dissonates | [Voice / Action]

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[Voice / Action]

...What the hell is wrong with the plaza?

[Seriously, what. Giant tree out of nowhere, what. Not that he doesn't have more important things to be dealing with right now. Speaking of which-

...Man. This is going to be crazy-awkward, he just knows it. But hey, it has to be done- you can only dodge someone living in your own house for so long. Thankfully he hasn't had to deal with Luke very much. And Guy has been kind of preoccupied too, actually... strange. Oh well.

Either way, he'll be seeking out said housemate, hoping to talk before he heads off for the day.]

[Locked to Stella]

Can we meet today? [Okay, maybe they've been meeting more often than usual lately, but he can't really help himself...]

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[Asch does notice this; he stares at her for a long moment, baffled and concerned, before he turns his gaze downwards to the fruit he's now holding. Everyone has been eating these things? And they're okay? He's still suspicious, even with that lack of justification, but... he can't help but feel this strange urge to bite into it and try it for himself. ...Weird.

...And so annoying 8| Maybe he should just throw it away...]

You don't have to eat it if you don't want to, but...

[She takes his free hand in both of her own, brushing her thumb along the back of his hand.]

I was planning on taking you somewhere today, and I thought you might want something to eat along the way. Unless you're not hungry? [It's true, too; There is somewhere she'd like to take Asch. Relatively far away, too...]

[Her touch - and what she said - distracts him, and he blinks over at her, eyes widening a little.]

Where do you want to go? [Whether or not he's hungry, or even whether or not the fruit is dangerous, is suddenly very unimportant.]

[As bold as she feels thanks to being around the tree (or so she thinks), Stella finds Asch's hand much more interesting than looking at his face. She might even be blushing a little, too.]

The hot springs. It's a little far, I know... But it's important.

[Asch glances down at their hands, shifting his slightly to twine their fingers more closely together. He glances around briefly to see if anyone's actively watching them, then takes a step towards her, pressing his lips to her forehead.]

If it's important to you, then I'm fine with that. No matter where you want to go.

[Thanks to that kiss, Stella shuts her eyes and lets out a small sigh of relief and affection. That's step one over with. And unfortunately for her, that's the easiest step. Well. "Step two: Getting there" might be the easiest one, but still.]

Thank you. [She finally looks up at him-] Do you need time to get ready? Or... to get anything done?

[He pauses, peering once again down at the fruit, then away, cheeks reddening.]

If you want to stay here longer... [Rrgh. She just seems to really like this place...]

[Much as she likes this place... Stella would rather step forward with the plan before she stalls and then decides to back out of it. Feeling a spike of affection again, Stella lifts his hand to give a few of his fingers a kiss.]

Not especially. [Another kiss.] Let's go right now. [And with a glance up at him-] Just the two of us.

[...W-well. That made it pretty clear to him what she wants, yep. Asch absently tucks the fruit into his overcoat, nodding and stepping forward to leave the plaza, gently tugging her along with him. Just the two of them... he does like the sound of that. Not that they hadn't spent a fair amount of time alone already, but somehow this feels different.]

Are you going to tell me what's going on?

Maybe later.

[Which means that no, she's not going to tell him what's going on. Instead, she'll just step up to his side and rest her cheek against his shoulder as they walk. Also, a subject change:]

How long do you think that tree's been there?

[Normally the mystery would irritate him, but with her head on his shoulder he can't bring himself to let it bother him.]

It wasn't there yesterday- I would have noticed it from the house. Probably happened overnight.

[Guh. He is so lucky to live so close to the plaza, where everything is happening. She won't say this out loud, though; he might just get annoyed that she hadn't moved closer despite him telling her to be selfish about it.]

It's a shame... I would've liked to see it grow. [She turns her head a little to look up at him, though she doesn't lift it away from his shoulder.] I've always loved the sights and sounds of the land... It was considered strange back home.

There's nothing wrong with that. [His eyes shift slightly to meet hers, the connection brief before he again looks away shyly. He gives her hand a squeeze, though.] I prefer being outside, too- I used to spend too much time indoors.

At least this place has plenty of opportunity to be outside. Not to mention how beautiful it can be...

[And how it's the only place they can truly appreciate it. They can't go back, even if they wanted to... The thought makes her squeeze his hand, but nothing more.]

[If here is all they have, then he wants to make the most of it, for sure. As they walk, he peers about awkwardly once more, then tugs a peculiar white flower - closed, with a little stem - from his long sleeve, and offers it out to her.]

H... here. Something to bring along.

[... A-Aw. Awww. Stella lifts her head from his shoulder and stares at the flower for a moment, then smiles brightly and takes it. She has to let go of his hand to run her fingers along the closed petals, but at least she looks quite happy once she looks up at him.]

Where did you get this?

I found it. [Either luck or by fate, but Asch wasn't going to question it- when he'd went to the flower shop and found a pot of very familiar flowers, he'd known that one of them was meant for her.] They're called selenias. There were a lot of them in the place I used to live.

Selenias... [It already looks beautiful, but... She reaches down to take his hand again while she lifts the flower to let the stem settle behind her ear.] When will it bloom?

[That makes Asch smile slightly, looking ahead once more.] You'll see.

[Blink. Asch, are you... keeping something from her?

... Ha HA. No, she is not actually laughing, but she does grin and lean her cheek against his shoulder again, and her steps take on a light little bounce. This is honestly very exciting, and now Stella doesn't quite feel so bad for keeping what she has planned under wraps.]

All right, all right. I'll keep my curiosity at bay as much as possible.

[Maaaaaybe. But enough of that, they're almost to their goal by now, right? He can see the rec center, where the teleporter can be found.]

You know, I'm curious, too. You haven't told me why we're going.

[~~Why does that look make Stella feel like melting into his arms right then and there~~ She just gives a mischievous smile of her own and walks a little faster now that the rec center is in view, tugging Asch's hand lightly behind her.]

You'll see.

[So unfair. But Asch doesn't seem to mind, picking up the pace to follow her along. Once they reach the center, he gets the door for her again, stepping up into the cabin after her. Almost there, almost there! It's kind of exciting.]

[Almost there! It's kind of nerve-wracking for her. Thus, she locks her hands behind her back as she walks, and soon enough, they reached the teleporter. Stella gives a second of hesitation, if only because teleporting will never stop making her queasy, then steps onto the device.

Once she steps out near the hot springs, as expected, she shuts her eyes and holds her her for a moment before she shakes it off and moves on. Stupid teleportation.]

[Having lived in Daath for nearly half his life, Asch is used to teleporters like that, so he's mostly unaffected. He holds Stella's hand gently to steady her if she needs it, then glances around, making sure it's safe- just in case.]

Now what?

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