โโ Erwin, I could listen to you yap. Therefore, be my Valentine. โโ Was that rude ? Oops.
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คAt the center of the altar, at the climax of her confession, his wrist keeps swiftly gliding his fountain pen across the surface of his paperwork as he's been doing for the past two hours. The usual permanence on his face did not waver, and it wasn't until the ink on his pen ran dry that the coin finally fell into the slot. That her report wasn't exactly clicking with any of his arsenal of predictions.
Admittedly, even once his ink had run dry, he still reached out of habit for its container to submerge the pen back in, meaning that it did take a couple of seconds past his own interruption for her words to fully squeeze in between the pages of his diligent reports, a task that by itself has always proved difficult to break through, not because Erwin had a habit of not listening to others (well, one could always argue with this one) but rather; that he has long since developed a fascinating ability of picking and choosing the most important prospects that were being discussed from the ones that could be spared to the side. in other words; omitting the trivial and going straight to the jugular.
He blinks once, as if he's been snapped out of the consuming flow of his work; and he looks up at Koto with an indecipherable expression, One that only by peeling the layers of his skin would one be able to recognize was.....
To think that a day like this would ever cross his path.. to find himself not on the other side of the river, but on the side where the town held the festivals, where the colorful pennants hung above stores and the joy spread through the hearts of even the most guarded. The side where he could have lived as a man and not a monster, the side he could have tenderly dedicated his life to and cultivated like a growing garden.
Only once has he mourned not being on that other side, yet never again has he looked back on it since.
Quietly, he places his pen back to the ink bottle beside him and takes a peek at the date registered on the corner of one of his papers. February 10th. Despite the abruptness of her entrance to his office, she's been considerate with her decision he thinks, and it evokes a quiet smile, difficult to perceive from her distance from his desk.
Never a man sought after for his heart, little practical knowledge did he have when it came down to these types of matters. If it hadn't been for his old friend, chances were that Erwin would have remained in the dark about romance, only remembering fragments from his youth, distant sights, and abandoned dreams. Despite his lack of experience, he believed it took a certain kind of courage to be able to ask things from the heart, and he believed that her efforts shouldn't be unmerited.
Not by an idiot of his kind.
Getting up from his seat, he quietly makes his way towards the window close by to his desk, limiting his proximity to her yet extending from the best of his capabilities the closest he could possibly branch out to her, for it was important to be delicate with her heart despite its already proven tenacity and crown her courage.
โ I apologize. โ He remains truthful yet at the same time equally as frigid and raw as ever. It has become a habit for him to deliver the unsavory in such a sterilized manner. What horrible first words to begin his speech with... It was no wonder thus, that Commander Erwin Smith has never been popular with the ladies. โ Your consideration has sincerely warmed my heart, albeit I would have preferred to keep the illusion that my speeches aren't so tedious to listen to. โ Despite the amusing hint his words carried, no smile graced his lips this time. โ Yet I am certain these are not the answers you are seeking for. Koto, you will have to forgive me and these words I am about to tell you or resent me for them, but I am not the man you are looking for. โ He pauses, for terrible news deserved a time to be mourned. โ I cannot accept your invitation, and this is, but a poor consolation from my end, but I will keep your words alive through a letter I'll keep safe in drawer. Blue eyes now part from the window showcasing the vibrant sky that shone light inside the office, and he looks back at her once again. This time, a small tug at the corner of his lips decors the face of the cruel man, and his gaze softens the slightest.
โ Please have fun this 14th of February, Koto. โ
