ic inbox;

[veardant]

text. voice. action.

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day 79

[hearthwarming]

Good morning, Tighnari!

I hope your team if faring well during these festivities. What a welcome change from the last few days...

If you have some time, I have a present that I would like to give to you.

[veardant]

Excellent timing, I have a gift for you, as well.

Where would you like to meet?

[hearthwarming]

If you're not averse to the cold, perhaps we could meet outside? It's been a long time since I was anywhere that it could snow, so a part of me wants to enjoy it while I can...

[veardant]

Meet me outside the motel, then. We can take a walk.

[hearthwarming]

[ Ori makes her way outside promptly, ducking out of Sphinx's room with a present tucked under one arm. She had gone to fetch a warmer coat with Arthur earlier in the game, which means she's properly outfitted for a walk in the snow! Thankfully, she runs a little warm again. Fiendish bloodline and all that...

When she spots Tighnari (and it really is quite easy to spot him, especially with everything blanketed in white snow), she waves with her free arm and walks briskly to meet him halfway— ]

Tighnari, I'm here!

[ —or she would, were she not instead getting her horns caught in some inconveniently low-hanging branches. Oops! ]

[veardant]

[ she's beauty, she's grace ]

Oh - wait, hold still!

[ tighnari rushes quickly toward her. thankfully his normal clothing is well insulated, but he's procured a comfortable cloak to wear to stave off the cold as well. anyway, he begins carefully, gently disentangling her. while trying not to laugh. ]

Does this happen often?

[hearthwarming]

No, I'm...

[ she chuckles, something to say how she's genuinely amused at herself. and dutifully, she holds still and waits, though she can't help but notice how close he's standing - out of necessity - and how careful he's being! ]

I'm usually too short...

[veardant]

I see..

[ he sure is standing close!! :) and he's being very careful indeed, very gentle as he works the branches away, trying not to damage either her or the twigs. ]

There, one horn free, hang in there. This tree really has it out for you.

day 79;

[luckful]

[ In the afternoon of Day 79, Tighnari will find a gift wrapped in pink paper outside the door to Yatagarasu. Inside is a...chess set!

Thank you for your help the other day! Enjoy this gift! May it bring you hope each and every day! - Nagito ]

day 82; late night

[hearthwarming]

[ She doesn't know what exactly it is that bids Ori to visit the Yatagarasu dorm late into the evening, long after the ball has wound down.

All she really knows is that she had rather a lovely time with Tighnari at the festivities, only for that to be somewhat minimized by the chaos wrought by the mistletoe whenever she'd step out for breaks and especially so when she'd decided to leave the party... All times which had her kissing more than a few people - some of whom are friends that she's sure would rather have been kissing their actual partners and such...

Ah, but wait. She realizes as she's standing there still in her ball gown, waiting for Tighnari to answer the door, that what she's feeling... is loneliness, isn't it?

When he does come to the door, she can't quite bring herself to look him in the eyes. ]

Tighnari...?

[veardant]

[ tighnari has had more than enough mistletoe for one night, thank you very much. he never thought he would ever be so unhappy to see a plant, but honestly, if he ever sees a sprig of it again it'll be too soon. maybe it makes him a party pooper to think so, but he's not terribly fond of having to kiss strangers!!

but.. he'd still had a far more pleasant night than he might have expected to have, thanks to a certain handful of people. one of which he finds at his door. ]

Ori?

[ brow furrowed, tighnari dips his head in an attempt to catch her eyes, one hand settling at her elbow. he's dressed down for the night, in a plain tee and comfortable loose pants. ]

Is everything all right?

[hearthwarming]

[ In spite of her best efforts, she meets his gaze when he lowers his head - his eyes really are quite captivating, after all.

But, first thing's first— ]

The mistletoe... Please tell me there's no mistletoe in my hair. Or on my horns.

[veardant]

[ oh, ori..

tighnari smiles sympathetically, chuckling, before he's moving forward to inspect both her hair and her horns and.. well, wouldn't you know it, there's a tiny little sprig of it stuck in the hair just above her left ear. carefully, tighnari begins to extract it, speaking softly. ]

Just hold still a moment.

