perfectmatch | week two

Goats. They are raised primarily for milk, and act as a kind of brush control. They eat almost any kind of plant with great voracity.

[ Also, they're adorable. ]

Vaugarde has goats aplenty in the field, so I learned of them when I began traveling. I was like you prior.

[ Unknowing of their... charm. ]

[ Yes...charm. That's a word for it...but Aventurine doesn't seem to really mind them, particularly once he's tugged his sleeve away and can get on with the actual petting. ]

What kind of travels took you out into the world, Miss Odile? I'm curious.

The unending search for knowledge, you could say. I sought to learn more of something I had long found interest in, and though I did not succeed in the way I wished... I have not come away with nothing to show for it.

[ If it sounds vague, that's because it's meant to be. She's purposeful as ever. ]

Mm, you found something you weren't looking for, but value anyway? I get it.

[ Even without the particulars, that's an idea he is...very familiar with. ]

The real question is...was it worth it? Your journey, I mean. Or are you still finding out the answer to that?

No, I have. It was well-worth the venture.

[ Odile pets the goat, taking some of the feed offered to guests and holding it out to the small group gathering. They may nibble her sleeves, but she doesn't seem to mind, gently pulling the fabric from their teeth like habit. ]

My homeland is stagnant compared to where I travel now. I would not have seen just how confined they were in their ways had I remained, nor how lucky I was to have such steadfast consistency at the same time. My journey here... is a different matter.

[ While Odile feeds the goat, a cat wanders over to Aventurine, pawing at his pant leg, and he doesn't think twice about stooping down to pick it up, cradling it in one arm and scratching behind its ears. Okay, he's seeing the vision of the petting zoo... ]

Different how?

[ ... Hmmmm. Both are personal matters, self-discovery in their essence, but this one-- ]

A deeply uncomfortable one.

[ Best and newest way she can describe it. ]

You keep your hand covered out of habit, don't you?

[ Well...he can understand the sentiment, at least. ]

I do. As has already become apparent, it makes deducing matches a little... difficult.

[ Who would have thought! ]

... You and I are similar there. Have you come any closer to knowing what it is you're seeking to prove to yourself?

[ Provided that was his hand at least somewhat uncovered. ]

...I have.

[ He thinks to leave it there, but that's also the struggle he's been having. Opening up, revealing his hand, raising the stakes...

He can't use cunning and logic to make sure he winds up on top, here. And he's not even sure what "on top" looks like. (This isn't a bottom joke, I swear.) ]

It's also... something rather uncomfortable to confront, I'll admit.

Then allow me to be more open about mine, to ease both of our discomfort.

[ His hand for hers, transactional as they've been since meeting. It suits them well. Odile minds it not, and Aventurine seems comfortable with it as well.

The goats get the rest of the feed in hand and she trawls over to a cat sat upon the fence, watching them. Neither make a move. ]

... The person I don't wish to become is my mother, who never wished to have a child and left soon after having me. Not a single part of my name is her doing. So, by coming here, I seek perhaps a companion -- romantic or not -- with whom I can comfortably... call home in some fashion, for I have naught now.

[ A little more, than what she gave Wei Wuxian. And far more than she has afforded others in any regard. But Odile has a fondness for strays. ]

[ It's also a lot more than Aventurine expects to hear, expecting that they will continue to only vaguely allude to what is in their hearts, but Odile's answer is surprisingly candid. Despite that, he weathers it well, not giving her a look of shock or dismay that might make her close up the walls she's let down. Still, he's quiet for a moment before he responds, thoughtful. What she's looking for home, a person to call home, and in a sense, a family, too. It may not exactly be true love she's after, but instead just someone to...be with.

...A desire he can understand all too well, as can anyone, who is terminally alone. ]

You're looking for someone to stay by your side, rather than cut and run, when things turn inconvenient for them. I can understand that.

[ A beat, as he sets down the kitten he's been holding in his arms. His turn, now. ]

Before I came here, I made a wager with myself. That if the most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes were drawn together across the stars, if someone was hand-picked for to be my other half from any corner of the cosmos, then... [ Oh, it really sounds pathetic when he admits it out loud. ] It still wouldn't work out. By losing, I win.

[ And he'll know...if his future is destined to be as lonely as his past. ]

[ It's kind of him, not to show anything that might make her draw away, whether he feels it or not -- though she'd hardly see it, focused on the small animal before her. Odile gives before the cat does, reaching out to offer her hand for a sniff before gently stroking down its back, and she gives him the same courtesy of the unseen as he speaks.

