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]

[ 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. ]

1/2

[insinning]

I guess if that's the case, you'll just need those hand warmers--

[Sinclair wasn't looking, so when he turns back to the register to pay]

2/2

[insinning]

Huh? When did--

[Accusatory eyes!! Ninja??? Secret ninja??]

[dissimulative]

Hand warmers so I can shove my hands inside my pockets like a cool kid, right?

[ lmao

Anyway, he looks satisfied, so he begins walking off. ]

[insinning]

[aaahhh??? Sinclair takes his gloves and jogs after Oria]

Yeah, something like that. Um. Thanks.

[He's flustered but the gloves are going on. Begone nail biting problems]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria grins while looking at Sinclair. ]

The gloves really look good on you, but you know what would be better? Clothes that fit with it.

[ Weren't they just here for Sinclair's biting habit? Yeah. Originally. ]

[insinning]

[Oria! Why must you say such things]

What's wrong with my current clothes?

[They're soft, comfy...]

Also, will we even have time to shop that much?

[He doesn't want to take up all their free time looking for clothes]

[dissimulative]

Nothing is wrong with them on their own!

[ Yeah!!

Oria checks the time. ]

Hm, probably not enough for shopping for clothes. Is there a place you want to go to?

[insinning]

Mmm, what about that old school arcade? That was fun last time.

[And the food was good]

[dissimulative]

Gonna show me your gaming skills with your gloves on?

[ That said, Oria holds Sinclair's hand and off they go to the retro arcade! ]

[insinning]

Do you think they'll make a big difference?

[Handholding. This is normal!! The arcade is quiet because people much prefer the modern ones connected to their selcoms and Sinclair instantly goes to a puzzle game]

[dissimulative]

Depending on the game, yeah. You need to adjust your expectations in the same way you think you're going down the stairs, but it's much lower than you thought.

[ The arcade being "quiet" is one of things Oria likes about this place. ]

But this puzzle game might be the same. Sometimes, it reminds me of how I need to organize the UI so it stops being cluttered with random stuff.

[insinning]

Mmm...my selcom has been a mess lately.

[ Swiping a card into the machine... lets go for a few soothing matches of puzzle bobble]

This one should be fine with my gloves.