a midwinter's interlude, chapter 48b
Happy Wednesday, all. We're still working away on the fic at large, but before we got too much further away from that hint of a conversation between Markham and Mikarra, we wanted to let you all know exactly what they were getting up to.... ;)
Title: A Midwinter's Interlude, Chapter 48b
Author(s): pagerunner_j and the mellifluous w0rdinista
Characters: Markham and Mikarra
Rating: T
Summary: It's eight years after the Archdemon's defeat, eight years after Loghain's heroic death on the top of Fort Drakon, and eight years after Alistair stormed out of the Landsmeet, never to be seen again. It's five years since Elinora took up the mantle of teyrna of Highever after Fergus remarried and became King in the process. Now Alistair and Elinora are back together in Highever, with trouble brewing all around. On top of that, the royal family has come to visit, three more Wardens are in attendance, and the Wardens' troubling dreams have returned, along with even greater troubles and tragedies. But normal life is still proceeding apace, the holiday still approaches, and certain knights of Highever -- no matter what their responsibilities during this troubled time -- need to take some time away for themselves, to discuss such things as the particular complications of asking certain young women to the dance....
---
THE SCENE: One square-jawed, dark-haired knight is still trying to work up the nerve to approach one certain Ser Amethyne in regards to certain matters relating to Highever's First Day festival. He decides to speak to one who may well be an expert on elven women: an elven woman.
THE PLAYERS:
SER MARKHAM: (A knight of Highever) You should probably know him by now.
MIKARRA: (Elven mage. Also: Grey Warden.) A petite, pert-nosed lass, with hair as dark as night, and eyes of palest blue. Could probably kill you with the power of her mind. Nathaniel Howe's squeeze.
---
MARKHAM: [After a lot of probably very comical hesitation] Ah, Warden Mikarra, is it?
MIKARRA: You don't... need to be so formal, Ser Markham.
MARKHAM: Er... so... just... Warden?
MIKARRA: You may call me Mikarra, Ser Markham. There are no such formalities among the Wardens.
MARKHAM: Oh. All right. Mikarra, then.
MIKARRA: Was there something on your mind?
MARKHAM: Well, I was kind of hoping we might, um... talk?
MIKARRA: ...Talk?
MARKHAM: Yes. I... well, I was hoping for an opportunity to speak privately with you, and--
MIKARRA: [blushes slightly] Oh... ah, I think... perhaps we may have a misunderstanding here, Ser Markham. I'm... ah...
MARKHAM: Oh. Oh, no. I-- no, no! Ah, that isn't to say you aren't very attractive, because you are. It's just... I thought... oh, Maker, but I'm making a mess of this.
MIKARRA: [blushing even more deeply] Forgive me -- I shouldn't have assumed. Please, don't think any more on it. Tell me, what was it you wished to talk about?
MARKHAM: Well, you're.... er. A mage, obviously. And... also... ah...
MIKARRA: [looking almost amused now] The word I believe you're looking for is "elf"?
MARKHAM: [blushes furiously] Yes. I suppose it is.
MIKARRA: I'm going to guess your question has to do with one of the above....
MARKHAM: Yes, it does. Particularly the... well. Would it help to begin with the disclaimer that this question has nothing to do with me and you, and more to do with me and someone else? Because that might help me avoid a lot of the stuttering I'm doing.
MIKARRA: [definitely amused now] I'm beginning to sense where this is going, I think.
MARKHAM: It's about another young woman. An elf.
MIKARRA: And a mage?
MARKHAM: No, although that would have complicated things surely enough -- but it's complicated enough as it is. And I'm in need of some... perspective. Advice.
MIKARRA: I see. And you believe I'm uniquely qualified to give it?
MARKHAM: I couldn't help but overhear that you and your fellow Warden are... oh, what's the word, close....
MIKARRA: [blushes slightly again] Nathaniel, yes.
MARKHAM: Which makes you uniquely qualified. I'm... enamored of a certain young woman myself, you see, who's also an elf... but I'm uncertain how to approach her, exactly...
MIKARRA: [small smile] I'm gathering that.
MARKHAM: I'd considered speaking with Nathaniel, but I'd rather hear it straight from you. How you felt about being....
MIKARRA: "Close" with a human?
MARKHAM: Yes.
MIKARRA: Well, I... confess long-term relationships are slightly different amongst the Wardens, but I could speak to the elven perspective, yes. Is there anything in particular on your mind?
