midnightstar | Shionne and Alphen in Menancia

They've all come a long way since Calaglia, both in terms of distance and... other things. Things Shionne was forcing herself not to acknowledge. Because what would the point be to acknowledge those thoughts when she couldn't act on them - when at the end of this journey, she had no future? Ah... but that was something she hadn't - couldn't - tell the others, who she's begun thinking of as more than just 'tools'.

Particularly Alphen.

It was the hardest to think of him when she knew how much she was keeping from him. Much to her frustration, however, the group had decided to take a break for a little while since Shionne's pace had been pushing the others quite a lot - and they did just gain two new companions. Shionne was avoiding them as much as possible, deciding to go for a walk through the city almost...baffled by how accepting the Dahnans and Renans were.

It was ... nice. But it felt so alien to her, at the same time.

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Alphen tilted his head curiously as well not realizing someone had pieced things together when it came to him and Shionne. Not that it really mattered to him. It wasn't like wanting to be closer to Shionne was something to feel shame over.

"Beats me. I doubt it's anything we need to worry about though. It's Dohalim. Aside from us and Kisara he's the most reliable of the group."

"That's true..." Shionne nodded, though she was wondering if she should say something about.. earlier. Was it cruel to give him false hope? Letting him have those little moments when they weren't even sure if Shionne would survive at the end? "Alphen --" she hesitated.

She didn't want to take back what they had shared. She didn't want to apologize either. "...never mind." Sometimes it was probably best not to say anything at all, right?

This time Alphen knew not to push. Her tone said it all. She was still going to do silly like apologize or ask if he had any regrets. Now that he knew what this was all brought about by he was going to be a lot more perceptive about those tiny details.

"Still it's nice. Being able to just sit in a room like this together."

Oh wonderful, that's all she needed, a more perceptive Alphen to call her out on her silly quirks! ... well she'll just have to appreciate that too. "Hm?" She glanced over towards him again, considered, and gave him a small smile, "It has been a while since it was just... us." And granted the rest of the party was in the next room cooking, but still - it was quiet enough to seem like it was just the two of them.

"It has. While it's nice to have a lively group to travel with, moments like these are necessary too." Alphen nodded softly. Dammit he wanted to hold her hand again. Hopefully she wouldn't notice those 'sneaky' glances he sent towards her hand from time to time.

How funny, while she didn't notice the glances he sent her way, she was at the same time, wanting to sit back down next to him and lean against him again. ... Actually was there really anything preventing that?

Ah, but if she indulged in that again...

"I... suppose that's true.." She took a tiny step closer, looking elsewhere beceause obviously it wasn't intentional. She's just wandering! "I've never really thought about it as a necessity before..but Rinwell and Law both seem to appreciate the rest after everything." Rinwell was still hiding something, and Law was still grieving in his way.

She should absolutely indulge in that is what Alphen would insist if he could read her mind. Alas they were both stuck yearning for something they could both so easily get if they just went for it. Alphen might still do so if things drag on like this for too long.

"Those two really are more alike than they realize." He agreed with a sigh. For one they were both always running around on energy that seemed endless. Especially when Rinwell was chasing after Law.

Gasp! He'd hold her hand? How scandalous Alphen! How bold! "They are?" Shionne glanced at him curiously, puzzled. Well, the energy thing was definitely a point- they had far too much energy. "How do you figure that?" She wandered over towards a shelf near him, examining some of the knicknacks on it.

He was a dashing ROGUE after all. With a big stonking flaming sword on his back but look past that.

"Hm? You don't think so? For one Rinwell is very quick to answer any of his teasing or mistakes with force. Be it her fist or her magic. While Law actually cares in his own way about this group more than he's likely capable to properly convey."

Shionne considered that for a moment, "When you put it that way," she nodded slowly, "They do seem to be a match -- though neither of them seem to realize it themselves," she smiled slightly. If she'd had a different life, she could see herself reacting the way Rinwell did to Law..with regards to Alphen anyway.

She picked up a little potpourri rappig doll, absently squishing it to let out a bit of the fragrance, before putting it down again. "I suppose I haven't really noticed." Well that was untrue - she did tend to watch them interacting with amusement - and a tiny bit of jealousy.

"Really? I don't know why that feels so unlikely." With how she was always on guard there's no way she had not perceived on these things. Still rather than fully call her out on that, he just acted with skepticism instead.

