[His own tone is almost playful in response, and though he doesn't notice it himself, it's far more cheer than he's shown in weeks. Perhaps not terribly surprising, given the circumstances.]
I don't make a habit of changing myself to suit other people's whims.
[Which should tell her a great deal about him, given enough thought. He listens to her venture through the apartment with vague interest, curious to know her thoughts and only slightly worried that certain things might have fallen into disrepair that he couldn't see.]
I like order and things being in their proper place. Admittedly, I had some assistance in the beginning, but not now.
[He completely misses the fact that her asking about a girl had other implications-- to him, it only brought to mind Iris' occasional visits. He moves to pull something out of the oven as they talk across the open apartment, doing so fluidly-- the bacon and eggs had been kept warm there for the last several minutes while he awaited her arrival.]
I would ask if you think it's strange, but I've seen how others live. I suppose it is somewhat unusual.
[Indeed, his answer does clue her in about how his personality. It's not a bad thing either—sticking to one's own values and beliefs. She can relate to that.]
Somewhat? [It's only one word, but the humor and small laugh that accompanies is enough to tell that she thinks it more than just "somewhat." Seriously, Ignis. Too clean.
And she's back out, the smell of bacon and eggs actually quite pleasant.]
Makes me tempted to move things around and see how long it takes you to fix it.
[Which is like the meanest you could do to not only a blind person in general, but a blind orderly person.]
[She dares him. But she will be getting herself a nice helping.]
Surprisingly, your place is both unusual and boring at the same time. Definitely not a place I'd recommend for hosting a party. [It's so barren, okay.]
[He can sass, too. He said nothing about the prepared breakfast being balanced, Commodore. He smirks, waving a hand towards the counter, where a reasonably full fruit bowl sits.]
By all means, help yourself. I believe you like being coddled even less than I do.
[Which is saying something. For as much as he nags after everyone else's well-being, he doesn't take direction or assistance particularly gracefully.]
Perhaps a good thing that people aren't much in the mood for parties these days, then. [He pauses, just for a beat.] My library used to be much larger. Unfortunately, most of what I own was left behind in the Crown City.
[There's just a small snort and a laugh as she looks over at the bowl.]
Maybe later.
[Not that she didn't like fruits. It's nice to have something fresh and sweet once in a while.
There's a brief pause as the clink of silverware fills the silence, but she's not really paying much attention to the food and more on Ignis's expression. Really, she wasn't sure what kind of answer she expected from that. She had a feeling it might have been for sentimental reasons. A reminder of something he liked to do but can't really. Not without a braille, though he'd have to teach himself that, too.]
Not surprised you'd be a bookworm. I can just imagine entire walls filled with books. [Digging it in deeper? Or actually letting him reminisce? Idle curiosity?] I don't really read much, but I like picking through a good book every once in a while.
[His expression turns thoughtful as he eats, and a part of him is thankful for the dark glasses and their ability to obscure his eyes. Damaged though they are, at least the right remains expressive-- enough to betray the wistful memories that the thought of his old life stirs up.]
It's long been a favorite pastime of mine.
[Or was. Unlike cooking, reclaiming reading was a little further out of his depth-- braille simply wasn't available to him, even if he were to dedicate himself to learning it on his own.]
Most of the books you see there are volumes I'd collected before our trip to Accordo, or that Lady Iris has brought by for me. She likes to read aloud when she visits, though daemon hunting has kept her away for some time.
[Yeah gonna have to sell that one harder since surely a certain prince also viewed her like a sister...]
...Hm. Wouldn't know how well stocked Lestallum would be for that, though would have thought they'd have something [The place can't be completely blind free.
So just really speaking out loud with no real thought:]
Most of the local merchants are more concerned with feeding everyone-- not that I blame them in the least. The increase in population thanks to the number of refugees has made everyday life challenging, to a certain extent, but Lestallum is surviving.
[He looks up without seeing as she thinks aloud, pausing with a forkful of egg halfway to his mouth.]
You needn't go to any trouble.
[Not on his account. He would never want to be a burden.]
Hey, if you're going to be useful, you'll need to know how to read on your own.
[Which is true, and why she says it in a rather matter-of-fact way. She's already training him, might as well. Now finding the stuff...Insomnia, Altissa, and Gralea are probably the best bets in trying to find the materials. Gralea and Altissa aren't too bad, Insomnia, however... That will be harder, if not impossible with the daemons there. Yep, gonna take the easier routes.]
Unless you want someone to always read to you like a kid hearing a bedtime story. [Slight smirk before she resumes eating.]
Being able to do it myself would be preferable, yes.
[It's the way he prefers to do most things. Reading was not only a valuable skill to be regained, but a passion that his injury had forced him to give up until now. He grimaces, spearing a piece of bacon.]
I don't especially care for being treated like a child, kind as it is for Iris to go out of her way. I don't expect anyone else would be willing to do the same, and I wouldn't want them to.
You know, you could just ask someone directly. [Her usual dry voice as she points her fork at him—even if he can't see it.] Otherwise it does sound as if you're just waiting for someone to do it for you.
Maybe to you, but from where I'm sitting your "manners" sound more like an excuse to passively "not trouble" anyone. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here having this discussion.
