The stallion he has chosen to approach doesn’t jump as if startled, and he even smiles as he offers a response to the roan’s greeting – and Cagney considers that a great success. He’s always been shy, even before everything else that had happened, so social interactions have been fraught with uncertainty – what do I say, how do I act? – and the success makes him a little bolder. And then surprised – because he hadn’t even noticed that the other stallion was blind.
(This is why he’s been hiding by himself for all these years. How stupid can he be?)
There’s nothing to say about that, I mean, he can’t exactly apologize. It’s not his fault the stranger is blind, even though he is sorry for it. But he also can’t say nothing (which is his default mode) because Tenebris certainly isn’t going to be able to read his facial expressions and body language like he usually relies on. “Oh, um, that’s ok. I’m just in front of you, and a little to your left…not wait, that’s my left.” He chuckles nervously at himself, “It’s your right.” This time when he smiles and Tenebris can’t see it, it’s a self-deprecating smile if ever there was one. Cagney will never be the sibling who turns into a mini-me of his father, because he’ll never have half the gumption Brennen does; it’s hard for him to see past his own limitations.
They share a darkness in their history, though of course they’d have to have a pretty in-depth conversation to find that out, and that would require Cagney to open up about his past. About the things he had done, or at least witnessed. About the monster he had saved.
(But oh, how he loved her. Even now, he loves the memory of her.)
“So, ah…where are you from? Do you live here?” It skirts around the real question in Cagney’s mind – because despite his lack of suaveness, he at least knows it would be exceedingly rude to ask why the dude’s blind.
it made perfect sense <3 Cagney is super rusty for me, so bear with me as well while I try to get back into the swing of him!