MARKHAM: Well, it's... there's a young woman -- one of the teyrna's knights.
MIKARRA: Ah, Ser Amethyne.
MARKHAM: ...How did you know?
MIKARRA: [smiles] Ser Markham, there's only one elf among the Commander's cadre of knights. She's the only one it could have been.
MARKHAM: Ah. Yes, I... suppose I forget, sometimes.
MIKARRA: Forget that she's an elf while at the time being so aware of it that you're driven to distraction?
MARKHAM: Something like that, yes. [sighs] I should have warned you: I'm a hopeless case.
MIKARRA: I admit it's a strange juxtaposition. But it doesn't make you hopeless.
MARKHAM: [deep breath] It's only that... sometimes I forget she's an elf at all. She's one of us -- one of the knights. She's skilled and talented and smart...
MIKARRA: All things a woman likes to hear, no matter her race, Ser Markham.
MARKHAM: The thing is... if I forget, it's only until she reminds me.
MIKARRA: ...I'm not sure I understand.
MARKHAM: Part of it is... I don't think she particularly... likes humans.
MIKARRA: I'm sure it's not that dire. She fights side by side with humans, and she's sworn fealty to Lady Cousland. I doubt that would be the case if she felt--
MARKHAM: Oh, we all get on well enough.
MIKARRA: But you're hoping to move... beyond "getting along."
MARKHAM: [blushes] Yes.
MIKARRA: Have you considered telling her what you just told me? That she's talented, intelligent, and skilled?
MARKHAM: ....No?
MIKARRA: That might be somewhere to start.
MARKHAM: Someone told me I shouldn't... act like a shem.
MIKARRA: Well, no, you probably shouldn't.
MARKHAM: But what does that even mean?
MIKARRA: It's... well. I hope you'll forgive me if this sounds blunt --
MARKHAM: No, I understand. Please, say what you're thinking.
MIKARRA: Many men -- and it's always the human men who are interested in elven women who do this -- seem to be... very aware of our relative classes, if you take my meaning.
MARKHAM: [distasteful grimace] You mean... the boorish types who think they can just take whatever they want?
MIKARRA: They're terrible, but they're almost not the worst. There are also men who act courtly and generous and flatter extravagantly, and then act as if we should be grateful they aren't just taking us outright. That they're doing us a favor. That we should be so honored by their admiration and thankful for their restraint that we should give ourselves without question.
MARKHAM: But -- that's not... that would be terrible.
MIKARRA: I can tell you're not like that, Markham. But it's what we've come to expect: that human men want us because they believe we're beautiful and subservient and fragile and they can have their way.
MARKHAM: Amethyne is anything but subservient and fragile. I wouldn't ever want that. I wouldn't ever want her even thinking that. But you see my trouble -- what in the world can I say? If it even seems manipulative if I try to be kind, what's left? What can I do to convince her I care about her as a person that won't get misread?
MIKARRA: Honesty, above all. Be clear how you feel, but don't ask too much, and don't push. You may have to simply give her time.
MARKHAM: Maker... I feel like I've been waiting forever.
MIKARRA: What have you told her, then?
MARKHAM: Well, it's been less about telling, and more... friendly rivalries and such....
MIKARRA: Ah.
MARKHAM: There was a lot of meaning crammed into that "ah."
MIKARRA: Nathaniel's said I'm good at that.
MARKHAM: So what did Nathaniel do to make you like him? Or vice versa, for that matter?
MIKARRA: That's a bit harder to pin down -- we'd been working together for quite some time before anything took a turn in that direction.
MARKHAM: But surely there was something...
MIKARRA: ...He was always so quiet. I never felt as if I had to prove anything to him.
MARKHAM: But you just said...
MIKARRA: [slightly sheepish] Yes, well... he was also so quiet that I wasn't sure he'd ever even noticed me. So I would occasionally... how did you put it? "Friendly rivalries"? I sometimes tried to goad him into a challenge -- into a rivalry of sorts.
MARKHAM: ...Did it work?
MIKARRA: [laughs] Not in the least.
MARKHAM: I know how that feels. So what did happen?
MIKARRA: The thing about Nathaniel is that he is, as I said, very quiet. And very observant. What he doesn't say could fill the Keep's entire library. And I began to learn how to read what he was saying, by paying attention to the things he wasn't saying.
MARKHAM: And that meant he wasn't acting like a...
