I think seeing his obvious fondness for the outdoors and doing practical stuff is where I truly started to like him.
Absolutely! It’s the first time where readers get to see him doing something well—up to that point it was an open question as to whether he’s good at anything aside from complaining, drinking, and sucking at gambling, but here we get confirmation that he’s mismatched to his environment versus being someone who just wants a life of privilege and/or “natives” waiting on him hand and foot. His realization that, had he been in Devon, he would have been enjoying himself is pretty revealing. So yes, toxic expectations noted, although perhaps not fully dealt with yet. ;)
(There is literally no reason to think that he's handsome, Avery! Nobody else in the books seems to agree with you, Avery!)
YOU CERTAINLY ARE WATCHING SOMEONE YOU DISLIKE VERY CLOSELY FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, AVERY. I mean, just, yeah. XD It’s really his first toe in the water of, Maybe this guy is kinda okay? Just a teeeensy bit? Not that I’d ever tell him or anything, but perhaps not the devil incarnate? XD XD XD
Those are such a great, defining quotes for Blake, definitely. I also love the description of Blake as always busy, always too preoccupied to approach, someone who does his best to make people leave him alone from square one to protect himself from further pain and disappointment. I mean, this is someone who tries to maneuver a horse between himself and Avery to get Avery to stop trying to speak to him. It really sets the ground for how Avery manages to break through, just by his stubborn insistence to not be permanently put off by Blake.
It's a miracle that they ever grow closer, given all of that!
No kidding, particularly given that they could just have easily been at each other's throats by the end of the journey, given that they're basically stuck with each other 24-7 on the enforced road trip from hell. Add to that the "You don't know me and you don't know anything about me" resentment they're clearly both feeling in response to the assumptions they're making about each other and it is...not a recipe for ever getting along well. It's amazing Avery doesn't permanently storm off to the Company men and Blake permanently refuse to speak any English after the first week or so.
Another thing that I love about this scene is we get to see Blake's deductions for the first time.
Yes! And unlike in an upcoming chapter, he pretty obviously thinks he has Avery pegged. And yet. It goes a long way toward explaining why Blake puts up with him at all: he doesn't want to acknowledge Avery at all because he's so clearly ill-equipped to help Blake track down Mountstuart, but there's something about him he can't fully figure out, and he keeps watching despite himself because he can't let it rest until he puzzles it out.
Avery loudly insisting on wearing company uniform in Blake's hearing is hilarious. If this was a TV adaptation I could just imagine the shot of Blake rolling his eyes. XD
This is such a great mental image! And talk about something tailor made to exacerbate Blake's "skeptical irritation with the world." ^^; To your point below, it makes me wonder what kind of soldier Blake was. He made captain, so clearly someone in the system thought he was effective enough to promote him that high despite his lacking even the tenuous connections Avery has. But I can't imagine Blake would have tolerated that sort of ceremony or procedure for its own sake; I wonder how many enemies it made him.
And yes. Avery losing his composure at the sight of Blake in uniform is something I CAN VERY MUCH GET BEHIND AND SUPPORT. I enthusiastically admit that the bit in TDF where Avery refers to them as "both accustomed to command" gave me IDEAS FOR DAEYZ. And just, yes. This needs to be explored more.
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Absolutely! It’s the first time where readers get to see him doing something well—up to that point it was an open question as to whether he’s good at anything aside from complaining, drinking, and sucking at gambling, but here we get confirmation that he’s mismatched to his environment versus being someone who just wants a life of privilege and/or “natives” waiting on him hand and foot. His realization that, had he been in Devon, he would have been enjoying himself is pretty revealing. So yes, toxic expectations noted, although perhaps not fully dealt with yet. ;)
(There is literally no reason to think that he's handsome, Avery! Nobody else in the books seems to agree with you, Avery!)
YOU CERTAINLY ARE WATCHING SOMEONE YOU DISLIKE VERY CLOSELY FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, AVERY. I mean, just, yeah. XD It’s really his first toe in the water of, Maybe this guy is kinda okay? Just a teeeensy bit? Not that I’d ever tell him or anything, but perhaps not the devil incarnate? XD XD XD
Those are such a great, defining quotes for Blake, definitely. I also love the description of Blake as always busy, always too preoccupied to approach, someone who does his best to make people leave him alone from square one to protect himself from further pain and disappointment. I mean, this is someone who tries to maneuver a horse between himself and Avery to get Avery to stop trying to speak to him. It really sets the ground for how Avery manages to break through, just by his stubborn insistence to not be permanently put off by Blake.
It's a miracle that they ever grow closer, given all of that!
No kidding, particularly given that they could just have easily been at each other's throats by the end of the journey, given that they're basically stuck with each other 24-7 on the enforced road trip from hell. Add to that the "You don't know me and you don't know anything about me" resentment they're clearly both feeling in response to the assumptions they're making about each other and it is...not a recipe for ever getting along well. It's amazing Avery doesn't permanently storm off to the Company men and Blake permanently refuse to speak any English after the first week or so.
Another thing that I love about this scene is we get to see Blake's deductions for the first time.
Yes! And unlike in an upcoming chapter, he pretty obviously thinks he has Avery pegged. And yet. It goes a long way toward explaining why Blake puts up with him at all: he doesn't want to acknowledge Avery at all because he's so clearly ill-equipped to help Blake track down Mountstuart, but there's something about him he can't fully figure out, and he keeps watching despite himself because he can't let it rest until he puzzles it out.
Avery loudly insisting on wearing company uniform in Blake's hearing is hilarious. If this was a TV adaptation I could just imagine the shot of Blake rolling his eyes. XD
This is such a great mental image! And talk about something tailor made to exacerbate Blake's "skeptical irritation with the world." ^^; To your point below, it makes me wonder what kind of soldier Blake was. He made captain, so clearly someone in the system thought he was effective enough to promote him that high despite his lacking even the tenuous connections Avery has. But I can't imagine Blake would have tolerated that sort of ceremony or procedure for its own sake; I wonder how many enemies it made him.
And yes. Avery losing his composure at the sight of Blake in uniform is something I CAN VERY MUCH GET BEHIND AND SUPPORT. I enthusiastically admit that the bit in TDF where Avery refers to them as "both accustomed to command" gave me IDEAS FOR DAEYZ. And just, yes. This needs to be explored more.