[It's a solid hour or three after the fiasco over on Flat's post. Claude doesn't want to say too much over the network, he's already said too much over the network. But he can't leave things as they are and, tempting though it had been in the immediate panic afterward, he didn't want to alert any of her friends to... whatever this was.
So instead, this is what she gets. Edited and reworked and precise to give her as much reassurance as he can without giving too much away.]
Bernadetta, I know you're upset and you have every right to be. This isn't the sort of thing I'm any good at and what I said was not meant to be hurtful but I can understand how it was.
You didn't do anything wrong. It was nice and I'm glad you didn't feel like you needed to run away. I don't want you to feel unsafe with me. Just like you said, when you gave me your earring.
That is something that takes time, though. Should take time. The fact that it didn't makes me suspect there's something else at work here, some magic with the gems and synchrony. Maybe we really do just resonate with each other really well. But there's too much possibility of an external influence for me to fully trust that. Or, as you probably gathered, to fully trust anything.
I didn't mean to dismiss it or your feelings. The potential for interference is concerning, though. It's frightening to think that we could be so easily manipulated. The fact that it was out of character for both of us only makes that worse. Still none of that is your fault. I'm not denying that there were certain feelings there. I merely worry that some part of it pushed the both of us to act outside our normal behaviors.
It was a first for both of us and I do not regret it but it does make me wonder.
I'm sorry I upset you.
-C
[Saying that some of the possibilities are frightening and concerning is as close as he can get to outright saying that he's scared.]
no subject
So instead, this is what she gets. Edited and reworked and precise to give her as much reassurance as he can without giving too much away.]
Bernadetta,
I know you're upset and you have every right to be. This isn't the sort of thing I'm any good at and what I said was not meant to be hurtful but I can understand how it was.
You didn't do anything wrong. It was nice and I'm glad you didn't feel like you needed to run away. I don't want you to feel unsafe with me. Just like you said, when you gave me your earring.
That is something that takes time, though. Should take time. The fact that it didn't makes me suspect there's something else at work here, some magic with the gems and synchrony. Maybe we really do just resonate with each other really well. But there's too much possibility of an external influence for me to fully trust that. Or, as you probably gathered, to fully trust anything.
I didn't mean to dismiss it or your feelings. The potential for interference is concerning, though. It's frightening to think that we could be so easily manipulated. The fact that it was out of character for both of us only makes that worse. Still none of that is your fault. I'm not denying that there were certain feelings there. I merely worry that some part of it pushed the both of us to act outside our normal behaviors.
It was a first for both of us and I do not regret it but it does make me wonder.
I'm sorry I upset you.
-C
[Saying that some of the possibilities are frightening and concerning is as close as he can get to outright saying that he's scared.]