Okay. Please imagine me taking a deep, calming breath. And to be clear before I ask, "no" is a perfectly valid answer, and you will not hurt my feelings.
[ ...Which is a little bit of a lie, but. She's a big girl, and she'll get over it if so. This is what she'd told herself as she practiced this conversation mentally, at least. ]
[Liem hasn't spoken to many people over text message, and this is the first time he's encountered someone narrating their body language for him to provide context for the words appearing on his screen. Honestly, he appreciates the extra clarity. Emojis are still pretty foreign to him, and he isn't always confident he "gets" what they're meant to indicate.
So... Oh. Oh. She's asking—]
In the interest of clarity, and please excuse me if I'm mistaken, you mean... a romantic outing in a public setting?
[ Somehow, him asking for the clarification is even more embarrassing... The real reason that she wanted to do this over text is because if this were in person, there's absolutely no way she would be able to hold back from accidentally beaming her own flustered reaction into his brain. And he's probably flustered too. It's a terrible, theoretical feedback loop. ]
That's the idea, yes. She said, fanning herself.
Though it doesn't have to be anything that serious, to be clear. Dinner, a walk in the park, Lua, just going to get coffee and chat. But I'd like to get to know you better in a way that's more romantic than purely friendly.
[Abadar help him, he is woefully underprepared for this circumstance. All of his prior situationships started in seedy little bars. Also now he has to wonder how many of his stubbornly-repressed impulses towards her she overheard before but was just too tactful to mention.]
I would like that... As long as you don't mind that I haven't been on a date before. That wasn't really one of Taldor's social customs.
Also, to be fully up-front, I don't think I can eat anymore, because of my natural soul.
Of course I don't mind, dear. Honestly, a lot of the "customs" that come with dates are either things I think are a little bit bullshit (who should pay for a meal) or don't exactly apply anymore (luckily, we're well matched because I have more of a taste for dirt than steak these days myself).
So, I would love to take an evening stroll with you. Are you free this Friday?
And since you've mentioned it, I'm also curious. And perhaps now want to make sure I don't commit some kind of terrible faux pas by accident. When it comes to, ahem, courtship in Taldor, what are your customs like?
[Liem, lucky bastard that he is, fills his days (or nights, really) almost however he wants these days, since he's getting that sweet sweet Patho-Gen money from approximately 12 seconds of labour a day. As for scouring the woods for katalyth or doing other odd jobs, he can schedule that whenever.]
I've never been formally courted, but it would tend to involve exchanges of letters and gifts, and ah, discussions with both partners' families, which obviously has no bearing on our present situation.
Also romantic meetings would tend to be conducted in private, at someone's home, but under present circumstances I don't mind meeting in public. Most of the people in this city don't seem to even understand what a priest does, much less care that I am one.
It's not a problem that I'm interested in you, is it? I know priesthood can mean a lot of things, so I wouldn't want to impose. Courtship is kind of bollocks, and I think we can forge our own path, more or less, but...
I wouldn't want to discount faith as a part of it, essentially. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with Eleanor, who is extremely, bluntly forward.
(But, of course. If you're not. I will be happily see you Friday.)
You don't need to worry about that. My concern back home would have been for gossips more than anything else, mostly because of what I am.
Mingling with people of other faiths is perfectly fine, even for Abadar's priesthood. There are many gods in my land, all presiding over their own different aspects of existence, so it would be a bit self-defeating to shun other faiths just because of a devotion to one. We all have things to gain from each other.
Which I suppose is a roundabout way of saying that you haven't put me in any kind of difficult position, and I would still very much like to know you better.
You've set my worries to ease perfectly, then. Now my heart can be aflutter but for the very normal, very fun reasons instead of the worries of a cross-cultural (or cross-dimensional) faux pas.
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FatherTalbott
PROFILE
no subject
[ ...Which is a little bit of a lie, but. She's a big girl, and she'll get over it if so. This is what she'd told herself as she practiced this conversation mentally, at least. ]
Would you maybe
Perhaps
Possibly
Be interested in going on a date?
no subject
So... Oh. Oh. She's asking—]
In the interest of clarity, and please excuse me if I'm mistaken, you mean... a romantic outing in a public setting?
no subject
That's the idea, yes. She said, fanning herself.
Though it doesn't have to be anything that serious, to be clear. Dinner, a walk in the park, Lua, just going to get coffee and chat. But I'd like to get to know you better in a way that's more romantic than purely friendly.
no subject
I would like that... As long as you don't mind that I haven't been on a date before. That wasn't really one of Taldor's social customs.
Also, to be fully up-front, I don't think I can eat anymore, because of my natural soul.
But the park is nice, especially in the evening.
no subject
So, I would love to take an evening stroll with you. Are you free this Friday?
And since you've mentioned it, I'm also curious. And perhaps now want to make sure I don't commit some kind of terrible faux pas by accident. When it comes to, ahem, courtship in Taldor, what are your customs like?
no subject
[Liem, lucky bastard that he is, fills his days (or nights, really) almost however he wants these days, since he's getting that sweet sweet Patho-Gen money from approximately 12 seconds of labour a day. As for scouring the woods for katalyth or doing other odd jobs, he can schedule that whenever.]
I've never been formally courted, but it would tend to involve exchanges of letters and gifts, and ah, discussions with both partners' families, which obviously has no bearing on our present situation.
Also romantic meetings would tend to be conducted in private, at someone's home, but under present circumstances I don't mind meeting in public. Most of the people in this city don't seem to even understand what a priest does, much less care that I am one.
no subject
It's not a problem that I'm interested in you, is it? I know priesthood can mean a lot of things, so I wouldn't want to impose. Courtship is kind of bollocks, and I think we can forge our own path, more or less, but...
I wouldn't want to discount faith as a part of it, essentially. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with Eleanor, who is extremely, bluntly forward.
(But, of course. If you're not. I will be happily see you Friday.)
no subject
Mingling with people of other faiths is perfectly fine, even for Abadar's priesthood. There are many gods in my land, all presiding over their own different aspects of existence, so it would be a bit self-defeating to shun other faiths just because of a devotion to one. We all have things to gain from each other.
Which I suppose is a roundabout way of saying that you haven't put me in any kind of difficult position, and I would still very much like to know you better.
no subject
Then, excitingly, it's a date!