MIKARRA: Exactly. But, you must understand, Markham -- Nathaniel was simply being himself. He wasn't trying to fool me or lure me in. He was simply... honest. Completely, sometimes frustratingly, honest. Know who you are, and show that to her.
MARKHAM: [makes a pained face] That's so much easier said than done.
MIKARRA: Well, you're speaking to me right now, aren't you? And you don't come across like a shem. A little eager and uncertain--
MARKHAM: Oh, Maker, it's that obvious, is it?
MIKARRA: [laughs] A little. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
MARKHAM: So I shouldn't try too hard, because I'll come across as insincere, and I shouldn't be an ass, and I shouldn't-Andraste's breath, that's a lot of "shouldn'ts." What should I do?
MIKARRA: Be honest. Be who you are.
MARKHAM: But what if she doesn't like who I am?
MIKARRA: [gently] Then it wasn't meant to be, I'm afraid.
MARKHAM: And.. [deep breath] What if she does like me, but... there's other matters at play? Such as her family?
MIKARRA: Yes. They.... might have opinions.
MARKHAM: They're all right with her serving the teyrna, obviously, and spending her time mostly amongst humans. But I don't know how much further it would go. I... have seen elves reject human suitors because of the matter of children....
MIKARRA: There's not much to be done about that, I'm afraid.
MARKHAM: I know. I wish there were, but... I know. And it must be even harder for women in that position. She doesn't seem the motherly type, exactly, but... oh, Maker, listen to me; I'm leagues ahead of myself....
MIKARRA: It's obvious you've thought about it, though. Thought carefully.
MARKHAM: Well, I have to, don't I? It wouldn't do to just expect everything to be simple.
MIKARRA: Things rarely are.
MARKHAM: Does... your family know?
MIKARRA: I don't really have much of a family anymore, ser.
MARKHAM: Please... you don't have to use titles with me, either.
MIKARRA: Very well. It's... difficult, is all. A mage first, and then a Warden... I lost them years ago, truth be told. Maybe it makes it easier. It... doesn't much matter what I choose.
MARKHAM: But I can see that it does. You wouldn't choose rashly. You're too thoughtful for that.
MIKARRA:I... well. I try.
MARKHAM: Maybe it's the best any of us can do.
MIKARRA: Indeed. So, what is your plan, Markham?
MARKHAM: Well, clearly I'm going to have to speak with her at some point -- actual conversation and all -- and, well, see if she'll let me escort her to the First Day festival.
MIKARRA: I've heard a few of the knights talking about that -- it sounds like it's quite an event.
MARKHAM: It is -- and this year the king and teyrna'll be attending, which hasn't happened since... well, since before he was the king, actually. Of course, now we've got a few people muttering that the festival might not happen at all, and Andraste's knickers, Maeve'd better not hear a breath of that kind of talk, or there's going to be hell to pay.
MIKARRA: ...Maeve?
MARKHAM: She's seen more First Days than you and I combined, believe me, and the teyrna's asked her to help organize this year's.
MIKARRA: I take it she's taking the task somewhat seriously.
MARKHAM: You have no idea. She won't hear a word about the festival being canceled, which means...
MIKARRA: Which means it had better not get canceled. I understand. She sounds a little like one of my mentors, back at the Circle. Failure is never an option.
MARKHAM: ...Sounds a bit like the teyrna too, now that you mention it.
MIKARRA: [grins] She didn't become Commander of the Grey by giving in, ser knight.
MARKHAM: If only things could be accomplished through sheer force of will alone.
MIKARRA: [teasing] Things like making meaningful conversation with a certain other knight?
MARKHAM: ...You know, I know who you're referring to, but it'd mean a lot to me if you made a point to clarify that it is one of the female knights I'm interested in speaking with. Tales have been told about me and a certain of the male knights, and the last thing either of us wants is for those rumors about "significant looks" to start swirling again.
MIKARRA: [blinks, stares, and laughs] Duly noted.
MARKHAM: You have my gratitude. This is all complicated enough already.
MIKARRA:I can see that....
MARKHAM: Thank you for hearing me out, though. I... needed to clear my head. Figure out how to approach this.
MIKARRA:I do wish you luck, Markham. You seem genuine to me, for what it's worth. I'm sure she'll see that.
MARKHAM:I dearly hope so. And that I won't end up face-first in the mud again.
MIKARRA: In the mud...?
MARKHAM: Trust me, it's a long story.
