He freezes in the middle of lifting his own teacup, gaze full of perplexed concern immediately darting over to March. Slowly, he set his teacup back down. ]
I'm surprised you didn't ask Malkuth about that first.
[ Unless she did and she's coming to him for a second option, which still seems a little strange when she has any number of friends who are probably more well-versed in the art of romance. ]
[ No really, he is, because she absolutely did not have to come all this way to talk to him about her worries and yet she did. Which means that he will be taking this as seriously as possible, lips pursed as he goes over what she's told him.
Which is not a lot. He's going to have to learn more. ]
Affection comes in different forms for everyone. What I might consider a romantic overture might be a gesture of friendship for someone else. [ But.........hmmm. ] Did he ever try to hold your hand? Buy you gifts? Tell you that you looked nice even if you weren't wearing anything special?
[ None of which are even guaranteed signs of romantic appreciation as opposed to regular platonic friendship, but he's really taking shots in the dark right now. ]
[ Bless this man for taking this seriously because she's sure trying to. ]
... Umm... [ Hold on, let her think back. ]
He got me a picture frame, but he said that was to repay me for getting him a scarf from that amusement park. He's not really comfortable with holding hands, so he's only done it when I was upset... I guess he said my outfit suited me once?
[ You know, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together, but all the extra details she's including right now are really helping put the pieces together. A picture frame for a scarf, huh....? ]
Was it Izou, by any chance?
[ Sorry, just gotta get that out of the way first— ]
[ He can't help but crack a smile at that squeak, sorry March. ]
He mentioned you once, actually. Or rather, he was looking for advice on what to get you in return for a gift you gave him.
[ The scarf, the scarf really cinched things.
But now that he has more of the picture filled in, it's easier to move things around and connect the dots, to place March's effusive nature against Izou's bluster and contrast the two. ]
For what it's worth, I doubt you missed any major signs. I can't say I know him very well but he [ hmmm, how best to put this ] doesn't strike me as the kind of person to wear his emotions out for everyone to see the way you do, especially not ones that might make him seem vulnerable in any way.
[ But that's just a guess based off what he's observed. ]
[ She says this so blankly, not because she doesn't believe him but because actually, it's incredibly hard to imagine Izou asking for anything. At least for anything remotely resembling help. ]
I... No, you're right, he's... honest in a lot of ways, but he...
I guess he tries to answer me in the same way, sometimes. Even though it's uncomfortable for him. I might have accidentally pushed him too far.
I mean, we were kind of yelling at each other beforehand, and I was just saying what was on my mind and he said I was cruel for saying something like that to someone I only saw as a friend...
[ She groans, deflating a little in her seat. Gestures lightly to the infuser. ]
[ Okay, back to the drawing board. The concession doesn't seem to faze him much, only the appearance of a second small wrinkle between his brows signifying his descent back into Deep Contemplation. ]
It is quite a lot to take in.
[ Drink your tea while you think, March. ]
Though if he never made his intentions clear up until this point, it wasn't very fair of him to call you cold-hearted for seeing him only as a friend. [ Just saying. ]
Maybe not, but I'm not mad at him for it. He was probably frustrated. [ Which, yes, still not technically her fault, but. ]
I guess, more than anything, I'm not sure how to get my thoughts in order. I told him I'd respond to him, but I hadn't thought about it before, so it feels sort of like trying to shove a bunch of puzzle pieces together with no idea what the final piece was supposed to look like in the first place.
[ Easier said than done, especially in the face of said potential awkwardness. ]
Talk to Malkuth about it. Or any of your other friends with more experience in the matter. [ Because Archons know he certainly doesn't have any experience with serious relationships. ] If you really are important to him, he'll wait no matter the awkwardness. And if the thought of him not waiting makes you feel uncomfortable, even though you believed when he said would.....maybe that's an answer in its own way.
How did you know? With Ishmael, I mean--that she wasn't just a friend?
[ Because she sure thought she and Ishmael had the solidarity where they were just nodding about friendship with guys who made them feel safe and now here they are! ]
[ What a great question! Give him a solid minute and a half to think about it while he stares into his half-full cup of tea. A lot of moments surface and then sink back down: the small bubble of elation that rose in his chest every time he caught sight of her in the halls, the unconscious sway of his body towards hers whenever they walked down the street together, the desire to linger nearby even after he'd run out of reasons to stay.
But in the end, no words of wisdom come spilling out of his mouth, only a single very candid reason. ]
When I realized I wanted to kiss her more often than not.
[ March wanted honesty and now she's getting it. ]
Is that so? In that case, should I go tell Ishmael that I think about kissing her more often than I should after I finish this cup of tea, in the hopes that it'll make a good impression on her?
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Okay. That's not what he expected.
He freezes in the middle of lifting his own teacup, gaze full of perplexed concern immediately darting over to March. Slowly, he set his teacup back down. ]
I'm surprised you didn't ask Malkuth about that first.
[ Unless she did and she's coming to him for a second option, which still seems a little strange when she has any number of friends who are probably more well-versed in the art of romance. ]
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[ Haaaaa. ]
And I told you, didn't I? That I'd tell you if there was anything romantic going on, since I trusted you. Even though you punked me ten seconds later.
