eloquentness | mask or menace

omg no, this isn't odd at all!!!

[ she is secretly grateful this isn't text because gosh, she might've squealed a little. Lucina's asking her about love?! ]

I guess I've always known. Not helpful, but Barry and I have known each other most of our lives. I do remember, tho, when we were nine years old and I thought I could be a ballerina. So I took lessons and practiced and practiced, and at the end of the year, there was a recital. I froze up on stage.

BUT Barry got right up there with me and danced the entire routine with me until the very end. Curtain call and everything, just b/c he saw how nervous I was. That was one of those "I think I'm in love" moments, as cheesy as that sounds? I knew he would be with me until the end of the line.

Why do you ask?

[gods...

this is........incredibly saccharine. like almost offensively so. she's sure it's the exact thing Cynthia would swoon at while Severa gagged in the background. as for herself? she...doesn't really know, one way or the other. maybe in the middle?

give her a sec, Iris, because "why do you ask" is...ugh. tricky.]

I don't really know much about it. I suppose I wanted to understand a perspective like yours, one that seems so certain.
I didn't realize such things could really be traced so far back, even into childhood. But you can grow up alongside someone your entire life and still NOT feel such attraction, too. At least, I would think so...

[ for the record: Lucina asked. ]

to be fair, I thought the same thing.
"Barry's just my best friend." "We're not into each other like that." You get the gist.

But then he started dating other girls and I got weirdly jealous??
There was no reason for me to be jealous. He's my best friend. I should be happy that he's finding people he could be happy with. Except I wasn't.
(Please don't tell him I said that, or I'll never hear the end of it.)

It just... hit me that I liked him as more than my favorite nerd, and that I'd always loved him.
I was just too oblivious to realize it.

So...the awareness came out of observing him interacting with others? Courting them?
I see.
I suppose that makes sense...

Yeah, I guess so.

Any particular reason you ask? 👀 Like a certain boy (or girl) shaped reason??

Yes, possibly.
I don't know.
The more I investigate the less I understand, honestly. I think maybe I'm perhaps making mountains out of molehills.

[ ooh, girl... ]

Never! That just means you care a lot about this person.
What's their name, and have I met them before?? 👀

[how can a tiny pair of cartoon eyes be so intimidating...]

Well, of course I do care. He's Owain's liege lord, and stays with us at the clock tower. Were he to wind up in any trouble, it'd break Owain's heart...
But no, I don't think he frequents De Chima...
Well, he did come with Owain and I to that island, so perhaps you saw him telling off the other contestants now and then. He didn't exactly have the greatest of times down there...

[ "Owain's liege lord" doesn't give Iris much to work with, but she's already heading off to Schmoogle and Bwitter to see if she can find pap photos or anything remotely of interest... ]

Oh, so I haven't met him yet.

[ she's vaguely disappointed :( ]

Is he doing any better now that you're all off the island?

That layer of stress is gone, yes...and now that Owain's returned from his brief disappearance...
I think so. It's hard to tell. He's...very reserved with his feelings, unless he's irritated with something.
That's part of the problem. I can't really tell what he's thinking, and asking directly isn't exactly an easy thing.
Owain has described him similar to a cat? Which on the one hand is absurd, but...I guess I kind of understand what he means.
I think maybe I really AM overthinking things. Perhaps it's best to just try and not think too hard on it. Right?

Idk. When you come to care about someone like that, it's hard to get direct answers out of them.

But you know what I do, when they're not the talking type?
I see if they're expressing their feelings another way. Does he rely on touch, like squeezing your hand? Does he get you or Owain gifts? Or does he like doing things for you two?

[ in other words: maybe this guy's speaking an entirely different love language, and they've just gotta break it down to understand him. ]

I suppose I haven't really considered that...
He has -- that is, taken my hand before. Well, more than once. But...I'm not sure I can count the first time, since...strange factors were at play.
But he has done so to console me. I understand that well enough.
He allows much the same attention from Owain in his regard -- embraces as well. That seems to suit him well enough, unless he's irate.
A cat, indeed...

[ A very finicky cat... ]

Sure seems like it.
Normally, I WOULD say we're over-thinking this, but guys like him can be hard to read.

Might as well try and see what comes of it, I guess.

Try...?
Try what? I don't know a thing about this, Iris. And I don't want to accidentally misconstrue or embarrass him. (Or myself...)

Of course not! I'm not telling you to rush in and act as if you're dating already.

I was thinking more, do you guys hang out one-on-one? If not, you could invite him for coffee or lunch and see what he thinks.

I see.
I could give that a try. If neither Owain nor I are about, he tends to stay sequestered to himself...I think. He may wander about alone, but I've not heard of it.
But I suppose I can try.

Yeah! It doesn't /have/ to be a date.
Sometimes, just spending time with them outside of your usual routine is all that matters.

You're right.
Sorry, Iris. Thanks for humoring me...

Huh? You're my friend, Lucina.
This is what we do for each other. (:
Let me know if you want me and Barry to tag along at any point, okay?

Barry, too?
I wonder if that'd do more harm than good...
But I appreciate the offer. I appreciate it.

Fair enough.

Just let me know whatever you need, and I'll make it happen. ♥

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