Without a word spoken, the Princess of Cheese prepared their meals and, upon finishing, beckoned Jonathan to sit, as she handed over bowl and cultery. It seemed that she planned that they eat first and, with bellies full, they would converse. He was fine with that; other than what little he had managed to gobble down earlier today before the Princess dragged him off to his... bath, Jonathan hadn't eaten at all and his belly, being reminded of that fact, started protesting.
Truly, Kristin's culinarian skills were something to behold, for this was possibly the best meal that Jonathan had gazed at in ages. Though his mouth filled with saliva and his stomach roared with anticipation, Jonathan waited for his hostess to finish her pre-dinner ceremony and have the first bite herself; doing otherwise would have likely been disrespectful and insulting, not to mention gluttony by itself had a tendency to evoke bad manners anyway.
Seeing the Princely Hostess grab a piece with her fork, Jonathan went ahead and did the same, sniffing at his meal, taking the time to properly savour it, for he doubted he would have another one as grand in his lifetime. Unfortunately for him, just as the piece of meat was half-way through his mouth, a loud thud was heard, and the princess started talking. It would appear that she had changed her mind again. Dissatisfied, he put the fork down without taking a bite. It looked like he was in for an earful.
"I lied today, twice, for two different people. I despise lying. I see why it's necessary, but - that doesn't mean I have to like it."
So begun the Talk, and what a way to start, indeed. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and stared at the Princess, puzzled as to what she meant by that.
"Back at Miss Black's home, during the Enclave interference - after I had struck down her guards - I bore witness to a master at work. Navigating those conversational landmines, dodging conversational traps and trickery..."
Oh, that. She was talking about that. Jonathan's face turned sour, and he bowed his head and threw a sidelong, disgruntled stare towards nowhere in particular. Her words were ones of praise; too bad she wasn't talking about anything commendable.
"...And while I was struck with awe, I could not help but entertain the terrible notion that even I had been ensnared - not by #411, but by you."
Ensnared, she said? Jonathan turned to stare at her again, confused and more than a little bit surprised. Kristin was the honest kind of person, the kind that either doesn't survive long or learns that being honest does wonders lowering your life expectancy and thus take a turn towards the Dis kind of honesty. How, then, had he ensnared her, as she claimed? Jon threw another glance at the bed; when his eyes turned back to the Princess, her face had turned into one that was painfully familiar and caused him a day-long guilt trip. It was painful to look at again.
"Don't you dare talk down to me."
Jonathan's features were marked by visible regret, and he thought he could faintly hear girlish giggling at the back of his head. His face darkened as he hung his head, staring at the ground. He stayed as he were as Kristin recounted her tale of how she lost her family's business. That explained why she was here, at least.
"It was humiliating. And it was not much different from how you treated me back there."
Jonathan sook his head and sighed; that's not what he did. That's not what he wanted it to look like he did. It wasn't-
"At first, I started to doubt you - was I merely a pawn for some greater endgame for you? - I had hoped not. I asked for a guide, that was all." And then..."
He raised his head and stared questioningly. And then?
"You give me the silent treatment."
She was the one that didn't want to listen to his explanation in the first place!
"Dismantled a bomb for me in a heroic gesture."
Jonathan tilted his head forward, staring inquiringly. For her? Why would she think-
"presented me with a gift in a sweet manner"
His eyes narrowed. Gift? He hadn't given her any gifts!
"displayed concern over my well being"
That much was true, at least. Was that when she started taking the wrong picture?
"made your intentions known when you stared at my body,"
No, that was when it started. Jonathan frowned, throwing a sidelong stare away, his cheeks blushing for a brief moment. He wasn't exactly proud of his behaviour, but she caught him off guard with her sudden undressing.
" preying on my vulnerability"
Jonathan turned back to staring confused again. Her vulnerability? What vulnerability? When had he done so?
"It dawned on me; perhaps I was a pawn...IN YOUR GAME OF LOVE!"
