prismatica | [Video] U/N: teacupprincess

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[Video] U/N: teacupprincess

[Perne is situated at a cosy-looking table in the Azure cafe. Chin in the palm of her hand, she tucks dark hair behind the shell of an ear.

Last time, she asked about a cathedral and couldn't recall getting a direct answer. She has, since then, assumed such a thing doesn't exist. But it did beckon some very interesting religious theory conversation.

This time, she has something different she is hunting for.]

I have found mineself with an alarming amount of free time and wish to invest it somewhere other than excessive and possibly unnecessary thought. I thought I had once heard rumour of a theatre house here in Lunatia. Is that true? I am aware we have other exhibitions of art, but mayhaps something musically or stagecraft inclined could be of benefit to many of us with such interests.

I acted as patron and worked within an opera house back where I hail from. I should like to reprise the role.

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[A place she likes to go...
A bit like the cafe she's at now.

But his offer... There is something incredibly appealing about someone else making tea for her, because admittedly she's always been the one making tea for other people.]

I would not be against you making some for me. If that would be all right. I am an easy-to-satisfy guest, so it need not be anything fancy.

I'll start a kettle.

[ and he shares his address with her, too. ]

On my way.

[How very kind of him.

She doesn't spend much time getting ready. Although still not wholly interested in casual wear, she dresses simply. And as it seems proper to bring a token of gratitude for him playing host, she puts together a simple bouquet of flowers. Something for his residence to give it colour, she suspects. A bit of cheer from an unlikely source, considering she is not known for her cheer.

In half a bell or more, she arrives, still very curious over what she will end up facing. How bad could it be?]

[ Aymeric is wearing loose fitting black and gold robes, because of the giant wings and tail he's now sporting. He's gained almost a foot in height, has two black horns on each side of his head, a long, blue-scaled tale, and each blue-scaled wing ends in three separate parts, and the scales on the tips look almost feathery in nature. So it's a lot. And that's before getting to the claws -- although he is doing better than he was at the beginning of sanguis and by the time she gets there the tea is almost ready!

So he goes to get the door and lets her in. The flowers are very nice, and color is always welcome as far as he's concerned. ]

Lady de Archevauliere, 'tis good to see you.

[ He's a little nervous, worried that she might think him scary like this. Look, he might be friends with dragons now, but he knows how Ishgardians are, after everything. ]

[He answers and she looks up... and up... and...
Up.

She should not stare. She knows that. It does not stop her from doing so, however. Her expression lacks outward judgement. Ocean-like gaze passes over the wings. The horns. The tail.

There is so much irony. It is a good thing she is not a zealot.

After a moment's consideration, she reminds herself to speak.]

By the Fury. [Is her immediate greeting before she appends to that.] You were already taller than me. I feel so small now. This must be quite the adjustment for you.

[...She will never complain about her moon again.]

[ Yes, the irony is not at all lost on him. His throat feels tight during the moments that she does not speak, almost as if he forgets to breathe while waiting.

He's surprised to find that what she talks about is his height and not the rest. Well, it's like he'd told her: trying to have sex like this would probably hurt her. ]

It has taken some time to get used to. Sanguis will be over soon, however, and with it these changes.

[Perne takes the time to give him another look over as she stalks around him. Definitely a dragon. She supposes that perhaps sometime in the future, she'll owe him a visit during Cordis. This is the second time she's seen him during his moon. Sanguis, right...? She still knows so little about the other moons.

...And even her own.]

If I am not mistaken, mine lord, it appears you might be relieved for that. I could not blame you. If I ever roused to find mineself a dragon, I believe I might possibly faint.

[A pause as she scouts for a place to put the flowers and she looks over to him with the hint of a smile.]

That is a joke. Although I did admittedly shriek last moon. [...And all she was, was a moth. Very impressive.]

[ Aymeric clears a spot for her on the counter. The apartment feels kind of strange, probably. Aymeric's stuff is all nice and tidy, but there are odds and ends spread about that seem to have worked their way in. Qih'sae's things, as he slowly moves himself into the apartment one thing at a time, just like a cat putting their toys all over your home. ]

I had some help.

[ And that was important. He might've had a much harder time without it. Once she puts the flowers down, he turns off the kettle, which is boiling now, and pours out the tea, placing a tea bag into each cup. Then he carries them over to the table in the kitchen so they can sit together. ]

Please, take a seat.

[ naturally there's already some breads with butter and jam set out too. it's tea time!! ]

What happened during the last moon?

[She's careful and reverent in how she makes very good use of the counter he's been so kind to clear for her.