Yes, she is looking for that. No, she does not think she will find it. But at least she will have gained something from this experience.

His own... is a surprise, and Odile turns her head once he's finished, a curious look on her face. But it's understandable at the same time -- when one is used to solidarity, looking for anything more is uncomfortable. It would be a wager she'd hoped to lose herself in some small part, if only because she's used to being on her own in that way. The companions she's traveled with are family enough, but they too will depart. ]

What would you define as your "other half", Aventurine? It need not be a particular list of traits, only... what you consider it. Someone to fill the cracks? Someone to help you grow? Someone, perhaps, that might win the wagers they find foolish and lose to the ones they see as fun?

[ That's a question he should have probably have found an answer to before he came here, but part of him was so certain no such person could exist, while another part was simply too fearful to build up the idea of an impossible phantom. But what would such a person look like...? What does he admire in others, that he can't find in himself?

After a moment of thought, his gaze a little wistful. ] I haven't given it much thought, really. I suppose...someone reliable, with a steadying, down-to-earth presence to rein me in. [ Like Ratio. ] With a good heart, too - compassion that goes a little too far. [ Like Topaz. ] Someone with a spark for life that can light mine up when I need it. [ Like the Trailblazer. ]

And you? What kind of partner do you look for?

[ Succinct and reasonable, she thinks, for someone who hadn't given it much thought. That only means he truly is aware of his shortcomings, and how best they would be met halfway. A gambler is ever observant -- even, or especially, of himself.

Odile takes the cat in her arms once it paws at her, turning to lean against the fencing with an amused twist of her lips, shaking her head. ]

You would think I'd have some idea, having lived twice as long as you and many of the others... but in truth, I never thought much of it myself. The romances I experienced when I was younger were more often of the physical sort, [ sorry, ] and they aren't what I seek in someone now. Dating your academic rival only lasts so long as you don't critique them too harshly.

[ Alas. Alas. ]

... Someone honest, who will tell me what bothers them without too much prodding. Who can speak their feelings where I cannot. Perhaps someone, [ a little wryly, ] who can bring spring into my life, and treats me the way they might a younger lady. I've rather enjoyed that the past two weeks from--

[ A pause, then another shake of her head. ]

It matters little if we differ on much, such as personality and tastes. But honesty and a similar viewpoint I find are the most important things to me, when thinking of someone who I might like to call companion on the longer road of life.

[ Ah, she cut herself just when she was getting to the juicy part! It'd be a little tactless to probe her about it immediately, but he won't forget the abrupt shift. There's been a few people he's noticed in Odile's company more than others... ]

As trite as it may sound on the ears, they might've been onto something when they said opposites attract, so long as you're alike in the ways that matter most. Relationships aren't unlike business deals...not that that's the opening line I'm going to use on any dates.

[ Business talk is not romantic at all! But he understands Odile just a bit better than he did before, and while they didn't come here with the same perspectives, they both have that hopeless romantic side of them that can't help but ask: what if?

He scoops up a bunny rabbit next, scratching it gently between its ears. ]

So — who were you talking about a minute ago? [ :) ]

[ He would ask, wouldn't he.

Odile purses her lips, annoyed at herself for-- that, stupid and smarmy slip, when she's yet to fully sort her own feelings and see what might be worth growth.

(Not that, of course. A path long since dead.) ]

That isn't very transactional of you, Aventurine. Don't I get offered something in return?

[ As through from nowhere, he produces a chip from behind the rabbit's ear, giving it a little flip by flicking it with his thumb. How does he do that... ]

Of course. I wouldn't expect you to give me precious intel without giving something in return. I can tell you who's caught my attention, a perfectly equitable exchange.

[ Even if his might be a bit more obvious, just given the way that He Is. ]

[ Which she has no qualms pointing out-- ]

I fear it isn't exactly equivalent in secrecy, but the confirmation would be interesting.

[ Mr. Obvious.

... But she turns it over in her head, petting the cat idly. ]

... I am not one to fall quickly, so do not take it as such. I merely find them interesting -- and wishing to know them better. [ Regardless, it's still uncomfortable to think on, to speak aloud, especially

especially because, if she is at all right in her observations, it is one they share, though-- ] I would hardly be the first to enjoy Nicodème's company, though perhaps the only one to feel young for it.

