|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 1:48 pm
She didn't really understand why he resisted, but she enjoyed the attention she managed to get anyway. It felt nice. And he was special. That too. Would've been nicer still to have a lap to spawl out upon during that time... but that just seemed entirely too much too soon for the current state of affairs. Another nice thought to linger upon, though.
That unnerving quiet was back, at least for a moment. Even if it was just a comment about the ears themselves in regard to the way she looked, she took any remarks about her natural appearance very seriously. "I'm... cute?" There might have been some disbelief involved, but the incredibly diffident quality suddenly found in her voice wouldn't have been the result of that alone. There was definitely some frustration visible on that bashfully blushing face. No one was especially kind about her appearance, so understandably a small effort would make a big impact on that weak point of hers. It was a little frustrating, how that fondness kept growing just by him being himself even though she'd long since given up fighting back her feelings. But it had finally started to sink in just how devastated she'd be if things somehow managed to fall apart. It was a terrible feeling. She had something to lose, and it was no use pretending otherwise. Her face burned all the more, but somehow she still managed to muster up enough courage to reply. "I'm... glad. That you th-think that."
She grasped for the prized hand she'd lost to find just air. Ah well. Maybe she'd get it back before the day was done. There were more pressing matters at hand. She did her best to refocus and address them appropriately. "Well... I wear them as I like, you know? I had them out when I joined you as your sidekick, remember?" Maybe he was too busy being unhappy about wearing a dress to really notice or care about that detail. "And well... when I confessed to you, too." She'd forgotten about that. Those were both during the same time. Just thinking about it made her feel some of that stress again. Too many things going on back then. She pushed that confusing mess of feelings aside to focus on something she'd noticed. She could be wrong. But his reactions seemed rather transparent to her. And she was more than eager to prey upon that. A certain slyness crept back into her voice. "I can leave them visible for our date, if you like." Both assuming her victory again and making an offering to appease his assumed fetish. She was being shamelessly clever whether she was actually right or not. "And any time you like, really." There was a temptation to assert that after date activities were definitely included in that, but she decided she'd deal with that if she managed to get to that point. "What kind of tail do you like?"
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 7:18 pm
Surprise! She was going to laugh, wasn't she, oh yes, no one ever expected him to call anyone cu - wait, she's happy about it? Ah, he'd made her blush! Was that embarrassment or.... keep calm, it's just probably a reaction to that remark, nothing else.
"Oh yeah. Um." He had nearly forgotten, yes. Throwing around first-aid kits and locking his head in an icy prison took more precedence in his memory than tiny details.... At this rate, he's going to fall into that 'didn't notice anything' trap, isn't he?
What kind of question was that? Obviously he liked the large, soft cuddly - "No preference, you can choose." - ones. Hey, a spaded tail was definitely not for cuddling. "Any you'd like, any time then." Curse this weird way of thinking. It was bad enough having physical things changed, and only now did any mental changes to his self were beginning to show any problems. All the more a bigger motivation to solve that overlying problem! Right! He snaps his head back up, hands curled with determination. Someone was going to get a hard interrogation when he got back!
Slow down there, bucko. Entertain Amarante first, that other person can wait until later, if his drink hasn't gone cold by now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:30 pm
"Ah~ So cool, Eru." Well, yeah. But, back to the usual routine it seemed. Forever feigning disappointment that she'd failed to strike a nerve, only to continue furiously flirting all of a moment later. Speaking of which. "Or is anything fine because it's me, so it's to your preference to begin with~?" Teasing was so fun. The answer or lack of one really didn't matter. Even an outright 'no' was something she could work with, with her pouting and selfish ways. A resounding 'yes' was about the only thing that could throw her off and pfft, as if that would happen. She'd continue enjoying herself anyway. "So~ You're saying you don't have any particular inclination towards this?" Between her hands she offered forth her tail, now a soft black cat tail. Such delicacy in that pointed statement, too. The temptation to simply wrap said tail around him in some fashion was there but she didn't exactly relish the idea of being frozen together for such a simple reason. She was too calculated for that. And if for whatever reckless reason she sought to be frozen she'd definitely make it count. Still holding the tail with one hand, she smoothed her fingers both over and through it with the other. "Or would you like it to be more soft?" She wasn't being fair in the least. Not at all. But she saw nothing wrong with playing dirty when seeking his attention.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:54 pm
"W-What is that supposed to mean?" So easily pressed, already breaking out in a nervous sweat! "And h-how..." Oh, right, she could disguise her tail as one. No no, she was not going to break his resolve to be on his best behavior. Not again, he corrected himself. It got broken more than a couple of times in the last few minutes already. And yes, he was regretting that the topic even came up. Now she's just going to tease him all the time with those ears, huh...
