sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

Hm??

[That phrase gives her pause and she glances at him curiously.]

You want to know what makes her happy?

As much as my pride would keep me from asking something of an opponent Master...

...yes.

[ Joking, joking. Despite the dryness of his tone, the little smile betrays that much. ]

[She's looking quite thoughtful as she casts her gaze upwards to the sky where several seagulls fly overhead.]

You sure do like her...

[Lien trails off, musing over the thought.]

Is Ai having trouble expressing herself around you? Like, she's got a lot to say, but she's afraid to say what's on her mind?

[ He'll bite his tongue about who's more open about liking who, given what he just saw between Cu and Lien; not his place to jab at her about that.

Yet. ]

I can't say. I won't be presumptuous enough to assume that I know what she's thinking...

...but you did interrupt her, today. With your entrance. While she was about to clarify something.

Oops. Well. It happens.

[UNAPOLOGETIC AS HECK!! Okay, maybe she looks a little apologetic. Just a little. Given what she knows about Ai's true feelings and about how her twin approaches serious matters in general, Lien is trying to find the right words herself.

Her answer is... Odd.]

She likes having her hair brushed.

[ Well. That isn't exactly what he was expecting, but he'll bite: he's patient enough to let her continue, or at the least, elaborate. ]

Her hair?

[ It's a lovely feature about Ai, her hair— long, soft. ]

She does take good care of it.

You know, if you brush someone's hair for them, it's kind of a way of putting one's trust in you. That's just a suggestion you might want to keep in mind.

[She turns around to look out at the ocean and the disappearing harbor, taking a deep breath of the salty air.]

But that's probably not the answer you'd like is it??

[ He considers her question with a few seconds of contemplative silence, his head cant to the side and his nose turned towards the wind. ]

No, I value your input. It's something to keep in mind.

[ And, well. A little smile, here. ]

Is that what Cu Chulainn did for you? Or am I speaking out of turn?

Hold... Hold on a sec. What the heck?

[She bows her head and hides her face with one palm mumbling to herself. It's a bashful reaction sure, but it's more like one that a stubborn young child would have instead of someone her age.

Lien opts to play and readjust her glasses and wrinkling her nose.]

Well. That got off track quick.

As much as it would serve me well to know what my Master likes, I'll take the challenge of finding out upon myself.

[ A light laugh, which he reels in. Lien's reaction is easy enough to decipher. ]

For now, I'll take your current reaction as a victory to bring back to her.

So why WAS my sister only in a bath towel??

[ LIEN?? ]

Wh...

[ Where is this coming from?! ]

...That's a misunderstanding.

Of course!

[SMILE SMILE SMILE]

My retaliation is quick as it is nonsensical.

Some would call that deflection.

[ SIGH. ]

Hey, if it works, it works. And if she told you to give me a hard time, I'm gonna put up a fight.

...

Anyways. Right. Ai. Hm.

[So sorry Diarmuid... This person is really related to your Master unfortunately...]

Edited 2015-08-28 06:57 (UTC)

[ Her honesty is a little disarming, and he takes it upon himself to breathe a light chuckle. ]

I'll only ask one thing of you, then.

Would she prefer that I found her weaknesses through you, or on my own?

[Pffffffffff. Lien holds back a snort while shaking her head in disbelief. Her poor twin has her hands full even with the most loyal of knights. But this time, she does answer with more sincerity.]

Even though we're honest, if there's another trait we both share, it's that we both hate our weaknesses.

[As she pauses her smile becomes more melancholy and she looks out to the ocean again.]

Maybe she hates being weak even more than I do.

[Because Lien found no worth in herself while Ai tried her best to make up for and find value in what she lacked. Thinking this, Lien idly twirls a strand of hair around her gloved finger before continuing.]

It's why, she's doing her best as your Master, you know? When Ai saw your past life, she wondered if she'd also be a source of pain if she turned to selfishness. You're so dependable, but she wants to be dependable too.

Ai wants to care about people without expecting to be cared about in return. [She chuckles.] But yeah. She's pretty awful at that. She's a normal and romantic girl at heart after all.

Edited (GRAMMAR /SHAKES FIST) 2015-08-31 09:16 (UTC)

[ He listens patiently to this bit of information, places it with what he already knows and evaluates it based on what he's seen, what he's heard from Ai thus far.

It's... more than just likely, because he trusts that Lien knows her sister more than anyone else. And if it's true (which he's sure it is), it only confirms that his wish for this war, however fake it may be, has already been fulfilled.

He's found a Master that he's proud to serve, and more importantly—

—someone he wants to protect, beyond the confines of his servitude. ]

I see. Then you would be right— that's one order that I won't be able to obey.

[ To not care for her, he means. ]

Will you disapprove if I said that I cared for Miss Ai, her weaknesses and all?

[WELL.]

. . .

. . .

. . .

If it was any other guy, I think I'd start planning on pushing them off the boat.

[God bless Lien.]

But you're not just some guy thankfully.

Edited 2015-08-31 21:28 (UTC)

Things may have been less complicated if I were flesh and blood.

[ Which is something he admits to, with sincerity and not self-deprecation. ]

I thank you for your blessing, then. I'll do well not to earn a surprise swim.

You know, I give everyone a lot of grief, but for this one, I'll let it slide. After all, you'll both be able to figure it out.

[After all this is done, Lien knows she'll have to be there for her twin again. She pushed herself away from Ai and it took a while for her to realize that it had more of an affect on her than Lien intended.

So in a way, she's grateful for Diarmuid's presence in Ai's life, to show that Ai is able to be loved by someone else. In a way, it was fine, that her sister was in the end a normal girl.

(He's almost too good though, overqualified even. But she'll keep that bit to herself.)]

Although...

So you care about her as in the, "Protect Master at all costs," way??

[And yes she is gesturing with her arms now, she has never given up the fight against Diarmuid ua Duibhne!]

Oooorrrr the, "I want to hug her with my bear arms and now I notice her hair is really soft, oh no, Lord forgive me and I need to go to church," kind of way???

And that's b-e-a-r, bear for you, although b-a-r-e works too.

[The tenacity is strong with this Master.]

Edited 2015-09-01 02:53 (UTC)

[ Lien.... he was so touched by your concern, too?!

But no, he just stares at her

and looks slightly impassive, before turning his head to look at Cu, who's slowly edging towards Ai. ]

In the way Cu Chulainn cares for you, I suppose.

[ he went there... HE WENT THERE!! ]

Wait.

[Give her a second.]

But I wasn't in a bath towel!

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