=== Alcryst & Hortensia === --- C --- [Alcryst] Excuse me, Princess Hortensia? [Hortensia] Prince Alcryst? What's up? You're not usually much of a talker. [Alcryst] Well, I was just, uh... [Alcryst] No, never mind. It's not important. [Hortensia] Nope! No running off after a buildup like that! [Hortensia] Come on, spit it out! [Alcryst] ... [Hortensia] Nopeā”€didn't hear you. Louder. [Alcryst] I, uh... I... [Alcryst] Please teach me how to be more confident! [Hortensia] Ow! Too loud! [Hortensia] Tone it down, back it up, and explain yourself properly. [Alcryst] You always have such boundless confidence, Princess Hortensia. It amazes me. [Alcryst] I don't think very highly of myself...so I hoped you might teach me to be more like you. [Hortensia] Aaah, OK. Yeah, makes sense. [Hortensia] Too bad for you though! I'm not teaching you a thing. [Hortensia] Maybe if you weren't a prince of Brodia, I'd have considered it. But you? Nope. No way. [Alcryst] Of course. I understand... [Hortensia] Wait, what? [Alcryst] Brodia has invaded Elusia more times than I can count. You have every right to deny me. [Alcryst] Besides, you shouldn't waste your precious time on someone as worthless as me. [Alcryst] Honestly, I'm shocked by my own impertinence. How embarrassing... I'll leave you be. [Alcryst] [Hortensia] Hang on a sec! I never said that! [Alcryst] It's all right. Please, forget I even approached you like this. [Alcryst] I won't sully your ears with my pitiful mumbles ever again. You have my word. [Alcryst] [Hortensia] Wait! Prince Alcryst! [Hortensia] Hm, I was so sure he'd get mad and snap back. He's even worse off than I thought. [Hortensia] I'll have to try a new approach the next time I see him. --- B --- [Hortensia] Prince Alcryst. [Alcryst] ... [Hortensia] Hey! I know you can hear me! [Alcryst] Ah...Princess Hortensia! [Alcryst] Please, speaking to me will only dampen your mood. [Hortensia] Always a bundle of joy, you are. But that's exactly what I wanna talk to you about. [Hortensia] Listen. I'm gonna help you get some confidence, just like you asked. [Alcryst] What? Really?! Oh, thank you! [Alcryst] Why did you change your mind? You seemed so strongly opposed to it earlier. [Hortensia] That was a joke. I got carried away. Sorry. [Hortensia] I may not love Brodia, but you're my friend. [Hortensia] And when a friend's in trouble, you help. Simple as that. [Alcryst] Princess Hortensia, I... I... [Hortensia] Hey! What's with all the tears?! [Hortensia] Actually, you're kinda cute when you get all emotional. Anyway, let's get started, shall we? [Alcryst] N-no, don't come any closer. Please, don't look at me like this... [Hortensia] Huh? [Hortensia] What's the problem this time? [Hortensia] Are you really gonna turn down my help after all that?! [Alcryst] You called me a friend. You agreed to help me... [Alcryst] Princess Hortensia... You are, without a shadow of a doubt, a wonderful person. [Alcryst] But the more wonderful you are, the deeper I tumble into despair... [Hortensia] What? [Alcryst] Your kind heart shines too bright! It reveals my heart for the worm-ridden filth that it is! [Alcryst] So please, don't come near me! Spare me! I am so, so sorry! [Alcryst] [Hortensia] That boy has self-deprecation down to an art form. --- A --- [Hortensia] Prince Alcryst. [Alcryst] Princess Hortensia! [Hortensia] Hey, before you run away, you should know I've decided to stop trying to help you. [Hortensia] I don't think anything I do is gonna suddenly make you confident. [Alcryst] That feels like the right decision. I know it was me who came to you for help at first. [Hortensia] Yeah, and that was pretty rude. [Alcryst] I understand. Once again, I apologize. [Alcryst] To make things right, you're free to ignore me from this point forward. [Hortensia] Nope. I refuse. [Alcryst] Huh? [Hortensia] Look. You're a quivering pile of pessimism, and maybe that's not gonna change. [Hortensia] Either way, I accept you exactly as you are. [Alcryst] What? [Hortensia] I think I understand why you came to me for help in the first place. [Hortensia] It was because you thought confidence would bring you closer to people, right? [Alcryst] Well...yes. [Alcryst] I thought that gaining confidence might lead to more meaningful friendships with everyone. [Hortensia] Lovely sentiment, but you don't need to reinvent yourself for it. [Hortensia] Sure, you're kind of a downer. So what? You've got plenty of great qualities too. [Hortensia] That's why we're friends. You don't need to change a thing. [Alcryst] Really? Thank you, Princess Hortensia. [Hortensia] Eh, just being honest. [Alcryst] You are honest but also kind. I still feel the light from your radiant heart, and yet... [Alcryst] This time, I can remain by your side... Perhaps it's because I understand you better. [Hortensia] Hey, how about that? You're looking me in the eye! [Alcryst] I am. I want to make up for how I acted before. I feel ashamed to have run from you like that. [Hortensia] Now you're, uh...getting pretty close to me... [Hortensia] Hey, you're a prince. It's improper for you to... look at me like... [Hortensia] Aaah! That's supposed to be my thiiing! [Hortensia] [Alcryst] Princess Hortensia? [Alcryst] Haha, now I know how it feels to talk to me. --- S ---