Don't Rock the Boat

The short man flushed at his obvious misstep, turning to look at a nearby kayak as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Oh, oh, oh, he was going to figure it out, that Uwe was nothing and no one and didn't deserve to be here and didn't have any loyalty to the "cause", but only a vague sense of loyalty to the worthless being that was himself. One little misstep, one little mistake - he couldn't make them, couldn't let people see him fall from the grace that he had never deserved and still wasn't sure how he'd achieved. "Oh, I suppose that makes sense. Rocks are absolutely not in fashion this season." There. Crisis averted, fashion-man persona restarted. Not that he actually knew anything about fashion, but... he could try. And a little bit of gaudiness could work beautifully as camouflage.

He pulled himself away from his circling, cycling thoughts to actually pay some attention to the man in front of him. Nervous? He seemed nervous? Well, he was, obviously, but he didn't really want that pointed out. He shouldn't be nervous. He was a hero, a protector, a big, strong... okay, none of that was true. He could do some pretty magic, had been a part of a monster hunt that went his way and protected someone, but now he was just trying to get by. "Oh, well, thank you. I'll admit, I was a little perturbed at the beginning - I am not entirely found of closed, air-less places - but I have since moved on from that worry. You seem incredibly capable, and... I trust you." He wasn't sure that was actually true, but Uwe thought the sentiment wouldn't go unappreciated. He thought a moment - or rather, he latched on to the first thought that flew through his mind and decided to run with it and ignore that it might end up being problematic. "My nerves now, actually... Well, they're about you. Not about trusting you," he reminded Sylen, perhaps a little fiercely, but that was something he'd decided and he didn't want to be seen caught in a lie. "You're just... well, you're so capable. But more than that. Ah, it is difficult to put into words, but... my nerves are predominantly, now, because you are so incredibly attractive."

Was Uwe here to ruin his own day? Absolutely. He wasn't one to talk much, but here he was, proving his mother right. Of course he was spending too much time away from her - that was the only option. Face flushed again, from saying another (at least partial) lie, he held his hand out to take the crowbar, before closing his empty hand and wincing. "This is not an area I know anything about, and I apologize, but... how is that to be used?"