sheâs already smiling when ryujin bows at her, not used anymore to the proper levels of politeness that used to be standard when she healed someone. people rarely feel grateful anymore the way they used to, because modern medicine has come so far that they no longer feel in mortal danger when hurt - even when sometimes they really are. only the ones with big diseases now are grateful, only the ones that have felt deathâs touch upon their shoulder speak to her with gratitude and reverence.
she doesnât particularly need either, but it is nice nonetheless when itâs there for something smaller, for something that humanity has started to take for granted.
then he offers to pay for dinner so they can catch up on the years gone by, and the laughter follows his words quite naturally. âthose are many, many years,â she says in a light tone of voice. âi donât believe one dinner would suffice for catching up on all that.â she reaches out a hand again anyway, an acceptance of his offer, an invitation as well to take it so they can leave the beach together, though she doesnât know if he is a man of physical affection or not.
âbut we can start with dinner, and then maybe drinks, or a walk. you can tell me what youâve been up to and iâll see if thereâs any time left after to tell you what i have been up to.â she smiles at him, and if itâs warmer than it ever was when they used to know each other, she figures he will get to know soon enough how she has changed over time.
and then, as they move to walk away, she adds one more thing, the smile stretching into mild amusement as she jokes with this god of the sea. âi know a place with great seafood.â
He chuckles lightly at her comment, but he can also admit that what she says hold true. It has been a few lifetimes before their reunion, many stories and life updates (or rather, multiple lives update) to share, âWhoâs to say this will be our only dinner together?â RyĆ«jin playfully shrugs and offers a genuine smile. He hopes that his settlement in Mount Phoenix will bring them closer and gift them more time than they had in the past to reconnect.
RyĆ«jin is very courteous, he is someone who keeps to himself and knows to respect anotherâs personal space. But he would never turn down an invitation for intimacy; he may seem like a reserved person on the outside, but he enjoys human interaction with the right people. He gladly accepts her hand and they stroll their way out of the beach, ready to explore other areas that RyĆ«jin is still new to.
His nose crinkles in distaste to sound of the word âseafoodâ, but it is quickly followed by his lower lip jutting out to pout at the Healing Goddess. âGive me their location, and I will break those poor creatures out of there âMission Impossibleâ style.â Although he laughs at his joke, he might be half-serious about this one. RyĆ«jin can be unpredictable; for someone who lives most of his life alone, he has enough courage to go to extreme heights for friends he holds close and creatures of his Kingdom. He comes prepared for anything.
âHmm, it may take a few more centuries to talk about all the lives Iâve last lived before this one,â he jests, returning to their main focus of conversation, âbut as of now, I have a feeling that this one will be the best.â Itâs safe to say that heâs had his fair share of life experiences, each one just as interesting as the rest, but he knows that none of them will be quite like this one.
