[FIN] The Stories

[Tori Honoo]

Her apology and explanation was yet to be given in favor of the topic at hand, though her look after Rosie's confused blinking promised there was more to come later if they would head it. Dove felt no need to add to one telling of an already stressful event by attempting to explain another mid conversation, and as the more recent seemed more pressing, she withheld her attempt at making amends for now. It was what she had hoped was the point of their meeting, afterall. She did feel an unspoken pressure slowly building as they sat, though, as if the two in front of her were expecting something of her, and she wasn't quite sure what, though low confidence made her sure they were justified in their desires. The silence wouldn't remain long between them as she listened to them explain their adventure a bit further and she became a willing audience.

"Wow... I'm really sorry to hear that," she finally managed. "I'm glad you're okay though--o-or will be." A quiet look. "If there's anything you need or that I can do, let me know." Her mind drifted to Rockets and things to be done in the next few weeks regarding the organization as she sipped her tea, waiting to see if they wanted to further their explanation or the surrounding topic before she was asked to or given the chance to explain her own.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Thank you." Rosie replied to the offer, though nothing came to mind at the moment. Other then being sore sluggish and a little less patient, as he usually was when he was in pain, things were continuing on like normal.
The other day she caught him returning to the kitchen carrying his sword with the intention of opening a bottle that he was struggling to get open.
Once the ordeal had been calmed down and the bottle opened Rosie had nearly laughed herself dizzy.  

[Suudonym]

This was just all kinds of awkward. Unsure of how to contribute further, Luke was content to remain silent - as content as he could be, at least; he was no stranger to how Rosie expressed her discomfort. Beneath the table he maneuvered his hand to hers in her lap, offering a subtle, silent reassurance.  

[Tori Honoo]

Well, this was awkward, as her company offered nothing to move on with. Taking a sip of tea, the woman settled back in her chair, one hand still petting Lovey while the other lifted her tea to her lips again. Setting it aside after her drink, she cleared her throat a bit, resisting the urge to make some sarcastic expression. She should have known things would be uncomfortable...

Refusing to let it change her attitude, she shook her head. "Um...So, yes, about New Years..." she offered tentatively, sighing mentally as she changed the topic changed to her own problems. "Yes, I was upset, but it had nothing to do with you two-- I-I mean, it did, but it wasn't your fault." Oh, yes, good start. Well done. "I'm really sorry I behaved the way I did..." She sighed a little, her face clear aside from mild embarrassment and apology as she continued to suppress her feelings as best she could. "Honestly, it was probably for the best that I didn't stick around... You two didn't need to be subjected to any of my drama, especially not after you had just announced your engagement, and I thought it would be best to just...leave for a while."

She tucked her hair back, her eyes following the grain of the table. A deep breath. "Long story shortened, I was still engaged to my ex fiance and my parents demanded that I find someone before new years and give them reason to annul our previous plans or go home and marry Damien. I...." A longer pause, this one a mix of hurt and worry, "I couldn't do the first...barely even came anywhere near close, actually... and wouldn't do the second, so--again, long story short-- I've been cut off from my family and their resources for the time being. So... New Years was a bad night for me, and talk of engagements just... really threw me off...So that's the /why/ behind my behavior, though as I mentioned earlier, it doesn't excuse anything. I'm still really sorry."

Lovey shifted, whining softly up at her trainer as the woman's fingers tightened a bit in her fur collar. Glancing to the eevee, Dove relaxed a little, stroking her ears instead. Trill stared at the window at the frost gathering at it's edges.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie listened to Dove, to the apology to the reasoning, and she nodded along, wearing sympathy becasue it truly did sound like something that would be difficult to deal with, if nothing else then for the family alone.
Rosie had moved a hand on Luke's and closed her fingers a little.

"... I'm sorry that you had to go through that." Rosie admitted with a slight inclining of her head, blue eyes on Dove "and trust me... when it comes to arranged marriages, being turned down and turned away by family... well, You're talking to two people who understand... quite a bit, uh- actually." Rosie and Luke both had suffered at the hand of family, loss and being forced into situations they didn't want to. It hurt, a lot.
Rosie hesitated, glancing down at the table for a couple of seconds to try and summon her own courage before speaking again. taking a deep breath and opening her mouth to speak again lowering her eyes to the table

"I do understand your intentions, but I don't think you realize how the way you treated us at the party was actually more hurtful, s so it ended up being kind of odvious... anyway... I though I had done something to offend you again, since I had no idea why you were suddenly acting so withdrawn and upset.
I- I'm glad you apologized, it means a lot, its just... This isn't the first time you've done something like that... Does... Does that make sense?"
She asked hopefully, not sounding like she was upset, but there was a definite pink to her cheeks and ears, she was clearly not in her element.  