Jonathan flinched as though headbutted by a stampeding buffalo in heat, staring dumbstruck towards Kristin -who had by then stood up and placed her leg on the chair- so dazed by the bluntless of the princess' proclamation that he didn't quite realise he was actually staring under her skirt for a noticable amount of seconds, before shaking his head and regaining his composure. Though the princess only confirmed what he suspected, the way she came to the conclusion and her directness were... surprising to say the least.
"I congratulate you on your bravery, former Postman & Pugilist turned Playboy!"
He made an annoyed grimace at that remark, his annoyance further intensified by the princess' tone, its condescention made abundandly clear by her sharp, patronizing smirk. Was she going to make fun of him, now? He supposed he deserved that much.
"But that particular path - has uhh - run into some - how do I put this..." she continued, now unexpectedly hesitant, before flaring up again in anger, frustratedly pointing towards Jonathan, "...it's not important! I want the truth!"
Kristin's disposition, in the space of a few words, changed completely. She went from enthusiastically confident to seemingly uncomfortable. Though Jonathan took note of the sudden mood change, he kept a straight face, for the princess had more to say.
"Tell me, Playboy-Pugilist-Postman..."
The nicknames were seriously getting out of hand.
"We are locked together in this Enclave Errand...but discard that for the moment! Are you truly just my guide? What I mean is - were you willing to join me, despite our situation?"
She seemed extremely concerned about how their relationship was going to go. Come to think of it, she also was acting off when she talked about similar things from behind the door while he was shaving.
"Today for instance, did I do something good by exposing the priests' extortion - is my cause just?"
And now not only was she doubting the righteousness of her convictions, but she wanted to hear what he thought aswell?
"Or are you humoring me as I have been lead to believe when you berated me at Miss Black's home?"
Again, asking about his motives. Of course, it was only logical to question the intent of the man you would spend the next half a year travelling with, but the way she went about it suggested there was more to it than that.
Then, epiphany. Could she... Could she actually...
"...You are my biggest frustration, yet I admire - something - at the same time."
...be developing feelings for him!?
Jonathan kept a staight, contemplative yet unreadable face as the Princess finished her speech and uneasily devoured her food in a stressed manner. That was a lot to digest, and he wasn't talking about the food. The princess, difficult to read as she were, caught Jonathan off-guard a good deal of times. The enormity of the misunderstanding far exceeded his expectations; cleaning this mess up would be harder than he thought. But...
He would be frank.
"Well... that was a lot to stomach," he started, his manner a mixture of serious and casual, "This has all been one big, messed-up misunderstanding. I shall try to make things as clear as I can. Though I should warn you..." he looked at her sternly in the eyes, "I will not mince words. You asked me to be frank, and so I shall be, even if what I have to say causes you grief."
"I suppose it's only fitting that I start with where this whole mess begun." he sighed, reluctant to reminisce on today's developments, "Back at Miss Black's house, it was evident that what was transpiring was out of your depth. Not just due to lack of experience; it's clear that your are, by nature, straighforward. And though that is an admirable quality most of the time..." he leaned forward, "It is also dangerous."
"I have been a liar and manipulator for the better part of my life" he admitted, shamefully, "But not by choice. When you're stuck in a situation such as mine, you're left with few options if you want to survive. I never was a good shot or physically conditioned, so the only thing I could do is lie. And I did it a lot." He scratched his cheek, "And when your entire world is built upon the lies you weave, you eventually end up believing some of them."
He shook his head. "A-anyway, back to the point. Though I did play the... 'game'" he said as he did air-quote gestures, "I derived no pleasure from it. I did it to guarantee Miss Black's safety."
And look how well that went.
"Unfortunately, my opponent was also skilled in the ways of coercion, and it became increasingly difficult to maneuver the conversation towards a favourable result. A fact made even more difficult having to worry how you would react. I saw how close you were to striking her down, despite the fact that doing so would likely doom Miss Black and her friend."
He sighed yet again. The princess really wasn't going to like what he had to say. "That harlot read you well. With a few words she taunted you into acting rashly and, though you didn't go berserk, she still spun a web around you. One that I had to deal with in some way or another."