[ aaand there we go, he got it. ]

I take it you've had a long night..

[hearthwarming]

[ She had asked him to take a look, and naturally he would need to come closer to accomplish just that - but still, even knowing this, she feels warmth rise to her cheeks at their close quarters, the soft and soothing sound of his voice.

She stills rigidly when he seems to have found an errant sprig, but blessedly, it doesn't lock them into place like all the others had. Perhaps the magic had worn off, at long last... ]

Hmm. Yes. It's been a long night.

[ A beat. Spirits, what is she even doing here...? ]

I... I'm sorry, Tighnari. I'm not sure why I've shown up here. [ A lie. She's lonely. ] I don't want to trouble you.

[veardant]

Please. You're never any trouble.

[ tighnari's smile is easy, fond, and honest. ori has been nothing but kind and pleasant from the moment they met, he can't imagine she would ever be difficult to be around. it's simple to see her unease, however. tighnari hesitates, his mouth pressed into a line. he looks thoughtful, as if he's weighing something, taking her measure.

and then he's tucking the mistletoe away into one pocket, then reaching to take her hands in his own, the thickened pads of his fingers smoothing against the insides of her wrists. ]

Why don't you come in?

[ his eyes meet hers, trusting that she understands the implication of his question. ]

[hearthwarming]

[ That thoughtful pause stretches into an eternity, it feels like; and it is a pause that she fills with her own thoughts. Tighnari, in turn, has been nothing but calming and steadfast in his company in the time that she's come to know him. And more and more as of late, she's found herself looking forward to seeing him, whether by a concerted effort to meet up, or even just crossing paths around the village...

She hasn't been able to quite place what it is that he really makes her feel, but... When she feels the touch of his fingers across her skin, it slowly becomes clearer and clearer. She's quite attracted to him.

And so she answers him, not in words but in actions, leaning forward and angling her head to press her forehead into his shoulder, letting the tension of the evening's events weigh her down against him. ]

[veardant]

[ ori isn't alone in what she feels. tighnari feels it, too, that easy, effortless pull between them. they have a lot in common, their personalities mesh well, she's beautiful, and kind - it's no wonder, he supposes, that it should have come to this. honestly, he should have seen it coming sooner.

she leans into him, still lovely in her evening gown, tired and needful and tighnari receives her without complaint, slipping his hands free of her own to instead wrap his arms around her, pulling her near. she says nothing, and so he, too, remains quiet, leaning his head against her hair, his eyelids dropping low, his ears folding back against his hair.

and after a moment's time, he dips his head to nudge her cheek with his nose, following it just after with the press of his lips to her warm skin. tighnari doesn't need mistletoe to urge him to grasp for what he wants. ]

Day 89

[fanstheflames]

Tighnari, right? It's Tsuruno!
I wanted to thank you for all your help.

[veardant]

Yes, you've reached Tighnari.
You have nothing to thank me for, I was happy to help, but.. you're welcome. I hope he's doing better, now.

[fanstheflames]

From what I can tell, he is! It takes a while for that sort of thing to sink in.
But still, I do think he's already improving.

[veardant]

Good, I'm glad to hear it. Things like this absolutely take time, and no one can make such big changes overnight, but even small steps in the right direction are good.

He's fortunate to have a friend like you.

[fanstheflames]

I don't think I was ever driven to the point that he was, but...
I know what it's like to want to believe in hope, only to be dragged into despair.
I want to support him as much as I can.

[veardant]

That's good, because I have the feeling he will need it. We worked hard in there, but.. he'll need the support so he doesn't backslide.

But I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with something so terrible yourself.

[fanstheflames]

It's okay. I think if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to understand him as much as I do.

So somehow, it worked out for the best.

[veardant]

That's certainly a nice way of putting it. Given his obsession with the idea of hope, I can easily see how he would like the company of someone like you.