oh, he wanted to know the details. well, a shame for him--[break][break]

because she'll raise her hands and hold fingers over her lips, with a smile on her face. she gives a shake of her head, then back to holding the whiteboard and the marker. [break][break]

some parts my past, some parts slightly more recent events, and some parts having a weak ass voice.[break][break]

she grins still, holding the board. as though to try and make a point, she opens her lips, making a very soft "haaaa" sound, though it's on par with a whisper.

Leonidas Stone

☉

shouldn't he know that he doesn't need to speak? [break][break]

no words he can say will ever convey the extent of what he feels; the words "very" and "immensely" will never feel right, now matter how they might use them. so they can only say it time and time again, giving their love back and forth in how much of the meaning the containers of words can carry. if they say it enough, maybe the pool will finally empty, and the other will know the extent. or maybe it will never empty. she hopes that it's the latter, no matter how silent she may be. [break][break]

perhaps she was being unfair. she'll argue that she was being manipulative, knowing how her voice makes him crack. she knows how much it means to him, and there's a nagging voice in the back of her head that berates her for being so stubborn. it's such a simple thing she can do, in theory and in practice, for many other people. why is it that her voice stops just before it reaches her lips? who does her throat stop, her breath hold, and her body freeze when she tries to talk to him, nowadays? the questions run through her mind, but she knows that this train of thought only says a whole lot of nothing.[break][break]

it'd be better to stay quiet. [break][break]

she's reasoned with herself, but is it right? (it can't be when it's put him in tears, in a position where he's vulnerable in front of her, asking her - pleading her - to speak to him. there's nothing right about the pain and the stress she's caused him because of her own discomfort, nothing right about how he so tenderly caresses her cheek beneath his palm with less restraint to the glaze of his eyes.)[break][break]

he moves his hand to press his palm against hers, and she takes the initiative to slip her fingers between the cracks of his, holding on gently, so delicately. his warm touch thaws the chilled touch of her skin and it settles, sinking into her flesh. he stammers so much when he speaks, but she knows well when she wears a soft smile on peach lips and she pulls herself up higher, onto her toes to raise her petite frame. "i know." her words are like a whisper, so soft "i know you are" with no lie. [break][break]

her cheek instinctively nuzzles against the hand that holds her, with her free hand raising to rest over the knuckles of his. the smile is soft, and warm, and sheepish when she coos "i love you too, jagiya."[break][break]

words are still hard to say, but that one phrase always made it out unscathed. [break][break]

though now her eyes narrow, and lower, pressing his hand against her cheek more. he's so warm, and she hopes that she could stay here in the silence forever, without the confrontation. eun ha knows that this is wishful thinking when she's maintaining her gaze of gold and hazel on crimson and amber. it's a matter of finding the words, and the matter of phrasing it in a way that won't hurt them (in a way that'll mitigate the inevitable damage). her lips are pressed against the base of his palm, tracing along as she tries to form them.then they're soft, and muffled, only because she's a little reluctant to move away. when she does, she tries to say them again. [break][break]

"i.. didn't want to say--" she pauses, she wants to talk "a-anything that could.. hurt you." a hum follows, but she isn't happy with those words when her brows furrow in pensive thought "because nothing--" she grunts "nothing.. good happens when i open my mouth."

Ryan Arcken

☉

oh. [break][break]

he was curious about that? [break][break]

it's not the first time someone's asked her, especially after hearing snippets of her voice - let it be when she instinctively curses or when she hums, or when she chuckles, just like he said. if she can talk, then she should, since it makes communicating easier. but you see, dear leonidas, this is where eun will point, quite aggressively might i add, towards her whiteboard after some good scribbling. the board reading, clearly, in a bright red:[break][break]

✨ selective mutism ✨[break][break]

he can hear the snicker as she lets go with one hand, waving and making jazz hands as he reads. just to add to the effect. though after her amusement, she tuns the board back with an audible "mhm~". it takes her a little while as she thinks, and erases, then writes, and thinks, then erases, then repeats. at least, until she finished her words. [break][break]

i'm a selective mute~. so yeah, i can talk. i just don't wanna (o´▽`o)

