songerein | closed 🌠 hold on, there will be better days

[Why is she crying???? THIS IS NOT WHAT HE WANTS especially since his arm is still clutched tightly in the hands of death. And if he's going to make a lady cry, at least let him do it on purpose instead of on accident.]

I-I apologize if I brought up hurtful memories, it was not my intention. [He says that with all the sincerity that he has, which to be fair, he's pretty good at faking it.]

We don't have to get the cat, um, perhaps another animal has drawn your interest?

It's fine. I just don't know what happened to him after we...

[She stops short, her voice fading as Tifa brings a hand up to wipe the tears that have started to form in the corners of her eyes, but her grip on his arm loosens—only slightly so she isn't cutting off any circulation, but not enough that he can make any sort of escape when she drags him a little further into the aisle.]

Where's that dog? [She sniffles.] ... I think Eustace might like it.

[He wonders how badly bruised his arm is going to look tomorrow. He's starting to get feeling back in it, but he's definitely not out of the woods yet. There's little that he can do but helplessly follow her as the uncomfortable feeling of blood returning to his arm arises.

If shooting arrows has led to this, he's convinced to never shoot another love arrow again. Too much hassle.

But Eustace.... that name is definitely familiar. It takes Hans a moment before a certain image of a dog loving individual pops in his mind. While it's more than possible that she's talking about someone else, Hans is willing to wager that she's talking about the same guy that he bumped into not too long ago.]

If I'm thinking about the same Eustace, he is quite fond of dogs. Nearly every message I see from him revolves around them. I believe I saw that plush in the back there, past that shelf. [But more than that, he's learned something a little interesting here.]

Are you friends with him? [He'll try a slight smile, teasing even in a time like this.] Or even closer?

[If this were any other time, Tifa would have refused to answer with words and perhaps her face would have reddened with colour instead, and the flowers would have bloomed, but her heart is feeling full of love and affection for him and all things in this store right now that she's almost whimsical about it.

With a great sigh, Tifa smiles.]

He's special to me, you know. Not just as a friend.

[That should answer enough. Not even an arrow to the knee will completely shatter Tifa's will to not admit it to a single soul. It will just... tip it over a bit.

She pulls on his arm again to spin them around to look at the shelves behind them.]

I want to get him something special. Something that really says how I feel about him.

[And surely, a cute stuffed puppy should do the trick, right?]

[Ah, so they are together, in a romantic relationship of sorts. How quaint. But honestly, Hans can see why people develop feelings for each other so quickly in a place like this. Not only facing difficult situations together, but the whole dream stuff revealing deeper feelings and everything.

So, he gets it, even if he can't personally relate.

But ow, there goes his arm again. This time, Hans gives a small effort to try and pull his limb away, but if she starts to grip him further, his struggles will cease. He knows when to stop, sometimes.]

Y-yes, that cute brown dog will do. I'm completely certain he'll cherish such a gift from you. [It is cute, but also, Hans just wants to be done with this.] He'll be sure to understand your feelings alone with that stuffed dog.

[Maybe one day, Hans can personally relate........!

Tifa is about to rush off to pick out the stuffed dog, but she comes to another screeching halt when a realization hits her, and she turns around to fix him with an intense stare.]

... You think so? Should I write him something too? A note? Should I get a card?

[Hans, help a girl out here!]

[That's quite an intense stare she's directing at him. Should he be worried? Well, considering that she's physically stronger than him by quite a bit, he thinks being slightly wary is warranted.

But it seems like he's safe, for now.]

I don't believe that to be entirely necessary. [Of course, doing such things wouldn't hurt, but he's worried that he might get dragged into this even more.]

When you present the gift, just tell him how you feel. It's okay if you stumble at first, I'm certain he'll appreciate the honesty more than anything.

[Telling him how she feels? That doesn't feel like quite enough.

...

....

The gears are turning in Tifa's head, and soon enough, those thoughts make themselves known in her intensely pensive expression, her lips pressing into a thin line and her brow furrowing.]

What about a song? Do you sing?

[Yes, definitely getting dragged into this... Whatever "this" is.]

[A shifting expression passes him, where Hans can't help but remember a certain song, a duet that he shared with a certain princess. That whole mess still brews resentment and bitter regret in him and it's sometimes hard to keep down, enough that Tifa may notice some of the stuffed animals getting frost on them suddenly.

His voice sounds restrained, but it may be hard to tell why.]

I sing, sometimes.

[He does his best to be polite still, mostly out of habit. Also because he doesn't want to get punched by her. It actually hurt when Anna punched him and she's definitely not as strong as Tifa.]

Songs can be very effective when it comes to showing your passion. And singing with him truly deepens your connection--

[Wait what is he doing]

[She doesn't miss the frost, nor does she ignore it, her lips pursing into a thin line as she reaches out to grab one of the poor unicorns so that she can try brushing and cleaning it off, hugging it to herself as if it's in desperate need of her warmth.]

