In point of fact, Allumin knows Diabhall better than many do, even back where they came from - the trouble is, of course, that he can't remember most of it yet. Often, Diabhall has considered sitting him down and simply telling him, at length, more about himself...but knowing what he himself knows of emotionally-charged memories and trauma, he has, until this point, kept most of it close to the chest until the younger elf is ready to hear it.
That does complicate things now, mind. And of course Allumin is right...they have both changed.
He just doesn't know to what extent.
"I may not have to apologize, but it is what is correct."
The silence broken and the topic moving along in a businesslike fashion (that's what this is, right? Allumin has been kind to him, of course, but - oh, what is going ON-), Diabhall continues to detangle his very long hair with his fingers, long-since already washed.
"...I would appreciate that, actually. I personally suspect some manner of brain damage," tone still light, chilly, despite the implications of the statement. "But I can't rule anything out as of this moment. I do not want to be kept from my work, but if something is wrong and it should become a problem...well. We can't have that."
Now that they are both talking, the older elf has shifted to his usual affect in these situations...unashamed of his own body, and paying no mind at all to Allumin seeing it. (In fact, might he be stealing the occasional sharp, rosy glance at his compatriot's muscles? Surely, surely not, right?)
After all, whether he recalls it or not, this is far from the first time they have bathed together.
His eyebrows raise at Diabhall's own theory - he highly doubts it's actually that, but he won't say anything about his own for now -, and then he remembers that such a thing is a serious matter to think about and that he should probably have a more considerate and thoughtful expression about this. He tries to make a smooth transition into a pensive nod, but if Diabhall knows him well enough then he will probably recognize the performative nature of it.
"We can try looking into that too - I'm not sure how the magic works exactly for healing here and if there's any way that they can identify physiological anomalies, but it's worth asking to be sure," he says, sort of an appeasement to show that he's listening to the other man's concerns wholly. As he speaks, he sinks down into the bath and leans his head back just enough to make sure that his hair is all wet for washing. Then, he rises back up from the water and begins the careful process of getting it all clean. It keeps his focus mostly on the task at hand, meaning that Diabhall can steal as many looks as he likes without Allumin being acutely aware that he's being watched.
"What will you do if it's something else?" An attempt to pinpoint how, if at all, to propose his own thoughts on the matter at hand.
And of course, of course, Diabhall knows better. He can spot that he is being humored, and for just a moment, that bright gaze of his sharpens, brows drawing together by a fraction, something inside him twisting up. To Diabhall, an anomaly, strangeness, something to be shaken off and dismissed.
To Allumin? A clear expression of frustration, something alien on the face of the elder elf. Something Wrong.
He shakes it quickly, looking away, then back towards Allumin as he sets to washing his hair. Realizing the attention is off of him, he openly watches, enjoying the sight of well-toned muscle in the midst of a strange and uncomfortable (what?) conversation.
The question makes him freeze up. Why does it make him freeze up?
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no subject
That does complicate things now, mind. And of course Allumin is right...they have both changed.
He just doesn't know to what extent.
"I may not have to apologize, but it is what is correct."
The silence broken and the topic moving along in a businesslike fashion (that's what this is, right? Allumin has been kind to him, of course, but - oh, what is going ON-), Diabhall continues to detangle his very long hair with his fingers, long-since already washed.
"...I would appreciate that, actually. I personally suspect some manner of brain damage," tone still light, chilly, despite the implications of the statement. "But I can't rule anything out as of this moment. I do not want to be kept from my work, but if something is wrong and it should become a problem...well. We can't have that."
Now that they are both talking, the older elf has shifted to his usual affect in these situations...unashamed of his own body, and paying no mind at all to Allumin seeing it. (In fact, might he be stealing the occasional sharp, rosy glance at his compatriot's muscles? Surely, surely not, right?)
After all, whether he recalls it or not, this is far from the first time they have bathed together.
no subject
"We can try looking into that too - I'm not sure how the magic works exactly for healing here and if there's any way that they can identify physiological anomalies, but it's worth asking to be sure," he says, sort of an appeasement to show that he's listening to the other man's concerns wholly. As he speaks, he sinks down into the bath and leans his head back just enough to make sure that his hair is all wet for washing. Then, he rises back up from the water and begins the careful process of getting it all clean. It keeps his focus mostly on the task at hand, meaning that Diabhall can steal as many looks as he likes without Allumin being acutely aware that he's being watched.
"What will you do if it's something else?" An attempt to pinpoint how, if at all, to propose his own thoughts on the matter at hand.
no subject
To Allumin? A clear expression of frustration, something alien on the face of the elder elf. Something Wrong.
He shakes it quickly, looking away, then back towards Allumin as he sets to washing his hair. Realizing the attention is off of him, he openly watches, enjoying the sight of well-toned muscle in the midst of a strange and uncomfortable (what?) conversation.
The question makes him freeze up. Why does it make him freeze up?
"...Something else? Such as?"
His tone is...off. Tight.
Anxious.