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( closed ) sharp enough to kill a man
WHO: Lumine + others
WHERE: around Stygia + the Gallows
WHEN: November
WHAT: event shenanigans + notice board things
WARNINGS: 99% chance of violence because of Lumine's life choices
[ ooc: closed starters will go here. if you want a custom starter, send me a PM or comment on my plotting post and let's hash things out. ]
WHERE: around Stygia + the Gallows
WHEN: November
WHAT: event shenanigans + notice board things
WARNINGS: 99% chance of violence because of Lumine's life choices
no subject
lumine opens her mouth but closes it a moment later, realizing that this is what he's gunning for. this is what he wants, to get the last word and to rile her up, get a reaction from her. closing her eyes for a brief moment and making horrible peace with herself, she sighs inwardly before giving him an exasperated look. ]
Yes, I'm only this way with you, Your Highness.
[ riled up, frustrated, terribly flustered in so many ways that has nothing to do with embarrassment. she can tell that she'll eventually regret saying that, but seeing that they're exchanging quips now: ]
You have that effect on me, I'm afraid.
no subject
even if there was nothing to be explicitly gained from her admittance, it's something he seems to revel in nonetheless. whether it's simply because he knows it's proof he was able to grate on her nerves, or if it came from a different place altogether. in his own life, he lacked affection, and well... it's not a bad thing to be seen at times. a thought he only seems to gain clarify on suddenly, and where he least expects it.
brushing it aside in haste, he seems to smile at her obvious flustering. ] Considering my generous nature, I suppose I can let you off here. [ but, maybe it wasn't just for her benefit...
that said: ] Shall we go? I'll escort you back. [ but, he's firm on not accepting dinner, if just because she seemed the stingy sort who may have just as easily backed out on her words were they to share any more time together. ]
no subject
if she rolls her eyes hard enough, lumine's pretty sure it'll fall out. and there are already enough things falling out of her: flowers from her mouth, commission items from her arms, soon enough hair from her head. she can't have her own eyeballs falling into the harbor's dirty, muddy streets too.
also, why can't he just accept her gracious offer of a dinner? what's wrong with dining with her? too low class? rude ... and what happened to walking away from her? ]
Fine, if your Highness would be so kind. [ lumine sighs under her breath, holding out some of the items in her arms: a bag of goods, some odds and ends in another. ] Will you help me carry these? In case my ailment starts up once more.
[ be a gentleman for once, callisto. ]
no subject
despite the words he spews, or how intolerant he may seem, he agrees easily enough to her request. he takes her items without a fuss. except, that's not completely true: ] You're probably the only one who uses "Your Highness" with so much contempt.
[ however, even with saying that, it's fact that he's going out of his way to escort her. maybe it's a habit from home, but he knows that's not completely true, if just for him not being the sort to do things he generally just didn't jive with. but, all things said, he did think lumine was worth the effort. ... and really, it isn't like he could let someone who was just hacking up petals go on their merry way. even he has a conscience??
standing beside her, however, he does think that despite their arguments, it does feel natural somehow. for the first time, he's realized how accustomed he suddenly feels this place is. the same sights and oddly enough the same company. though, maybe it helped not having all the baggage that came with back home. except, maybe the baggage bit hasn't changed that drastically.
whatever the case is: ] You're really... [ except, he doesn't finish his sentence.
instead, he just keeps walking. ]
no subject
he's not wrong there. but it's not so much as contempt as a way of riling him up. besides, he was the one who seemed very pushy about titles that no longer hold water in this place; if she were more spiteful, she would've insisted on being called a princess as the younger sister of a prince ... kind of.
lumine doesn't say anything for a moment, very much savoring the experience of not carrying anything in her arms while taking a walk in the harbor. her expression looks contemplative, even as her gaze roams the area, memorizing stalls, streets, places of note. ]
I don't have a lot of experiences with the aristocracy, but calling a prince by their name is very intimate, don't you think?
[ she gives it a beat, and then another, her eyes averted at everywhere but him. she doesn't want to give him the idea that she's interested in him in any way. ] Callisto ...
no subject
he almost balks at that saying there was no such intimacy in a place like this. another hell. yet, the words don't quite come out that way. instead, he just seems to also take in the sights, and even the sensation of the objects in his hand. it's truly unheard of... making the crown prince a mere pack mule, he'd have easily said back, but it's about the time when he's ready to (metaphorically) bite back, when he catches the last bit of her words.
or rather, his name.
he thinks this may have been the first time she's ever really used it. being who he is, despite having provided his name numerous times, the impact is different coming from one of the first people he's met in this place. someone who, arguably, had the most exposure to the him that the closest to being in his original position.
callisto. ] It's not bad. [ a pause. ] I think it's the right amount of "intimacy" for you.
