➵ @hieshou //: [ unprompted ]
"stay." she's caught hold of the hem of his shirt, cold fingers curling into the fabric to keep him from walking any further. it's not right to stop him. certainly there are things he needs to attend to. things more important than the nobody from japan sitting in on of the millions of spare rooms. but... "i want you to stay...here. with me."
☪ //: ➵ COULD FEEL THE tug coming from the other as he attempted to leave. Has to, really ( eventually ). Given his stance that he is merely a political envoy in Japan, he must put THAT before anything else. He is but merely a visitor to her land - he cannot make such deep marks here.
ah , but you already have , haven’t you , young prince ?
STILL, despite all responsibilities, he still obliges to the woman’s request. Just this once! Falters from leaving. Takes a step back, yet DOESN’T turn around; not yet. Yearns for her far more than he will ever admit - but it doesn’t mean that he loves her any less.
oh ! if only you knew , little snowberry .
UNLIKE she, he manages to suppress such desires to hold her this time around. Instead, his head shifts slightly. Emerald hues glance back in her vicinity, but he, STILL! , holds the same postition with a back turned towards her. It is quite UNLIKE him to do most of the time. Then again, when being more serious, that seet, sweet facade tends to dissolve away. When taking THAT into consideration, this is actually very typical when there are no jokes to be had. The difference is night && day. Today is one of those days: today is a serious day.
THERE isn’t a smile that escapes him. It should be there, but simply cannot bring himself to LIE about the situation. Claude cannot brush things off with a smile; not here, not to HER. He doesn’t want that. She doesn’t deserve it. ( she deserves the truth , honestly . ) He wants to tell her.
But...
Some things are just easier to hide.
❝ you know i cant . ❞ he starts. it stings, naturally. it pains him to tell her no, but never has been the type to JUST to say yes. ❝ but ... ❞ however, he doesn’t need break any rules here - just merely be flexible enough to bend a little . ❝ i will stay a bit longer , for you , if that is what you would like . ❞