sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

[ Ah... he's seen this reaction before, he knows the signs. He also knows that he reasonably shouldn't embarrass her by suggesting that she's afraid (let's be real, she is), but he does follow the trail of sounds to where Ai might be hiding (is she under the table...?).

He kneels near the steady sound of her breathing, trying to catch a glimpse of the outline of her figure in the dark. The flash of lightning might help him, but it won't help her nerves. ]

I could go find us some light, but...

[ ...and he's interrupted by another loud crackle and boom of thunder, how rude of mother nature. ]

[The flash of lightning, does show her figure halfway curled up and her hands covering her ears.

Rain isn't a problem. Thunder and lightning is a different story. She recalls blackouts in Vietnam, nights alone in the big house in England where Lien was also away and being instructed by her benefactor while Sensei had his own business. She was alone, in a house that was too big for her, having to retreat to under the covers while the sky would rage and make the windows rattle while everything was dark and unforgiving...

When the storm rudely interrupts Diarmuid, she reaches out to grasp his fingers. It's dark, so it's harder to see her frightened look.]

... I'll go with you.

[ It's impossible for him to separate his chivalry from himself, and when she takes a hold of his hand and he feels the slight tremble in her fingers, he obliges without a second thought. Her smaller hand is practically buried in his palm, strong fingers curling securely around her wrist to keep her grounded (or at least, he hopes). ]

You misspoke, just now. You'll lead, and I'll follow.

[ Because he still doesn't want to patronize her, and she's the one that knows where the candles are. ]

Y-Yeah...

[She carefully moves out from under the table, while still holding his hand and then leads him to the hallway... Man, it's dark...]

I'm... I'm just so bad with thunderstorms.

Edited 2015-02-18 07:51 (UTC)

[ It's dark, the rain sounds like bullets on the roof, and there's another clap of thuder before the room is flooded, for a moment, with light.

He pulls a little closer to Ai, but not too close that it'd be hard for her to walk. ]

As long as we're indoors, it'll be fine.

[She squeezes her eyes shut, but only for a second and she holds back the urge to tremble at the clap of thunder.

The room that houses extra supplies is found soon enough and Ai opens it up. She uses her nose to sniff out where the candles are because she knows her teacher was fond of scented candles and would keep plenty around.]

Ah, here they are. We can light these up at the stove and set the candles up around the kitchen.

[She lets go of Diarmuid's hand, to take a few candles from the nearby shelf that was at her height level.]

Let's see, there's the rose, herbal lemon, apple cinnamon... Ah, lavender...

[THERE IT IS AGAIN...]

[ He watches her go through the supplies with slight curiosity; the Grail's given him practical knowledge, but that's still different from seeing the actual object in question.

Reaching over Ai's shoulder, he takes the lavender candle, turning it over in his hands. ]

You like this scent.

Edited 2015-02-23 00:12 (UTC)

[She blinks at his remark as he takes the candle... Ah... Ai quickly busies herself with the matches she found nearby and striking up a light to get two candles lit.]

It's one of my favorites, yes. The scent is relaxing and I think the flower it originates from is lovely too.

[There! Two candles are lit up and she holds them both.]

I'll take these two to the kitchen and you can bring several more. We'll light them up there.

[ DW AI HE'S NOT REMEMBERING ANYTHING UNTOWARDS...

The addition of light is welcome, and he nods as he starts picking out a few candles from the mix: he picks scents that are pleasant to him, the crisper ones like lemongrass, pine.

He's quiet for a few moments, dutiful, but he finally breaks the quiet with a bit of something unexpected: a bit of information about himself. ]

—In the months I spent running, rain was one of the biggest obstacles. So was thunder.

[ When his arms are full, he turns to Ai, indicating that they can get moving again. ]

But despite the inconvenience, it was easier to weather a storm with someone nearby.

[She starts moving to the kitchen, listening to Diarmuid speak about his experience with harsh weather.]

Now that you mention it, I probably don't handle storms very well because I was usually alone, more often than not when one occurred. It always seemed to turn out that way.

[In the kitchen, she sets the lit candles down on the table.]

Lien on the other hand, is someone who would get stuck in the rain and let herself get soaked without a care in the world.

She didn't stay with you?

[ The circumstances of their upbringing are still a little murky, and he sometimes feels like he shouldn't ask; he doesn't want to bring up any painful memories, if there are any.

He pulls out a chair for Ai, moves towards the living room to get a few blankets that are stacked on an armchair. ]

[She sits down on the pulled out chair and proceeds to light up the rest of the candles. When he returns, she answers his question, without much trouble.]

Well, Lien and I were both under the care of my teacher; we went to a boarding school for girls in England and stayed in the dormitories for most of the year. During the weekends, I went back to Sensei's place to continue my training as a magus. Lien had a different instructor who took interest in her Mystic Eyes and so she'd go off to receive a different sort of tutelage.