[ mocking, but somehow, he doesn't sound as harsh as he normally does, maybe. ]
no subject
she doesn't remember ... but doesn't that just prove that it just might be the first time she's used his name. lumine wrinkles her nose at his comment, uncertain what it even means in that context. it doesn't help either that it sounds like he's picking on her. again. ]
The right amount of intimacy ...
[ what does that even mean?? is he saying that her calling his name is something he considers intimate? and that maybe she should continue using it? she honestly doesn't know how to perceive that or make sense of that comment at all.
which is unusual, she normally picks things up at a quicker pace than most. ]
Is that your permission for me to call you by your name?
no subject
yet, his own strides once he's quickened his pace, seems to fall back in order with her footsteps. ] Do you prefer "Lumine"? [ honestly it's still something relatively new to him to be referring to others simply by their given names. especially, without reservation, or considerations of status or anything else, not that it ever bothered him, but well... it could be relatively exhausting in its own right.
not to say she doesn't exhaust him in her own ways... ]
no subject
maybe, since he seems petty enough to do so. and of course, it's once more at the expense of her mortification. because why wouldn't it be when she's speaking with callisto, right? she wonders if these interactions between them will become commonplace and ordinary moving forward. ]
Yes, I prefer Lumine.
[ it's her name, after all. why would she prefer something else? ]
... Why? What were you thinking of calling me?
no subject
that said, he trudges along silently for a good minute, before he responds. ] Maybe princess? [ he had called her that in jest before? or perhaps, because she said "your highness" in an equally sardonic tone? whatever the case... ]
Did you have anything akin to a title before— perhaps, even one of affection?
no subject
okay, to be fair, he's a prince, so he's probably used to that sort of thing. she's not going to deny that some girls do find such nicknames cute, endearing even. she, on the other hand, finds it a little too cheesy for her taste, maybe a little cliched even. but that's her, jaded for over five hundred years after having heard all forms of nicknames.
lumine pauses thoughtfully at the question anyway, going through the titles she's been called in the past: honorary knight, esteemed guest ... not even the abyss mages or heralds call her princess despite being aether's sister. ]
'Little sister'?
[ LOOK SHE HAS AN OLDER TWIN BROTHER??? and aether did technically call her little sister sometimes. ]
no subject
...
...
if anything could be more of a mood killer than a siscon/brocon? there's a pause there as his brows furrow in an attempt to comprehend if she had intended this as some joke. instead— ] Do you have no friends? [ coming from callisto... ]
no subject
but okay, fine. maybe she's giving him a bit of a hard time despite the kindness he's shown her just a while ago. to be fair, he was asking for it after all the teasing he's done with her in the past, but she supposes that she can lay off—for now. her own way of returning his kindness, kind of.
the audacity to ask her if she has no friends, though— ]
Of course, I have friends. They usually call me Lumine.
[
girliebecause that's her name. plus, it would be weird if she asks him to call her traveler, considering he doesn't know the reason behind that monicker. ]
no subject
if that wasn't a testament to her character, then he wouldn't be sure as what could be constituted as one. but, wow. girlie? you're lucky that's too far out of callisto's usual language and comfort zone. ]
Then it looks like you were spared a nickname for now, "little sister." [ lol, is he making fun of her? absolutely. ]
no subject
the urge to roll her eyes at that, though. if only she's given a coin for every sigh she exhales whenever she's around callisto, she wouldn't be doing these commissions or requests. but as it is, she's not rewarded by having to endure his teasing. ]
Great, I do like hearing my name more than a nickname.
[ she assumes he's the same, considering he called her out earlier with her use of his title. in any case, she points at a stall a few feet away from them, turning to callisto. ]
That's my stop right there. [ for the goods, at least. lumine holds out her arms to take back the items they've picked up. ] ... Thanks for carrying them for me. And for the handkerchief.
💌
You're really the only one who could use me as a mule with zero remorse. [ however, with his words, there's more a smile than there is a frown. it stays even as he turns his back. but, slightly more quietly, he speaks in tune. almost as if uttering his usual threats, and yet a little softer somehow. ]
No need to thank me. After all, I'm expecting something quite extravagant in return.
no subject
she's been stifling the desire to do so, but lumine does it anyway, roll her eyes out of exasperation. he really has to have the last word, doesn't he? in every conversation they've had so far, in every interaction they've managed to get into, callisto is acting like himself.
this is despite the spreading illness around, and he's completely unaffected. ]
Learn how to manage your expectations, Your Highness.
[ and before he can scoff at that, she's off! not letting him get the last last last word here. let her have her win, you 2nd ml!! ]