( Mad? Mad? Oh, he's incredibly furious. In fact, it's fury that channels energy into the actions he takes, into the smile he's giving that feels weirdly ominous, or the way his hands hook together from around Kirma. He is absolutely going to ruin this man with kindness. )
Why would I be mad?
( It's laughable, saying that so sweetly, and so Esikko frees Kirma from his grip and takes a playful step back with a playful little laugh to release a little more of his tension. At the very least, this is going to be some fun fodder for later, for others— and so he lifts his Watch and taps through to the camera app to check himself out and snap a handful of posed pictures. )
( isn’t he enjoying it, just a little too much? that’s what kirma thinks— and in a way, that should be a good thing, that esikko doesn’t fully hate such a phenomenon. shouldn’t it? but.
in all honesty, there was a portion of this set up to be entirely at esi’s expense; a minor bit of fun, of mean-spirited enjoyment that in some ways would’ve been the real gift of the hour. without that, it makes him wonder if he misjudged things. maybe worse, misremembered them, a glaring flaw in an already imperfect memory.
more than anything else… he’s not sure where esi is taking them, so to speak, and that’s what unnerves him most of all. )
… Only while it’s on, ( is how finally he answers. the thought of inflicting such a thing on someone permanently and without warning strikes him as so thoroughly odd that he finds himself taken aback that esi’s mind would wander there first. ) Though I’m sure the house would be happy to negotiate, if you wanted more.
( a pause, both to chew his nerves down and to ensure that esi is done with his self-examination. ) Shall we walk? ( you know… their date… )
( Temporary. Thank the gods. He was going to have trouble keeping up this nice guy act if it wasn't. But it is, and judging by the angle of Kirma's furry ears, his plan is working fairly nicely, too. He seems unsettled, subtly so, and that's enough to lift the prince's mood just enough. )
Whatever you'd like. It's your day after all, so just lead the way.
( So friendly, so accommodating, he allows his arms to slip away from Kirma so that he can stand on his own. Here, he adjusts his dress a little, staring down at himself for a moment too long before he clears his throat and moves to walk with Kirma. )
Only while it's on sounds ideal, doesn't it? A short taste of something new. ( A pause, as he tries to formulate the next idea in a way that comes off more nice than it should. )
I take it you haven't had much luck with women, to be gifted something like this? I wonder why?
( It's spoken as if it's a genuine question. It's not. )
( sweaty pawed, kirma leads on. wandering the gardens, and— truthfully, even without the unexpected reactions, he hadn’t really formulated a plan past this point. collar goes on, ???, everything is great. that’s as far as he got. now—
the first two steps of that are ostensibly complete, but the third certainly hasn’t come to past. it might not come to pass at all, with the way esi is taking things so fully in stride that it wraps back around to him fearing for his life. somewhere, midway through the maze that he accidentally took them down after a wrong turn, he stops abruptly to turn back to esi. well, halfway back to esi; the rest of his attention comes as a sidelong glance with backwards ears. )
First of all— ( no, he hasn’t had much luck with women, but what does that have to do with anything? yet no articulate protest comes to mind, and he’s left staring in silence without any followup. no, wait, there’s one:
a sigh. )
You know, this isn’t… ( fun ) If you’d rather take it off and go. You can.
( A lie, and one that radiates with the invisible anger lurking beneath his too-sunny smile. But there's a joy to be earned in Kirma's suffering, in the promise that will come because of it, and so he puts up with this. Does more than that, in fact, by reaching to take one of Kirma's arms in something like a hug, meaning to walk like this. )
You did have plans for us, didn't you? I thought that you must have, considering how you asked me out here. So, I'll follow your lead.
( it’s impressive, the way that being given permission can feel more like a leaden weight around your neck, one that threatens to drag him down into the depths. his ears flick back and forth again, tension pulling at the corners of his mouth, but— )
Okay.
( he will lead. a thing that he is known for being extremely good at and full of confidence in. yeah. whatever. they’re just following his plan, the one that he definitely has, that has him striding with a shuffled purpose deeper into the garden maze with his date(?) on his arm.
he risks another glance at esi, who does indeed look quite good— unfortunately enough for kirma. wait, he’s getting distracted. he mulls over how to try and recover things in his favor; for all that esi yaps about wanting to be pushed around and taken advantage of, kirma is sure that trying anything of the sort tonight would simply end with him headless. trying to escape was already a failure. that only leaves…
wandering and hoping for inspiration. )
Is there really nothing you’d want to do? Since you’re— ( poor ) That is—
( … )
What would my luck with women have to do with it? Or supposed lack thereof. ( he’s stuck on this after all. the callout post was unnecessary. :( )
Well, because you've just turned a perfectly good man into a woman.
