Claude studies Felix through the screen, but since Felix isn't looking at him, he misses Claude's little smile. He also misses when Claude quietly turns the video off.
This isn't the end of the conversation, however. Quiet footsteps are heard outside of Felix's door just a few moments later, and then Claude is letting himself into the room. He shuts the door behind him before moving directly over to Felix, reaching out to stroke a hand through his hair and then down his cheek to cup his face.
Now, Felix can see Claude's slight smile. "I think you're right not to say things to Sylvain that you don't yet believe," he murmurs. "It wouldn't help him, because I think he'd feel that the words were hollow. And you do need to have more faith in yourself and the people around you, sunshine...but it doesn't need to be blind faith. I was never asking you to have faith in something you've got no reason to believe in.
"I want you to have faith in yourself because you've already shown that it's justified. Like you said, you've started to open up here. You've given Sylvain a good life and a future full of happiness and promise here. You've changed here, haven't you? If you needed to close yourself off during the war to keep going, that's understandable, and that very well could be the reason why the you back home hasn't made the developments you have yet. But you've seen in yourself, here, how much not having a war on your plate can let you change. Now that the war in Sylvain's time back home is over...can't you trust that the Felix there can make the same changes? Can open up the same way, given the same sort of opportunity? He might have more responsibilities there, I'll grant you, but his priorities won't be any different. And Sylvain is one of Felix Fraldarius' very highest priorities."
He strokes his thumb over Felix's cheek. "So this faith...it isn't blind faith. It isn't hoping for something you have no proof could ever happen. I'm asking you to trust that the same person will make the same sorts of choices you already know he's made before, when given a chance. That's barely even faith. It's more like trusting you to believe in the balance of probability, when you already know what's probable because it's already happened once. You can do that, can't you?"
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2021-03-23 04:13 am (UTC)This isn't the end of the conversation, however. Quiet footsteps are heard outside of Felix's door just a few moments later, and then Claude is letting himself into the room. He shuts the door behind him before moving directly over to Felix, reaching out to stroke a hand through his hair and then down his cheek to cup his face.
Now, Felix can see Claude's slight smile. "I think you're right not to say things to Sylvain that you don't yet believe," he murmurs. "It wouldn't help him, because I think he'd feel that the words were hollow. And you do need to have more faith in yourself and the people around you, sunshine...but it doesn't need to be blind faith. I was never asking you to have faith in something you've got no reason to believe in.
"I want you to have faith in yourself because you've already shown that it's justified. Like you said, you've started to open up here. You've given Sylvain a good life and a future full of happiness and promise here. You've changed here, haven't you? If you needed to close yourself off during the war to keep going, that's understandable, and that very well could be the reason why the you back home hasn't made the developments you have yet. But you've seen in yourself, here, how much not having a war on your plate can let you change. Now that the war in Sylvain's time back home is over...can't you trust that the Felix there can make the same changes? Can open up the same way, given the same sort of opportunity? He might have more responsibilities there, I'll grant you, but his priorities won't be any different. And Sylvain is one of Felix Fraldarius' very highest priorities."
He strokes his thumb over Felix's cheek. "So this faith...it isn't blind faith. It isn't hoping for something you have no proof could ever happen. I'm asking you to trust that the same person will make the same sorts of choices you already know he's made before, when given a chance. That's barely even faith. It's more like trusting you to believe in the balance of probability, when you already know what's probable because it's already happened once. You can do that, can't you?"