[ And, you know. He'd made out with someone here. Who was a friend, according to Ishmael. Maybe he's got some worldly insight. ]
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[ No really, he is, because she absolutely did not have to come all this way to talk to him about her worries and yet she did. Which means that he will be taking this as seriously as possible, lips pursed as he goes over what she's told him.
Which is not a lot. He's going to have to learn more. ]
Affection comes in different forms for everyone. What I might consider a romantic overture might be a gesture of friendship for someone else. [ But.........hmmm. ] Did he ever try to hold your hand? Buy you gifts? Tell you that you looked nice even if you weren't wearing anything special?
[ None of which are even guaranteed signs of romantic appreciation as opposed to regular platonic friendship, but he's really taking shots in the dark right now. ]
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... Umm... [ Hold on, let her think back. ]
He got me a picture frame, but he said that was to repay me for getting him a scarf from that amusement park. He's not really comfortable with holding hands, so he's only done it when I was upset... I guess he said my outfit suited me once?
[ She's at a loss here too, Wrio. ]
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Was it Izou, by any chance?
[ Sorry, just gotta get that out of the way first— ]
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[ Oh, she squeaked. Oh, damn. ]
Wh--how did you--
Was it that obvious??
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He mentioned you once, actually. Or rather, he was looking for advice on what to get you in return for a gift you gave him.
[ The scarf, the scarf really cinched things.
But now that he has more of the picture filled in, it's easier to move things around and connect the dots, to place March's effusive nature against Izou's bluster and contrast the two. ]
For what it's worth, I doubt you missed any major signs. I can't say I know him very well but he [ hmmm, how best to put this ] doesn't strike me as the kind of person to wear his emotions out for everyone to see the way you do, especially not ones that might make him seem vulnerable in any way.
[ But that's just a guess based off what he's observed. ]
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[ She says this so blankly, not because she doesn't believe him but because actually, it's incredibly hard to imagine Izou asking for anything. At least for anything remotely resembling help. ]
I... No, you're right, he's... honest in a lot of ways, but he...
I guess he tries to answer me in the same way, sometimes. Even though it's uncomfortable for him. I might have accidentally pushed him too far.
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[ Just putting that out there! Though that's not exactly any sort of sign she could have noticed, so it doesn't really help right now. But also: ]
Pushed him into kissing you? [ Sorry, you've lost him again. ]
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[ She groans, deflating a little in her seat. Gestures lightly to the infuser. ]
Do I take this out now?
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You can take it out now.
[ Thank you for your service, Mr. Shark. Thanks for the indirect reminder for him to also take a sip of his tea, finally. ]
He's never told you directly about his own feelings? That he's interested in you as more than just friends, specifically.
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But March frowns, shaking her head. ]
No... if he'd said it directly, I don't think my head would feel like such a mess right now. [ It would have just been a mess earlier! ]
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[ Hold on. He suddenly realizes he might be making a very big leap here. ]
You do like him, don't you? [ Does she?? ]
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[ Wow she is somehow managing to droop even further. ]
I don't know. Until this happened, I didn't even think about the possibility, I was just so happy he finally let me call him a friend...
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It is quite a lot to take in.
[ Drink your tea while you think, March. ]
Though if he never made his intentions clear up until this point, it wasn't very fair of him to call you cold-hearted for seeing him only as a friend. [ Just saying. ]
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Maybe not, but I'm not mad at him for it. He was probably frustrated. [ Which, yes, still not technically her fault, but. ]
I guess, more than anything, I'm not sure how to get my thoughts in order. I told him I'd respond to him, but I hadn't thought about it before, so it feels sort of like trying to shove a bunch of puzzle pieces together with no idea what the final piece was supposed to look like in the first place.
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Did he give you any sort of time limit?
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... Though I sort of feel like I should try to figure it out sooner rather than later, you know? Otherwise it might feel awkward for the both of us.
But he said he'd wait. I believe him.
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[ Easier said than done, especially in the face of said potential awkwardness. ]
Talk to Malkuth about it. Or any of your other friends with more experience in the matter. [ Because Archons know he certainly doesn't have any experience with serious relationships. ] If you really are important to him, he'll wait no matter the awkwardness. And if the thought of him not waiting makes you feel uncomfortable, even though you believed when he said would.....maybe that's an answer in its own way.
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March takes another sip of tea, mulling this over. It's true, what he says. ]
... Can I ask something personal?
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Sure. What is it?
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[ Because she sure thought she and Ishmael had the solidarity where they were just nodding about friendship with guys who made them feel safe and now here they are! ]
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But in the end, no words of wisdom come spilling out of his mouth, only a single very candid reason. ]
When I realized I wanted to kiss her more often than not.
[ March wanted honesty and now she's getting it. ]
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... [ After a moment, March cracks a weak but fond smile. ]
See, you can be romantic when you try. All those other people you never dated were missing out.
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Is that so? In that case, should I go tell Ishmael that I think about kissing her more often than I should after I finish this cup of tea, in the hopes that it'll make a good impression on her?
[ He's not going to do this. ]
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