[Eight should have known. Eleven had been the first one of them she'd met, and they do tend to make an impression. Her words settle on him like a weight, and he can only nod for a few moments.
And then, the reminder of Charley, and what he'd done to hurt her, hits him like a slap in the face and his head snaps up, the cup in his hands going back to the table. He has no right to be upset. Not after what he'd done. Yes, Charley had been gone when he'd slept with Rose, but Nine hadn't, and that guilt is still a cold lump in his chest. It's why he's kept his distance from Rose since she returned.]
I...see.
[Maybe. Or maybe he doesn't see at all, but what can he do? This is her culture. They're so open and free with their feelings. What right does he have to say anything about it?]
I'd thought, perhaps, that we'd had...something...
[He shakes his head in return, banishing the thought. Something what? Special? Different? Theirs? It's a stupid notion, now that he thinks about it.]
I don't have any hold on you, Ril, and my assumptions should have no bearing on the choices you make and the people you choose to be with. But... you have to know that we're not exactly the same. We're all the Doctor, but we have our own piece of this life. Our own personalities. We're not--
[Eight clamps his mouth shut before he continues that sentence. Of course she doesn't consider them interchangeable. Alright, so maybe he's a bit more hurt than he wants to admit. Not that he deserves to be.]
I have no right to say anything about this, Ril. I'm...glad he loves you. You deserve to be loved. He's lost his wife, and Inara's gone. Maybe this will be good for him.
[His hands lie flat on the table, as if he's about to push himself to standing, but he can't manage to bring himself to go. So, he remains sitting.]
no subject
[Eight should have known. Eleven had been the first one of them she'd met, and they do tend to make an impression. Her words settle on him like a weight, and he can only nod for a few moments.
And then, the reminder of Charley, and what he'd done to hurt her, hits him like a slap in the face and his head snaps up, the cup in his hands going back to the table. He has no right to be upset. Not after what he'd done. Yes, Charley had been gone when he'd slept with Rose, but Nine hadn't, and that guilt is still a cold lump in his chest. It's why he's kept his distance from Rose since she returned.]
I...see.
[Maybe. Or maybe he doesn't see at all, but what can he do? This is her culture. They're so open and free with their feelings. What right does he have to say anything about it?]
I'd thought, perhaps, that we'd had...something...
[He shakes his head in return, banishing the thought. Something what? Special? Different? Theirs? It's a stupid notion, now that he thinks about it.]
I don't have any hold on you, Ril, and my assumptions should have no bearing on the choices you make and the people you choose to be with. But... you have to know that we're not exactly the same. We're all the Doctor, but we have our own piece of this life. Our own personalities. We're not--
[Eight clamps his mouth shut before he continues that sentence. Of course she doesn't consider them interchangeable. Alright, so maybe he's a bit more hurt than he wants to admit. Not that he deserves to be.]
I have no right to say anything about this, Ril. I'm...glad he loves you. You deserve to be loved. He's lost his wife, and Inara's gone. Maybe this will be good for him.
[His hands lie flat on the table, as if he's about to push himself to standing, but he can't manage to bring himself to go. So, he remains sitting.]