[He grits his teeth, and while he tries to maintain his composure, he can feel himself bristle. He hates the idea of anyone seeing him as using his injury as a crutch, using helplessness to protect himself from disappointment-- but to a degree, isn't that exactly what he's been doing?
He exhales slowly.]
We see things differently. [To say the least.] Before our meeting yesterday, would you have called us friends?
[His tone, at least, implies that he feels the same. Acquaintances, yes. Allies? Perhaps. But not friends, not quite yet.]
As such, I am in no position to impose upon you. You assume that I simply don't want to be a bother to anyone-- but were someone else in your place, rest assured, I would ask without hesitation. While we are acquaintances and I am certainly grateful for your time, as well as the offers you've made, it would be wrong to expect much else of you.
Nice words, but I still don't buy it. [She sets her fork down and sits back in the chair, one leg crossed over the knee and arms across her chest.]
Still doesn't change the fact that you've had almost, what, a year? Even if I gave you a few months, you had plenty of time and plenty of people to ask. Like your girlfriend, who should have figured out a few things at least. [A small scoff.]
So yeah, sure. Maybe you wouldn't ask me, but you had options before I came along. So where's the "no hesitation" for asking for basic tools to stop being a useless invalid?
[Those people all had better things to do, found it too difficult to spend much time in his company-- as he found it difficult to spend time in theirs. Iris, he reasons, would have been willing to go out of her way, and she already did a great deal for him-- almost too much for his liking, because at the end of the day, everything came down to the same point.
He was stubborn, and prideful, and didn't want to ask anyone for help. He hated that he had to. He hated that there were things he couldn't do for himself, and thus it was easier to pretend he didn't need the assistance at all.
He'd spent the year in mourning, not only for Noctis, but for who he himself had been.]
Tch.
[His jaw tightens, his breakfast now forgotten.]
Of course you manage to make it sound simple. It isn't. Asking them also requires they be present--
[But even as he says it, he knows that's shoving the responsibility off onto someone else. Unlike him, in all respects.]
There is no girlfriend. [It doesn't occur to him that she means Iris.] And I'm not useless.
[He's done plenty even without being able to read for himself, and yet there's no denying that having the tools to learn again would improve his quality of life.
It would also mean admitting, once and for all, that this wasn't temporary.]
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[His own tone is almost playful in response, and though he doesn't notice it himself, it's far more cheer than he's shown in weeks. Perhaps not terribly surprising, given the circumstances.]
I don't make a habit of changing myself to suit other people's whims.
[Which should tell her a great deal about him, given enough thought. He listens to her venture through the apartment with vague interest, curious to know her thoughts and only slightly worried that certain things might have fallen into disrepair that he couldn't see.]
I like order and things being in their proper place. Admittedly, I had some assistance in the beginning, but not now.
[He completely misses the fact that her asking about a girl had other implications-- to him, it only brought to mind Iris' occasional visits. He moves to pull something out of the oven as they talk across the open apartment, doing so fluidly-- the bacon and eggs had been kept warm there for the last several minutes while he awaited her arrival.]
I would ask if you think it's strange, but I've seen how others live. I suppose it is somewhat unusual.
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Somewhat? [It's only one word, but the humor and small laugh that accompanies is enough to tell that she thinks it more than just "somewhat." Seriously, Ignis. Too clean.
And she's back out, the smell of bacon and eggs actually quite pleasant.]
Makes me tempted to move things around and see how long it takes you to fix it.
[Which is like the meanest you could do to not only a blind person in general, but a blind orderly person.]
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Yes, well. A good deal more than 'somewhat,' I'll grant you.
[He can't help who he is, and he wouldn't want to.]
I'd say that's cruel, but somehow I'm not surprised that's how your sense of humor runs. It sounds like you.
[He smirks, seating himself at the table.]
You came hungry, I hope.
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I wasn't that hungry, but I have to admit it smells pretty good in here. But bacon and eggs? Going to ruin my figure.
[Yeah right, she doesn't care. And she'll be pulling out a chair to sit across from him.]
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[Don't make him give you a lecture on proper nutrition, Aranea.]
See anything that particularly interested you during your explorations, then?
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[She dares him. But she will be getting herself a nice helping.]
Surprisingly, your place is both unusual and boring at the same time. Definitely not a place I'd recommend for hosting a party. [It's so barren, okay.]
Did notice the books, though.
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[He can sass, too. He said nothing about the prepared breakfast being balanced, Commodore. He smirks, waving a hand towards the counter, where a reasonably full fruit bowl sits.]
By all means, help yourself. I believe you like being coddled even less than I do.
[Which is saying something. For as much as he nags after everyone else's well-being, he doesn't take direction or assistance particularly gracefully.]
Perhaps a good thing that people aren't much in the mood for parties these days, then. [He pauses, just for a beat.] My library used to be much larger. Unfortunately, most of what I own was left behind in the Crown City.
[That's not what she meant, and he knows it.]
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Maybe later.
[Not that she didn't like fruits. It's nice to have something fresh and sweet once in a while.