Leonidas Stone

☉

aw, what a shame. [break][break]

he's a good guy. good looking, with good mannerisms. it's a shame to hear that he hasn't officially gotten with anyone yet - not like he'd be short of options. still, her dissatisfaction is easily expressed through her blowing her tongue between her lips, briefly. [break][break]

she turns the whiteboard back, already on the verge of writing another statement to keep the ball rolling, only to pause at his question. the dual-coloured eyes of pink and brown briefly glance up from the board mid-wipe, and she tilts her head with a furrow of her brows. [break][break]

and with a quick nod, she wears a small smile, and tilts her head. you can almost see the question mark hovering over her head with her curious gaze. almost.

Leonidas Stone

☉

she snickers at the flick of the board, and immediately turns it back around to start scribbling down her response. after wiping the dry erase off with the bottom of her fist, that is. she'd use sign language, but then it'd jut look like a bunch of ninjutsu motions, and in public. she can't go embarrassing herself in public like that. [break][break]

she doesn't need to be that extra? no, she doesn't. she'd want to be. [break][break]

oh! yeah, ryan! i'm still with him, and things are still going great~ (⺣◡⺣)♡*[break][break]

the words are scribbled on her board, and she thinks things are going alright (save for their little moment a few weeks ago, but things are getting better, and more words are passing through the filter of fear). when she's sure he's done reading, she turns the board back to start scribbling something smaller. [break][break]

what about you? and your love life? c'mon, spill the beans (≖ ͜ʖ≖)

Leonidas Stone

☉

he arrives safely, that's good. [break][break]

but as he arrives, things get silent. there's no crackling of lightning, no rumbling ground, no roars or anything in the distance. when she hears his voice, she perks up rom the shrubs and gently brushes debris from the top of her head. her eyes turn up towards the sky, and no darkness hangs over them. [break][break]

she's about to say something, but her voice doesn't come out anymore. her eyes narrow, as she calms her slightly shaking arms and hands. at least she can pull out the whiteboard. [break][break]

lets go before something happens again[break][break]

she holds the board up in one hand, using the other arm to tug at his. she's still shaking, a little, from the experience. it's best to leave before anything else happens. [break][break]

she won't forget it.

end [break]
mission: surviving space-time

☉

it's really been too long[break][break]

and he looks like he's sprouted a few white hairs since the last time she's seen him. eun-ha turns the whiteboard back to her person, resting the lower rim against the crease of her elbow as she has a fist erase the previous words. then she scribbles, and turns it around, following a nod and a usual smile. [break][break]

yeah, still doing it. helped to dye my boyfriend's hair the other day ╰(▔∀▔)╯[break][break]

she pauses, taking a glance up at a man's head as well, before letting out a soft snicker to tack on something underneath:[break][break]

if you need me to dye any of those white hairs away too, lemme know (￢‿￢ )

Leonidas Stone

☉

ah yes, friends. [break][break]

many of which she has, very few who've actually heard her voice. so with her trusty white board, she's out here again, in the sun. this time around to meet someone she hasn't seen in a little while - someone who she met and had a nice conversation with during work! ah, it's good to hear that he's back in the region. [break][break]

this one in particular is.. like an older brother to her? perhaps it's because she thinks of jasmine and lan chi when she sees him (someone so young making a name for himself, and she looks at her own family, then looks at herself and she wonders what she's accomplished in comparison).[break][break]

ah, but no comparisons. today is a joyous day! [break][break]

she hears a very familiar (very deep voice, one that she'll openly swoon over, but will restrain herself over) in the distance, and the woman's mixed-coloured eyes lighten as she shoots an arm into the air, and she waves. with quick movements, the petite lady gives a bright beam, then pulls her whiteboard from her bag. [break][break]

'hey! i hope i didn't keep you waiting ;DDD' it reads.

