CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[dissimulative]

Yeah? As long as it's not too bulky that it gets in the way of the equipment, you should be good. That said, wanna go shopping?

[ It's a date.

Sure.

Well, they're both ditching practice and no one is coming after them. ]

[insinning]

...yeah. Lets get out of here.

[a date? Well, good thing Sinclair's prior good record means he can leave without question with Oria. The guards tend to like him...one of them even slips him candy. Something about his face...]

[dissimulative]

[ He sees that. Well, it's not like he hasn't seen it before, but seeing it in action again leaves Oria to reach out and lightly pinch Sinclair's cheek. ]

You make the guards play favorite soooooooo much.

[insinning]

Ow. Hey. I just like talking to them so they're nice back--

[The candy goes into his pocket for later. Maybe he'll share (he'll eventually share). He wiggles a little]

Quit grabbing my cheek.

[dissimulative]

[ He will look forward to the shared candy. In the meantime, he laughs a little before releasing Sinclair's cheek. ]

People usually don't talk to security, you know. It distracts them from doing their jobs. Not like they need to do anything anyway!

[ Oria fully believes they're for show. ]

[insinning]

Ah, but isn't it a bit boring just standing there all day without anyone to talk to?

[ Sinclair was shy , but even he worked up the nerve to say hello every now and then. And from there, it worked out]

[dissimulative]

Yeah, that's why you see me signing up to be a Gauntlet Knight instead of a security guard.

[ He never had any choice to begin with, but he thinks it paints a clear picture. ]

But I dunno, it was a bit hard to picture you saying hi to others, especially adults, when you're soooo shy. Should I congratulate you on your progress?

[insinning]

[ Sinclair pulls a face and gently gives Oria a shove]

Quit teasing me. I'm not like that--

[He is like that]

[dissimulative]

You are so like that.

[ Oria laughs. ]

Let's get out of here. We can get you some gloves and fresh air, sponsored by 8MS!

[ We can move onto the next event or have them have shopping time for more "building". ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair's sulk doesn't last long because it really is nice to have fresh air (since he's not allowed out on his own, being you know, a prisoner technically)]

Yeah. That sounds good.

[There's a lot of fun to be had shopping, maybe playing in those arcade games...]

[dissimulative]

[ They take the bus, because it's nice to pretend being normal here. The mall isn't too far, so they get there relatively quick.

Oria looks around, looking at the variety of gloves. There are all sorts. ]

Thick ones, fingerless, the kind that doesn't cover your thumb all the way, only having finger sleeves for two and the thumb, leather... they have a lot. Which one strikes your fancy?

[insinning]

[Hmmmmmm]

Fingerless would probably defeat the purpose of me having gloves...

[Thick would be no good if he can't feel anything. Maybe the leather? He pulls them on, marveling at the fit.

(and maybe he feels a tiny bit cool with them on)]

These feel nice.

[dissimulative]

[ Oria doesn't miss the way Sinclair looks at the gloves, and grins. ]

Pretty cool, right? You want them in this color?

[insinning]

Mm. Black goes with whatever, doesn't it? And they're still thin enough I can feel what I'm holding.

[ He's happy!! Don't grin at him like that, he feels embarrassed]

[dissimulative]

That's why black is such a safe choice!

[ He's not judging. Oria also thinks Sinclair would look good with black gloves. ]

I wanna look around too, so give me a moment.

[ Time to Browse. ]

[insinning]

[Sinclair is quite happy with his gloves but]

Sure. What are you looking for?

[dissimulative]

Just window shopping! Unless something catches my eye.

[ Which means Oria starts putting on gloves at random, which is a pair of navy blue winter gloves. ]

Winter gloves sure are thick...

[ Not good for his trigger finger. ]

[insinning]

It is getting colder, isn't it? [Maybe they should get some thicker jackets...Sinclair smiles at the gloves]

Those are cute.

[Not helpful]

[dissimulative]

If it's cute, it's a no-go.

[ He says it so seriously, but smiles anyway while taking off—

... ]

Ugh, these are stuck. Give me a moment...

[insinning]

[But look at the cute little snowflake on the buttons!! Oh. Um]

Here, let me help.

[Why are they stuck?? Oria, how]

[dissimulative]

[ What do you mean "gloves going in being easy but off is hard" isn't a universal experience ]

It's fine, but times like these I sure wish I had a third arm. I got it.

[ He doesn't mean it. Are his hands too big for these? Frowning, he tries one more time and when that fails, he should just ask Sinclair for help. He's right there, after all.

But no, Oria bites the tippest of tips and yanks his hand out. Gross. ]

[insinning]

Ah.

[Oria, aren't your hands smaller than his???]

At least they're not stuck permanently.

[Just imagine]

[dissimulative]

[ yeah...... ONLY BY A LITTLE THOUGH ]

I don't think I want to think about that.

[ Anyway, begone winter gloves. ]

That's enough window shopping! Let's get you your gloves!

[ Does that mean Oria wants to pay for it? Always. ]

[insinning]

You don't need any of your own?

[Going to the counter. He's buying his gloves!! Let this protect him from his terrible habit. He's oblivious to Oria's intentions]

[dissimulative]

Nope. Don't need a pair. Gloves have always been inconvenient for me, so I'm better off without them.

[ And here, Oria tries to swipe his own card to make the purchase for Sinclair when he isn't looking. The cashier just stares at them like. Ok. ]