He holds his hands up in surrender. Or maybe it was 'no I'm not going to start petting that'. Tempting, though. And better still, petting her will not result in her death in a week! .... Gosh, these morbid thoughts. Stop them.
"......." Strained silence indeed. Any loosening of those words might require action, then responsibility.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 11:44 pm
"Hnn~" That nervous response definitely had her interested, looking at him with a clever smile all the while. "Some people have a type. Some don't. And the ones that don't~" She was too whimsical, explaining such things with quite the musical voice. "They tend to be fond of the traits of the person they like. Anything that person does could ultimately become a desirable trait. And so, anything is fine. You see?" Even if that wasn't what he had asked at all, she was having fun with it. "I don't have a type. And I like you, so~ No one can replace you, you know?" The suddenly flushed face didn't really mesh with the matter-of-fact explanation. Having fun had pretty much backfired on her. Not like it was the first time for that to happen. Never learned her lesson, not for a moment.
He hadn't taken the bait, but not all was lost. With an unaffected glance she assessed the situation. She was quick to take back one of the surrendering hands, again holding it with hers and returning both hands to where they had rested previously. That boldness was immediately followed by another impetuous decision. She'd leaned against the arm of the hand she held. Too short to be leaning on shoulders. Her face bore a calm expression. Not nervous. Not excited. Almost seemingly sedated. Eye heavily lidded, she made no special effort to have her line of sight meet his. Not taking responsibility for the action, it seemed. Though a small offering of words was made. "It's okay, isn't it?" A little backwards, acting then asking, but just asking seemed to be futile. Besides. Through her swift actions she'd not only resumed her position, but furthered it. Advanced tactics in action.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 11:53 pm
"........"
That was quite a long silence, even for him. Hmm. But he can't say anything, that would give the game away before it even started. Was this going to be a regular thing happening around here? Ah. Close those eyes, do not show her that anything has changed, pretend to enjoy it. At least the temperature drop was easily taken care of with some preparation, and anything else that might clue her in to what was going on would require either words or actions, therefore he should give neither.
Couldn't stop himself from laughing inwardly, though. Trying not to smile was harder than Erhard made it out to be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 2:12 am
What seemed like no reaction at all was definitely odd, but she didn't feel like analyzing it. Likely to her detriment, but the idea of some private relaxation was too appealing to let the pesky realities of the situation disturb her. Sweet selfishness. He wouldn't indulge her if he was firmly opposed to anything she did, would he? She was too comfortable to want to deal with all of the complications and unanswered questions that were unlikely to ever go away. She turned her face into his arm, effectively blinding herself for the time being.
"I haven't forgotten, you know. My answer." She'd waited quite a while. And would probably continue to wait. But from the casual way she'd said it there didn't seem to be any resentment or impatience involved. "But somehow, I'm not worried? At least, not right now..." She was tensing up already. Didn't want to think about it at all. She'd endured. That was all that mattered, as far as she was concerned. Wasn't long before she was relaxed again. Easy to manage when she remembered what she was doing. "I get to see you all the time... and not just by chance, purposely... ah, I'm happy." No hesitation. Just an advanced state of relaxation. Maybe he was actually a catnip man without knowing it. Would make about as much sense as anything else that had happened. Her sudden laugh probably felt a little odd against his arm. "I'd like to think that you're happy too. About this, at least. Maybe someday you'll tell me." She wasn't bothered by the silence. Most of the time she'd happily talk more than enough for the both of them really. But she couldn't help but try to encourage him. There were some things that only he could say, after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 4:14 am
Like just exactly who she was referring to was thinking about this situation? If she was expecting anything but 'confused and panicky', then she would be disappointed. Hey, what happened to 'trying not to panic' from earlier anyway? Ignoring the protests, he continued keeping silent, simply listening. Later he could feedback all this to their originally intended recipient.
Now, he could make the situation go two ways from here. One, was to gently inform Amarante that he was screeching his figurative head off and drive the conversation back into idle chatter, or drag him back to the surface and make him face that question once and for all. Or... Hmm, was he even that desperate for amusement? Adding a little 'spice' to the situation was one thing, testing whether Amarante could follow a newly-given order and maybe wrecking the entire visit was another. Could he be that evi - someone came back to snatch the ropes even before any more funky ideas popped in. Back to work.
