[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

Spoiler

(...)
Her next timid response, though, caused Ven to freeze. His eyes were widened, his eyebrows were raised in shock, and an unreadable yet still....worried frown appeared on his face soon after. Silence stretched on between him and her for a few minutes, before he finally dean to respond in an calm....hesitate tone of voice.

"........It is. Perhaps its not a concern for you, but.......I am worried about this, among other things. I'm older than you, and with that age gap comes expectations that could lead to.......unfortunate consequences, with the public and your family's reactions being my chief concerns. To my knowledge, you also haven't been engaged in other romantic relationships, while I am......knowledgable in that field, to be succient. That adds more wrinkles into this, as combined with my....life experiences it stand to reason that I have a greater chance of hurting you with any advances, or that I could invariably take advantage of you even on complete accident. Such things have happened before, to my deep sorrow.... I also do not wish to burden you with the ornerous task of being my......partner, as I am a very flawed man despite my usual demeanor. You already are aware of some of what I'm alluding to, but their are......other parts of my life.......that are unsavory too, and I don't want you to suffer those moments too......or think less of me. "

A heavy sigh escaped the empath as he said this, chock full of bitterness and a bone aching weariness that was distinctly uncharacteristic of the normally kind hearted and generals man.

"......I do not think now is an ideal time for us to start a relationship as well. You are still recovering from the Scimitar attacks, and our enemies could possibly use such bonds against us, and I the very last thing I want is for you to get hurt because of me.... If such an occurence came to pass.....I honestly can't imagine the full ramifications....though I don't long for the answer to that quandary regardless."

More Silence as he stops talking, letting his most blessed friend react to what basically amounted to gently refusing her advances with 'Its not you, its me' argument. Wonder how that will go down with her.....

(Remember, Ven's deeply insecure about himself as a romantic partner for Shiva, due to how fucked up he and his entire life is, so him turning her down right now is not outside the realms of reasoning....)

......Oh. Shiva has expected various reactions from his side, but not...shock. Definitely not. Immediately, she wished she would have NOT followed what her mind was telling her to do. But, now it was already to late, there's no turning back anymore, nothing could take the words said away and undo everthing.

Well done, my dear. This one time, you were brave.
Thanks, I guess, but...



That silence that dwelled within the room was a weird one. Meaningful, curious, not knowing what may break it apart from the faint sound of raindrops colliding with the window glass and the constant calming rings of the Soothe Bell Marill was casting while she silently yet thankfully took care of the remains of sliced fruit, even if she wondered a little why it was not served on the usual orchid-patterned plate Master usually served food. Nevermind though, as the taste was nevertheless superb. Once she has alleyed her hunger to a sufficient degree, the blue fae mouse would, maybe in an unexpected boldness, hop onto her Master's lap to give her another hug, averting Shiva's attention from the oddball of researcher to her Marill for a few moments. Seeing her so...sweet and attached to her caused Shiva to smile to herself and petting the forehead of her fae mouse for a bit - for these few moments, any sadness seemed to be only secondary. It seemed like whenever Shiva was down or struggling with hard times, Marill was there to remind her on happiness - like a natural antidepressant. Like a figurative rainbow that appeared among all the self-summoned rain. Having own Pokemon to care for...was definitely amazing. Little did Marill know yet that she does all but deserve to learn that Ice Beam from TM.

Back to Ventus though... Shiva did nothing than listen to what he had to say. She did show barely any reaction on the outside the whole time, she just desired to hear what he had to say.... Though what he said, was not unreasonable, to some degree at last. Of course she was disappointed by him gently refusing however, and that was audible in her voice when she has found the courage to respond, but it wasn't the end of the world.
"But... Ven, last time you said you wouldn't mind... D-Doesn't matter. I have reasons to believe my family would be fine with it... You remember how I introduced you to my father? Via screen, anyway, but I feel he liked you. He - or, both my parents - would probably speak with you before fully accepting you, that's not my worry. They're protective over me as their only child, putting hope in me that one day I'll be abe to inherit and lead Dad's business, preparing myself for that is part of why I was asked to journey through Chresire at all...." She pauses here, thinks back to how she had to get used to the thought of journeying at first before preparing herself for it. "Ven, you...know what I realized yesterday? ...My whole life has been peaceful so far. Quiet, and I've grown up in safety... Though, this safety received a HEAVY crack yesterday. That whole peaceful life, it has made me a mature and intelligent person... But it has not prepared me at all for cruelty that the world holds. You can sing a song about how cruel the world can be, right? Maybe...no, probably this is what attracts me about you - despite that experienced cruelty, you are kind at heart and dear towards those you are close to. I don't think you would...burden me, nor would I think less of you... I'd be at best sorry for you, shed tears for you, but it'd strenghten my desire to see you happy again, to cast more of these winning smiles, you understand...? Weird, isn't it..."

Another period of a few minutes of silence, while Shiva let those words sink in, both for him and for herself. "...You see? It's not bad that you are experienced and knowledgeable in love and life, I feel that's exactly what I'd need in a... .... ...partner."

Now Shiva actually faced him again, very coyly yet in a sweet manner that was oh so typical for her, and again she touched his hand with hers. She also moved a little closer. "If...not now is an ideal time, maybe...sometime later it is...? I'll wait for you, alright? Just...don't go away, stay by my side please."

However, Shiva has taken the initiative twice already (alright, once because he asked for a demonstration), so now she actually subtly hoped that he would take the initiative for one time. He said that they wouldn't impact their friendship(?) in a deleterous way, and here in the safety and calmness of their shared dorm none would now...


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(Alright, Windos, once this has been resolved to some degree, do bring up that mentioned proposal if you like, before we can eventually move on to Shelterwork for that day. ^^ Phew... Your last post took me a while to respond to in a way I'm happy with.)