"You see, Miss Kristin," he said as he made gestures with his hands, as though he was teaching a class, "the key to dealing with these situations is to show as little emotion as possible. Caring, most of all. If your opponent finds out you care about something, they'll exploit that care and trap you. Much like how she did with her offer. She saw that you showed concern for the clones and tied you to them, most likely to keep an advantage over you in the future."
"Which brings us to my... ensnarement of you, as you call it." He shook his head. "When I reached out to you to tell you not to get attached to the clones, I... I didn't do it to humour or mock you. I did it exactly because #411 was using them against you, and since I dragged you into this mess to begin with... I wanted to let you know what you were walking into and, if you didn't like it, do things some other way. Hence why the final decision was left to you."
He took a deep breath, "I don't like manipulating people, Miss Kristin. Circumstances and extended periods of doing just that left me numb to it for a while... but I dislike it. I dislike that I am good at it. Hells, lying is the only thing I have going for me, honestly. It's a wonder that I have even survived so far."
Wonder, or proof the universe has a cruel sense of humour.
"To be able to get the result that we got, I had to consider you expendable. And in doing so, I hurt you. The way you stared at me outside Miss Black's house was evidence enough. And that, well..." he scratched his cheek with a finger whilst throwing an irritated glare at the floor, reluctant to dwell into something so personal, before turning to look at her in the eyes again "It hit me. I have conditioned myself to be as pragmatic as possible so as to get the best result as I can, but the repercusions... well, let's just say I have a guilt complex. Seeing that I hurt you it triggered it. I thought pretty... demeaning things about myself and grew distant, cold and..." he glanced at his bandaged hand, "not... so... much."
"Now... about this so-called game of love." He took a deep breath and stared contemplatively, "Sheesh, where to begin?"
"Let's begin with the dismantling of the bomb. I did it as a job. I know the sheriff. I helped the town a few years back when they had run into a power supply problem. He thought me reliable enough, and so tasked me with seeing if the rumour that the bomb was rearmed was true. It wasn't, but I thought I might aswell make sure it never would be. What I threw for you to destroy was part of the detonator. As reward, I got him to agree to cover whatever expenses would be needed for Miss Black's caretaking."
"I am not proud of my behaviour." He frowned with disgust, "but you caught me off guard. I did not expect you to undress when you did, or at least, that you'd offer warning that you did..." he blushed a bit, before, aggravated, leaning forward again, "L-look, I won't lie, you are probably the most attractive woman I've ever seen. But that doesn't mean that I have such feelings for you, nor that I seek to covet you in any way. Especially since you wouldn't want me to in the first place. Our relationship, so to speak, shall be as you want it: professional. You want a guide, and I will be that, nothing more." he felt a hint of sadness at that fact, though he wasn't sure why, "I will try to make it so that my quest for allies does not inconvenience you in our travels, though I can't promise that it won't. And when the time comes, and we have to work for #411 again... I will try to make that time as bearable for you as I can. It is only right, I dragged you into this in the first place."
"As for whether you were just in what you did to that priest... I am not really one to say. I don't believe that gods exist, and if they do, considering what a mess the world is, I find them unworthy of worship. B-but that's just me." he made quick to clarify on that, "What a person believes in or not is not my business. I won't argue theology with you, not will I mock your beliefs. If your faith enriches your life, then who am I to trample on it?" The moon's still not made of cheese, though.
"The only grounds upon which I critique a religion is the effects it has on its followers. Does it bring out the good in them, making them more prone to acts of charity and selflessness? Or does it turn them into cold crusaders, drawing sword and gun to smite unbelievers? In your case, it remains to be seen. You did offer food to the people of the town... but I did take note of your zeal at driving Cromwell away, not to mention the number of near death experiences your rituals gave me."
"As for your final question, whether or not I would join you on my own..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to prepare himself, and opened them again, staring determined, "No."
He exhailed in an attempt to release some tension, "Had I not pledged myself to your service, or dragged you into this Enclave business... I would not travel with you. I'd do as Miss Black asked of me and brought you here, maybe given you a few pointers as to where the other landmarks around here are, but that would be it." He massaged his back a bit, his voice growing dispirited, "It's nothing personal. It's just that I've found that it's better if I travel alone, for me and my potential companions both." His eyes were modestly downcast.