[Suudonym]

Rosie was doing her best; Luke knew that she wasn't the confrontational type, that she was far more likely at any given time to forgive and forget than to speak up about feeling slighted, so he was glad to hear her speaking her mind, and he hoped something productive would come of it.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove listened to Rosie quietly, though with each word, grew more tense, her expression going almost blank as the girl tried to relate. Parting her lips as if to stop the girl from trying to relate, as she /really/ couldn't, given how little she knew of her circumstances all around, Dove stilled, her brows furrowing the slightest bit. She wasn't very keen on having the girl group them together in such an ignorant manner, and the concern--or obscene lack of it-- was almost startling. However, she kept her cool and continued to listen, despite the short flare of temper. Rosie meant well, she was sure.

What came next, however, was so out of the blue, that she couldn't stop herself in time, and her eyes widened the slightest bit, once brow lifting higher than the other. "...wow." Settling back into her chair again, she met Rosie's blue gaze with her own, the look of disbelief and hurt completely solidified. She had called Rosie to simply catch up, and now this, after she had just admitted one of the most terrifying changes in her life? Either Rosie had absolutely horrid timing, or was a lot more self centered than she had first imagined. "To be completely honest, I don't think you've ever actually offended me until now," she admitted quietly and smoothly, very little sharpness in her voice though her blood had surely begun to boil the slightest bit, even with all the work she had done to dull her emotions beforehand. "I'm sorry you felt that way."  

[Blood_Goddess]

There was that look again, The look Dove gave every time Rosie seemed to say anything. As she stopped talking she held her breath lightly, an uncomfortable weight settling on her shoulders as the look in the brunette's eyes kept the blond from wanting to look directly at them, despite her best efforts.

Rosie thought she was being honest, Dove was apologizing for her behavior at the party, and Rosie was just trying to be honest with the other women as to just how hurt she had been at Dove's actions, and past actions.
But as the other women spoke, the words that Rosie was met with drew her up sharply, eyes blinking in a look of sudden surprise.

"Wh- what?" the blond started, looking quickly from Luke then back to Dove in a mild panic "No- wait I didn't mean to- what did I say? How did I offend you?"  

[Suudonym]

Luke's hand withdrew from Rosie's, falling sharply against the table. He rose just short of actually standing, his expression steeled and indignation clear in his tone. "Wow is right," he said. "Rosie's wanted to talk to you about this for a while, you know, and she's felt this way even longer. If you don't want to take her feelings seriously-- If you want to sit there and kick her feelings around again, then we can just stop right now." He knew very well what it meant to be jerked around by his family and forced into major life choices in which he had no say; he knew it was frustrating and upsetting, and he didn't know how many of those feelings still lingered in Dove. He also knew, however, that those feelings had nothing to do with Rosie. He knew that Rosie had been feeling this way since before Dove even faced the whole ordeal, and he knew that nothing excused treating a person, especially a friend who had always shown kindness and a willingness to help, the way Rosie had been.  

[Tori Honoo]

The sudden sound of Luke's hand on the table made both Lovey and Trill jump, both pokemon turning their heads sharply to lock their eyes on Luke. Lovey after a moment studying the boy, actually growled for once in her life. Trill only tipped its head and settled against its trainer's shoulder again.

Dove, while startled at Luke's sudden outburst, only met his gaze for a moment, then shook her head, her outward demeanor calm. "Excuse me for being blunt, but while I understand your bias and applaud you for it, I'd really appreciate it if you'd hear me out and let Rosie speak for herself, especially if this is something that's been bothering her for so long." Kicking around feelings... he didn't even know the half of it. It was frustrating, really, that he was there, moreso now that the conversation had taken such a dramatic plunge toward such delicate topics. The balance was far too obviously skewed, and the young man really did seem to be on edge with her still.

With that, the brunette turned to Rosie again, her voice calm, not a hint of attack in her tone. "Relax; It's okay. No one is perfect, and people make mistakes. Trust me, I would know," she assured her, still irritated, but much more than willing to let it slide if the blonde would calm down. A bit of amusement flickered in her eyes as she understood Rosie really hadn't intended any harm. "I just admitted one of the biggest life changes I've ever gone through, one that you really can't understand, cliche as that sounds, while knowing so few details--though again, it's okay--and you took the opportunity to immediately criticize the actions I had just apologized for, which only adds another stress to the ever growing pile..." she explained gently. "Not that it didn't need to be done, especially if it's hurting your feelings, because I promise," she shook her head, "that's not my intent at all, and I can handle it. Sorry if I'm a bit sensitive at the moment to that sort of thing, but you just really threw me off. As I said though, I will be honest with you if you'll be with me, and it's really okay."

Straightening in her chair a bit and smoothing Lovey's fur, she sighed quietly to release the worst of her nerves, then looked across to both of them again. "Now that that's out of the way, and it seems tact is the issue at hand, we can talk things out. I really just wanted to catch up anyway, since it's been so long...You tell me your story-- your side of things and how you've felt-- and I'll tell you mine."  

