Pairing: Karl Thekla/Elsa
Prompt: Glower
The Way You Look at Me
He watched her from across the table. He paid attention to every movement she made as she carefully poured just the right amount of the proper substance into the vial. Alchemy had never been his specialty, but now, there seemed to be a certain appeal to it.
It was measured.
It was complete.
It was black and white.
There were no shades of grey where a potion was concerned. It either worked, or it did not.
And that suited Karl just fine.
There was order in such things. There was tidiness. It was calm. You could expect things to be the same…over and over.
When he looked back over at her, he met her eyes.
"You do not look at me the same way you used to, Karl Thekla," she observed nonchalantly.
"I do not recall how I used to look at you, Elsa," he replied, just as dispassionately as she.
"I would not fault you for the expression that used to appear on your face," she admitted. "You used to appear angry. You would glower at me. Though I recognize that it was not me you were glaring at. It was this."
He watched her hand as it moved from where it rested on the table…saw the finger that pointed…and observed as she set it in the direction of the starburst upon her forehead.
And he knew. He understood.
Everything was clear when the brand was placed.
"I am neither pleased nor displeased with the way you look at me now," she said matter-of-factly.
"As to be expected," he replied.
And their work carried on with no further interaction.
It always did. And it always would.