( "Perfectly good" has an interesting definition, here, in which he means himself. The misogynistic implications are also ever present. Still, aside from that, Esikko is still acting rather... pleasant. His expressions aren't nearly as sour as they tend to be, he keeps his annoyance shielded from his face and his walk, and his eyes drift along the sights of the garden, happy to take in the sight of lovely plants and flowers as they walk. )
If you had luck with women, you could just go meet with one of them, right? ( A smile, amused and too bright, flashes Kirma's way as Esi lifts a hand to tuck some of his hair behind his ear. )
Anyway, if you're looking for ideas... A nice fancy dinner is something I wouldn't refuse. You can even get a slice of cake for your birthday. ( That he clearly wants to eat himself. )
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Why would I be mad?
( It's laughable, saying that so sweetly, and so Esikko frees Kirma from his grip and takes a playful step back with a playful little laugh to release a little more of his tension. At the very least, this is going to be some fun fodder for later, for others— and so he lifts his Watch and taps through to the camera app to check himself out and snap a handful of posed pictures. )
Hmm. This is temporary, right?
( His eyes slide over to Kirma expectantly. )
no subject
in all honesty, there was a portion of this set up to be entirely at esi’s expense; a minor bit of fun, of mean-spirited enjoyment that in some ways would’ve been the real gift of the hour. without that, it makes him wonder if he misjudged things. maybe worse, misremembered them, a glaring flaw in an already imperfect memory.
more than anything else… he’s not sure where esi is taking them, so to speak, and that’s what unnerves him most of all. )
… Only while it’s on, ( is how finally he answers. the thought of inflicting such a thing on someone permanently and without warning strikes him as so thoroughly odd that he finds himself taken aback that esi’s mind would wander there first. ) Though I’m sure the house would be happy to negotiate, if you wanted more.
( a pause, both to chew his nerves down and to ensure that esi is done with his self-examination. ) Shall we walk? ( you know… their date… )
no subject
Whatever you'd like. It's your day after all, so just lead the way.
( So friendly, so accommodating, he allows his arms to slip away from Kirma so that he can stand on his own. Here, he adjusts his dress a little, staring down at himself for a moment too long before he clears his throat and moves to walk with Kirma. )
Only while it's on sounds ideal, doesn't it? A short taste of something new. ( A pause, as he tries to formulate the next idea in a way that comes off more nice than it should. )
I take it you haven't had much luck with women, to be gifted something like this? I wonder why?
( It's spoken as if it's a genuine question. It's not. )
no subject
the first two steps of that are ostensibly complete, but the third certainly hasn’t come to past. it might not come to pass at all, with the way esi is taking things so fully in stride that it wraps back around to him fearing for his life. somewhere, midway through the maze that he accidentally took them down after a wrong turn, he stops abruptly to turn back to esi. well, halfway back to esi; the rest of his attention comes as a sidelong glance with backwards ears. )
First of all— ( no, he hasn’t had much luck with women, but what does that have to do with anything? yet no articulate protest comes to mind, and he’s left staring in silence without any followup. no, wait, there’s one:
a sigh. )
You know, this isn’t… ( fun ) If you’d rather take it off and go. You can.
no subject
( A lie, and one that radiates with the invisible anger lurking beneath his too-sunny smile. But there's a joy to be earned in Kirma's suffering, in the promise that will come because of it, and so he puts up with this. Does more than that, in fact, by reaching to take one of Kirma's arms in something like a hug, meaning to walk like this. )
You did have plans for us, didn't you? I thought that you must have, considering how you asked me out here. So, I'll follow your lead.
no subject
Okay.
( he will lead. a thing that he is known for being extremely good at and full of confidence in. yeah. whatever. they’re just following his plan, the one that he definitely has, that has him striding with a shuffled purpose deeper into the garden maze with his date(?) on his arm.
he risks another glance at esi, who does indeed look quite good— unfortunately enough for kirma. wait, he’s getting distracted. he mulls over how to try and recover things in his favor; for all that esi yaps about wanting to be pushed around and taken advantage of, kirma is sure that trying anything of the sort tonight would simply end with him headless. trying to escape was already a failure. that only leaves…
wandering and hoping for inspiration. )
Is there really nothing you’d want to do? Since you’re— ( poor ) That is—
( … )
What would my luck with women have to do with it? Or supposed lack thereof. ( he’s stuck on this after all. the callout post was unnecessary. :( )
no subject
( "Perfectly good" has an interesting definition, here, in which he means himself. The misogynistic implications are also ever present. Still, aside from that, Esikko is still acting rather... pleasant. His expressions aren't nearly as sour as they tend to be, he keeps his annoyance shielded from his face and his walk, and his eyes drift along the sights of the garden, happy to take in the sight of lovely plants and flowers as they walk. )
If you had luck with women, you could just go meet with one of them, right? ( A smile, amused and too bright, flashes Kirma's way as Esi lifts a hand to tuck some of his hair behind his ear. )
Anyway, if you're looking for ideas... A nice fancy dinner is something I wouldn't refuse. You can even get a slice of cake for your birthday. ( That he clearly wants to eat himself. )