@estalvcis asked: " h-how do you do it...? so easily, i mean...? " it is quite interesting, how he has no trouble facing thousands of enemies — primals, ruffians, the strongest skyfarers around — and yet speech is what paralyzes him. seox can feel the sweat starting to form on his forehead, his palms already damp and shaky. oh god, oh god. i can't run now. " approaching people out of the blue like this is a nightmare for me. " // seox to makura
𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅- not simply being addressed, but being addressed by Seox- gives Makura pause. Significant enough that the Eternal's nervous silence stretches longer than she'd meant to leave it. Clearing her throat softly to break the stillness, she turns to face him- but not to look at him directly, in hopes of lessening that anxiety of his as she considers her response. Eventually, she looks at him closer to properly- somewhere in the vicinity of his collarbones- and smiles gently.
"You did it anyway though, even if just this once! Isn't this much something to be proud of?"
Encouragement, first and foremost, is what someone like Seox needs. For someone who seems so dauntless, the reminder of his painful shyness is always a little jarring. Not in a bad way, either. It's only that she's always surprised. Especially because she's seen how sharp he is in battle, how vicious when properly motivated. Someone she'd rather have on her side than standing in opposition, to be certain. So to see him like this, stuttering, stumbling, sweating... it's disconcerting in a way that's almost charming.
Oh, Makura thinks absently, it really is kind of cute, huh?
Reaching out carefully, she gives his shoulder a pat, long, dark nails clicking against his armor. It's a brief touch, and as light as she can make it, if only to not overwhelm him. Really, the last thing she wants is to make him run off because she's been too forward. Baby steps, and all that.
(Like trying to keep a rabbit from bolting.)
"As for me... I think it helps that I'm always in the spotlight, whether as a General or as just 'Makura'." It's not arrogant to say that she's as famous as she is infamous, due to her dual inheritances. As the Year Spirit of the Rabbit and also the leader of the Lepus Troupe, she has more eyes on her than she can count, most of the time. And the times where she doesn't... well. Makura's never been good at keeping a low profile. Probably as a side-effect of the aforementioned roles. "So it's easy to talk to people, because I have to do it all the time anyway."
Not to mention, stepping into the expected 'roles' of Heroic Warrior or Famous Actress are easy for someone who spends so much time on stage. Both of those roles are as much a part of her as any other part of her personality. Masks she can put on, just as easily as-
Hmmm. Maybe that might help?
"You know, an important part of talking to people is eye contact... but I know that can be difficult. Having people see your face so..." Hands rising, they frame the air in front of his face. Cocking her head, she closes one eye and nods slowly, clearly of the opinion the idea she's about to propose is a brilliant one. "What about a half-mask? That way you still have something to hide behind, but you can at least look at people." And people can look at him, and at least have some indication they're looking at a person, and not some impossible beast as his reputation precedess. "The eyes are the window to the soul after all! I'm sure if people could catch a glimpse of yours, they'd understand you a little easier, right? And if not..."
If it doesn't work out, then it's not a big deal, and Seox's reputation stays (mostly) intact. Though now that he's asked her, Makura's bound and determined to make communicating easier for him.
"...you and I will figure something else out!"
And that, more than anything, is a promise that might come back to bite him, given Makura's outlandish level of extroversion.