Snap those eyes back open. Bright red, good. Now answer it or else.
"..... T-Then you... um... " Go on!
"... Someday." Oh damn it. Maybe should have just - nope. Anything but that and the both of them knew it well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:46 pm
Unblinding herself, she was as oblivious as ever to his inner turmoil. The fragmentary answer didn't result in anything other than a confused look on her part. She probably shouldn't have been so pleased over what was all of maybe an assurance towards a future answer to the less important not-question... but to say that her words being acknowledged led to a rudimentary sort of bliss on her part wouldn't be wrong. "I'll hold you to that." Happily quipping that in reply to an open-ended response didn't make sense either. Oh well.
Of course, obliviousness wasn't necessarily interchangeable with insolence. "Ah~ I'm always imposing on you, aren't I?" Burying her face into his arm again out of embarrassment was only really exacerbating the issue she was feeling guilty about, wasn't it? Selective logic at work. "But this is..." The sudden ease in her words made it obvious that she'd gotten over those feelings already. She lifted her head once more, eye bright as she looked at him with a renewed sense of vigor. "This is more than enough. A good level of closeness for us to take our time getting used to, yes?" She really couldn't assume more than him having a mere tolerance for her many whims and inclinations. But her resourcefulness had enabled her to make it to a fairly comfortable place, so she saw no reason to discontinue that enterprising sort of perspective. A weak-willed girl would have no chance against the likes of him. But even if she was sapped of her vitality by the deadly trap that was her sappy feelings, Amarante considered herself more than a match for him. So overestimating and offering him compromises came naturally to her. "I'm very happy with this, just this, if you're okay with providing it whenever I like." Quite the strange thing to bargain over. And selfish, definitely selfish. But she considered it a necessary sort of assurance. Wouldn't have been surprising if he was already assuming that each meeting between them put his physical being increasingly more in danger. That was bad. Very bad. And there was another condition, probably to the relief of both. "In private, of course." No holding hands with wild abandon in public, it seemed. She wouldn't be embarrassed by such a thing. But the idea of having less of an audience for their many gaffes and blushes appealed to her greatly, to say the least.
Naturally she was quite eager to normalize the bit of physical affection she'd acquired, with everyday words and courses for conversation. "So, do you like to bake?" She was quite cheery in asking, though the answer seemed pretty obvious. "Well, you must, but~" She looked to be caught up in some confusion due to her own question. "What other things do you like to make?" As usual, bouncing back to that sprightly disposition in no time flat. "Hopefully my request wasn't too much of a bother for you~"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:17 pm
He had no answer to that, still quite torn over whether he should say 'yes' or 'no'. Vague answers were not going to cut it this time, so he chose to wait it out with silence. It could mean consent to her, which was probably going to be worse. No no, speak now or forever hold your silence. "T-That's okay. Um. If it makes you feel better." At his expense? He doesn't learn from past mistakes, does he? Doing things for others at his expense came with the worst consequences for him when they fell apart. Oh well.
As the topic changed to cooking, he felt a little weight off his shoulders. Hopefully whatever awkwardness dug up by the last few minutes didn't carry over into this. But um.... Baking?
".... I do have to take care of the cooking at home, so..." Got to take care of the small kid and protect her from that disgusting slop that the robot called 'porridge', of course. And naturally before that, he had to cook for both himself and his sister. Except that everything he put on a plate was either sweets, tomato-based or diabetes-inducing coffee. "Um... Stew? Tomato stew." The one food that his sister always kept wanting, and luckily for him it had not applied to the newer household. "It's easy to make, so I used to make it often."
He shook his head. If only she knew! "It was not that difficult." Especially if the oven was the one spewing trays after trays of cookies even after he had taken the original tray out. Speaking of which! He loosened his arm carefully and went to take the cookie jar on her table. Plate.... Never mind, the lid could be used as one.
Hmm? He frowned as his hand was poised over the lid. What's this strange blue device on it? He certainly did not put that there when filling the jar at home... Ah. With a bit of embarrassed frustration, he jammed his finger on the bug, hard enough to crush it and elicit a pained screech from downstairs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 12:25 am
Did he have to put it that way? "It does, so..." She'd said as much. Probably multitudes of times. So why was his acknowledgement of that fact so embarrassing? She could feel her face getting hot as she bowed her head, preparing to change her offering to a plea. "I would be very grateful to receive such consideration from you." Seeing her being submissive was probably a strange sight, but she was doing so quite willingly. Ah. He was a difficult man that made a difficult situation even more difficult. Difficultly. Wasn't the issue of opposing alignments supposed to be the hard part? That hadn't been easy either, but it'd been relatively simple in comparison. Though throughout that struggle she still found him a pleasure to be around. So it wasn't as if his emotional armor was a dealbreaker for someone that thought so much of him. Just another thing she'd have to deal with as a part of who he was. Stupid illogical feelings.