[Blood_Goddess]

At this moment Rosie's surprised looked had clanged to show how completely baffled. her moth opening a couple of times to say something more, but she could seem to find the right string of words.

"I was telling you how I feel," Rosie said to Dove reaching her hand up to put it on Luke's "Please do not dismiss Luke like that, that was his engagement announcement as much as it was mine. I trust him more then anyone to speak for me if he feels he needs to."
Rosie knew she was bad at this kind of thing, she hated being here doing it now, she would honestly rather just go home and do something else.
Not wanting Luke to be upset so she tried to use her touch to reassure him. But there had been a moment when Rosie's cheeks flushed further at the way Dove had spoken to Luke.

As Dove had continued on, Rosie was trying to keep up, comments like no one is perfect and people make mistakes just seemed really out of place and she wasn't sure exactly where they fit in? her brow furrowed lightly as she considered them, but before long she realized it was just leading to a discussion back to what Dove said she was using as and excuse for the way she had treated Rosie back at the party.

When told that she couldn't understand Rosie shifted. "Why don't you think we can't understand?" She started hesitantly. "I'm sorry to point this out like this but... uh - d do you even know about our family?"
Rosie knew for a fact that Dove had never been told about Rosie's family problems, not once, and she couldn't imagine she knew a lot about what Luke had gone through with his. Being forced into a situation that she didn't want to be in, having family cut them off and cast them out and having to face living a life under their expectations.
"We're not trying to disarm your feelings, all I'm saying is that we understand. But what I... I yes I guess its true that I was criticizing your actions, its just that... its never an excuse to treat someone badly. I can forgive you, but I just want you to know... how I feel, and if there was something I am doing wrong that makes you so distant with me that I can change. So... yes I think I would like that... to talk things out."
She tried to keep eye contact, but her timidness was getting the better of her, and again, she found herself talking to the napkin more of the time.

Dove had been apologizing after all, so Rosie took that as Dove being regretful for the actions, and to actually want to help fix the problem.
Thought as it stood right now from Dove's continued explanation maybe it was just a means to get some kind of an excuse, not an actual apology.  

[Suudonym]

Apparently he was going to be growled at for defending Rosie from being belittled, and apparently Dove didn't care enough to directly correct the display of aggression. Luke was briefly very glad that Mieu wasn't present to witness it.

Being told to relax, relax, that it was okay, as though they were the ones who were out of line - when to the very best of Luke's knowledge neither of them had done anything but show kindness and offer assistance whenever it was needed - affected Luke exactly opposite of how the sentiments were likely intended, and his hand tightened in upon itself. At least Rockets were straightforward; they said what they were thinking straight to your face, and if you didn't like it then you could knock them out.

Rosie's touch wasn't as calming as she probably hoped, but he could at least honor the request behind it. If his contributions to this conversation weren't welcome, fine, but damned if he would just sit there and quietly listen to Rosie's sincerity get twisted and torn apart. This interaction was already on thin ice.  

[Tori Honoo]

Dove continued to stroke Lovey's back to keep the eevee calm, listening quietly and soaking in each well intended word. "Did you even take half a moment to consider how I might feel right now, before you decided to elaborate on my apology?" she asked honestly, tilting her head gently to the side, a quietness in her eyes. She wasn't angry about it, but rather curious as to if the blonde even realized her own actions. "I only wanted to catch up with you, and instead you're critiquing me alongside your fiance who I am clearly still on shaky ground with, so excuse me for feeling slightly ganged up on... He'll choose you over me any day, even if you're terribly wrong, which is his job, and I fully understand that." A pause. "Not that you're completely in the wrong. I just don't think you realize what mistake you made though, I assure you, it's not really that big of a deal. Generally people accept an apology or not and move on, and trust the other person to remember what they've apologized for, not outwardly remind them to do it again and bring up past offenses under the assumption they'll just do it again, you know?" Her assurance had been aimed to calm Rosie's panic, not quell Luke's sudden temper.

Mildly irritated among other things, but certainly not angry, Dove gave a soft sigh. "I don't know much, if anything, about either one of your families, but I'm also not claiming to" she explained. "My feelings are hurt, yes, because of how very little concern you actually offered when I told you I nearly married my abusive ex and when I didn't was disowned by my family. Personally, I'd rather not go into the details with you unless you ask for them specifically, especially since I don't really know you very well on a personal level myself and it's just...embarrassing anyway, but an inkling of concerned curiosity before comment on my actions would have been nice," she admitted, her cheeks pink and her eyes now on the table. It was obvious now, much more so than before, that they weren't as close as she had once imagined they'd be. "As for being able to relate, I understand that you were to be married to someone else," she continued, glancing over to Luke before turning back to Rosie, "And that honestly--and thankfully-- you were involved in it as well, but until you've actually been in my specific situation, please don't tell me you understand before you take the time to actually do so." The words formed a something of a request or weak plea, not a demand.

