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[ at the sound of her words, at the sound of “you can’t stop him”, his hands tighten, gripping each other so hard that his knuckles go white. there’s truth in what she says, he can’t be there with tatsuma forever but to think that tatsuma might possibly go out and get into another altercation like this without souji around to help, for him to heal him when he gets himself hurt again, it terrifies him ]

But what can I do more than just listen? How do I convince him not to go out and do those things? I don’t want to come back home and find him gone, to know that he left, and might be off nearly getting himself hurt and I’m not there to help him to take him to the hospital that time.

Tell him.

[She hopes to god that's the right answer. It's not that she doesn't want to comfort him, she does, but she hasn't the faintest idea what to say. She's no emotional counselor; she's no idea what the right choice would be. All she can do is trust her own instincts and hope to god they're right.]

. . . tell him, and try to do your best to calm him down. But the truth is, Souji . . . he's his own person. You can't make him be safe. All you can do is try to give him advice.

[ when he comes to his senses in a second and realizes that he broke down in front of her, suddenly opening himself up and spewing his fears at her with little to no warning, he will apologize for all this. ]

I understand.

[ and that's all he says to that, feeling almost defeated. he was doing so well these past few months, getting over his own issues but now he feels like he's been kicked back down (and when all the issues with yu boils up in a few days, he will feel so lost). ]

... I'm sorry, professor, for suddenly springing this on you. I'm sure you didn't want to deal with any of-- this when you returned home.

Hush.

[It's true, she didn't particularly want to deal with this, but nor is she sorry she caught him. Rosalind watches him for a few seconds, then gently nudges him with one elbow.]

If I didn't want to listen, do you really imagine I would hesitate to kick you out?

[ and that’s enough to get souji to breathe out a single, small laugh. ]

I could definitely imagine you picking me up by the back of my shirt and physically tossing me out the door.

[ there’s a tiny smile on his face as he says this and after he spent the rest of the night with his head downwards, he looks up at rosalind with the same smile ]

... thank you, professor.

[She offers him a slight smile, there and gone, meant only for him. They're not done talking, not by a long shot, but so long as she's cheered him slightly, that's all that matters.]

Tell me more about him. I'm a little scandalized I'm only just hearing of this boy.

We’re not very open about our relationship. We tend to be rather private about it.

[ not for any particular reason. they’re just not the types to talk about themselves and broadcast it ]

What would you like to know?

[They have that in common, heaven knows. Rosalind settles back, adjusting to make herself a bit more comfortable on the couch. It's a little odd, settling in with him, but it's not an oddness she minds. She's still got on her work clothes, which helps; she doesn't know if she could do this in something casual.]

Whatever you feel like telling me. How you met, perhaps, or what draws you to him, or how long you've been together.

[ souji shifts on the couch to turn more towards her. he appreciates being to just be able to talk about tatsuma and why he's with him. even if they haven't been together for long, it's good for him to just to know why he asked tatsuma out in the first place and why souji would do all this for him. ]

We've only been dating for a few months now but he's... great. He's on the quiet side though and is rather passive, but he's kind. Thoughtful and always willing to help if he can.

[ so for tatsuma to suddenly change, to be so filled with vengeance to go out and nearly murder a man... it is a complete 180 from how he normally is ]

... I suppose what drew me in the first place was that he understood. He knew what it was like to be constantly moving, to have absent parents, and to lose people with each move. To feel like you're isolated from everyone else in an environment like that, I never truly thought I would have any friends or I'd make meaningful relationships. It was part of the reason why I tried to separate myself from others in Recolle when I first arrived, why I never truly reached out, but Tatsuma... He told me once that even if I moved away again, left the city, he would still keep in contact with me and that we'd still be friends.

It was... touching.

[She smiles faintly as she listens. It sounds . . . touching, really. He sounds sweet, sincere and dedicated in a way that Souji deserves. It makes her think of her own mystery man, the one who haunts her memories; that fierce, obsessive devotion . . . it's a sharp contrast to Souji's own sweet affection, but the dedication is the same.]

I'm glad, Souji.

[She really is.]

Now. More importantly: does he share your feline obsession?

[ and with that, souji actually lets out a small laugh. he was so unhappy earlier but just like that, she manages to get a chuckle out of him and his mood starts to get on a more even level ]

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the exact same fiery passion about cats like I do but he does like them enough. I’ll hopefully convert him completely into the way of the cat, however, just like I am slowly doing with you.

You are not, though as always I appreciate your relentless optimism.

[As if on cue, somewhere in the house Kawaii-san screams. It's an amiable scream; just letting Ros know that he's around, and that perhaps she ought to come find him. She pauses, but fortunately, he isn't so needy that he'll continue to scream. That's nice.]

Though I'm certain he knows what to get you for your half-year anniversary.

[A beat, and a memory stirs:]

Was this the boy you speaking of when you were feeding me that daddy nonsense? Or-- no, that was a high schooler, wasn't it.

[ when kawaii-san screams, souji just lets out another small chuckle. ]

No, that was a different person and it was a joke, but maybe I'll do it for real with Tatsuma. He's persuadable enough to probably agree.

So long as you both consent, that's all that matters.

[She rises as she says it, nodding to him.]

Come along. We'll put some frozen peas on that, get the swelling down. No cuts?

[ he was trying to crack a joke, trying to see if he could get a reaction out of her by mentioning another daddy kink but when she just passes through it, he's less disappointed and more impressed. hm, maybe he should say something more bewildering another time? but he shakes his head at her question ]

No, I was able to heal those but I suppose healing can't solve everything.

[ such as the bruising and some of the swelling ]

It's still rather handy in a pinch. I'm jealous.

[She says it lightly, though she wishes she hadn't. It brings to mind her own injuries-- healed over, yes, but still scarred, white and vivid. It brings back all those memories she steadfastly refuses to acknowledge, and she doesn't want to ever think about them.

So she makes herself busy, opening the freezer and fetching a bag of peas that are a little more freezerburned than they ought to be. Oh, well.]

How goes it with your Personas? Any new developments?

[ he follows her into the kitchen and leans against the counter once they get there. he tilts his head slightly to the side as he talks ]

I have gotten yet another new one. They seem to come every other month. They’re also differing from Yu’s Personas.

[ there’s a small frown as he says this ]

We used to share the same Personas for the first three but now we’re starting to get different ones.

Which ones? Put that on your face, the swelling shan't go down until you do.

[BOSSY . . . but she's frowning faintly as well, taking note of that difference. It can't mean anything good, that's for certain.]

[ souji takes the bag of peas and places it against his cheek, wincing slightly at the coldness but continuing to keep it on his face ]

We share Mada, Kohryu, and Sraosha, but we don't share anything after that. We've gotten our first three relatively at the same time, but nowadays, we seem to get our Personas at differing rates.

[So they're growing apart in one way if not another. She supposes it depends on what triggers a Persona: if it's due to personality type, memories regained, emotions felt, or some other factor. But the fact that they're splitting apart and getting different ones . . . mm.]

What are your new ones like? Temperament wise, I mean. Defensive? Offensive? Based within a particular element?

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