04-05-2025, 09:54 PM
Nora looked around, her anxiety palpable. Something was wrong - very wrong. Claude was glad he had shown up, if for no other reason that to be there for her. She just needed to trust him. She always had just as he had always trusted her, but for her to be this anxious, she had to be in trouble, and he couldn’t let her face that alone - at least not without trying to do something about it; he couldn’t let her face it alone without knowing he was there for her.
Nora shot down her still hot drink and moved to go. Her words were odd and she didn’t even say good bye, only reinforcing Claude’s belief that something was wrong. She stood, putting on her coat, ready to leave. He couldn’t sit idly. He stood too, hurried, but not confrontational. Claude took her hand gently and lightly. It was meant only to grab her attention. She could easily pull from his grasp.
”Nora,” he said, his eyes showing deep compassion and his voice soft. His own anxiety sprang up within him, feeling like a molten torrent in his gut. ”What’s wrong?”
His words were accentuated by a tremor that ran through the building. He took Nora’s hand tighter to keep her stable. A few cups on the shelf fell to the ground and shattered. The feeling within him was gone, and he felt strangely calm. He looked around - it hadn’t been huge or anything, but the slight tremor in the earth had been odd. He cared little for it, his focus on Nora still.
”Are you alright?” he asked his question not only referring to the tremor.
Nora shot down her still hot drink and moved to go. Her words were odd and she didn’t even say good bye, only reinforcing Claude’s belief that something was wrong. She stood, putting on her coat, ready to leave. He couldn’t sit idly. He stood too, hurried, but not confrontational. Claude took her hand gently and lightly. It was meant only to grab her attention. She could easily pull from his grasp.
”Nora,” he said, his eyes showing deep compassion and his voice soft. His own anxiety sprang up within him, feeling like a molten torrent in his gut. ”What’s wrong?”
His words were accentuated by a tremor that ran through the building. He took Nora’s hand tighter to keep her stable. A few cups on the shelf fell to the ground and shattered. The feeling within him was gone, and he felt strangely calm. He looked around - it hadn’t been huge or anything, but the slight tremor in the earth had been odd. He cared little for it, his focus on Nora still.
”Are you alright?” he asked his question not only referring to the tremor.
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