A pause as she studied the shadow of her teacup on the table. "When have I treated you badly, Rosie?" she asked quietly, her curiosity and concern gentle and undemanding. "As far as I can think back, I've done nothing ill willed toward you... You haven't offended me before now that I can remember, so if you ever have it clearly wasn't a big deal..." Her brows furrowed and she looked up. "I'm sorry you felt as though you had offended me, but your worry is in your head-- how you perceive my actions. I haven't been offended. As I just explained to you, the night of Dith's party, I didn't want to ruin your evening with a personal panic attack when you did nothing to deserve it. I'm sorry you interpreted that as me being offended by you for some reason, but I won't apologize for my actions in full as they were taken for both of your benefits--only that it was rude of me to walk away so suddenly. I personally thought we were on better terms that this, and hold no ill will toward either of you..." A change of pace, sure, and a personally expounded upon apology, but as it were, she had done very little wrong with absolutely no ill intent.

Tea time with friends was suddenly feeling more like a business meeting and negotiation, much to her chagrin and displeasure. "Please understand that I will respect your feelings, but I only ask that you'll do the same for my own and realize that neither of us is in the right or wrong... And that does go for both of you, though I'll admit, Luke, you're much more intimidating," she added, opening the floor to him again in case he felt as shut out as it appeared. A slightly timid smile. "No offense. I will be honest, so long as you're being honest with me. I hope you'll take that with stride, and if it's too much, please let me know before I do anything else wrong..."

Though, of course, Dove didn't want to hurt anyone, it seemed none of them would be walking away unscathed today, though she hoped they could at least work toward resolving something. "So since it's already been mentioned that this isn't a current thing..." Though she couldn't possibly see how it could have been, given the distance they had all shared over the past few months, "When did this all start?"

A bit put out by the heavy conversation and addition to her concerns, but certainly not unreasonable or unwilling to hear them out, she waited patiently, undemanding, open, and calm.  

[Blood_Goddess]

What was going on? What exactly was Rosie hearing? At first she didn't really understand, taken aback by how desperately Dove was trying to shove blame and accuse Rosie of things that just weren't true?

The blond's lips parted slightly as she tried to make sense of why these words were making her feel sick. wondering for a moment if it was just her, just the way she was feeling right now, but the more Dove continued the more Rosie was starting to actually realize; Dove, was a terrible person.

Everything Dove say was filled so much contradiction, Dove's down delusion and lies, all put together with the girls odd, out of character demeanor of being calm and concerned while the whole time actually trying to shove guilt and blame back into Rosie's face in the most manipulative display she had ever had the misfortune to witness.

Rosie was upset and there wasn't any hiding it anymore, feeling slightly sick she looked over to Luke after a long silence of Rosie trying to even know where to begin.
"I don't want to do this anymore, can we go... please?" she said in barely over a shaky whisper.  

[Suudonym]

It didn't take a great deal of intuition to tell how Dove's words made Rosie feel. Anyone who had known Rosie for some length of time could probably guess that she wasn't the sort who would be comfortable telling someone that their actions had hurt her, and the knowledge that she had worked up that courage only to have it trampled under the heel of deflections and accusations was infuriating. Hell, Rosie aside, it was disgusting to think that someone who put so much stock into kindness and concern would treat any other human being this way. The fact that it was towards Rosie just made it that much more unacceptable to Luke, and he refused to just sit there and watch her take it.

"The only reason we're on 'shaky ground,'" Luke interjected hotly, picking up for Rosie's lack of reply, "is because Rosie told me the way you've been treating her. I have no problem disagreeing with her when I think she's wrong, but I will never trivialize her legitimate feelings by telling her that they're in her head. The only reason I'm here is because Rosie was scared to talk to you alone, if that tells you anything, and now I can see why she felt that way."

He was sure that they probably should have just left - Rosie didn't want to talk anymore and it was clear that Dove had no intention of actually taking her feelings seriously - but he didn't want to leave it alone without baring his thoughts, "How can you say to someone's face that their offense, their feelings of having been insulted and belittled, are imagined and then pretend that you'll hear them out? I don't care if all of this is just the result of a bunch of misunderstandings or not, you have no right to delegitimize someone else's feelings like that. The reason Rosie wanted to make sure that you understood how she felt on New Year's wasn't because she didn't understand your feelings, it was because that wasn't the first time you've hurt her this way, but it is the first time you've apologized - excuse us for being doubtful that you really understand what you should be apologizing for."

He shook his head, standing and gesturing to Rosie to stand with him, "You want a response to your apology? We refuse it. Now do us both a favor and stay the hell away from my fiancee, you selfish, manipulative b***h."