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[armwriostle]

@cerberus

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[empaler]

[ listen, it's not her fault everyone else has a weak constitution when it comes to rare fowl. but the cookies are, indeed, a different story: not too sweet due to being a little heavy-handed on the cinnamon, unsurprising given her preferred flavor profile, but decent. ]

Is that what this is about? [ she slides a teacup over to him along with some sugar. ] You wanted an update on my love life?

[ sir... you could have just asked. ]

[armwriostle]

[Gurl. No. That's not how it works at all.]

Is it? [He had mostly been joking, of course. He drops two cubes into his cup and stirs it gently. There's a tilt of his head.] Are you telling me that there is an update to your love life?

[He is suddenly very invested in this tea time. Apparently there's more than one kind of tea being served.]

[empaler]

[ her expression flickers with something like playful annoyance, a sigh breathed through her nose as she tugs the other teacup towards herself. there's no real update, mainly because she hasn't done anything about it yet, but since he's here and they're on the subject... she may as well talk to him about it. he is, after all, happily married. sort of.

so after considering her words, she settles on— ]

What made you decide to tell Kizuna about your affections?

[armwriostle]

[Wow, why people thinking he's married. He just has a lover. Who's thinking about marriage? Certainly not him. He's still opening up to the concept of being loved and cherished like this.

This isn't about him though. It's about her.

Except she asks that, so he guesses he still needs to pull personal anecdotes. Wriothesley had always been honest though. He rarely truly hides his feelings. His gaze softens as he looks down at the tea in his cup.] The regret of not at least telling him how I feel would weigh heavy on my heart in the end.

[He places his cup down.] As you know, I had liked him for awhile and I know he knew how I felt, but never once did he ever bring it up. He most likely wanted to make sure I felt ready to confront those feelings. It so happened that I had dreamt of him slipping through my fingertips that night.

[He laughs softly. It's rare for Wriothesley to probably speak about such a vulnerable moment, but it sounds like Clorinde needs to hear it and he also doesn't mind speaking on it.] He comforted me and then he gave me a gift. [The matching earring that sits on his left lobe, after all, was not a style that he commonly wore. Not when he kept to very plain jewelry.]

It made me realize that I was a fool for holding back in the first place. I rather experience potential heartbreak than to never experience the chance of that kind of happiness. [And while Wriothesley was content with his life, the man rarely had any selfish goals; the things he was striving for had always been for the betterment of others.]

[empaler]

[ 🙄

anyway, they both know what she is: one honed to be a weapon first before anything else, a tool to be wielded by the long arm of justice. she understands that, so does he. between the two of them, wriothesley is much more adept at navigating these kinds of situations than she is, so she listens carefully to what he says. that he feels comfortable sharing the details with her at all is something she's grateful for and doesn't take for granted—she's always trusted him back in fontaine and that trust has only grown in the months they've spent in the resort.

still, it's almost a novelty in some ways to hear him admit something like that, and it's that which makes her pause to consider. ]

... You would rather deal with the prospect of him disappearing but having known the truth, rather than the regret of not telling him at all.

[ trading one weight for another, but one that is much easier to carry. she takes a sip of her tea, mulling over it before speaking up again. ]

I'm worried that if I told him, it may put him in a position where he feels he must choose between me or his home. Or, if he does choose his home, he may feel regret. [ she doesn't clarify who "he" is, but she's pretty certain he knows exactly who she's talking about. ] I don't want him to have to feel that way. I want him to return home without anything holding him back.

... But you're right, in that I think I'll come to regret it if I didn't say anything at all.

[armwriostle]

I’m human. [His gaze stays on her as he speaks.] I’m human just as much as you are human. People want for things. To be selfish. We spend so much of our days serving others, but that does not mean we don’t still feel desires.

[The smile on his lips. It’s a softness that only his closest friends are allowed to see. Vulnerable. Intimate. It was a man willing to show his entire heart.] I would rather chase happiness even if it’s for a moment. To experience, even if it is just a ripple, the joy of love. For once, I would like to consider my own wants before I just consider everything else.

[Wriothesley might easily say that the success of the prison also gives him an easier life, but they both know that the work he did was altruistic, born for the love of people who deserved to still be treated like humans and to live out full lives. Things he did not have growing up. Wriothesley is not a very selfish man so for him to finally seek something out says a lot about how much this means to him.]

Is it not presumptuous to think these things without his input? [He reaches over to gently grasp her chin.] If the feelings are mutual, for instance, and you had kept these things hidden for his sake, do you think he might not lament over it too? I think that this conversation is something you two should have. After all, I imagine that he might think the same. You having to choose between home and him and if you might feel regret if you leave him for home. I think that this isn’t a decision to make yourself but something you both should talk about.

[He let’s go of her chin. A smile.] It’s human to have concerns. To worry. But I think that even if time becomes short, you would have had something you cherished with your entire heart, Clorinde. Not the Champion Duelist and her accolades. Just Clorinde, a fine Fontanian woman who should be allowed to also find someone who will treat her and her heart well.