"There you have it, then." Jonathan said as he leaned back on the bed, nervous as to the princess' reaction, "I have said my piece. I'm sorry if what's said angered or disappointed you. You asked me to be frank... and so I was."
Truly, Kristin's culinarian skills were something to behold, for this was possibly the best meal that Jonathan had gazed at in ages. Though his mouth filled with saliva and his stomach roared with anticipation, Jonathan waited for his hostess to finish her pre-dinner ceremony and have the first bite herself; doing otherwise would have likely been disrespectful and insulting, not to mention gluttony by itself had a tendency to evoke bad manners anyway.
Seeing the Princely Hostess grab a piece with her fork, Jonathan went ahead and did the same, sniffing at his meal, taking the time to properly savour it, for he doubted he would have another one as grand in his lifetime. Unfortunately for him, just as the piece of meat was half-way through his mouth, a loud thud was heard, and the princess started talking. It would appear that she had changed her mind again. Dissatisfied, he put the fork down without taking a bite. It looked like he was in for an earful.
"I lied today, twice, for two different people. I despise lying. I see why it's necessary, but - that doesn't mean I have to like it."
So begun the Talk, and what a way to start, indeed. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and stared at the Princess, puzzled as to what she meant by that.
"Back at Miss Black's home, during the Enclave interference - after I had struck down her guards - I bore witness to a master at work. Navigating those conversational landmines, dodging conversational traps and trickery..."
Oh, that. She was talking about that. Jonathan's face turned sour, and he bowed his head and threw a sidelong, disgruntled stare towards nowhere in particular. Her words were ones of praise; too bad she wasn't talking about anything commendable.
"...And while I was struck with awe, I could not help but entertain the terrible notion that even I had been ensnared - not by #411, but by you."
Ensnared, she said? Jonathan turned to stare at her again, confused and more than a little bit surprised. Kristin was the honest kind of person, the kind that either doesn't survive long or learns that being honest does wonders lowering your life expectancy and thus take a turn towards the Dis kind of honesty. How, then, had he ensnared her, as she claimed? Jon threw another glance at the bed; when his eyes turned back to the Princess, her face had turned into one that was painfully familiar and caused him a day-long guilt trip. It was painful to look at again.
"Don't you dare talk down to me."
Jonathan's features were marked by visible regret, and he thought he could faintly hear girlish giggling at the back of his head. His face darkened as he hung his head, staring at the ground. He stayed as he were as Kristin recounted her tale of how she lost her family's business. That explained why she was here, at least.
"It was humiliating. And it was not much different from how you treated me back there."
Jonathan sook his head and sighed; that's not what he did. That's not what he wanted it to look like he did. It wasn't-
"At first, I started to doubt you - was I merely a pawn for some greater endgame for you? - I had hoped not. I asked for a guide, that was all." And then..."
He raised his head and stared questioningly. And then?
"You give me the silent treatment."
She was the one that didn't want to listen to his explanation in the first place!
"Dismantled a bomb for me in a heroic gesture."
Jonathan tilted his head forward, staring inquiringly. For her? Why would she think-
"presented me with a gift in a sweet manner"
His eyes narrowed. Gift? He hadn't given her any gifts!
"displayed concern over my well being"
That much was true, at least. Was that when she started taking the wrong picture?
"made your intentions known when you stared at my body,"
No, that was when it started. Jonathan frowned, throwing a sidelong stare away, his cheeks blushing for a brief moment. He wasn't exactly proud of his behaviour, but she caught him off guard with her sudden undressing.
" preying on my vulnerability"
Jonathan turned back to staring confused again. Her vulnerability? What vulnerability? When had he done so?
"It dawned on me; perhaps I was a pawn...IN YOUR GAME OF LOVE!"
Jonathan flinched as though headbutted by a stampeding buffalo in heat, staring dumbstruck towards Kristin -who had by then stood up and placed her leg on the chair- so dazed by the bluntless of the princess' proclamation that he didn't quite realise he was actually staring under her skirt for a noticable amount of seconds, before shaking his head and regaining his composure. Though the princess only confirmed what he suspected, the way she came to the conclusion and her directness were... surprising to say the least.