"Oh~" 'Have to' implied it was an obligation. But of course she still found it admirable. Wait. What? "Tomato stew?" She looked puzzled over the idea, until she remembered. "Ah, you said something about that, that night..." There was a glint of amusement in her eye as she continued. "And came back with that can." To which she'd reacted with more than a bit of a tantrum. And didn't look the least bit remorseful about it. Nope, still wasn't apologetic about that. She'd purposely missed, hadn't she? She wasn't really trying to hurt him. Couldn't do that then, couldn't do that now. Just as well. Her many affectionate advances unsettling his psyche were just as or probably even more bothersome than any physical blows to his body could be. The particular wording used hadn't been missed, however. "Used to?"
He was likely being humble, even if she had no knowledge of the unusual circumstances that made those words especially humble. There was an element of bravery to the way he'd stated it, in her eyes, though it was likely just a part of his day-to-day survival. It was the sort of thing she knew very well. The look of sad understanding was replaced by an appreciative smile before he could notice. She was on her feet soon after that. Seemed he couldn't escape so easily. "Something to drink?" Oh, she was being helpful instead. "Coffee, tea~?" Well, sort of. She bit back a laugh at the part that went unsaid. She'd probably already put enough pressure on him for the time being without blatantly offering herself to him yet again. "I probably already know the answer to that, but you never know~" She said that, but was already looking through the coffees.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 12:54 am
"P-Please, no!" That came out faster than he expected. And more forceful. Uh oh... Hey, don't hurt her feelings now! "I-I mean... um... It's no trouble, really." Be careful what to say! He was effectively digging himself a trap anyway, with both his words and that awkward blush coming back. "Don't feel that way because of me!" The reason was not vocalized, but it was still there all the same. Pause for a moment and calm down, first. Getting worked up over that is not going to be beneficial to anyone.
Oh boy, she was sharp! He'd have to note his tongue carefully next time. "... Different food preferences," he mumbled, but the unspoken reason still hung around. "And dietary conditions. Not everyone can eat the same food." A lunchbox of tomato stew and rice every day would make the poor girl a laughingstock at school, and he'd get the extras rudely flung back into his face if he dared serve it to the roommate. If he so much as tried to approach that doorstep, even in goodwill of sharing food, he'd get his eyes clawed out and face sliced to ribbons. You poison someone's food one time...
"But um, aren't you supposed to be in bed? Miss Miyabi might not be happy if she came in just about now." He huffed, coming back with the cookies. But then again, better she made the coffee than him poisoning the both of them with an overdose of sugar and ice. As usual.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 4:12 am
Being told to do things a certain way or feel any particular way was something Amarante found rather tedious. "You're a little late if you're intending to prevent me from feeling anything, aren't you?" Only the slightest hint of sarcasm in that statement, but it was still there. "You have no say over how I feel about you. Okay?" It was definitely a stubborn and silly statement. The ridiculousness continued as she mused further. "Aaa~ Shouldn't you be happy that a girl that can give you all the coffee and sugar you want is in love with you?" It was a rhetorical question that wasn't the least bit serious. A laugh finally broke the obstinate look on her face, the result of being amused by her own weird observation.
"Dietary conditions, huh." Something seemed to be up with that mumbly answer, but whatever secret happened to be there wasn't one she particularly cared to try to get out of him. She went about her business with the preparations for hot-brewed iced coffee, until she was hit by the unexpected scolding. That girl wasn't even present and yet her intentions were still fully in play! It was time to counter with protests and whining. "Eeh~ But I'm pretty much better anyway!" Already bickering like they were married. Such kids. "Other than being a little tired only the marks of the incisions are left. See?" She hadn't pulled down the collar of her shirt much before she realized what she was doing, scrambling to reverse the action. He might've have seen the hint of some kitty-themed lingerie but for the most part she'd avoided the unintentional striptease. With an exasperated sigh she rubbed at her flushed face. "You'll just have to take my word for it, won't you? Besides. You'd still try to help someone that was sick or hurt even if you yourself were hurt, wouldn't you? Same concept. Pride in one's work. Compelled by a sense of purpose. That sort of thing." The resulting stubborn expression ended up melting away thanks to her sentimental scope of the situation. "Though, I do quite enjoy the idea of both. Serving you, and being taken care of by you... ah~" Yep. The strange barista was still enamored with the idea of playing house with the strange doctor.