[ There's another, too, but... well, this is who she spoke of, admitted with an exhale just to get it out. Odile turns a somewhat knowing look to Aventurine as she continues. ]

A popular man, that one.

[ ...Ah. Nicodème. It would be him, wouldn't it? And before he can think better to hold it in the back of his throat, a wry laugh escapes him. Not aimed at Odile, just at the incredulity of the whole situation, that of course she would be telling him this. It's not that surprising though, is it? It's just like she says.

There's a lot to enjoy about Nico's company, and he is popular. He doesn't miss the meaning behind Odile's look, and it's not as though they've been terribly subtle in their affections, but it's not as though...they're attached, or anything...

...Hm. He's going to be thinking about this for awhile. ]

You might be surprised. He has a way with bringing the liveliness of youth into anyone's orbit.

[ At least, that's how it's been for him, too. It makes him feel somehow boyish in way he hasn't since — well, ever, really. ]

You already know what I'm going to say, don't you? I've been spending time with him too, Miss Odile.

Indeed. That is why it's hardly equivalent.

[ But she shakes her head, lifting the cat's paw slightly to "wave" at him. ]

You needn't worry about any advances on my end, Aventurine. I will not grace his walls the way those he called beloved do. My interest is simply that: because he is interesting, and I have not been chided in decades. I enjoy the feeling, yes, but that is where it ends.

[ The cat's had enough, wriggling slightly, and Odile lets it go with no issue. Even if... she had wanted to extend that interest, to see if it might take root and bloom different, she keeps in mind the line drawn in the sand. Respects it, because he had made such clear. No, Odile is quite comfortable with it as-is, and can enjoy his company regardless. Older age has at least given her the ability to temper what is needed. ]

Are we clear? I don't mind offering an ear for you to whine into, should he give you any trouble. It isn't as if I'm going to pass it around.

[ He wears a little amused smile, that she should think it would be Nico giving him trouble, rather than the other way around. He hardly deserves the affection Nico has shown him so far, but when he tried to intimate as much, he'd been met with stubborn resolve. His happiness matters as much as the rest of theirs, Nico had said...

A difficult lesson for him to learn. Odile seems content not to pursue Nico further, and it is a little bit of a relief to hear as much, but that makes him feel guilty, too. Navigating all this, acknowledging there's anything to navigate, is...fraught. ]

We're clear. [ A beat. ] But, you know, we're not... [ hm. is there a gambling analogy for this ] That is to say, while we enjoy each other's company...

[ He is running out of words. The vocabulary of a suave Strategic Investment Department executive doesn't really lend itself to expressing the tangle of emotions he's been going through this week. ]

...It's still early, is all.

[ It is... adorable, to see him fumble around with his words. Odile lets him work to the end, far too aware of her own-- shortcoming, in the same department, and a small, amused smile tugs at her lips. ]

Early or not, Aventurine... I would make your interest clear in words, to better see if his own matches. Because it is, if nothing else, interest. In him, his heart, the way he makes you feel.

[ Nothing, she feels, would be worse than that. Nico is a kind man. But kindness can be mistaken by those searching. ]

That said... my experience is decades old at this point, so perhaps it's out of style. Enjoy your youth while you can, in every terrifying way.

[ He can't imagine anything he wants to do less than tell Nico how he feels.

Or maybe those aren't even the right words for it. If he were any other person, it'd be easy. He could tell him how much he's enjoyed their time together, how he feels lighter, fuller when they're together, how the shadows in his heart grow shorter, but he isn't any other person. People keep saying that he's popular, as though there's anything that he can offer as a romantic partner, and he just...doesn't see it.

Is it still fair, then? To tell Nico how he feels, realizing the rope is getting shorter and shorter? Can he even...take a chance on his own happiness?

Something he'll have to...deliberate. One way or another. ]

I'll keep it in mind. Who knows? I enjoy gambles that are particularly reckless, so maybe there's some sense in trying things your way.

[ And if it all blows up in his face? Well. Then he'll still win his little bet against himself. ]

There's certainly no harm. Either way, you win.

[ There's no loss for the gambler in her eyes. Quite the wise wager he'd made on himself, truthfully. She makes a gesture with her hand. ]

Now, shall we see about these exotic animals they have on hand? I'd rather like a "picture" with a tiger to bring home. Isabeau, a companion of mine, will cry his poor eyes out in jealously.

week two | dates

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minor friendquest spoilers teehee

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