"I congratulate you on your bravery, former Postman & Pugilist turned Playboy!"
He made an annoyed grimace at that remark, his annoyance further intensified by the princess' tone, its condescention made abundandly clear by her sharp, patronizing smirk. Was she going to make fun of him, now? He supposed he deserved that much.
"But that particular path - has uhh - run into some - how do I put this..." she continued, now unexpectedly hesitant, before flaring up again in anger, frustratedly pointing towards Jonathan, "...it's not important! I want the truth!"
Kristin's disposition, in the space of a few words, changed completely. She went from enthusiastically confident to seemingly uncomfortable. Though Jonathan took note of the sudden mood change, he kept a straight face, for the princess had more to say.
"Tell me, Playboy-Pugilist-Postman..."
The nicknames were seriously getting out of hand.
"We are locked together in this Enclave Errand...but discard that for the moment! Are you truly just my guide? What I mean is - were you willing to join me, despite our situation?"
She seemed extremely concerned about how their relationship was going to go. Come to think of it, she also was acting off when she talked about similar things from behind the door while he was shaving.
"Today for instance, did I do something good by exposing the priests' extortion - is my cause just?"
And now not only was she doubting the righteousness of her convictions, but she wanted to hear what he thought aswell?
"Or are you humoring me as I have been lead to believe when you berated me at Miss Black's home?"
Again, asking about his motives. Of course, it was only logical to question the intent of the man you would spend the next half a year travelling with, but the way she went about it suggested there was more to it than that.
Then, epiphany. Could she... Could she actually...
"...You are my biggest frustration, yet I admire - something - at the same time."
...be developing feelings for him!?
Jonathan kept a staight, contemplative yet unreadable face as the Princess finished her speech and uneasily devoured her food in a stressed manner. That was a lot to digest, and he wasn't talking about the food. The princess, difficult to read as she were, caught Jonathan off-guard a good deal of times. The enormity of the misunderstanding far exceeded his expectations; cleaning this mess up would be harder than he thought. But...
He would be frank.
"Well... that was a lot to stomach," he started, his manner a mixture of serious and casual, "This has all been one big, messed-up misunderstanding. I shall try to make things as clear as I can. Though I should warn you..." he looked at her sternly in the eyes, "I will not mince words. You asked me to be frank, and so I shall be, even if what I have to say causes you grief."
"I suppose it's only fitting that I start with where this whole mess begun." he sighed, reluctant to reminisce on today's developments, "Back at Miss Black's house, it was evident that what was transpiring was out of your depth. Not just due to lack of experience; it's clear that your are, by nature, straighforward. And though that is an admirable quality most of the time..." he leaned forward, "It is also dangerous."
"I have been a liar and manipulator for the better part of my life" he admitted, shamefully, "But not by choice. When you're stuck in a situation such as mine, you're left with few options if you want to survive. I never was a good shot or physically conditioned, so the only thing I could do is lie. And I did it a lot." He scratched his cheek, "And when your entire world is built upon the lies you weave, you eventually end up believing some of them."
He shook his head. "A-anyway, back to the point. Though I did play the... 'game'" he said as he did air-quote gestures, "I derived no pleasure from it. I did it to guarantee Miss Black's safety."
And look how well that went.
"Unfortunately, my opponent was also skilled in the ways of coercion, and it became increasingly difficult to maneuver the conversation towards a favourable result. A fact made even more difficult having to worry how you would react. I saw how close you were to striking her down, despite the fact that doing so would likely doom Miss Black and her friend."
He sighed yet again. The princess really wasn't going to like what he had to say. "That harlot read you well. With a few words she taunted you into acting rashly and, though you didn't go berserk, she still spun a web around you. One that I had to deal with in some way or another."
"You see, Miss Kristin," he said as he made gestures with his hands, as though he was teaching a class, "the key to dealing with these situations is to show as little emotion as possible. Caring, most of all. If your opponent finds out you care about something, they'll exploit that care and trap you. Much like how she did with her offer. She saw that you showed concern for the clones and tied you to them, most likely to keep an advantage over you in the future."
