Sunny looked melancholic as Astrid accurately delved into the depths of her psyche. Poor, pathetic little thing. She had no idea why Sunny was in such a pitiable state, but she could imagine that a sequence of self-esteem robbing events in her life had lead her to this point. Perhaps with enough prying, she might get to find out the rest with time. How delicious. Fodder for eventually breaking Sunny was a treat Astrid would always accept.
Like the good little pet that Sunny was slowly turning into, she promised to work on her conversational skills. The happy yet reserved smile that spread across Astrid's face was like the twinkling of the sun on freshly fallen snow. Sunny confessed to feeling worried about the way she sounded and the anxiety that plagued her every attempt at speaking. Astrid inclined her head slightly as Sunny trailed off, understanding immediately what she meant. Someone so regal, so composed, so frankly superior as Astrid... Was that what Sunny had in mind? It would be easy to laugh and reassure her, but once again, true manipulation was about taking things a step further.
"...So airheaded that she allows herself to be injured by an early quest mob? So clumsy that she almost scares away her new friend by casting the wrong spell? Darling, whatever you may think of me, I assure you I am far from perfect. Elegant and beautiful perhaps, but nowhere near perfection." She laughed softly into the back of her free hand. "You can't live your life being afraid, or you will always be alone. Make your mistakes. Allow yourself to sound 'dumb.' I can promise you that you will be neither as foolish nor as wrong as you think you will."
As they moved to the tavern, Sunny suddenly pulled her hand away, and Astrid felt a lightning bolt of anger light up her chest. How dare she presume to do such a thing? Astrid wasn't done with her yet, not by a long shot. By the time Astrid finished with her, she would beg for permission in the most flowery of tones before even daring to act against Astrid in this way. For now, she closed her eyes for a brief second and forced her calm to resurface. It wasn't as if she found Astrid's touch repulsive if her desperate clambering for Astrid's friendship was any indication. No, it must have been more anxiety, perhaps even concern that Astrid would be angry, that drove this. For the first time, Astrid properly exerted her will on the stoic woman as she promptly recaptured Sunny's hand. She gently laced their fingers together and waited until Sunny made eye contact before slowly shaking her head and smiling playfully.
The tavern was as loud and boorish as a so-called place for "peasants" was expected to be. Astrid could practically see the fantasy tropes as if they'd been painted on the wall. Boring. Yet, for all that, the crowds almost magically parted ways to allow them to pass. NPCs giving way to player characters as it should be. They found a table and Astrid finally released Sunny's hand on her own terms, giggling primly over Sunny's bit of shared information. "I think you might be rather optimistic. There's no way a mere video game can match the nostalgia or taste of a finely grilled steak prepared by one's father. Still, I shall hope right along with you that it even comes close."
It wasn't long before a simple meal of steak and potatoes presented itself to the two women, and Astrid daintily cut herself a bite and sampled it. For an augmented reality experience, it was surprisingly good though its quality was certainly of a plebeian sort. When Astrid tended to dine at restaurants a pay grade or two above the average person, it was hard for anything to match her refined palate. Still, she looked surprised nonetheless. "Consider me surprised. Better than I thought," she noted out loud, dabbing at her lips lightly with a napkin before turning her attention to Sunny once again.
"Weekly barbecues with your father... It sounds lovely. I never really knew my own father, so I'm a bit envious. Tell me more about him. I'd love to hear stories of your childhood."
Like the good little pet that Sunny was slowly turning into, she promised to work on her conversational skills. The happy yet reserved smile that spread across Astrid's face was like the twinkling of the sun on freshly fallen snow. Sunny confessed to feeling worried about the way she sounded and the anxiety that plagued her every attempt at speaking. Astrid inclined her head slightly as Sunny trailed off, understanding immediately what she meant. Someone so regal, so composed, so frankly superior as Astrid... Was that what Sunny had in mind? It would be easy to laugh and reassure her, but once again, true manipulation was about taking things a step further.
"...So airheaded that she allows herself to be injured by an early quest mob? So clumsy that she almost scares away her new friend by casting the wrong spell? Darling, whatever you may think of me, I assure you I am far from perfect. Elegant and beautiful perhaps, but nowhere near perfection." She laughed softly into the back of her free hand. "You can't live your life being afraid, or you will always be alone. Make your mistakes. Allow yourself to sound 'dumb.' I can promise you that you will be neither as foolish nor as wrong as you think you will."
As they moved to the tavern, Sunny suddenly pulled her hand away, and Astrid felt a lightning bolt of anger light up her chest. How dare she presume to do such a thing? Astrid wasn't done with her yet, not by a long shot. By the time Astrid finished with her, she would beg for permission in the most flowery of tones before even daring to act against Astrid in this way. For now, she closed her eyes for a brief second and forced her calm to resurface. It wasn't as if she found Astrid's touch repulsive if her desperate clambering for Astrid's friendship was any indication. No, it must have been more anxiety, perhaps even concern that Astrid would be angry, that drove this. For the first time, Astrid properly exerted her will on the stoic woman as she promptly recaptured Sunny's hand. She gently laced their fingers together and waited until Sunny made eye contact before slowly shaking her head and smiling playfully.
The tavern was as loud and boorish as a so-called place for "peasants" was expected to be. Astrid could practically see the fantasy tropes as if they'd been painted on the wall. Boring. Yet, for all that, the crowds almost magically parted ways to allow them to pass. NPCs giving way to player characters as it should be. They found a table and Astrid finally released Sunny's hand on her own terms, giggling primly over Sunny's bit of shared information. "I think you might be rather optimistic. There's no way a mere video game can match the nostalgia or taste of a finely grilled steak prepared by one's father. Still, I shall hope right along with you that it even comes close."
It wasn't long before a simple meal of steak and potatoes presented itself to the two women, and Astrid daintily cut herself a bite and sampled it. For an augmented reality experience, it was surprisingly good though its quality was certainly of a plebeian sort. When Astrid tended to dine at restaurants a pay grade or two above the average person, it was hard for anything to match her refined palate. Still, she looked surprised nonetheless. "Consider me surprised. Better than I thought," she noted out loud, dabbing at her lips lightly with a napkin before turning her attention to Sunny once again.
"Weekly barbecues with your father... It sounds lovely. I never really knew my own father, so I'm a bit envious. Tell me more about him. I'd love to hear stories of your childhood."
