crescentview | ⛄️ winter catchall

[ And you had best bet that if there is an emotional way to be taken, Ori will sure as all nine hells take it.

As soon as he asks, her lips draw into a thin line, hands balling into fists in the delicate fabrics of her dress. ]

Thanks, but I feel— Oh, spirits. I'm so nervous, Trahearne. I feel like I've rushed headfirst into anything without a care and now everything's catching up to me and I'm— haaah... What if M-21 changes his mind? A-And what if we're under some kind of spell and when it wears off everything is different? And— What if end up being a horrible wife?

[ Please stop her before she keeps going... ]

Calm down, Ori.

[ Trahearne squeezes her shoulders, trying to ground her and to get her to stop fiddling with her dress. Whether she looks up at him or not, he offers a reassuring smile.

He understands her worry, and he feels a bit guilty. That one day they had together must have had a big impact on her, didn't it? Even though he knows it was not specifically his fault, still... ]

When did you start feeling this way about M-21?

[ SHE WILL NOT - though people telling her to calm down usually does at least give her pause. She stills in her tracks, although the pounding in her chest certainly has not ceased.

Trahearne is right to think back on what passed between them back in the summer - it feels like so long ago, now, but the fact that it had been Ori's first romantic (?) experience on this island really did shape how she approached her interactions with others going forward... Though it clearly didn't stop her from falling in love with someone, anyway. Maybe because a small part of her had held M-21 in a different regard since... Well, since she woke up here and saw his face. ]

Huh...? When did I... Fall for him, you mean?

[ Trahearne offers a slow nod, his gaze never leaving her. It studies her, in that way he's good at, as he tries read behind her thoughts and her panic.

And since he feels partially responsible (even though he knows it was the goddess, truly, who was behind it), he feels as though he needs to prove to her that it is not a fluke. For the sake of her own happiness. ]

It doesn't have to be a specific time, or event. [ Because the mother knows he certainly cannot pin down the specific second he fell in love with Syrlya (though many might think he has that written down somewhere (he doesn't)). ] When did you start thinking about him in a way that was different from everyone else?

In a way that was different...?

[ ... ]

I mean... Everyone here is my friend. But I've always thought of him more like a teammate, because we've had to work on our farm together. He's... He's always been different from everyone else, to me.

[ And from how much Ori has talked to Trahearne about her friends from home, and about Colin... He'd know that regarding someone as a Teammate(TM) is something special, for someone like her. Perhaps it hadn't been romantic to start, but he'd certainly started out on a different track from everyone else. ]

But then at the auction, when he was really serious about being the one to take me on that date...

[ Trahearne understands that, in a way. One's housemate here is special--having to work together to improve living conditions for both yourselves and the animals creates a certain kind of bond, though it seems to vary from household to household the level of familiarity or intimacy the pairs hold...

Taking one on a date seems to cross a clear threshold.

A little smile crosses his face. That's sweet... ]

Would you say things were different between you two after that?

I... I suppose so. His friends had told me at the auction that he hadn't really shown an interest in someone up until then, and it made me feel... good. Then we started talking about dates, and he'd told me that whatever would make me smile would be his ideal date. I— I couldn't not see him differently after that.

[ She inhales and exhales in a quivering breath. ]

He makes me feel really... Special, you know?

[ As Ori speaks, Trahearne's hands grip a little tighter.

M-21 always seemed quiet, in the few impressions he's gotten in their interactions, and though Trahearne hadn't stuck around at the auction to witness it for himself, knowing that makes him happy.

Ori is so precious, watching her talk about him like this. ]

I do know. [ The special feeling, that is. ] I'm assuming he has made you feel that special every day, without fail, since the auction?

[ With a slow nod, she closes her eyes. ]

He... He has. He probably doesn't think that he has, but... Even just the way he looks at me is enough. More than enough. He's... Special, too, and I hope I can make him feel that way.

[ Her hands come up to her face. Her cheeks feel so warm, but spirits - she can't lose it here. ]

I've only known him for a little bit, but... You know, it didn't take long for me to come to care deeply about the others in the Alchemighty, too. I suppose it's just the way I am...

[ Trahearne lets her speak. As she brings her hands up to her face, he lets his own slip down and away from her.

There's a fond little smile on his face. If she's comparing her affection for him to her closest relationships at home, then— ]

Then I believe it's safe to say that your love for him is not a product of a spell, or a curse. The way you speak of him, the way the joy colours your face when you do...suggests to me that what you have is genuine.

[ His smile widens, and he chuckles. ]

I think you'll be fine.

[ She lowers her hands a touch, just enough to be able to look at Trahearne as he offers his reassurances. That fond little look does wonders to ease Ori's worries. Although the start of Ori's relationship with Trahearne here had certainly been peculiar, and had shaped her outlook on romances here to the point that it has culminated in this very conversation... In the end, and in many respects, Trahearne really has been her closest confidant. And though they've only known each other for scarcely a few months, when she sees that look in his eyes, it truly feels as if they've known each other for much, much longer.

With her hands finally dropping back down to her sides, she draws in a deep breath, and then exhales. And then again, to steel her nerves and slow the thundering of her heart in her chest. ]

I... You're right. C-Consistent... Gaku told me to look out for when my feelings would feel consistent. And they have. It's just as you've said.

[ She steps forward to wind her arms around him in a hug. ]

Thank you, Trahearne.

[ slaps that day this bad boy can fit so much cr development

Ori comes forward for a hug, and Trahearne immediately knows what's coming. As her arms come around him, he wraps his around her tightly, a sign of his affection and all the well-wishes he has for her.

It's a little weird to think that, in the beginning, he had entertained the idea of asking her out on a date, but things had changed so drastically and so quickly. Trahearne would not hesitate to count her among his best friends now--he has never met anyone like her before, and he has never had a friend like her, either. And he thinks, in a way, he is better for it. ]

You are welcome, Ori. I'm so happy for you. You truly deserve all the joy in the world. Don't ever forget that.

[ bestie arrow intensifies

Ori squeezes with a surprising amount of strength for someone of her stature, but after that she's pulling away and looking up at Trahearne with a renewed determination and confidence. Were she ~~Songerein Ori~~ her younger self, this conversation might have gone on with an unconvinced Ori. One that would have questioned his words, who would have said, "I don't know if I deserve this," most certainly.

But, for better or for worse, the Ori that Trahearne calls his friend has had a few more years to come into her own. These days, it's a bit easier for her to hear these words and believe them for herself. Though now it's her turn, to rest her hands on Trahearne's shoulders. ]

I can say the same for you. I'm really looking forward to you and Syrlya's wedding, you know.

[ She takes another deep breath. ]

But... Ah, I should probably get going. I don't want to keep M waiting. [ And then a smile. ] Thanks again for letting me prepare here... I suppose this means the next time you'll see me, I'll be a married woman.

[ And... Spirits, that makes her so happy. She can hardly wait, now. ]

⛄️ winter catchall

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