week two | dates

[marriagebroker]

Kiss the girl~!

Or guy.

Or person.

Or Messmer's snake.

Comments

[reverso]

[Rom's keen. It's impressive, but perhaps a bit too keen for Verso's liking. Poking and prodding at the little cracks in his mask.]

...They're seeing a part I want to show them. That's not much different than when you put on your own performances for an audience.

[That doesn't answer the question, but a little more graciously and less cagily, he continues.]

Let me show you a little of my hand, Monsieur Rom. I'm not here for myself. I never was. [He enjoys the company, he enjoys... not being alone, he will not be ungrateful for these four weeks even if he doesn't think he deserves them.] My wish is for the sake of someone else I know, someone who needs it more than I do. That is... the most important thing to me, right now.

[Even if there are doubts, here and there, whispering. Even if Wei Wuxian has made him consider more possibilities. But his implication is another clear one: he doesn't think he deserves the boon of the wish, so why would he be deserving of anyone here, at that?]

[phenomerom]

[ That earns a wider-eyed blink, and a brief hum in thought.

Then, unhelpfully, a short round of applause. ]

-- aah, you truly are so gallant! To sacrifice your wish for others like that. No wonder so many seem so smitten by you, Mister Verso! Even I'm not immune to your charms.

[ This is probably extremely annoying in the face of Verso's heartfelt confession, but at least it doesn't last long. After his last clap, Rom leaves his hands laced, elbows coming to rest on the tabletop in clear contemplation, leveling an even stare at Verso across the table. ]

But if this is 'a show of your hand,' then I wonder if the part of you that you're hesitating to show everyone is truly so bad. [ He knows that's potentially a dangerously incendiary comment, so he continues quickly, smoothly, before Verso can protest: ] I wouldn't claim to know everything about you, of course, but I think the very fact that you hesitated to confess such a noble mindset is telling. ... would it really be so bad to try the waters and indulge a little? After all, we've no way of knowing how our perfect matches have been made. What if some selfishness on your part is what's necessary for attaining this wish of yours? Would you really wish to risk losing it because you were too hesitant? Just as you're hesitant to show whatever it is you're hiding, you don't know the true tolerance of those who've caught your eye thus far.

[reverso]

[Inflammatory statements, indeed, littered in there. Verso would take more offense he were the sort, but there's something about guilt and the acceptance of simply being a Not Great person that allows such comments fall into the background. It will be nothing worse than what he tells himself, after all.

He does take a moment before he replies, however, his voice falling an edge more serious. (the cat ears make him appear all the more so, surely)]

I wonder. Is it not better to endear oneself first, before airing out all the dirty laundry? If you want to look at it from a purely strategic standpoint, which I do think you'd appreciate. Only a fool shows off all his skeletons so early on.

[He needs to work up to it, okay.]