"Which brings us to my... ensnarement of you, as you call it." He shook his head. "When I reached out to you to tell you not to get attached to the clones, I... I didn't do it to humour or mock you. I did it exactly because #411 was using them against you, and since I dragged you into this mess to begin with... I wanted to let you know what you were walking into and, if you didn't like it, do things some other way. Hence why the final decision was left to you."
He took a deep breath, "I don't like manipulating people, Miss Kristin. Circumstances and extended periods of doing just that left me numb to it for a while... but I dislike it. I dislike that I am good at it. Hells, lying is the only thing I have going for me, honestly. It's a wonder that I have even survived so far."
Wonder, or proof the universe has a cruel sense of humour.
"To be able to get the result that we got, I had to consider you expendable. And in doing so, I hurt you. The way you stared at me outside Miss Black's house was evidence enough. And that, well..." he scratched his cheek with a finger whilst throwing an irritated glare at the floor, reluctant to dwell into something so personal, before turning to look at her in the eyes again "It hit me. I have conditioned myself to be as pragmatic as possible so as to get the best result as I can, but the repercusions... well, let's just say I have a guilt complex. Seeing that I hurt you it triggered it. I thought pretty... demeaning things about myself and grew distant, cold and..." he glanced at his bandaged hand, "not... so... much."
"Now... about this so-called game of love." He took a deep breath and stared contemplatively, "Sheesh, where to begin?"
"Let's begin with the dismantling of the bomb. I did it as a job. I know the sheriff. I helped the town a few years back when they had run into a power supply problem. He thought me reliable enough, and so tasked me with seeing if the rumour that the bomb was rearmed was true. It wasn't, but I thought I might aswell make sure it never would be. What I threw for you to destroy was part of the detonator. As reward, I got him to agree to cover whatever expenses would be needed for Miss Black's caretaking."
"I am not proud of my behaviour." He frowned with disgust, "but you caught me off guard. I did not expect you to undress when you did, or at least, that you'd offer warning that you did..." he blushed a bit, before, aggravated, leaning forward again, "L-look, I won't lie, you are probably the most attractive woman I've ever seen. But that doesn't mean that I have such feelings for you, nor that I seek to covet you in any way. Especially since you wouldn't want me to in the first place. Our relationship, so to speak, shall be as you want it: professional. You want a guide, and I will be that, nothing more." he felt a hint of sadness at that fact, though he wasn't sure why, "I will try to make it so that my quest for allies does not inconvenience you in our travels, though I can't promise that it won't. And when the time comes, and we have to work for #411 again... I will try to make that time as bearable for you as I can. It is only right, I dragged you into this in the first place."
"As for whether you were just in what you did to that priest... I am not really one to say. I don't believe that gods exist, and if they do, considering what a mess the world is, I find them unworthy of worship. B-but that's just me." he made quick to clarify on that, "What a person believes in or not is not my business. I won't argue theology with you, not will I mock your beliefs. If your faith enriches your life, then who am I to trample on it?" The moon's still not made of cheese, though.
"The only grounds upon which I critique a religion is the effects it has on its followers. Does it bring out the good in them, making them more prone to acts of charity and selflessness? Or does it turn them into cold crusaders, drawing sword and gun to smite unbelievers? In your case, it remains to be seen. You did offer food to the people of the town... but I did take note of your zeal at driving Cromwell away, not to mention the number of near death experiences your rituals gave me."
"As for your final question, whether or not I would join you on my own..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to prepare himself, and opened them again, staring determined, "No."
He exhailed in an attempt to release some tension, "Had I not pledged myself to your service, or dragged you into this Enclave business... I would not travel with you. I'd do as Miss Black asked of me and brought you here, maybe given you a few pointers as to where the other landmarks around here are, but that would be it." He massaged his back a bit, his voice growing dispirited, "It's nothing personal. It's just that I've found that it's better if I travel alone, for me and my potential companions both." His eyes were modestly downcast.
"There you have it, then." Jonathan said as he leaned back on the bed, nervous as to the princess' reaction, "I have said my piece. I'm sorry if what's said angered or disappointed you. You asked me to be frank... and so I was."