adelphoi | IC INBOX @ ACATALEPSY;

[ Suit yourself, Alisaie!! He'll be the only one getting to second base with this snowvixen. Though for the moment, he busies himself heading to the nearest tree and snapping off branches to use for arms. ]

Yeah, y'know! [ ... ] Oh, maybe you...don't know. A hairdryer is, like...a gun, but one that makes heat to dry your hair.

[ Yeah. ]

[ that answer really just.. raises more questions than it does provide answers. ]

A.. gun?

[ that dries your hair?? that sounds dangerous??

?? ]

...I mean, it's only shaped like a gun. It doesn't shoot anything! ...Except heat.

[ Also, he misses being able to use one. Why couldn't they have stayed in Struxta!!! ]

[ this isn't helping...!! ]

That sounds.. dangerous.

It's not! ...I mean, yeah, it can burn you if you're not careful, but it's not as bad as it sounds, I promise! They're super convenient.

[ Said while he shoves the arms into the snowman's sides. ]

If you say so.. my hair seems to have no problem drying itself.

[ who even knows how often she washes it?? a mystery.. anyway, leaning forward, she carefully begins to arrange the stones into an ugly, but workable, face. ]

Sure, sure, but it just happens fast— never mind.

[ If she could see it, she would understand! But since she can't, he'll just finish arranging the branches as arms and stand back to appraise their work. ]

...Is she supposed to look sad?

[ IT LOOKS SAD. ]

Sad?

[ she can't help but sound offended, and her cheeks are puffed out with irritation when she looks to him again. so offended!! ]

No she is.. she is smiling! Isn't she..?

[ Oh...so, she wasn't going for sad??? Could've fooled him...

He narrows his eyes, leaning closer to examine the pumpkin, as if he missed something upon first glance. Then, exaggeratedly: ]

...Ohhhhh! Now I see it! Ha! Ha! That suuuure is a smile!

[ It sure isn't. ]

[ yes it is!!!!

alisaie frowns a sad little frown, look what you did, prompto, now she's upset!! she'll just.. start fussily rearranging the face stones!! ]

[ Later, after she breaks his heart, he'll realize this was the moment he lost her... ]

W-wait! Don't change it! I liked her lookin' kind of...grumpy! Reminded me of you, a bit!

[ THOSE TWO STATEMENTS ARE NOT RELATED ]

[ if only he hadn't criticized her snowman face.. ]

Of me?

[ was that the right answer or not?? she is sort of touched, but also sort of offended. ]

[ Foot, meet mouth... ]

Uhhh — wh-what I meant by that was —

[ ...

...

..........

Yeah, he's got nothing.

So he's just gonna...turn right around and change the subject! ]

Anyway, uhhhh. Clothes! Let's find some.

[ he changes the subject, and alisaie frowns, her brow creased thoughtfully. she doesn't answer for a few moments, still poking at the snowman's face in quiet consternation. ]

Clothing, of course.

[ she could run back to her room for a scarf, it isn't too far.. ]

Do you.. think I am very grumpy?

[ ...Ah. She's not going to let that slide, is she? Not that she should — he definitely shouldn't have said that. Anyway, he didn't mean it like that! And the last thing he wants is to give her the wrong idea about what he thinks about her!

...Even if she can be a little grumpy at times. ]

N-no! You're just more of a...realist. You keep airheads like me from getting too carried away with myself.

[ Well, it's true. Their dispositions do balance each other out pretty well. ]

You're not an airhead!

[ okay well

maybe sometimes he is...

but still. she flicks her eyes to him again, her brow drawn and creased. ]

I apologize if I have been.. short, with you. To be honest, I've not much experience making friends.

[ Before she has even finished speaking, he shakes his head to dispel the notion that she has anything to be apologizing for. ]

Nah, it's a...nice change of pace. Anyway, you can't be any worse at making friends than I am. [ He chuckles warmly. ] Guess that's one ready we get along so well, huh?

[ Even if she can be...stern sometimes, that's not a bad thing. Besides, her frowny face is pretty cute... ]

You?

[ she looks so incredulous it's probably nearly cartoonish, her hands pausing in their work over the snowman's face, her eyes wide. ]

How could you possibly be poor at making friends?

[ he's more or less the opposite of her, and he'd ingratiated himself to her so completely.. not to mention, he has so very many friends here now. ]

[ And he finds her surprise surprising, so they're all just one big revolving door of surprise. But is it all that shocking? She know better than most how awkward and shy he can be. ]

I-I... y'know! I'm kind of...a mess. Don't you remember how we first met?

[ It's nothing short of a miracle that she still talks to him, honestly. ]

[ yeah and that surprise is gonna continue to circle around, because she's still surprised, and will continue to be surprised, and in disbelief, for the foreseeable future. somehow, she's quite dubious.. ]

That is ridiculous.

[ she shakes her head. ]

You are friendly, and kind. I cannot imagine that you do not make friends with nearly everyone you meet.

Y-you'd be surprised...

[ He turns pink as he always does when she compliments him, and to be fair, he has...had rather good luck with friends here. Rather than him being good at making friends, however, he attributes it more to everyone here just being freakin' amazing, of course. ]

Still! You gotta admit...you probably didn't think we'd be so tight when we first met, did you?

Well, no..

[ she admits, through a frown. ]

But that was less to do with you and more to do with me. If you have trouble making friends, it is only because you do not allow yourself to reach out. A personality like yours is.. magnetic.

[ that he isn't friends with the entire circle would come as a surprise to her, tbh. ]

You think I'm...holding myself back?

[ That's...probably fair, though it isn't so easy for him to see it. Even so, he's had such good luck with friends here. Even with how amazing they all are, but must be doing something right to retain them at all.

He waves a hand, turning the tables on her. ]

A-anyway, it takes two to tango, Ali! You have just as much to do with us bein' friends as I do.

[ How does she not see how amazing she is? ]

I know you are. You are afraid that people will not accept you as you are, that you do not realize just how easily people are drawn to you.

[ that.. came out.. in a way..

the tips of her ears flush faintly, but she clears her throat and forges ahead with a light chuckle. ]

And that may be true, but you were persistent. Growing up I was.. incredibly different from my peers.

[ Okay, that sure did come out in a way, and just as she does, Prompto lights up like a festive tree, going red from his shoulders to the tips of his ears. She really thinks of him like that?

...He's thinking about the cave again. ]

Hey, I know how that goes. But there's nothing wrong with that, y'know? You're kinda perfect just the way you are.

[ ...

.......

Oh.

Now it's his turn to wish for death, to become a ripe tomato and glance away self-consciously. ]

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