[Albert is truly worried about whether Moran will judge him a coward by those words, whether he'll see him unfit to follow. Whether this is the end for the two of them, and the years they've spent by William's side.
It's... both better and much, much worse than that. He almost wishes Moran had hated him for it. He may be terrible at expressing his own emotions, but he's fairly adept at seeing what his words are doing to others.]
My hands are still stained. I'll live with what I've done, and I'll atone for it in my own time.
[He looks at Moran resolutely, then plants his hands on the man's shoulders.]
No one else needs to bear the burden of what I wished into the world. I still will never call on you to do something I wouldn't do myself.
[Though he won't speak for William. Moran and William's direct connection is none of his business. If William arrives, they can discuss things then. If William arrives, things will change. Albert will always live for his brother's plans and wishes.]
For now, we use our time wisely. We keep our skills sharp, of course. I'll ingratiate myself with the local population and the Gembonded and find my way into the political structure. If our usual way is the only way, I'll accept that. If William arrives and tells me otherwise, I'll accept that as well. For now... We must both be better. To give William half a chance, we need a foothold, and we have none of the advantages I had back in London.
[This means planning, working, focusing on accruing resources like money... Anything and everything Albert can do to build status.]
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It's... both better and much, much worse than that. He almost wishes Moran had hated him for it. He may be terrible at expressing his own emotions, but he's fairly adept at seeing what his words are doing to others.]
My hands are still stained. I'll live with what I've done, and I'll atone for it in my own time.
[He looks at Moran resolutely, then plants his hands on the man's shoulders.]
No one else needs to bear the burden of what I wished into the world. I still will never call on you to do something I wouldn't do myself.
[Though he won't speak for William. Moran and William's direct connection is none of his business. If William arrives, they can discuss things then. If William arrives, things will change. Albert will always live for his brother's plans and wishes.]
For now, we use our time wisely. We keep our skills sharp, of course. I'll ingratiate myself with the local population and the Gembonded and find my way into the political structure. If our usual way is the only way, I'll accept that. If William arrives and tells me otherwise, I'll accept that as well. For now... We must both be better. To give William half a chance, we need a foothold, and we have none of the advantages I had back in London.
[This means planning, working, focusing on accruing resources like money... Anything and everything Albert can do to build status.]