[ He admittedly knows very little of her beyond their short conversations. For all that, he thinks he likes her? She's fascinating, at any rate. Even if he's not quite sure how he feels about some of her more forward motions. His arm flexes slightly under her touch and he glances at her hand and then back at her, meeting her eyes. ]
...it's something to be admired. Even in someone you don't agree with. The willingness to put your all into something - I can find fault with a cause but perhaps not that drive.
[ He smiles a little. ]
Although I can't imagine what would end up on my arm to represent that.
[My, that is a good flex. She might have a wide variety of tastes and appreciations, but... She did so love an overtly strong man. So very much. Mmm.]
It is.
[Very, very admirable. Both of those things. Even if she herself preferred neutrality... she could appreciate the passion, the drive, the will that came to those who fought more rigidly for a side. Freedom was her calling... but she still liked to perch every now and then. With a little smile, she looks at what she can of his skin...
And her gaze grows just a little distant, like she is looking... not through him, but at something about him he could not 「see」himself. Hmm...]
For you, Your Highness? A charging boar, I think. For strength, and the role of a defender... and truth, of course. That, too.
[Also, some said, fertility! - Is there a reason she should know what that reference might mean to him? Surely not, and yet the karma she senses there...]
[ He sounds a little surprised. Maybe even taken aback. The animal clearly means something to him - and for his part he's a little surprised that she'd hit on it so exactly. It's a mixed memory - but not entirely bad, either. He sits back in his seat, smile fading slightly as he thinks. ]
Those are all good meanings, honestly. Worth imitating. Although... a friend of mine called me the boar king once. It was not meant quite as a compliment. But... I can't say I mind the comparison. Especially not now.
[It is only when he sits back in his chair that Kiritsubo’s touch leaves him, because at that point it would be far too obvious to stay. Fingers slide down his bicep… and then they are gone, as if it were totally natural she had been touching him and now was not, her hands occupied instead with tea.]
No?
[She smiles knowingly, but without being asked… Does not volunteer how she could have possibly picked such a fitting image for him.]
Ara... But you must be a kind King now, if your friend was able to insult you without losing his head...
[After all, there are plenty of tyrants who would not allow such a thing, as she is sure that he knew. Well, let it be Dimitri's turn to smile bittersweet.]
You are not wrong about mistakes, however. Learning from them... That's part of what makes life interesting.
Well. I try to be - and at the time I had my own thoughts regarding who I was and what I should be.
[ It was a different time. ]
All we can do is move forward and try not to let ourselves be dragged down by the past. No matter how painful it might be or what has been lost. Pain may linger, but... it can't define you forever.
[ Something he tries to live by, even if he's not always successful. ]
no subject
...it's something to be admired. Even in someone you don't agree with. The willingness to put your all into something - I can find fault with a cause but perhaps not that drive.
[ He smiles a little. ]
Although I can't imagine what would end up on my arm to represent that.
no subject
It is.
[Very, very admirable. Both of those things. Even if she herself preferred neutrality... she could appreciate the passion, the drive, the will that came to those who fought more rigidly for a side. Freedom was her calling... but she still liked to perch every now and then. With a little smile, she looks at what she can of his skin...
And her gaze grows just a little distant, like she is looking... not through him, but at something about him he could not 「see」himself. Hmm...]
For you, Your Highness? A charging boar, I think. For strength, and the role of a defender... and truth, of course. That, too.
[Also, some said, fertility! - Is there a reason she should know what that reference might mean to him? Surely not, and yet the karma she senses there...]
no subject
[ He sounds a little surprised. Maybe even taken aback. The animal clearly means something to him - and for his part he's a little surprised that she'd hit on it so exactly. It's a mixed memory - but not entirely bad, either. He sits back in his seat, smile fading slightly as he thinks. ]
Those are all good meanings, honestly. Worth imitating. Although... a friend of mine called me the boar king once. It was not meant quite as a compliment. But... I can't say I mind the comparison. Especially not now.
no subject
No?
[She smiles knowingly, but without being asked… Does not volunteer how she could have possibly picked such a fitting image for him.]
What did your friend mean by it… ?
no subject
[ His lips curve in a smile; it's a bit sad, a bit fond, maybe a touch bitter at the edges. ]
He was half right, in the end. But I was a beast for a time. And sometimes it's good to remember what you were so you don't make the same mistakes.
no subject
[After all, there are plenty of tyrants who would not allow such a thing, as she is sure that he knew. Well, let it be Dimitri's turn to smile bittersweet.]
You are not wrong about mistakes, however. Learning from them... That's part of what makes life interesting.
no subject
[ It was a different time. ]
All we can do is move forward and try not to let ourselves be dragged down by the past. No matter how painful it might be or what has been lost. Pain may linger, but... it can't define you forever.
[ Something he tries to live by, even if he's not always successful. ]