Friends, Vandelin thinks, are well and good, but they don't need to know things about you, like how your uncle died or how you still feel about it, or indeed, how you feel about anything. Friends are people you help out when you want to be magnanimous, whom you can trust with your politics, from whom you can in theory seek help but should really try your best not to. Inasmuch as Vandelin even knows what a friend is, he thinks of Anders as one of the closest. It would mystify him that Anders would think otherwise.
"Of course," he says, and his appreciation is truly sincere. As the offer of company that it is, it warms him, and he has no desire to reject it. "I'll try not to bother you too often when he does something cute. But I'll let you know once I've decided on a name."
"As if I'd have any objections to hearing about a cat doing something cute. Please call me as often as you'd like with stories of his antics, Vandelin." And with another flash of a smile, Anders is headed out. How much he matters to Vandelin is beside the point right now - the cat seems to already be doing the trick and Anders will take comfort in that.
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"Of course," he says, and his appreciation is truly sincere. As the offer of company that it is, it warms him, and he has no desire to reject it. "I'll try not to bother you too often when he does something cute. But I'll let you know once I've decided on a name."
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"As if I'd have any objections to hearing about a cat doing something cute. Please call me as often as you'd like with stories of his antics, Vandelin." And with another flash of a smile, Anders is headed out. How much he matters to Vandelin is beside the point right now - the cat seems to already be doing the trick and Anders will take comfort in that.