MIKARRA: Well. Better to have a long story together than a short one.
MARKHAM: And that's true enough.
Title: A Midwinter's Interlude, Chapter 48b
Author(s): pagerunner_j and the mellifluous w0rdinista
Characters: Markham and Mikarra
Rating: T
Summary: It's eight years after the Archdemon's defeat, eight years after Loghain's heroic death on the top of Fort Drakon, and eight years after Alistair stormed out of the Landsmeet, never to be seen again. It's five years since Elinora took up the mantle of teyrna of Highever after Fergus remarried and became King in the process. Now Alistair and Elinora are back together in Highever, with trouble brewing all around. On top of that, the royal family has come to visit, three more Wardens are in attendance, and the Wardens' troubling dreams have returned, along with even greater troubles and tragedies. But normal life is still proceeding apace, the holiday still approaches, and certain knights of Highever -- no matter what their responsibilities during this troubled time -- need to take some time away for themselves, to discuss such things as the particular complications of asking certain young women to the dance....
---
THE SCENE: One square-jawed, dark-haired knight is still trying to work up the nerve to approach one certain Ser Amethyne in regards to certain matters relating to Highever's First Day festival. He decides to speak to one who may well be an expert on elven women: an elven woman.
THE PLAYERS:
SER MARKHAM: (A knight of Highever) You should probably know him by now.
MIKARRA: (Elven mage. Also: Grey Warden.) A petite, pert-nosed lass, with hair as dark as night, and eyes of palest blue. Could probably kill you with the power of her mind. Nathaniel Howe's squeeze.
---
MARKHAM: [After a lot of probably very comical hesitation] Ah, Warden Mikarra, is it?
MIKARRA: You don't... need to be so formal, Ser Markham.
MARKHAM: Er... so... just... Warden?
MIKARRA: You may call me Mikarra, Ser Markham. There are no such formalities among the Wardens.
MARKHAM: Oh. All right. Mikarra, then.
MIKARRA: Was there something on your mind?
MARKHAM: Well, I was kind of hoping we might, um... talk?
MIKARRA: ...Talk?
MARKHAM: Yes. I... well, I was hoping for an opportunity to speak privately with you, and--
MIKARRA: [blushes slightly] Oh... ah, I think... perhaps we may have a misunderstanding here, Ser Markham. I'm... ah...
MARKHAM: Oh. Oh, no. I-- no, no! Ah, that isn't to say you aren't very attractive, because you are. It's just... I thought... oh, Maker, but I'm making a mess of this.
MIKARRA: [blushing even more deeply] Forgive me -- I shouldn't have assumed. Please, don't think any more on it. Tell me, what was it you wished to talk about?
MARKHAM: Well, you're.... er. A mage, obviously. And... also... ah...
MIKARRA: [looking almost amused now] The word I believe you're looking for is "elf"?
MARKHAM: [blushes furiously] Yes. I suppose it is.
MIKARRA: I'm going to guess your question has to do with one of the above....
MARKHAM: Yes, it does. Particularly the... well. Would it help to begin with the disclaimer that this question has nothing to do with me and you, and more to do with me and someone else? Because that might help me avoid a lot of the stuttering I'm doing.
MIKARRA: [definitely amused now] I'm beginning to sense where this is going, I think.
MARKHAM: It's about another young woman. An elf.
MIKARRA: And a mage?
MARKHAM: No, although that would have complicated things surely enough -- but it's complicated enough as it is. And I'm in need of some... perspective. Advice.
MIKARRA: I see. And you believe I'm uniquely qualified to give it?
MARKHAM: I couldn't help but overhear that you and your fellow Warden are... oh, what's the word, close....
MIKARRA: [blushes slightly again] Nathaniel, yes.
MARKHAM: Which makes you uniquely qualified. I'm... enamored of a certain young woman myself, you see, who's also an elf... but I'm uncertain how to approach her, exactly...
MIKARRA: [small smile] I'm gathering that.
MARKHAM: I'd considered speaking with Nathaniel, but I'd rather hear it straight from you. How you felt about being....
MIKARRA: "Close" with a human?
MARKHAM: Yes.
MIKARRA: Well, I... confess long-term relationships are slightly different amongst the Wardens, but I could speak to the elven perspective, yes. Is there anything in particular on your mind?
MARKHAM: Well, it's... there's a young woman -- one of the teyrna's knights.
