oh no, another "not shay for work" question! Shay, have you ever tried to "mark" your colonel? Something like kisses, bites, or something less NSFW — small gifts: a wig ribbon, a new ribbon, a ring, and so on? (sorry for the bad english)
“I understood you perfectly well! It’s no trouble, stranger!”“Well, if it’s anythin’, I never really intended to leave anything on him. I just really get ahead of myself and I only realize the extent of what I’ve done once the morning comes. I mean–” He looks up as if remembering before it was followed by some nervous laughter. “There was a time it peeked out from his cravat but no one really noticed–”“– Except for me.” He just smiles at the end of that.——————————————[ Shipping headcanon ahead:Shay at most only gave Monro objects he could use behind the scenes because giving him an object he could wear on his person felt too intimate and risky. In a sense, it was the same with how their relationship was, all the intimacy happened in the privacy of each other’s arms. So Shay’s gestures reflected that but the moment the Colonel died, that was when he kept things on him:1) The Sash
2) The Colonel’s Colors
The first time we see Shay in a coat, we see layers of dark on dark.
I find this bit to be a crucial character design choice overall because in the Rogue Game, yes, even if Templars have Red as their standard color, we only see one person keeping the black, red and gold motif and that’s the Colonel. These are crucial color choices that Shay did not have to do but he did to keep his spirit alive as the person who is now the owner of Colonel Monro’s Templar Ring.If that doesn’t make the heart beat I don’t know what will. THIS IS A BLATANT DISPLAY, a complete opposite.3) Monro’s Templar Ring
You never really see it on him but I can imagine given his hands-on work that it’s at a risk of falling off so I imagine that he keeps it hidden with him whether’s in the form of a necklace or just close to his person really.I just had to add this because in-character I don’t think Shay has the heart to bring it up or talk about it given the level of grief associated with these gestures. Take note it took him an estimated HALF A YEAR, based on the Timeline plotted by my friend, Azurea, that was based on actual game canon and the Forsaken book, before his induction and change.I hope this was at least fruitful for you especially since major SFW Marks happened after the Colonel’s death. ]