Her mind was filled with similar sugary ideas as she assembled the silver coffee set upon its tray. At first glance something seemed to be missing. She found it appropriate to assure him, pulling what looked like a second coffee pot from the tray for a moment to show him. "I repurposed this for your purposes." She shook it. The sound of sugar granules. He'd just use it all anyway, but no way was she putting the sugar container itself on her pretty coffee tray. That said, she returned it to the tray and continued rambling as she picked it up. "Though this would be far more fun with a costume involved." Most things were, as far as she was concerned. And she was pretty much thinking aloud at this point, wasn't she? "The maid costume would do nicely, I think." Definitely thinking aloud as she made her way back over. "Or in your case, a cat-eared maid." Well, that. That he was definitely meant to hear, said with a light and playful tone rather than anything close to ridicule. She presented the coffee tray upon the bedside table with her usual panache, then managed to resume her place on the bed without further exposing herself to him. "Ah well. Another time~ Pour me a cup, would you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:18 am
"That... That was not what I was trying to say..." Oh well. Serves him right for not phrasing it properly. He should not press it, it might end up in an argument. Certainly not an outcome he would like to have in this visit. "... More like... You don't have to go out of your way to please. Especially if you don't want to." There, better. Or maybe not, she might jump to conclusions again. Or claim that that was what she wanted to do anyway. He could not tell which it was, then again deducing emotions were not his forte.
"Tired. Therefore you should still get some rest." Huh, no blushes there. What to do, it was probably that job professionalism at work again. Can't be going around the operating theater with a bleeding nose, have to get used to it. Still, he also cannot deny her assumption, it was right on the mark after all. "If at any point you do feel unwell, please do go rest." He could hold back that stern, frosty intimidation he used with the more troublesome patients. Scaring Amarante back into bed would be more detrimental to her recovery than gently trying to nag her back. Ah, wait, nag?! No no, coax. Not nag, it's way too early for that!
Already the teasing starts! No getting out of that particular spot anytime soon, it seems. Nothing to do but endure it. He had better learn to keep his hands to himself if he ever wanted to avoid this kind of thing happening. Again. He sighed and nodded quietly, picking up the coffee pot and pouring out two cups. Now, before his hand went to the sweet stuff... "Cream or sugar?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:02 pm
She couldn't help but sigh, even if it was with a good humor. "Haa~ If some important meaning is being missed, perhaps it would be best to just come out and say it." Probably too much to hope for with that, but she had to try. "If it is something that you are worried about, I would very much like to hear why." Saying it that way made it all sound very simple even though it probably was anything but. Out of her way... didn't want to... well, those words fit a particular disliked subject very well. It just kept coming to mind whether she liked it or not. Definitely not. The resulting headache seemed to be soothed by saying at least something about it. "The only thing that's been forced upon me... that is..." There was a bitterness that burned in her heart just thinking about it, more or less talking about it. She'd be fine doing just that if she had to, but odds were that with that visible level of uneasiness that he'd steer clear. "My only dissatisfaction with getting to this point has been being rushed." At least it wasn't a searing pain anymore. Just a dull ache.
But she had no interest in dwelling upon that yet again. Wasting time dwelling when she could be getting attention? No way! "I'm already doing everything else both of you want~ Can't I be conscious for a while?" Definitely whining, yet... oddly happy-sounding. Couldn't completely hide the contentment that came from feeling cared about, it seemed. Couldn't lose face by looking totally compliant, though. "Don't wear clothes that put pressure on your body, stay in bed~ I bet you wouldn't let me leave, either!" The look on her face instantly become contemplative. Somehow that was an interesting idea? "Oh~ Would you physically restrain me if I tried?" Any opportunity to be touched, huh. But it was definitely an idle threat, and her amusement over it made that perfectly clear. "Heh. Not that I would. You're here, so~ It's where I want to be." Would've been a nice moment to lean in again, but no need to make him spill coffee all over the bed or something. Being at a weird angle would make it awkward to drink anyway. Priorities.
She was already quietly thinking through things she could dress him as, troublemaker that she was. At least she'd dress him with consideration that he was a man? Unlike well, everyone else. Maybe he'd be less mad about it then, but that was probably part of the fun anyway. As she was absorbed in those frivolous thoughts her tail snaked around, looking all soft and cute and totally pettable. "Cream, please."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
