A grim thin line formed on her lips; eyes taking in the sights of her converse clad feet, the browbeaten burgundy haired girl takes a split second to gather what he was saying. Why would she embrace her faults? No-one would want to have a brain like hers. She was like the mindless scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, or at least she liked to think herself as the character.
❝ I wouldn’t want to think like me if I didn’t have the problems I had now ———— and know a few demons here and there as well. ❞
Fiddling with her slim fingers, she plays with a thin gold band on her right ring finger, a piece of jewelry that she always wore. She’d feel naked without it, and panic if she didn’t put it on first thing in the morning. It was a routine, putting the ring on at the same time every day. Twisting the band around, she felt calm. It was a gift from her mother and she had never taken it off once she moved away.
Trying to lighten the mood, she gives him a light chuckle and shakes her head as she runs a hand through her hair.
❝ If I didn’t know any better, I’d assume you were giving me advice. ❞
MUTE scrutiny bloated the subsequent minutes beyond that of a comfortable pause, noting both the reticence and the fidgeting but refraining to proffer any commentary on the matter. As a self-proclaimed advocate for biding one's time and leveraging the value of silent observation, the apparent deficiency of urgency instead made him embrace the ambiguity for the time being and accommodate the attempt to shift the conversation respectively. Sensitive topics were to be treated with the utmost care, lest the ruinous risk of a damaged perception of himself should rise; timing was everything.
❝ Advice, offhanded musing -- call it whatever you'd like. It's just my take on it, an entirely subjective perspective. ❞
Syntax notwithstanding, his answer's nature mirrored that of a disclaimer's linguistic formality while still maintaining its casual air. With an already pre-existing wariness for who he was and what he was capable of, no further attempt was made to feign a nonpartisan concern for any given person's well-being or any relevant qualifications to give credit to his supposed guidance. Everything was to be taken strictly at face value and no time was to be squandered away in a futile effort to convince her otherwise.
❝ Just as you personally define what constitutes your ‘happiness’, it’s also your choice to take what I say to heart or not. Do with it as you will. ❞