[The kitchen table is now aglow with various candles which casts various unique shadows on the walls and on the floor. There's still thunder rumbling in the distance, but it has calmed down for the most part.]

Edited 2015-02-23 02:05 (UTC)

[ Some of what she's saying requires a moment— boarding schools is one— but he raises his brows and then smiles when she mentions England. ]

I see.

Did you ever visit Ireland while you were there?

[ Just out of curiosity, as he drapes a blanket over Ai's shoulders. ]

I've yet to actually. For me, it's mostly been trips to America, sometimes Vietnam, Japan, and then back to England.

[The blanket is quite welcome and she pulls it around her shoulders as she settles into her chair.]

But since I met you, I think a visit there should be on my list of things to do.

A part of me wants to say that I want to see what the place is like, now, but...

[ Well. He laughs, because he already knows what it's like there, has been given a vague idea. ]

...I doubt I'd be able to show you the way around.

[The idea of going to a different country with Diarmuid is pleasant despite it being impossible. She smiles at the thought.]

From what I understand, the land is still very beautiful and very green. Old castles still stand strong as well, although they aren't used.

[ And, with a disgusting amount of earnesty and a strange forthrightness, as if this isn't a particularly remarkable or hideously embarrassing thing to say: ]

That's good to hear, though they do say that beautiful people could find beauty in anything.

[OK HOLD UP SIR. The compliment from seemingly out of nowhere kind of hits Ai like a direct attack and whether it's the dim glow of the candlelight, the various sweet scents, or just him being himself, or a combination of all of these elements, it causes her cheeks to turn pink, and she draws the blanket over her head to hide her face.

Her brows are furrowed mostly because she's kind of happy, but also a little frustrated... After all, Ai's been trying so hard to not be so easily endeared to this man.]

Diarmuid, are you teasing me? I mean, I'm happy, but at the same time, I'm feeling disoriented. You said something similar in the previous battle and I thought you were just saying things...

[At least she's honest!]

[ Ah, did he misstep...? It's almost difficult to recall what he said during his battle with Saber, especially since he can't recall saying anything that might have rubbed Ai the wrong way.

So he's sincere as always, midway in the motion of pulling out a chair for himself: ]

...No, it's not my intention to tease.

[ He's being serious, god help her ]

...

[Her blue eyes appear from the folds of the blanket, looking at him from across the table.]

Um. I'm not used to such words, so I'm overwhelmed by the kindness.

[Granted, Sensei had given compliments about the twin's looks, but that was because they were young and had the charm of their identical faces (and also he was their guardian, he doesn't count). As they grew up, there were many things that remained the same between them in the physical sense, but they diverged from there. Although, now that brings up a thought...]

Give me a moment. I just thought of something...

[She stands up to go into the hallway and into her bedroom with one candle in her hand to light the way. She returns with a picture of both her and Lien as young girls of about 12 years of age, taken by her teacher when they were visiting a particularly lovely rose garden. Unlike the present, there is very little to distinguish in terms of looks and demeanor except for the different hair accessory. Lien didn't have to wear gloves back then... Ai places the image on the table, pushing in some candles closer so Diarmuid can take a look.]

I couldn't help, but wonder; looking at this, can you tell which one is me?

Edited 2015-02-25 08:58 (UTC)

[ He doesn't regard it as kindness, not by a far stretch— he wonders if she's not used to it by virtue of the fact that she doesn't seem to keep too much company, but that sounds rude and invasive, and he refrains from asking. Instead, he watches her leave and mulls over whether or not he should stop saying things like that to her from now on... does it make her uncomfortable?

A hand instinctively goes to brush knuckles against his curse mark, but he waves the thought away.

He's a little more settled when Ai comes back, and when he's prompted to look at the picture, his expression warms. ]

The resemblance is striking now, but even more so back then.

[ Carefully, he takes the photo in his hand, looks it over. ]

...On the right?

Oh! You're right! That was me!

[Ai looks happy after he gives his answer. Perhaps at some point the twins were one entity or just physical reflections. Either way, there's something nice about how Diarmuid was able to tell.]

What was your reasoning though? I'm curious!

[ And, well. Despite his vows not to be embarrassing: ]

The eyes. There's something softer about them.

[Oh good lord... Ai takes the remark graciously this time though and she glances back at the image to examine herself, as if what he said made her look at the photo in a new way.]

It used to be difficult for our classmates and teachers to tell us apart. That's why we wore different hair accessories.

[She chuckles a little and leans forward, elbows on the table.]

There was one time Lien convinced me to switch those though and it took a while for anyone to take notice.

Edited 2015-02-26 03:15 (UTC)

[ He looks vaguely surprised for a moment, before he breaks into laughter, settling down on the seat next to her to fix her with his curiosity in the faint glow of the candles. ]

Do you think you could do that now, with the same results?

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