Have you done it? Sung with someone?

[Although her eyes do narrow suspiciously at the ice that's clinging to the unicorn's mane—this wouldn't be the first time Tifa has seen it creep in, and if she were in a better mindset, she might have questioned it further. For now, she just holds the animal in her free arm, guarding it and keeping it safe.]

[He still thinks about Anna, and while he can talk about her with a reasonable sort of voice, he'd rather just skip on those specific details. The ice doesn't escape his notice and he knows that it's coming from him, much to his irritation. It's a sort of irony that he doesn't appreciate, even if he wants to utilize it eventually.

But he smiles at Tifa, as if unaware of the ice that's sticking to the poor unicorn.]

I've sung with numerous people in the past. Dancing and singing, both are traits often expected from princes. It would be quite terrible if I let those people down!

[...]

I apologize, I don't believe I've mentioned that until now.

[Well, that awkwardness hanging there won't last long because she stuffs the unicorn back onto the shelf carelessly when he delivers the news that—]

You're a prince!? I've never met one before...!

[That she knows of. It's always through someone else that she's heard stories, but she's never met one in person, and if this were any other time, she would have been thrilled sure, but... not quite to this extent. At least she finally frees him a little from her grasp, so that's a plus...?]

Then you must know all about these kinds of things. Delivering gifts, picking them out, singing songs...

[It's like it's right out of one of Marlene's movies!]

Okay. Let's go pick up that dog, shall we? Then we'll get down to business!

I am. I'm Prince Hans Westergaard of the Southern Isles.

[Here he bows slightly... well, as best as he can when he's still in her grasp. At least the pressure is less, so that's something. He appreciates it. Hans offers her that same apologetic expression, and he finally decides to take on a more earnest disposition once more.]

I must apologize again for not mentioning it sooner, it's not something I try to hide. It's best if we all be honest with each other, right?

[Wait, business?? Oh, he's definitely getting dragged into this, isn't he? You know what, maybe he will have fun doing this. It's not like he's currently trying to steal a kingdom from someone right now.]

Did you need to practice singing? Or are you thinking of lyrics at this stage?

I'm a bit rusty on the singing, but...

[As they arrive at the shelf with the stuffed dog, she picks it up and shoves it unceremoniously against Hans' chest, expecting him to hold it for her while she continues to look around. A bandana for the dog or something would be cute, wouldn't it?]

I'm no songwriter. If I could come up with some lyrics, then maybe we could make a song out of it. Wouldn't mind a bit of practice, too.

[He takes hold of the plush because what else is he going to do? Let it drop to the ground?? He can see that going poorly and honestly, Hans is just committed to this venture with her now. He's spent a good hour or so with her at this point so he might as well see it through.]

I'm no songwriter, but... [He thinks about the song he had with Anna for a moment, his hand tightening on the plush just a bit memories pass through him. He's fine.]

If you plan on performing a duet, it helps to think of why you fell in love with him. Or even think about the place where you two first met.

[Fell in love?

Tifa turns red at the thought. That he would assume as much (and be right about it, but that's neither here nor there) has her wondering just how obvious it's been? Had he caught them red-handed somewhere? Had he been spying on them? Her thoughts are racing a thousand a minute, and the arrow's poison certainly isn't helping with that, although its effects have started to dull.

Which is how she notices that he clutches the plush tighter, and she tips her head.]

Is everything alright?

[Any small amusement Hans may have from Tifa's reaction diminishes when she asks him that question, clearly showing that he hasn't been as subtle as he thought about hiding his own emotions regarding Anna. He lets his hold on the plush release just slightly, before the prince gives Tifa a small if forced smile.]

Oh, of course. Just remembering something that's now in the past, so please don't worry... I appreciate your concern though.

[Moving on!]

Now, don't we have a song to write?

[She isn't buying it, even under the effects of the arrow, which have been slowly dwindling, her mind starting to clear bit by bit.]

Oh, right! Let me buy that dog first.

[She came in here for it, and she's not leaving without it! And so she grabs hold of it and hugs it close. There isn't really much to "buy", but she takes it, along with the unicorn, to the shopkeep and he allows them to take them.

Tifa leads Hans out of the store and before they wander off to go write their song, she offers the unicorn to him.]

This is a thank you. For helping me.

[He follows her through the transaction without fuss, leaving the store and letting things settle down, especially now that he has both of his limbs safely by his side. Hans is quite sure that the effects of the arrow have been wearing off from her, which is good, although it makes her sudden offer just that more surprising to him.

Hans looks at the unicorn for a second, his hand reaching to take it out of practice, but he suddenly looks at her with a slightly curious expression.]

You realize that you probably wouldn't have gotten into this situation in the first place if you weren't stopping my arrows.

[Is she truly grateful after all that, he wonders.]

closed 🌠 hold on, there will be better days

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