The last dregs of that alarm are still pulsing in her throat and her wrist hurts. She'd be all sorts of foolish to assume that's an empty threat - he's proven to be unpredictable from hour one - but something strikes her as strange.
He's repulsed, he says. He can barely stand her, apparently. But if he really hated her that much, then there'd be nothing to stop him just... getting rid of her and finding someone else to contract with. Sure, she has her command spells but if she was caught off guard, she knows full well who would win. It wouldn't even be a fight.
And yet it's not a threat to hurt her. It's a threat to frighten her. And while Ai might still be no good when it comes to reading anyone else's feelings, she knows better than anyone what the difference is there.
She swallows. She doesn't smile but the tense terror on her face eases into something gentler. ]
... I'll try. But lying really is all I know how to do. [ There, a smile - wonky and apologetic. ] So I might still mess up sometimes.
[ The insect of the abyss, the abyssal wyrm, the mors king... honestly, Ai Hoshino may as well have won an award for summoning the most problematic Servant. He sounds genuine, but not a single thing he says is true. It's no wonder Ai hasn't been able to read him. It doesn't help that his personality changes so drastically whenever he's out and about.
He scoffs at her words. A woman who doesn't know how to speak the truth, and an insect who can only speak lies. What a pair. ]
Hmph, go on. Whether I listen is another matter entirely, but by all means.
[ She forces herself to say it before she can lose her nerve... but then she goes ahead and loses her nerve a little anyway and hastens to soften her own request. ]
I-I mean... I know that's what I'm supposed to be and if that's what you have to call me, then that's different. But if we're stuck together, then I don't like the idea of bossing you around. It's not like you came and chose to be my Servant or anything.
[ She doesn't say it, but the subtext is loud and clear; who would? ]
You can just use my name or anything else that works but... "Master" just doesn't seem right.
[ It's not like Oberon can read minds. He sees through lies, sure... but that's not mind-reading. It's not like he knows what everyone is going to say. He's just good at reading people and figuring out what they'll do from there.
The point is... he wasn't expecting such a simple request. It actually very clearly catches him off-guard for a moment, blinking a few times in Ai's direction before finally... ]
Pfft... hah! That's all!?
[ Come on, woman, he was expecting you to ask something reasonable. Like "be less sloppy" or something. What? He wouldn't have listened to her if that was the request? Well, sure, but that's besides the point. (Is it? Is it, though?) ]
Hmph. What kind of Master wants their Servant to be informal?
[ More likely than you'd think, actually. He almost wants to keep calling her "Master" now, actually. See if he can get a rise out of her if he keeps calling her that for long enough. Get the meek little bunny to finally bite at the annoying insect that keeps bothering her.
...but ah, that might take a while, does he really feel like keeping it up? He only ever called her "master" sarcastically, after all. ]
Fine, I'll think about it...
[ Except suddenly, with an abnormal speed, Oberon is suddenly leaning over her again... putting his face uncomfortably close to hers just like before. ]
Ai...
[ ...and then going back to his lazy position on the couch just as quickly, not even giving Ai a chance to process what he just did... either the use of her name or his blatant disregard for her personal space. ]
[ Ah. She tenses up again, fingers tightening around the bruise at her wrist but that bone-deep animal fear doesn't show itself in her eyes this time. She's on edge, but there's something that looks a little like understanding on her face that softens the worst of it.
He's having fun with this, isn't he? Poking and prodding at her to get a response, like a little kid pulling pigtails. It's not exactly nice, but Ai knows how to handle someone trying to get a rise out of her much better than she does someone really trying to terrorise her.
A little breath flutters out of her, like she'd been holding it. Maybe it's relief. But what she does know is that hearing someone use her name, even someone like Oberon, makes her feel just a little more like herself. ]
It's not like you really think of me as a Master in the first place, right? So it's easier this way. You don't have to pretend.
[ Not that he ever really stops pretending. Maybe not even when he's like this. ]
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no subject
The Oberon Experience:tm:]Yep. Your lies are disgusting, it makes me want to vomit. I don't care what you say out in public, but keep that filth out of my home.