Leonidas Stone

☉

details, needless details. [break][break]

those same details shouldn't be dwelled on considering there's a fucking ursaring-looking BEAR coming at them! so she mmoves, quickly - or as quickly as her legs will take her. and so, she leads the way first (or, tries to) while the pokemon is pre-occupied with the ice. it's a good few ways down, but at the very least-- [break][break]

"seuno, make an ice slide, now!" she gets a running start as her snorunt begins to let out a stream of frost, coating thedirt in ice just enough for her to start sliding down, accelerating until she can reach the bottom (with some distance further on with the ice, so she could just jump off). "ride on the ice!" she calls out, recalling the snorunt shortly after. then she immediately ducks into the bushes, hoping to hide from the bear as it struggles with its confines.

Ryan Arcken [break]
mission: surviving space-time

☉

even now, he's trying (trying desperately to cling to the logic, and the objectiveness. trying to reason with himself why he shouldn't be reacting the way he is, and maybe he's right. but he's human, he knows this, and so overflowing emotions pent up and bottled are given). he's trying his best to push the topic away, and to reason that it's nothing for him to be crying about in front of her, just as his facade crumbles. the stammer and quiver in his tone are so slight, it's easily missed to people who don't have a good ear. then it gets stronger and more prominent the longer he speak; she knows his composure is going to hold itself for so long. [break][break]

the hardest rocks crumble and shatter into the most pieces. [break][break]

and though he leans away, with a hand pressed against his eyes in a fruitless attempt to maintain the crumbling ground; but what is there to maintain when the foundation is built half-finished? what is there to maintain when the weight is heavy, threatening to not only bury itself in rubble, but take its rotting, wooden footing along with it? it leaves nothing but ruin, and she knows it well. bottling up worries is more familiar than she'd like to admit, so she knows. [break][break]

in response, she raises her other hand, hoping to gently press her knuckles against the wrist that he lifts. her touch is cooler (colder than his; she was always naturally chilled) when skin makes contact, though his warmth has long since moved to the hand against his cheek. "shh.." her words fall on deaf ears, no doubt, but there's little else to say as her thumb reaches up, gently wiping beneath his eye, with her other hand tugging at the sleeve she wears to raise its wrist to press against the other. something in her chest twists, sinks, and it's starting to weigh against her lungs as she takes a deeper (shaking) breath. [break][break]

the irony isn't lost in her (and she's prepared to get an earful later on, about how hypocritical she was sounding and how unfair this was) and as quickly as the words left her lips, there was a temptation and urge to take them back, to pretend that she never said them - to pretend that she didn't say anything at all. brows crease slightly at the tone of his voice, soft and uncertain (a rare occurrence, fleeting and foreign) as she gently, gently holds him. it's almost insulting that he would think to ask the question, but she can't blame him (not when it's her fault for making him think this way).[break][break]

"of course i do." [break][break]

a hand clasped around his cheek raises again, fingers moving from his eyes to his jaw, before her fingers are gently caressing his ear along the side of his head "i'm always.. a little uncertain of what to say" and how to say it, or if she should say it ".. but" she continues, another pause, though this time, it isn't to deliberate on her words. it's to wear a smile as she speaks, though slow and soft her tone may be[break][break]

"i've never been so confident or sure saying anything else." her lips curl up, and the dual-toned gaze in her eyes soften. [break][break]

how could they not when looking up at him?

Ryan Arcken

☉

"i dunno, you're the teach--..!" she's cut off by another roar from the bear pokemon, its voice so guttural that she swears it's shaking the core of the earth itself. were it not for holding onto a man in return, she'd have stumbled and fallen flat on her face. [break][break]

he does stop, however, and she follows suit seeing him pull a pokeball from his belt. out comes the same snorunt, though this time she's calling out to it with a slight bit more urgency. "blizzard, seuno! for as long as you can! try to freeze it!" with the pokemon slower and confused.. it should be easy enough to hit it, right? it should be easy enough to freeze it. [break][break]

the little ice pokemon starts with shooting a stream of ice from its mouth, blowing aggressive winds with chilled frost at the bear. ice begins to form around its feet and within its fur, and it should be able to buy them some more time. panicked still, however, the trainer whips her head around in an attempt to find something - anything - they could hide in or behind. not too far away, there's a large bunch of trees, and she immediately tugs a man's hand. [break][break]

"down there! we'll hide out in the trees there until this ends!" or until they're safe enough and in the clear to find the exit.

Ryan Arcken [break]
mission: surviving space-time

☉