Perne sits when he invites her to. Hands upon her lap, one leg crossed over the other. It's surprisingly comfortable. This is surprisingly comfortable. Maybe it's because she finds some dark humour in his current happenstance. That shouldn't be amusing either, but... One must find amusement where they can.]

I had mine first transformation. After not having any since I had arrived. Considering I had no idea what to expect, it was admittedly a shock. That being said, it was far tamer than this.

[She lifts a hand, decorated in no shortage of unnecessary rings and accents, as she gestures to him whilst her gaze drops onto the other little pieces he's set out for them. Goodness. He knows how to be quite the good host. She makes a note, that she might improve her own skills in time.]

[ Aymeric sits after she does, although it's more of a process as he makes room for wings and tail. He's got this, though. ]

What kind of transformation did you end up with?

[Hiding a smile behind her hand, Perne finds the means to answer him. After some moments she requires to gather herself.]

Why, I do believe I became an insect of sorts. I had to destroy one of mine dresses to make room for mine wings. I suppose I simply could have remained disrobed, but I had need to make visit to some of the stores.

[For yes, she had an insatiable appetite. Food seemed a good way to fill that aside from... the other options.]

I do not know very much about such things, however. I could not tell you particularly what kind. Soft, velvety wings, mayhaps? Antennae. Some extra appendages. Alterations to mine sight.

[ It sounds like a lot. Even with as wild as his dragon changes were, at least he knew he was a dragon. At least it was sort of familiar. ]

That sounds difficult. Were you able to spend time with others, at least?

Not nearly as difficult as your current situation, I suspect.

[A moth has nothing on a dragon. At least she stayed relatively the same size. Mayhaps a little bit taller. If even.

A beat, and Perne wears a small and somewhat sheepish-looking smile.]

And aye. That I was. It would seem I become a bit demanding during that moon. And insatiable.

I think that it is a common affliction to all of us, during the moon cycles.

[ And really, no surprises there, probably. ]

It is meant to encourage us to moonlace, after all.

I suppose that is true. I never really thought of it that way. Perhaps because I had not yet been afflicted. You not so recently arrived and you have already gone through much more than I have. Either fortunate for me, or simply unfortunate for you.

[Her head dips thoughtfully.]

Some of us do not need the extra encouragement. In truth, it is not such an unpleasant thing. I think I just prefer have the ability to make that decision on mine own. I feel like it is mine right to choose when and whom and how. At least, I feel more comfortable when I can do that. Otherwise, there is a lack of control and... Well. There is a certain amount of trust needed for me to surrender that.

[ It can be both -- fortunate for her, and unfortunate for him. But he doesn't comment on that. He just listens to the rest of what she has to say, which is more important. And it's familiar to him, because it's something he'd talked about with estinien. He stirs his tea (and the birch syrup in it) while he considers how he wants to respond.

Finally: ]

There are times that I wish to blame my behavior on this place. That were it not for the sanguis moon, I would never had given into these sorts of desires. For so long, I had gone without. In the Holy See, I was content. [ You know, back when he was still a virgin before he showed up here. ] But, I confess, that never quite sits right with me. It feels like an attempt to escape mine own guilt and with it the accountability I should have.

Guilt should not feel like such a old friend. And I don't say it to suggest that you should feel the same. What I think is that each person has to confront these questions in their own way. To me, it feels more correct to believe they are always my choice. Not just for a sense of agency, though I wish I could tell you that were the reason. But because I, as all of us from Ishgard, was taught to repent for my sins. It is, for better or worse, almost a creature comfort at this point. But for you...if viewing it that way -- as a question of surrendering yourself to it -- is what makes the most sense, then perhaps the answer is to find someone you can trust enough to catch you when you are ready to fall.

[Perne simply holds her tea between her hands, finding in them in those moments, a strange ease and familiarity. There have been many moments, many times that she has sat precisely the way she is now. Chin tipped up, her attention poised intently on company, and ears hanging onto every word given.

It is a moment that she can easily acknowledge she feels content in. One that she realises she... would not hate more moments like that. Every time she begins to admit that she doesn't hate absolutely everything, she finds herself pausing and reassessing. Are these feelings the true ones?

She thinks on his words. Mulls over them. Turns them over. Analyses them. Scrutinises them. Just speaking with him about it brings to light concepts she has fretted about in private. Perne has kept so much locked up for so long and whilst she is only now beginning to slowly unravel, she has come to understand just how much she has carried. How much she continues to.

There's actually quite a lot to unpack. It will not all come out now or even soon, but in these moments, the ones where she feels she can so perfectly find her reflection in his gaze, she... feels closer to him. In a way she's needed to be.]

