In all honesty, Aurus did not actually need to be told not to discuss sex or death with the students. He was not nearly that tactless. The question had served a purpose though, moving the conversation into interesting (albeit not exactly anticipated) waters.
For a long moment Aurus held a level gaze with Hank--this was a side of the man that he'd not seen before, and it intrigued him to discover what there was beyond his slightly awkward geeky charm.
He did, however, find that he needed to make a decision now: he'd not intended to disclose anything specific about his relationship with Charles. He did not want to break Charles' confidence or reveal anything private that he would not wish anyone to know.
But this warning that Hank was issuing came, if Aurus read it right, from a genuine concern for his friend. Aurus could dodge the subject, but that would only build unease and mistrust. He had to weigh that against the possibility that Charles would not want Hank--evidently his closest friend--to know. This really was one instance where Aurus wished he knew more about the attitude towards intimate relations in this world, so that he could know just how secret these sorts of matters were generally kept.
In the end, though, only one approach really felt right to him. "I assume that we are no longer speaking about the students," he said, though the way he said it conveyed quite precisely I know we are no longer speaking about the students. And his lack of surprise at Hank's words on its own perhaps conveyed that yes, Aurus had already seen how difficult some subjects were.
"Charles is an exceptional person, and if I understand you right, I believe that you are worried about him. Worried because of me."
no subject
For a long moment Aurus held a level gaze with Hank--this was a side of the man that he'd not seen before, and it intrigued him to discover what there was beyond his slightly awkward geeky charm.
He did, however, find that he needed to make a decision now: he'd not intended to disclose anything specific about his relationship with Charles. He did not want to break Charles' confidence or reveal anything private that he would not wish anyone to know.
But this warning that Hank was issuing came, if Aurus read it right, from a genuine concern for his friend. Aurus could dodge the subject, but that would only build unease and mistrust. He had to weigh that against the possibility that Charles would not want Hank--evidently his closest friend--to know. This really was one instance where Aurus wished he knew more about the attitude towards intimate relations in this world, so that he could know just how secret these sorts of matters were generally kept.
In the end, though, only one approach really felt right to him. "I assume that we are no longer speaking about the students," he said, though the way he said it conveyed quite precisely I know we are no longer speaking about the students. And his lack of surprise at Hank's words on its own perhaps conveyed that yes, Aurus had already seen how difficult some subjects were.
"Charles is an exceptional person, and if I understand you right, I believe that you are worried about him. Worried because of me."