synflux | closed.

Yes, well, I'm not going to demand anything you wouldn't have given anyway.

[ because... yeah, she knows he would've told her anyway if she asked. but it's nice to have a little secret of her own in the meantime hehe.

she practically melts in his arms as she lets out a contented sigh. this is more like it. they have all night but, just like during tanabata, she can't help but wish that moments like these would last a little longer before they're whisked away to LILITH's whims. ]

I've had those kinds of accidents too, for the record. Everyone does. I just don't think they're special enough to bring up. [ a shrug. ] Which is why as much as possible, I'd like to make more of those special memories while we're both still around.

[ She brings up a good point: burned fingers, sprained ankles, those are all normal parts of childhood and growing up. But maybe it's because his own childhood had been so haphazard that those things now seem like fond memories to him, things to be cherished. He'd rather remember a bruised knee than the sight of blood spreading across the floorboards, or the old memory of a hunger that never fully went away.

His arms tighten around her, his chin resting against her head. ]

You say that, but this is already plenty special for me. I wouldn't say no to a trip out somewhere sometime, but I don't mind sitting here like this either.

[ Any time spent with Ishmael is time well spent. ]

But since we're on the topic, did you have something in mind already?

[ she hums thoughtfully, closing her eyes as she completely relaxes into his touch. he's getting very good at this hugging thing and she's so proud of him for that. ]

You can be such a sap sometimes... [ teasing, teasing. ] I don't really know. Usually I just find something I've never seen or done before and think, "oh, maybe Wriothesley would be interested in doing this sometime." Things like that.

[ not her being a bit of a sap too, but at least she's being casual about it. ]

Like... [ her head shifts as she remembers. ] Like dancing. Because of that party recently. A duke like you would know the basics, right?

Edited 2024-10-02 00:06 (UTC)

[ Not his title being whipped out at a time like this…. ]

I actually didn't attend that many parties back in Fontaine, despite what my lofty title might suggest. Never really cared for it.

[ Schmoozing with the upper class comprised of a bunch of people who've never known hardship in their life and end up blinded to the troubles of those who don't fit in? Pass. Though sometimes the only way up and forward is to schmooze, even he has to begrudgingly admit that. ]

I'm pretty sure I learned more during my lessons from March than any practice I had back home.

[ And then he didn't even get to put his hard work to use at the gala….RIP. ]

Did you end up dancing at the party?

[ Maybe he should have stayed just to see Ish dancing…. ]

Huh.

[ she's less surprised about his disinterest in parties, and more surprised at him indulging march with dance lessons. though he does have a soft spot for certain people, so ish can let that slide for now. ]

I danced a little, with a newcomer in Brimstone. But I had no idea if I was doing it right. [ aoko thought nothing of it, thankfully. ] It's a little embarrassing, when you think about it. Because I was hoping that...

[ ... ]

Never mind. [ she just knows that wrio will indulge her on this why can't she learn to keep her mouth shut around him ]

[ So he really should have stayed......it's fine. They can make up for it later. Or even now? The possibilities are endless. Though before anything, he has his own wish he needs to see fulfilled first.

He gives her one last squeeze before straightening. ]

Sit up for a moment, will you?

[ Let him do this one thing and then they can circle back to that dance she so badly wants but won't admit to. ]

[ o... kay?

she pulls herself away from him, straightening her back as she flips her hair. he probably wants to finish the job he'd just started on her hair, that's fine. ]

[ hehe

It's a good thing they're in the privacy of his room, because it's been long enough since he's done this that he's actually not sure if he'll do a good job or not. Rusty skills don't stop him from gathering up her hair though, carefully brushing and pulling the mass of it over her shoulders before separating it into sections and beginning to braid those sections together.

The movements are familiar enough that she can probably tell what he's doing before too long, though he doesn't actually stop until the braid is complete. ]

There. [ He sounds so proud of himself even though a fifth-grader could probably do as good a job as he just did. ] Now it won't get in the way while we dance.

[ Yeah, he hasn't forgotten. ]

[ -- dammit, she was really hoping he'd just braid her hair and leave it at that. letting him fiddle with her hair has been relaxing too, and she gingerly touches the back of her head before he surprises her yet again. ]

Right here? Now?

[ he's getting a kick out of this, she just knows it. so of course, she scrambles for last-minute excuses. ]

I told you, I'm no good at it! I might step on your feet, and there's no music to dance to and we aren't dressed up for it, and--

If not here, then where?

[ He counters back easily, refusing to budge on this point. ]

No one will see you mess up here, so you don't have to worry about that. The music might be a little tricky, but I'm sure we can figure something out.

[ Maybe he can hum something? They've always danced to the same music during lessons so there's at least one song stuck permanently on loop in his head that he can bust out at a moment's notice. So long as she doesn't mind his mediocre humming. ]

As for being dressed... [ Give him a second to fiddle with his style upgrade before he changes into a fancy tux. I'm too lazy to search up a pic, you can use your imagination. ] There. Problem solved.

