Post by Ranth on Jul 9, 2019 11:20:06 GMT -5
Ranth stiffened as he felt Rin's arms wrap around him, simultaneously surprised at the sudden contact and by the brazenness of her contact. Somehow it seemed like forever ago since the first time they'd inadvertently been so close and he thought of that time almost wistfully as he turned to look at her. There was something different about the dynamic now and he couldn't put his finger on just what exactly it was that had changed. Was it her... or was it him? Between the curse that had nearly killed him and the inner hollow that was supposedly lurking within him, was he really the same person that he had been back then?
It was a bitter thought and it must have shown because Rin gently guided him away from the kitchen and to the dining table where she had him take a seat before going back to the stove and beginning to rummage around for... were those the ingredients for porridge? When had the Empress learned to make porridge? At the mention of having had a good nights rest, Ranth felt a headache coming on as he tried in vain once more to remember even a scrap of the previous night, but there was nothing- not even a hint as to what he'd done between leaving the shower and arriving in the kitchen that morning.
"You're right to worry, you know, the voice chimed in softly. Barely more than a whisper. "You've noticed the change in her... she's not herself. Surely she's aware of it too, yet she hasn't confided in you... I wonder if it's to protect you... or if she doesn't trust you? Perhaps she's already starting to think of you in the same way that Daisuke did..." The words were like knives that stabbed at his very soul and he wanted to dismiss the very notion out of hand... but how could he? He didn't know what Rin was thinking at the best of times and these were far from the best of times. He'd seen the end result of what she could become through Daisuke and it wasn't difficult to imagine how that interaction would play out between them if and when she reached that point in whatever curse afflicted her... yet she seemed so happy and energetic... and somehow that scared him the most.
"Rin... you would tell me if something was wrong... wouldn't you?" It was a struggle to get the words out, but somehow he managed to give voice to at least some small measure of his worries- even if he didn't come right out and say exactly what was on his mind or how worried he truly was about what lay ahead for them. "You don't really think she'd just come out and tell you, do you?, the voice asked, stoking the embers of Ranth's worries further one small increment at a time, no mater how he tried to push those doubts aside. He could trust her... he was sure of it... wasn't he?
It was a bitter thought and it must have shown because Rin gently guided him away from the kitchen and to the dining table where she had him take a seat before going back to the stove and beginning to rummage around for... were those the ingredients for porridge? When had the Empress learned to make porridge? At the mention of having had a good nights rest, Ranth felt a headache coming on as he tried in vain once more to remember even a scrap of the previous night, but there was nothing- not even a hint as to what he'd done between leaving the shower and arriving in the kitchen that morning.
"You're right to worry, you know, the voice chimed in softly. Barely more than a whisper. "You've noticed the change in her... she's not herself. Surely she's aware of it too, yet she hasn't confided in you... I wonder if it's to protect you... or if she doesn't trust you? Perhaps she's already starting to think of you in the same way that Daisuke did..." The words were like knives that stabbed at his very soul and he wanted to dismiss the very notion out of hand... but how could he? He didn't know what Rin was thinking at the best of times and these were far from the best of times. He'd seen the end result of what she could become through Daisuke and it wasn't difficult to imagine how that interaction would play out between them if and when she reached that point in whatever curse afflicted her... yet she seemed so happy and energetic... and somehow that scared him the most.
"Rin... you would tell me if something was wrong... wouldn't you?" It was a struggle to get the words out, but somehow he managed to give voice to at least some small measure of his worries- even if he didn't come right out and say exactly what was on his mind or how worried he truly was about what lay ahead for them. "You don't really think she'd just come out and tell you, do you?, the voice asked, stoking the embers of Ranth's worries further one small increment at a time, no mater how he tried to push those doubts aside. He could trust her... he was sure of it... wasn't he?