Not necessarily... Initially he struggled to grasp Falynn's answer, but she continued. He floated in unknown waters, looking up innocently and trying to understand. The formality in her tone, while perhaps sounding cold, gifted him with something no one had ever given him before. She was taking him seriously. She was regarding him with respect, a respect reserved for adults. She respected his perspective. He could be helpful. He wanted to go with them.
Her side-glance gave him a moment to gulp down his anxieties and blink through the pressure of this moment. It was getting real. It wasn't about emotions or impulse. What mattered was whether or not he could contribute to the group. Well, not just that. She had asked him what he wanted. But he wanted to measure up to her expectations. He wanted to address the decision with as much respect as she gave him. He couldn't just jump for joy and wildly leap into her arms.
This felt familiar. He nodded, fully engaged as a good listener like his master had taught him. Well, sometimes. But that was then and this is now. He wasn't a kid anymore. Her advice strengthened him. It made sense, and made him feel like he was home. She gave him a choice. He'd never felt so grown up. It was a pivotal moment, a coming of age.
His chin lifted, confident. His arms rested at his sides, relaxed. His hands balled into fists, solemn. His chest filled, proud. He was part of this team, an equal, a man, an adult. And he turned then to the approaching Ranger Emblai and looked her square in the eyes, as determined as ever. Then she gave him the news.
"...Yah!"
He jumped for joy and wildly leapt into her arms. Throwing himself onto Miss Bast with a big hug without a second's thought, Haji was, at least in this moment, back to his old self. Ecstatic and unsophisticated, he was all in for this team. This was his new family.
@TerranSteel
@FireSong
@Kestrel
Her side-glance gave him a moment to gulp down his anxieties and blink through the pressure of this moment. It was getting real. It wasn't about emotions or impulse. What mattered was whether or not he could contribute to the group. Well, not just that. She had asked him what he wanted. But he wanted to measure up to her expectations. He wanted to address the decision with as much respect as she gave him. He couldn't just jump for joy and wildly leap into her arms.
This felt familiar. He nodded, fully engaged as a good listener like his master had taught him. Well, sometimes. But that was then and this is now. He wasn't a kid anymore. Her advice strengthened him. It made sense, and made him feel like he was home. She gave him a choice. He'd never felt so grown up. It was a pivotal moment, a coming of age.
His chin lifted, confident. His arms rested at his sides, relaxed. His hands balled into fists, solemn. His chest filled, proud. He was part of this team, an equal, a man, an adult. And he turned then to the approaching Ranger Emblai and looked her square in the eyes, as determined as ever. Then she gave him the news.
"...Yah!"
He jumped for joy and wildly leapt into her arms. Throwing himself onto Miss Bast with a big hug without a second's thought, Haji was, at least in this moment, back to his old self. Ecstatic and unsophisticated, he was all in for this team. This was his new family.
@TerranSteel
@FireSong
@Kestrel