MIKARRA: Ah, Ser Amethyne.
MARKHAM: ...How did you know?
MIKARRA: [smiles] Ser Markham, there's only one elf among the Commander's cadre of knights. She's the only one it could have been.
MARKHAM: Ah. Yes, I... suppose I forget, sometimes.
MIKARRA: Forget that she's an elf while at the time being so aware of it that you're driven to distraction?
MARKHAM: Something like that, yes. [sighs] I should have warned you: I'm a hopeless case.
MIKARRA: I admit it's a strange juxtaposition. But it doesn't make you hopeless.
MARKHAM: [deep breath] It's only that... sometimes I forget she's an elf at all. She's one of us -- one of the knights. She's skilled and talented and smart...
MIKARRA: All things a woman likes to hear, no matter her race, Ser Markham.
MARKHAM: The thing is... if I forget, it's only until she reminds me.
MIKARRA: ...I'm not sure I understand.
MARKHAM: Part of it is... I don't think she particularly... likes humans.
MIKARRA: I'm sure it's not that dire. She fights side by side with humans, and she's sworn fealty to Lady Cousland. I doubt that would be the case if she felt--
MARKHAM: Oh, we all get on well enough.
MIKARRA: But you're hoping to move... beyond "getting along."
MARKHAM: [blushes] Yes.
MIKARRA: Have you considered telling her what you just told me? That she's talented, intelligent, and skilled?
MARKHAM: ....No?
MIKARRA: That might be somewhere to start.
MARKHAM: Someone told me I shouldn't... act like a shem.
MIKARRA: Well, no, you probably shouldn't.
MARKHAM: But what does that even mean?
MIKARRA: It's... well. I hope you'll forgive me if this sounds blunt --
MARKHAM: No, I understand. Please, say what you're thinking.
MIKARRA: Many men -- and it's always the human men who are interested in elven women who do this -- seem to be... very aware of our relative classes, if you take my meaning.
MARKHAM: [distasteful grimace] You mean... the boorish types who think they can just take whatever they want?
MIKARRA: They're terrible, but they're almost not the worst. There are also men who act courtly and generous and flatter extravagantly, and then act as if we should be grateful they aren't just taking us outright. That they're doing us a favor. That we should be so honored by their admiration and thankful for their restraint that we should give ourselves without question.
MARKHAM: But -- that's not... that would be terrible.
MIKARRA: I can tell you're not like that, Markham. But it's what we've come to expect: that human men want us because they believe we're beautiful and subservient and fragile and they can have their way.
MARKHAM: Amethyne is anything but subservient and fragile. I wouldn't ever want that. I wouldn't ever want her even thinking that. But you see my trouble -- what in the world can I say? If it even seems manipulative if I try to be kind, what's left? What can I do to convince her I care about her as a person that won't get misread?
MIKARRA: Honesty, above all. Be clear how you feel, but don't ask too much, and don't push. You may have to simply give her time.
MARKHAM: Maker... I feel like I've been waiting forever.
MIKARRA: What have you told her, then?
MARKHAM: Well, it's been less about telling, and more... friendly rivalries and such....
MIKARRA: Ah.
MARKHAM: There was a lot of meaning crammed into that "ah."
MIKARRA: Nathaniel's said I'm good at that.
MARKHAM: So what did Nathaniel do to make you like him? Or vice versa, for that matter?
MIKARRA: That's a bit harder to pin down -- we'd been working together for quite some time before anything took a turn in that direction.
MARKHAM: But surely there was something...
MIKARRA: ...He was always so quiet. I never felt as if I had to prove anything to him.
MARKHAM: But you just said...
MIKARRA: [slightly sheepish] Yes, well... he was also so quiet that I wasn't sure he'd ever even noticed me. So I would occasionally... how did you put it? "Friendly rivalries"? I sometimes tried to goad him into a challenge -- into a rivalry of sorts.
MARKHAM: ...Did it work?
MIKARRA: [laughs] Not in the least.
MARKHAM: I know how that feels. So what did happen?
MIKARRA: The thing about Nathaniel is that he is, as I said, very quiet. And very observant. What he doesn't say could fill the Keep's entire library. And I began to learn how to read what he was saying, by paying attention to the things he wasn't saying.
MARKHAM: And that meant he wasn't acting like a...
MIKARRA: Exactly. But, you must understand, Markham -- Nathaniel was simply being himself. He wasn't trying to fool me or lure me in. He was simply... honest. Completely, sometimes frustratingly, honest. Know who you are, and show that to her.
