[And she can see it in his eyes as he brushes the back of his fingers against her cheek. That smile hasn't gone away. It's a pretty goofy smile. It fades a little, though, as he says:]
You need to reteach me pidgin, babe. I'm rusty. I kinda...never went back, so I lost it after a while. Not that I was ever that great at it to start with.
[What had Makoa said? The islands weren't big enough for his spirit, but it was more than that. After she was gone, after he'd visited her grave the first and last time, the islands hurt too much. The memories of her were there in the sunshine and the feel of the sand between his toes and the sea breeze. He'd had to make Cadmus his home, then Kansas, because Hawaii could never be home again.]
[There's something guarded in his expression after he says that like he's trying not to think of sad things, and trying to not let her know he's thinking of sad things, but he can't help thinking of sad things with the happy things. It all comes bundled up together, the happy and the sad, because the bliss that comes of being with her like this is contrasted and magnified by the grief he had from losing her.]
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[And she can see it in his eyes as he brushes the back of his fingers against her cheek. That smile hasn't gone away. It's a pretty goofy smile. It fades a little, though, as he says:]
You need to reteach me pidgin, babe. I'm rusty. I kinda...never went back, so I lost it after a while. Not that I was ever that great at it to start with.
[What had Makoa said? The islands weren't big enough for his spirit, but it was more than that. After she was gone, after he'd visited her grave the first and last time, the islands hurt too much. The memories of her were there in the sunshine and the feel of the sand between his toes and the sea breeze. He'd had to make Cadmus his home, then Kansas, because Hawaii could never be home again.]
[There's something guarded in his expression after he says that like he's trying not to think of sad things, and trying to not let her know he's thinking of sad things, but he can't help thinking of sad things with the happy things. It all comes bundled up together, the happy and the sad, because the bliss that comes of being with her like this is contrasted and magnified by the grief he had from losing her.]