There's a brief pause as the clink of silverware fills the silence, but she's not really paying much attention to the food and more on Ignis's expression. Really, she wasn't sure what kind of answer she expected from that. She had a feeling it might have been for sentimental reasons. A reminder of something he liked to do but can't really. Not without a braille, though he'd have to teach himself that, too.]
Not surprised you'd be a bookworm. I can just imagine entire walls filled with books. [Digging it in deeper? Or actually letting him reminisce? Idle curiosity?] I don't really read much, but I like picking through a good book every once in a while.
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It's long been a favorite pastime of mine.
[Or was. Unlike cooking, reclaiming reading was a little further out of his depth-- braille simply wasn't available to him, even if he were to dedicate himself to learning it on his own.]
Most of the books you see there are volumes I'd collected before our trip to Accordo, or that Lady Iris has brought by for me. She likes to read aloud when she visits, though daemon hunting has kept her away for some time.
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Haven't learned braille?
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I-- haven't had the opportunity.
[Not for lack of trying.]
The world being what it is, the required materials are difficult to come by.
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...Hm. Wouldn't know how well stocked Lestallum would be for that, though would have thought they'd have something [The place can't be completely blind free.
So just really speaking out loud with no real thought:]
Could try to find stuff for you.
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[He looks up without seeing as she thinks aloud, pausing with a forkful of egg halfway to his mouth.]
You needn't go to any trouble.
[Not on his account. He would never want to be a burden.]
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[Which is true, and why she says it in a rather matter-of-fact way. She's already training him, might as well. Now finding the stuff...Insomnia, Altissa, and Gralea are probably the best bets in trying to find the materials. Gralea and Altissa aren't too bad, Insomnia, however... That will be harder, if not impossible with the daemons there. Yep, gonna take the easier routes.]
Unless you want someone to always read to you like a kid hearing a bedtime story. [Slight smirk before she resumes eating.]
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Being able to do it myself would be preferable, yes.
[It's the way he prefers to do most things. Reading was not only a valuable skill to be regained, but a passion that his injury had forced him to give up until now. He grimaces, spearing a piece of bacon.]
I don't especially care for being treated like a child, kind as it is for Iris to go out of her way. I don't expect anyone else would be willing to do the same, and I wouldn't want them to.
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[He won't deny that.]
But I'm already asking quite enough of you. It's not your job to fetch me reading material.
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Please remind me what you've actually asked of me so far.
[Because she's pretty sure she's offered the useful things out of her own whim. Offering dinner and breakfast definitely do not count.]
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Combat training is going to take up enough of your time. I'll not ask you to be an errand girl.
[That's well below her pay grade.]
As for the actual act of asking, I've no fear of asking for what I need-- having manners is not the same as being passive.
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[ie, the training and the whole book thing.]
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He exhales slowly.]
We see things differently. [To say the least.] Before our meeting yesterday, would you have called us friends?
[He's going somewhere with this.]
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I wouldn't really call us that now.
[However, she may have an idea of what he's getting at. But she'll let him explain.]
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[His tone, at least, implies that he feels the same. Acquaintances, yes. Allies? Perhaps. But not friends, not quite yet.]
As such, I am in no position to impose upon you. You assume that I simply don't want to be a bother to anyone-- but were someone else in your place, rest assured, I would ask without hesitation. While we are acquaintances and I am certainly grateful for your time, as well as the offers you've made, it would be wrong to expect much else of you.
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Still doesn't change the fact that you've had almost, what, a year? Even if I gave you a few months, you had plenty of time and plenty of people to ask. Like your girlfriend, who should have figured out a few things at least. [A small scoff.]
So yeah, sure. Maybe you wouldn't ask me, but you had options before I came along. So where's the "no hesitation" for asking for basic tools to stop being a useless invalid?
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He was stubborn, and prideful, and didn't want to ask anyone for help. He hated that he had to. He hated that there were things he couldn't do for himself, and thus it was easier to pretend he didn't need the assistance at all.
He'd spent the year in mourning, not only for Noctis, but for who he himself had been.]
Tch.
[His jaw tightens, his breakfast now forgotten.]
Of course you manage to make it sound simple. It isn't. Asking them also requires they be present--
[But even as he says it, he knows that's shoving the responsibility off onto someone else. Unlike him, in all respects.]
There is no girlfriend. [It doesn't occur to him that she means Iris.] And I'm not useless.
[He's done plenty even without being able to read for himself, and yet there's no denying that having the tools to learn again would improve his quality of life.
It would also mean admitting, once and for all, that this wasn't temporary.]
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bloop bloop bloop timeskip!
such a loser and poor date
so rude, he was good to you
kicking a girl out is not being "good"
she was so going to leave anyway
his cooking wasn't that great anyway
RUDE also BLINDSIDE LINK 1.5
EGGS TOO LIMP and awww yeah get them style points
THEY WERE DELICIOUS
COULD HAVE BEEN FIRMER
THIS IS NOT THE TIME
THAT'S WHAT HE SAID
YOU'RE TEARING HIM APART literally
NOT HER FAULT HE'S EASY kind of
you're going to sully his excellent reputation
pretty sure he can do it on his own
:|
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I SAW THAT
:D
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