"Anyway that's just how I see it and I am sure they'd both deny my claims to the bitter end."

She blushed slightly, then turned and sat down again next to him - well, close anyway, if not immediately next to him. "I can't imagine." A light semi denial, though she latched onto the latter subject now that it wasn't about her. "You've always been fairly perceptive, so your guess is probably not wrong. Just as it isn't wrong about them denying those claims.. Law seems to be particularly oblivious to it though. I suppose that's because he's spent most of his time training."

It was close enough for now. Definitely better than having her pacing away from him. So Alphen wouldn't be so stupid as to ruin that much.

"It's a little troubling how much of myself I see in him though." Alphen admitted with a sigh. After all he was older. [if only he knew by how much in actuality] "Still. Both them and everyone else. They're good people. Naturally that includes you too, Shionne." Yeah they might have done some questionable things or mistakes in the past. But deep down to their core, they were good people. Some of the best even.

Shionne gave him a sharp glance, not expecting the compliment, and then she quickly glanced away again. "I wouldn't say I was that good a person.." But she would agree that Law and Rinwell were good people. Even Dohalim and Kisara were - even though she had tried to kill Dohalim *cough*. That was before she knew the situation. And.. if it hadn't been for Alphen, in the end, things would have turned out worse. Heck, if she had made it this far without him, her journey might have ended here.

"Well I would." Alphen said with a frustrating finality for someone so determined to be their own harshest critic like Shionne. Still he said it because he meant it. He felt that way and no silliness would change his mind.

"Alphen.." Not frustration on her part, but Shionne did find his stubborn insistence that she wasn't that bad a person exasperating. But not in a bad way. "You're impossible, you know that? Why are you always like that?"

"I guess I'm just taking the role someone has to take in this group." That was a argument completely by the seat of his pants. Since he had a feeling asking what he did would not really give him a clear answer anyway at this point.

"Hnn... that's true." Neither Rinwell nor Law were 'leaders', Shionne knew that no one would be able to follow her - except maybe Alphen, as insistent as he was ons being close to her. "It helps that you're a natural leader too. You earn the trust of others so easily."

"AHahaha I'm still bumbling through it though. I'm nowhere near as wise as Zephyr was." A faint hint of sadness made it into his tone but it wasn't enough to completely sour the mood. Law's father was a great man that was taken from this world too soon. But everyone there at the time also knew that same man would not want his passing to become the anchor that stopped them from walking the long path of their futures.

Shionne's smile slipped for a second, then returned, her hand reaching over to hesitantly brush against his - intentionally ignoring the crackling from her thorns this time. "I know.. you really looked up to him." And Law never got his chance to reconcile with his father.. she knew he must be kicking himself for that. They just had to carry on and make him proud in the end.

"I guess you could say he was my second teacher since losing my memories." Doc being the obvious first. But Zephyr had imparted the kind of wisdom that would work far into the future while Doc taught him how to live in terms of surviving, not making...something more than a slave of himself.

His hand immediately turns to take hold of hers too when he feels her touch. The crackling for him was never a problem and he was not about to make it on.

"Though I also know he saw something in you too." After all the amount of trust he actually put in Shionne despite the frustrations of some of his own was nothing to joke about. Alphen was sure he had seen the same thing Alphen had. After all he was the wiser man of the two of them.

She glanced at his hand, how unhesitatingly he braved the thorns - well he couldn't feel the pain anyway. And for someone who's longed to feel the touch of another person.. particularly him.. she was reluctant to make that supportive touch brief.

She sighed instead, a thumb gently brushing over his hand, "..maybe he did. He ..was a mant hat was far more insightful than I thought he was originally." He certainly called Shionne out when she tried hiding what she truly felt.

It was so natural he could just do it without any real thought to it. Her hand also fit so strangely well into his own as well.

"I guess that's something else we have in common then." Aside from the goal of taking out the lords and the newest goal of saving Shionne from a fate of demise.

Shionne paused, almost surprised by that. "I.." hmm. "... I suppose it is. But..." Well, there is ONE other thing they shared in common, but Shionne couldn't bring herself to mention -that-. Actually, she wasn't quite sure how to approach the... well..whatever they had going on right now. She risked a quick glance over at him - maybe she could get an idea that way?

"Hm?" That glance got her a quizzical and almost cute tilt of Alphen's head at her. Since he wasn't picking up what she had started to hint at. Not that it was hard to do with him around.