"Oh, thank the Gods," Clarus says abruptly, putting his hands on his hips and smiling. "Finally, I see you uninjured."
"Hello, Clarus," Einherji says, rather demurely in his mind. "It's nice to see you too. You have a day off this time?"
"Nye's incapacitated," Clarus says. "The Sanctuary's upset. Thinks it's done something terribly wrong. I'd be filling in for it, of course, but there's the issue of them not trusting me at all." There's something a little sulky in his eyes. "I'd have been fine," he says. "It was the Remnant that killed Kenspeckle. Not me. They should know that by now."
"It's not just that," Einherji says without thinking. "It's that they think that you're loyal to the Nye."
"No, Einherji, it's that they think that I'm crazy." There's something shining in Clarus's eyes, and Einherji doesn't even want to begin to understand what that is.
"They're silly, then," Einherji says after a moment, has thought about it this time, steps a little closer to Clarus and after little more than an instant of hesitation, rather awkwardly embraces the rather smaller, thinner man.
"You're terrible at hugging," Clarus says conversationally. "Thank you for the sentiment, though."
"You're welcome."
A/N: I rather enjoy their relationship now that I've gotten used to it. It's still a little messed up, but it would be silly to expect that a genderswap would fix that.
~Mademise Morte, September 11, 2012.