[ It's for Amos. He'd hate saying as much, but he's only doing this because it's for Amos.
Gen doesn't particularly like dealing with kids -- holds no real malice towards them, but also doesn't like having to be around them. Because when they're miserable, it reminds him too much of the worst moments of his life; when they're happy and stupid and innocent, it makes him think too much of what he should have had, but never really got the chance to experience. So he knows that it's best for everyone involved that he simply exit the premises whenever a child is present. He doesn't really like kids.
The main reason why he tolerates this, why he puts actual effort in trying to calm this kid down, and why he breathes a quiet sigh of relief in hearing the kid's voice lighten up, is because he's all too aware of the way the distress radiating off of Amos from behind him eases off bit by bit.
He'd been giving the kid a dubious glance up past the shadow of his brow as he approached, but Gen doesn't back away. And even when he hears Amos utter that unfamiliar name -- Timmy? -- he only gives a curious flick of the ear. Then he heaves a quiet sigh before ducking his head to better angle into the curious cup of a small palm. ]
Fine. [ A pointy ear twitches, quivering slightly at the tip. ] Just don't yank on'em. It'll hurt like normal.
[ The fur there is short and a little coarse to touch, but stroking those ears along with the grain feels silky and smooth. Gen keeps his head ducked and still, resisting the urge to flick his ears whenever he feels the touch of small fingertips. ]
... s'good to focus on stuff like this. Little things. Stuff you find fun. [ Gen closes his eyes before continuing quietly. ] When things get hard, try to think about stuff like this. -- I'll kill anyone you need, but ... [ he can't, because this is all in the past ] ... it'll still be good to keep that in mind.
[ It's terrible advice, he knows. Not the sort of thing any responsible adult would condone. But if this version of Amos was under the care of an adult who simply let 'things' happen to him, then -- there probably are no responsible adults around him. What else is there, then? Hedonism and vices were the only things that had kept him sane during his younger years. Maybe they might have helped for Amos, too. ]
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Gen doesn't particularly like dealing with kids -- holds no real malice towards them, but also doesn't like having to be around them. Because when they're miserable, it reminds him too much of the worst moments of his life; when they're happy and stupid and innocent, it makes him think too much of what he should have had, but never really got the chance to experience. So he knows that it's best for everyone involved that he simply exit the premises whenever a child is present. He doesn't really like kids.
The main reason why he tolerates this, why he puts actual effort in trying to calm this kid down, and why he breathes a quiet sigh of relief in hearing the kid's voice lighten up, is because he's all too aware of the way the distress radiating off of Amos from behind him eases off bit by bit.
He'd been giving the kid a dubious glance up past the shadow of his brow as he approached, but Gen doesn't back away. And even when he hears Amos utter that unfamiliar name -- Timmy? -- he only gives a curious flick of the ear. Then he heaves a quiet sigh before ducking his head to better angle into the curious cup of a small palm. ]
Fine. [ A pointy ear twitches, quivering slightly at the tip. ] Just don't yank on'em. It'll hurt like normal.
[ The fur there is short and a little coarse to touch, but stroking those ears along with the grain feels silky and smooth. Gen keeps his head ducked and still, resisting the urge to flick his ears whenever he feels the touch of small fingertips. ]
... s'good to focus on stuff like this. Little things. Stuff you find fun. [ Gen closes his eyes before continuing quietly. ] When things get hard, try to think about stuff like this. -- I'll kill anyone you need, but ... [ he can't, because this is all in the past ] ... it'll still be good to keep that in mind.
[ It's terrible advice, he knows. Not the sort of thing any responsible adult would condone. But if this version of Amos was under the care of an adult who simply let 'things' happen to him, then -- there probably are no responsible adults around him. What else is there, then? Hedonism and vices were the only things that had kept him sane during his younger years. Maybe they might have helped for Amos, too. ]