probably wrong. He hadn't been planning to tell Dionisia, though; it had just sort of come out in the hallway because he couldn't think of any way to get out of the conversation without telling her, and he — hadn't exactly been in the best state of mind that night, anyway. Melody, on the other hand, he'd been intentionally avoiding since this issue of the duel had come up. Even weak as she was, he thought she would guess that something was wrong with him, and if she questioned him the same way Dionisia had and it just came out he didn't know how she would react. And if she asked him, the way Dionisia had asked him, not to do it... he didn't know what he would do. Because he couldn't let Macmillan ruin his sister's life, and he couldn't trust that November would protect herself when she was so fragile and naive, but he also didn't think that he could look Melody in the eyes and tell her that yes, he was going through with this even though there was a chance their child might grow up fatherless because of it.
That wasn't going to happen. He was going to be fine. No one was dying at this duel tomorrow. Ben, especially, was not dying at this duel tomorrow.
"Is he a good healer?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was coming from somewhere far away instead of from him. "Your cousin?"
MJ made this <3
"Her name's Dionisia Fisk," he said, which was maybe not something he ought to share with Art — he hadn't cleared it with her, anyway, and it was a little incriminating for a stranger to know that sort of thing about her. Art would need to know if he was going to tell her, though, and Ben was sure she would have wanted to hear about it from a real person instead of from the newspaper. "You could just write her. That's probably easier. She — ah, she already knows about the duel," he admitted, a little sheepish. Dionisia knew, but Melody didn't, which was probably wrong. He hadn't been planning to tell Dionisia, though; it had just sort of come out in the hallway because he couldn't think of any way to get out of the conversation without telling her, and he — hadn't exactly been in the best state of mind that night, anyway. Melody, on the other hand, he'd been intentionally avoiding since this issue of the duel had come up. Even weak as she was, he thought she would guess that something was wrong with him, and if she questioned him the same way Dionisia had and it just came out he didn't know how she would react. And if she asked him, the way Dionisia had asked him, not to do it... he didn't know what he would do. Because he couldn't let Macmillan ruin his sister's life, and he couldn't trust that November would protect herself when she was so fragile and naive, but he also didn't think that he could look Melody in the eyes and tell her that yes, he was going through with this even though there was a chance their child might grow up fatherless because of it.
That wasn't going to happen. He was going to be fine. No one was dying at this duel tomorrow. Ben, especially, was not dying at this duel tomorrow.
"Is he a good healer?" he asked, his voice sounding like it was coming from somewhere far away instead of from him. "Your cousin?"
MJ made this <3