sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

...

[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?

Mmm... Well, it's not impossible...

[... She undoes her small braid and begins to gather it up to make a larger one, much like Lien's. Ai then attempts to change her body language, slacking her shoulders, leaning back in her chair, and crossing her arms...]

... The trouble is, I can't think of something ridiculous to say.

[ He watches her "transform", though he can still see bits of Ai flash in and out of focus despite her body language, despite the change in demeanor. It's rude to laugh at her efforts, but he smiles nevertheless even while offering a suggestion. ]

Maybe you could start by saying something vaguely insulting about me.

[ sorry lien he likes you HE DOES ]

[!!!]

[Her eyes narrow slightly and she makes her head tilt, giving the effect of that inscrutable look that Lien so often has that makes her somewhat unpredictable.]

You make it hard for me to say bad things about you, but you sure do try don't you?

[... IS SHE ACTING LIKE LIEN OR BEING HONEST? AI??]

[ AI?????

Give him a second, give him a second...

...ok, he's gonna laugh. She's successfully blindsided him. ]

Do I make it difficult? It's unintentional.

[ Whether or not Ai is being Ai or Lien, he's playing with it. ]

[Ai's keeping her cool and it's almost uncanny how much she can emulate a few of Lien's mannerisms.]

It's not necessarily a bad thing! That's what keeps the words "vaguely insulting" instead of outright bullying.

I'd like to see what you would constitute as bullying, then.

[ Don't do this, Diarmuid... ]

Direct attack!

[And without warning, she stands up, and throws the blanket over Diarmuid, covering him completely.]

...

[And she just as quickly pulls it off.]

I'm sorry!

[ His eyes widen under the dark of that blanket, hair dragging against fabric as it's pulled off again...

...and when he resurfaces, his hair mussed and falling over his face, he actually

actually

starts cracking up. ]

Is this what they would call "abuse of power"?

[Seeing him laugh is a relief and rewarding somehow. And god, it just makes Diarmuid look much more handsome then usual when it isn't his usual stoicism... (okay, wait, no, don't go there Ai). In any case, the laughing is infectious and she laughs a little herself, her cheeks flushed (maybe it's the candlelight).]

You'd have a much harder time as a Servant if I was more like my sister.

[She retreats back to her chair with the blanket around her shoulders andAi takes out the braid, letting her hair hang freely.]

[ He's still laughing softly to himself, usually slicked-back hair obscuring his eyes as his shoulders shake with his amusement. He hopes that she realizes that he's not laughing at her expense— it was just.

Well.

It was just cute, truthfully. ]

I wonder if that was your sister talking, or if it was you.

Mm... Well, if there's a shared similarity between us that isn't just our looks, it's that we're both honest. The degree with how we act on it is definitely different though.

[A beat. She mumbles slightly a few seconds later...]

So I wasn't being dishonest even when I was "acting" so...

[ Breezily: ]

So you think I'm a nuisance.

[ He's joking, but now he's just being a little mean. ]

[DIARMUID PLEASE]

I... No...! That wasn't...!!

[She's like flailing without flailing...!!]

[ How utterly disrespectful of him?! But he plays with it a little, ready to take responsibility for his actions if he actually oversteps. ]

No— as your knight, I'd like to hear the "bad things" that you mentioned earlier.

[You see this face? SHE'S TRYING TO DEAL SO BAD.]

Even if I could, I wouldn't! Like I said, you make it hard!

Then I've made some truly regrettable transgressions, if you can't even say them.

[ Diarmuid EASE UP he's just plying though... ]

Now you really are just teasing me!

[Yeah, pouting, but for the most part it's not like he's offending her. It's just... What is this banter? It's... charming?? It's a side of him she's not accustomed to since their relationship from the start was that of Master and Servant. Now it's like... friends. Something she kind of wanted from the start.]

Geez... I can't win, can I?

[Some Master she is, sheesh! She buries her face halfway into the blanket, murmuring.]

I'm really happy about something like this...

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