[ can't they stream music like spotify?? even if it's just in their heads or something. that's probably too much for a guy like wriothesley who had to learn how to use advanced tech just to catch up with the others, though.

she watches him transform into a tux, the flush on her face growing deeper. if he's committed to this, then she has no choice. clenching her fists on her lap, she goes through her own style upgrade and changes out of her comfy loungewear into this.

okay. deep breaths. she's not getting up though. she's going to keep her head ducked low in sheer embarrassment. ]

...You really don't have to do this. [ even though she's lowkey giddy on the inside... u_u ]

[ Can't believe they're dressed up like this in the middle of his barebones room, this is truly next level.

But Wriothesley definitely seems pleased that Ishmael's humoring him (or is it the other way around...?) and mimics a little bow before holding out one hand to her. ]

Maybe not, but I want to. [ Which is all that really matters here. ] Consider it an apology for leaving you alone at the gala.

[ They can have their own little gala right here, though yeah, she's going to have to be the one to stream Spotify. ]

[ dammit. he rarely admits what he wants too, preferring to spoil her instead. why can't SHE spoil HIM instead, huh???

though, indulging him is one way of doing it. so with a huff, she shyly takes his hand and pulls herself up to her feet. ]

I told you, you have nothing to apologize for. That guy was a dick to you, and that should've been enough for me to get out of there sooner.

[ and yet she didn't, because misery finds company and most of the people she'd talked to at the party were mostly complaining about the food. anyway, she looks up the music she remembered playing in callisto's party and pulls a random track up, making it so that they're the only ones hearing the music. or something. think of it as sharing headphones but without the headphones. ]

Also, you're going to have to guide me through all this. Sorry in advance if I step on your foot.

[ :)))) he'll go to his grave never admitting what he wants (literally)

But if nothing else, she's probably gotten a good enough handle on the types of things he enjoys anyway after all this time spent around him. Always preferring the small gestures, the little things, with the truth of his emotions marked by the subtle changes to his body language: an evening out of his shoulders, crinkling laugh lines by his eyes.

She might have been the one to originally suggest the dance, but he's just as happy to be here with her. ]

My feet got stepped on plenty of times back when I was first learning. I'm an old pro at it now.

[ He won't even notice anymore if she does. But it's a few seconds before he gets going, cocking his head to get the beat of the song being played first before he starts leading the both of them, steps measured and even. ]

[ damn he coulda just left her an unsent message that she'll never get :/

though, yeah. it's actually not that hard to figure wriothesley out, which is why she finds it so funny when their mutual peers say otherwise. he's a very simple guy with awfully simple needs, a type who rarely indulges himself — and that's enough reason for her to try this out anyway. this is more
for him than it is for her, tbh.

at first she keeps her head ducked low, watching her feet as she carefully follows his lead. thankfully she can tell that he's making this easy enough for her, so getting into the same rhythm as him isn't so difficult.

then, she looks up to look at him. and this time, she doesn't look away, as much as she wants to hide her flushed cheeks. he... looks so happy like this, and if that's enough to get him to smile then she'll do the same. ]

You took up dancing for months, only to show it off to nobody else but me. [ a smirk. ] There's wanting to keep things private and having stage fright, you know.

[ Wow....don't call him out like this? ]

What makes you think I didn't want to keep it a highly sought after experience reserved for only a few exclusive people?

[ Just kidding, there's nothing particularly special about ballroom dancing. He'd done it to appease March and not much more, though it is a uniquely useful skill for someone of his general demeanor and appearance to bust out without warning. Nothing like being able to keep people on their toes.

But in the end, if it's enough to make Ishmael smile, then all those stepped on toes will have been worth it. ]

Speaking of stage fright, where's my personal pole dancing show? You've been taking pole dancing for as long as I've been taking ballroom.

[ hello?? where's his private show 🥺 ]

[ bringing up her other hobby almost causes her to stumble and step on his foot fr, wtf ]

I don't get stage fright, first of all. [ her smile has been replaced with another pout. hmph :/ ] Like you, I also wanted to save that for a selected few. And by few, I mean only one person I could think of.

[ and-- okay, maybe she does have stage fright. it's a rather provocative hobby after all, despite her insisting that she's only taken it up for the sake of exercises. but over the last couple of months, she has been thinking of ways of stepping it up in order to impress him... ]

I just didn't think you'd be interested in watching me dance like that outside of exercise. It's not exactly demure. [ her blush settles in her cheeks as she looks away. ] But I suppose even someone like you isn't immune to things like that, huh. Unless you're just saying that to embarrass me.

[ you can never be too careful around this guy... ]

Edited 2024-10-17 08:47 (UTC)

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crawls back in from shark week

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