I made an accord upon coming here, thinking I could survive by simply doing that. I thought I could absolve mineself of any guilt I felt if I said I was only doing it to survive. Whether that was mine attempt to fool mineself into a charade, I could hardly say. I also thought that if I felt guilt, I deserved to. I deserved every moment of condemning mineself and admonishing mineself.

But...
The thing is...

[Her gaze drops uncertainly and she traces her fingertip nervously around the rim of her cup.]

No one should have to feel that way. No one should have to feel shame because they take comfort in the presence of another person. Not you. Not me. Not anyone here. Not anyone in Ishgard either. We deserve our comforts when we may find them. Our joys. I thought I could be here and just... survive on the bare minimum. Instead, I am finding I am not that stalwart. It is possible that I have already surrendered.

...Even sitting here with you like this, I feel... Well. I feel. I was almost certain I had stopped feeling anything at all. But when I am with you, I feel both longing and a bittersweet... I do not know. Something. I feel something. For all that I argue with you and snap and bite as if I am some ferocious little beast, and mayhaps I am, that is not all of me. I suppose I want you to be able to see all of me. Perhaps so that I can find a form of surrender in you.

[ Perne has a lot of thoughts on the matter. It's surprising, but good, to hear her speak her mind so. Perhaps a little ironic, after what they were talking about earlier. But he's glad that she comes to the revelation anyway. Some people just needed to figure it out for themselves rather than hearing it from others. Perne was very clearly one of those people.

And, of course, it is rather flattering that she wants to be able to show him more about herself.

There's a lot he could get into -- about shame, and about deserving. About the excess to which he had enjoyed things lately. But those are particulars that don't matter as much as the important parts here. ]

I would like to see more of you.

[It is, frequently, difficult to gauge Aymeric's responses to most things. For all that Perne observes him, he is incredibly hard to get to know or to understand. And it makes her wonder if that's generally how it's been for those trying to get into her own head a little.

His very simple response could be interpreted far weightier than it actually is. And considering the nature of the world they are in, it has other connotations that go with it and would not be implausible to consider.

She says nothing at first, simply eyes him from over her tea and the long drink she indulges in.]

Likewise. I find mineself reflected in those sentiments where you are concerned, Aymeric. You do not make it convenient to know you. Thus you present a challenge.

[A pause.]

I like challenges.

[ Aymeric is surprised at what she says and it shows. He's never meant to be a challenge to anyone. And certainly others have accused him of being too open. But then again, those were people who had grown close to him, people who had gotten to know him beyond his title and beyond his role in Ishgard. ]

If that is the case...perhaps it is simply because I have for too long had to act in a manner befitting to my position. It is not my intention to be difficult to understand.

I think you would be well within your rights to do so, if you ever chose to intentionally be as such.

[Considering his position, it would be pertinent that his safety was paramount. The nature and history of their people... Logically it would dictate that he take his companions with a great deal of care. In the world of politics, a flame can be extinguished quite simply if one fails to have adequate protection.

Perne seems to have found his nature to be rather deliberate. Or at least had prior to his contrarian response.]

I believe in time and circumstance these things about us shall change. At least minutely. Again, I find I may prefer it that way. I do not believe anything worth having is meant to be convenient. Not that all things must be complex, but rather that I like the idea of the effort that goes into the blossoming of relationships.

[Just. Like. Plants.]

[ Yes, just like plants -- as he was saying earlier with his metaphor about seeds earlier. At least she gets there now herself, even if she was offended when he brought it up before. ]

Each relationship is different and takes a different manner of cultivation, it's true. I do not doubt that you're capable of putting in the work.

Well, if mine relationship with flowers is any indication, no truer assessment of me has ever been made.

I wonder, are you implying you need to be watered and fertilised regularly?

[She grins. An actual grin. It appears that Perne is teasing him.]

[ Oh dear...Aymeric blushes and tries to look down at his tea and away from her gaze. Why does it sound so sexual, fury help him. Is it just because it's sanguis?? Is he just reading into this? That just makes him more embarrassed, if it's just him. ]

I... [ don't be weird, don't be weird, it's chill, it's fine ] I'm not sure it quite works that way.

Edited (that wasn't the icon i picked...) 2020-05-14 18:24 (UTC)

[Endearing.

Perne really has no way of knowing what's going through his head, but she can hazard a guess. If Aymeric was a plant...

Well. She'd take very good care of him, obviously.

She cannot help laughing and hides it into her teacup as she eventually composes herself.]

How absolutely flustered you get. That is rather adorable, you know.

[Yes. She very much prefers it when she's not the one being flustered. She had not intended to add such a tone to it, but somehow she is pleased that she's managed to, even inadvertently.]

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This became so much longer than I expected; I am sorry.

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