OOC Prompt: By the Numbers: 7 Virtues
Humility
No one seemed to call him on the use of titles anymore. Even Courtney seemed to let it pass, provided he did not add a ‘Miss’ when he addressed her directly. Only Master Tom wondered aloud now at the prefix Thorn gave him. How could he explain that to him this home was still a small castle, Leela a queen, and Tom the inheritor of the estate? The boy reminded him too much of another, despite the kindness of this new family. Thorn knew his place, and kept quiet. Even know he would not have blinked if Leela told him he could stay in the stables as he had asked on his arrival.
Kindness
He had been bitter once, ready to strike out at the world in quiet vengeance. He had called it justice, to take from those who had less need. He had never been good at it. The world could not make him hard and cold, and too often sympathy made him falter.
Forgiveness
Not only the busy pattern of life kept him from speaking to her. He kept quiet because the house was hers and the choice was hers and he felt he had no place to interfere, but it wore on his sleep at night. If he had told her he was angry because she thought to doom a child to a path too much like his own, would that have changed her mind? He kept silent, and struggled to see her perspective. He wanted so desperately to forgive her, and hoped in time that would be enough.
Dilligence
It was hard to say if anyone noticed his relentless pursuit to belong. He studied the modern world with a passion born not of true interest, but a need to fit into it. His speech was changing, slowly, although the accent would never fade completely. Receiving a laptop computer seemed to make his assimilation complete but still he studied, intensely. He would catch up and belong to their world. He would belong no matter what it took.
Charity
He gave because he could, and because the faces reminded him of other children. Once he had shared bits of bread and stolen goods, mere crumbs for children who had even less than he. It had hurt him it was all he had to give. If he could have found them again he would have given them more.
Temperance
Rarely did Thorn take advantage of the perks of his job. The barkeep could count on one hand the number of drinks he had asked for, and he had never been seen drunk. The truth was that he had tried once, and found that no mortal drink seemed enough. Alcohol held no interest for him, except in times of extreme stress, and even then just one was enough to remind him that more wasn’t worth wanting.
Chastity
Raised to assume he was unwanted, Thorn was always loath to make the approach. The wall that made friendship so difficult was not always intentional, but he was ever mindful of being undeserving of affection. After two years in the Nexus, his relationships remained distant and limited. It was possible they thought he enjoyed his solitude.