generalflirt | ~♥THIRTY-ONE♥~

Putting it in that context, it makes the game seem pretty zero-sum.

[But it's not. Benefit for the Malnosso, somehow]

[Blink.]

Zero-sum? [...] Does that mean even?

[...is he really calling this a game?]

It means no one benefits. For each unit lost, one more is gained by the other part. We both lost "one," gained "one." Ergo, we both end at "zero."

[A beat]

But. If this were a "game" I have a handicap. I started at three.

[A blink. Although the first part made a certain amount of sense (...even if she doesn't really feel she gained anything from that fruit-induced scenario but pain), the second part loses her completely.]

What are you talking about?

[The smile on his lips become more pronounces. He leans his head back and Linda looks up at him, picking up some weird mood, or perhaps a shift in his electro-magnetic field. And when he's pulled back]

I mean that I'm sitting here across from the prettiest girl in this village.

[That just strikes her as hollow, and no explanation at all. She sighs and shakes her head.]

Oh, Masaomi...

Hold-! [And he wiggles his finger, in her face]

I can't objectively prove that. Subjectively... it's not a lie.

[Her only initial response is to look at his finger and then back to his face with a huff bordering on a pout. Subjectively, huh? Well, she can't tell him how to order his perceptions.

And she can't put much faith in them either. She doesn't quite think that he's lying, but her second response is something like: Until you tell that to the next girl who walks in the room. which is just ungenerous enough that Katara actually takes stock of the situation and doesn't say it out loud.

Which leads to the third response, after a second or two of prolonged not!pouting.]

Then thank you for the compliment.

[y u p.]

You don't thank a man for the truth. Particularly when you'd as gorgeous as you are. Even with your face like that, I can feel my heart pumping all sorts of places!

[He leans in, challenging her. Still smiling]

[Ugh.

You are making her so uncomfortable right now, Masaomi.]

[She plants one hand behind her to support her if she chooses to lean back, but as it is she just narrows her eyes at him.]

I'm pretty sure that the polite thing to do when you're complimented is to say 'thank you.' [Frown. Can we stop talking about this now? Ugh, after her conversation with Sanji earlier that day and everything...]

What else am I supposed to say?

[To get you to stop.]

Politely, I guess. Buuuut- [And he leans in further. If you were to happen to glance at Linda now, she's actually looking oddly starry-eyed at this moment] I'm not the most polite person ever, am I? Respect, care... ah, I've got a lot of virtues! But.

With you right in front of me like this? Maybe you just blush and nod. "Thank you," in fact, strikes me as dismissing it.

[And again, she doesn't back away - in fact, she's tempted to just lean right back in. He's got her back to the metaphorical wall, and her automatic response to that would be to make her own exit.

She doesn't, however, because even though she's uncomfortable at how well he knows her to call her on this, and even though she's starting to get angry, she doesn't want to encourage or continue this.]

That's exactly what I'm doing. Polite. Dismissal. [Because she is polite. When she's not angry.]

You don't get to tell me how I have to respond to what you say.

[He makes a little noise of agreement. That's true. and you know what, his lips twitch a bit to looks almost shark-like. Challenging. The pain in his heart is still there but right now... this is something he can touch]

Maybe not. But I do get to tell you how I'm losing myself in your eyes.

[Which he's keeping eye contact on. ...It's not a lie at all tbh]

[And now this is starting to hurt, on top of everything else.

He's right. She gave him that right to tell her the truth as he sees it. But that doesn't mean she wants to hear it, or believe it, or allow it anywhere close to this part of her heart which is parched and hurting.

So now she does lean forward a little, that hand which had been behind her coming around to slap down on the floor between them. She doesn't tear her eyes from his because that would feel like - losing, somehow, like giving up and letting him see, and so instead he'll get to see all that she's feeling reflected in them, the pain and humiliation and frustrated anger.]

Stop it!

[The smile remains on his face. It doesn't match his eyes exactly - reflected in his... is love. Or like. Or something like that? The point is, some deep emotions are portrayed in his. There's pain there. There's not humiliation. He's mad - oh God knows he is mad - but it's at the Malnosso, or himself. And it's not being portrayed in his eyes or his body.

And so with an even tone] Why?

[The hand between them curls into a fist and Katara does not lean back.]

I don't want to hear this! ["Right now" is what she really should have added on if she was going to be polite about it, and believable, and make it just about this situation. But he's getting the truth instead.]

You think I like having to shut you down? You think I like having to hear these things about myself which aren't true - and if they are, are informed by feelings I can't return? It's not fair- [and it hurts.

She bites off those last words, but doesn't have anything else to complete the sentence.]

[he only hears one thing. aren't true. Instantly, the smile fades. And he shouts this next part (Linda is basically like *^* now jsyk)] It is true! Ask anyone! You are a beautiful person!

[She's not the slightest intimidated by his shout, even if the words contained therein make her eyes tear up a bit. She just shouts back.]

I said "Stop it!"

I won't!

-I won't. [he calms. In a more even tone. Even if it's clearly a bit strained - this shouting is making his headache come back. Fuck being hungover] This isn't even about you and me now, this is about you, Katara. Stolen? "Aren't true?" Fine, there's a lot of lies within the last week, but one thing which is a solid truth is what I've said right now.

[His hands are fists, aren't they? Dammit Dammit.]

Edited 2012-02-28 20:16 (UTC)

[And now Katara finally does look down. And she leans back, drawing her fists into her lap.]

I'm not talking with you about this anymore. I'll accept that you mean what you say, but that's it, Masaomi.

["I could survey all the men in Luceti, like I did with this Luffy thing. Most of them would agree with me."

But that would piss him off. he holds his tongue. Linda looks disappointed at this resolution, but huff. Actually, she's going to walk on over to get between them. Masaomi, for his part, answers]

Alright, good.

[Now she's just scraped out again and hurting. There was more that she wanted to talk with him about, she didn't even get to him running away, but now... she doesn't want to talk with him about anything at all. She feels blindsided and still a bit angry.

And while she might say that she'd accept his opinion, and mean it. in actuality what happens is that it's going to get put in a box marked as 'Irrelevant' because of those very same feelings that prompting him to say it.

She looks up, but not at him, and not at Linda walk between them. She looks towards a wall, by the door.]

I think I'm done.

[and he looks at his pichu. She looks at him and he keeps his eyes locked on her and...]

I'm not. We're not.

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