[It's precisely what she needs to hear, and it warms some of the ice she's gathered to steel herself against the white-hot rage and the worry and the fear that are crippling her. Her pack needs her so much it feels crushing, and so many of them she just can't burden...
It's less that Duke is an equal. It's that he's been there, and so she can lean on him a little more. She can roll her eyes when he calls her Katniss Everdeen and let him sometimes feed her and spar with him in the gym despite the fact he won't throw a punch, because talking to him is comforting.
So the smile she gets is genuine...and at the same time, she feels herself break a little because it's Duke and he's strong, and she feels so weak right then...]
Nah, I'm okay on my own. [She manages a dismissive smile...but yeah, it's unconvincing and she is LYING.] Thanks, though. I'm just gonna shoot a little longer.
[private]
It's less that Duke is an equal. It's that he's been there, and so she can lean on him a little more. She can roll her eyes when he calls her Katniss Everdeen and let him sometimes feed her and spar with him in the gym despite the fact he won't throw a punch, because talking to him is comforting.
So the smile she gets is genuine...and at the same time, she feels herself break a little because it's Duke and he's strong, and she feels so weak right then...]
Nah, I'm okay on my own. [She manages a dismissive smile...but yeah, it's unconvincing and she is LYING.] Thanks, though. I'm just gonna shoot a little longer.
[Yup. Like. A. Dog.]