MARKHAM: [makes a pained face] That's so much easier said than done.
MIKARRA: Well, you're speaking to me right now, aren't you? And you don't come across like a shem. A little eager and uncertain--
MARKHAM: Oh, Maker, it's that obvious, is it?
MIKARRA: [laughs] A little. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
MARKHAM: So I shouldn't try too hard, because I'll come across as insincere, and I shouldn't be an ass, and I shouldn't-Andraste's breath, that's a lot of "shouldn'ts." What should I do?
MIKARRA: Be honest. Be who you are.
MARKHAM: But what if she doesn't like who I am?
MIKARRA: [gently] Then it wasn't meant to be, I'm afraid.
MARKHAM: And.. [deep breath] What if she does like me, but... there's other matters at play? Such as her family?
MIKARRA: Yes. They.... might have opinions.
MARKHAM: They're all right with her serving the teyrna, obviously, and spending her time mostly amongst humans. But I don't know how much further it would go. I... have seen elves reject human suitors because of the matter of children....
MIKARRA: There's not much to be done about that, I'm afraid.
MARKHAM: I know. I wish there were, but... I know. And it must be even harder for women in that position. She doesn't seem the motherly type, exactly, but... oh, Maker, listen to me; I'm leagues ahead of myself....
MIKARRA: It's obvious you've thought about it, though. Thought carefully.
MARKHAM: Well, I have to, don't I? It wouldn't do to just expect everything to be simple.
MIKARRA: Things rarely are.
MARKHAM: Does... your family know?
MIKARRA: I don't really have much of a family anymore, ser.
MARKHAM: Please... you don't have to use titles with me, either.
MIKARRA: Very well. It's... difficult, is all. A mage first, and then a Warden... I lost them years ago, truth be told. Maybe it makes it easier. It... doesn't much matter what I choose.
MARKHAM: But I can see that it does. You wouldn't choose rashly. You're too thoughtful for that.
MIKARRA:I... well. I try.
MARKHAM: Maybe it's the best any of us can do.
MIKARRA: Indeed. So, what is your plan, Markham?
MARKHAM: Well, clearly I'm going to have to speak with her at some point -- actual conversation and all -- and, well, see if she'll let me escort her to the First Day festival.
MIKARRA: I've heard a few of the knights talking about that -- it sounds like it's quite an event.
MARKHAM: It is -- and this year the king and teyrna'll be attending, which hasn't happened since... well, since before he was the king, actually. Of course, now we've got a few people muttering that the festival might not happen at all, and Andraste's knickers, Maeve'd better not hear a breath of that kind of talk, or there's going to be hell to pay.
MIKARRA: ...Maeve?
MARKHAM: She's seen more First Days than you and I combined, believe me, and the teyrna's asked her to help organize this year's.
MIKARRA: I take it she's taking the task somewhat seriously.
MARKHAM: You have no idea. She won't hear a word about the festival being canceled, which means...
MIKARRA: Which means it had better not get canceled. I understand. She sounds a little like one of my mentors, back at the Circle. Failure is never an option.
MARKHAM: ...Sounds a bit like the teyrna too, now that you mention it.
MIKARRA: [grins] She didn't become Commander of the Grey by giving in, ser knight.
MARKHAM: If only things could be accomplished through sheer force of will alone.
MIKARRA: [teasing] Things like making meaningful conversation with a certain other knight?
MARKHAM: ...You know, I know who you're referring to, but it'd mean a lot to me if you made a point to clarify that it is one of the female knights I'm interested in speaking with. Tales have been told about me and a certain of the male knights, and the last thing either of us wants is for those rumors about "significant looks" to start swirling again.
MIKARRA: [blinks, stares, and laughs] Duly noted.
MARKHAM: You have my gratitude. This is all complicated enough already.
MIKARRA:I can see that....
MARKHAM: Thank you for hearing me out, though. I... needed to clear my head. Figure out how to approach this.
MIKARRA:I do wish you luck, Markham. You seem genuine to me, for what it's worth. I'm sure she'll see that.
MARKHAM:I dearly hope so. And that I won't end up face-first in the mud again.
MIKARRA: In the mud...?
MARKHAM: Trust me, it's a long story.
MIKARRA: Well. Better to have a long story together than a short one.
MARKHAM: And that's true enough.