[ "My home" he says as if Ai isn't the only one keeping it from becoming the messiest hellhole you could imagine. What an asshole. ]
Otherwise, well... you never know. I might get so mad that I'll give you a real reason to be afraid.
[
Frustratingly enough, he could never.]no subject
The last dregs of that alarm are still pulsing in her throat and her wrist hurts. She'd be all sorts of foolish to assume that's an empty threat - he's proven to be unpredictable from hour one - but something strikes her as strange.
He's repulsed, he says. He can barely stand her, apparently. But if he really hated her that much, then there'd be nothing to stop him just... getting rid of her and finding someone else to contract with. Sure, she has her command spells but if she was caught off guard, she knows full well who would win. It wouldn't even be a fight.
And yet it's not a threat to hurt her. It's a threat to frighten her. And while Ai might still be no good when it comes to reading anyone else's feelings, she knows better than anyone what the difference is there.
She swallows. She doesn't smile but the tense terror on her face eases into something gentler. ]
... I'll try. But lying really is all I know how to do. [ There, a smile - wonky and apologetic. ] So I might still mess up sometimes.
... But could you do something for me too?
no subject
He scoffs at her words. A woman who doesn't know how to speak the truth, and an insect who can only speak lies. What a pair. ]
Hmph, go on. Whether I listen is another matter entirely, but by all means.
no subject
[ She forces herself to say it before she can lose her nerve... but then she goes ahead and loses her nerve a little anyway and hastens to soften her own request. ]
I-I mean... I know that's what I'm supposed to be and if that's what you have to call me, then that's different. But if we're stuck together, then I don't like the idea of bossing you around. It's not like you came and chose to be my Servant or anything.
[ She doesn't say it, but the subtext is loud and clear; who would? ]
You can just use my name or anything else that works but... "Master" just doesn't seem right.
no subject
The point is... he wasn't expecting such a simple request. It actually very clearly catches him off-guard for a moment, blinking a few times in Ai's direction before finally... ]
Pfft... hah! That's all!?
[ Come on, woman, he was expecting you to ask something reasonable. Like "be less sloppy" or something. What? He wouldn't have listened to her if that was the request? Well, sure, but that's besides the point. (Is it? Is it, though?) ]
Hmph. What kind of Master wants their Servant to be informal?
[
More likely than you'd think, actually.He almost wants to keep calling her "Master" now, actually. See if he can get a rise out of her if he keeps calling her that for long enough. Get the meek little bunny to finally bite at the annoying insect that keeps bothering her....but ah, that might take a while, does he really feel like keeping it up? He only ever called her "master" sarcastically, after all. ]
Fine, I'll think about it...
[ Except suddenly, with an abnormal speed, Oberon is suddenly leaning over her again... putting his face uncomfortably close to hers just like before. ]
Ai...
[ ...and then going back to his lazy position on the couch just as quickly, not even giving Ai a chance to process what he just did... either the use of her name or his blatant disregard for her personal space. ]
no subject
He's having fun with this, isn't he? Poking and prodding at her to get a response, like a little kid pulling pigtails. It's not exactly nice, but Ai knows how to handle someone trying to get a rise out of her much better than she does someone really trying to terrorise her.
A little breath flutters out of her, like she'd been holding it. Maybe it's relief. But what she does know is that hearing someone use her name, even someone like Oberon, makes her feel just a little more like herself. ]
It's not like you really think of me as a Master in the first place, right? So it's easier this way. You don't have to pretend.
[ Not that he ever really stops pretending. Maybe not even when he's like this. ]
no subject
Ah, good, so you do get it. I guess you're not as much of a handful as I thought.
[ He picks up the cream pan that he had tossed aside and roughly bites into it, practically tearing a chunk of it off as he loudly chews. ]
Now go on, then. Leave me alone. I'm sure you'd rather be in the company of anyone else now, after all.