WHAT IS LOVE etc etc

[cobbledtogether]

Characters: Lambda-11 and OPEN, followed by Lambda-11 and Akiha Tohno
Date: Sunday, September 9th
Summary: Lambda reads some books and asks some questions.
Warnings: Should be nothing. Will update as needed.


Love was proving to be a very complicated topic. Things Subaru said conflicted with things Urd said. Things Urd said contradicted with what Akiha had mentioned before. And, having no real frame of reference of her own, it was hard for Lambda to determine what information was the most correct.

Obviously, then, the best course of action would be to give herself a frame of reference. Under normal circumstances, she spent very little time in the library, but reading the literature located there seemed like a good way to do this. So, that was where she chose to spend her afternoon, barefoot and clad in her standard leotard as she paged through book after book.

Most of them were proving less helpful than she had hoped. After finding herself unable to parse the pertinent information from one, she would set it aside and pick up another, her demeanor growing a little more frustrated each time. She seemed oblivious to the way her brow had begun to furrow.



So, when the library proved not to be very much help after all, she returned home to the Tohno Mansion. It was evening by the time she did so, and once inside she decided to stop by Akiha's room on what was almost but not quite a whim. She trusted Akiha more than anyone else in the Gardens, so if she was confused about something, it seemed right to make her the one she asked.

She hesitated outside her door longer than was typical, seized by an uncharacteristic feeling of uncertainty. Then, she lifted a hand and knocked.

Comments

[cobbledtogether]

Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't be alone for much longer. Lambda's search for information led her deeper and deeper into the library, and she wasn't the the type to leave a stone unturned—or a shelf unchecked, in this case. It was only a matter of time before she found Fionna, huddled in her corner with her flashlight in hand.

"...Fionna."

Yep. There she was.

Sorry for the wait, message was pushed into my spam folder for some reason

[fionna_time]

Fionna almost jumped a foot in the air, and put the book down quickly, blushing like crazy.

"O-oh! Hey Lambda, what's up?"

[cobbledtogether]

Lambda tilted her head at that response.

"I am performing research." ... "What are you doing?"

The question sounded prying than was perhaps normal for Lambda.

[fionna_time]

Fionna blushed a little bit here, but had a smile hidden.

"I'm just looking up some poetry. Never really looked at it, but its got some real nice ways of saying things, especially to people you care about!"

[cobbledtogether]

Good thing it was dark enough for her blush to be hard to see, then.

"...Why are you in the dark?"

It seemed to Lambda that it would be much easier to read if she picked a spot with more light.

[fionna_time]

"I'm sorta trying to keep this a secret," she said, looking embarrassed. "I know no one might care, but still. I've got my reasons. What are you up to here?"

[cobbledtogether]

"What are your reasons? ...I am attempting to obtain a greater understanding of the concept of love."

[fionna_time]

Fionna looked awkward, but figured that Lambda was ok to tell this to.

"I'm kinda trying to write a poem. For my girlfriend. I'm just tryin' to get good at it."

It was much harder than she thought.

[cobbledtogether]

"So you are researching poetry in order to produce your own?"

[fionna_time]

Fionna scratched behind her head looking sheepish. "Well yeah. I'm not real good at that stuff to start with, and I had a few people tell me that I'm kinda a tomboy, you know? So I wanna do something that shows her how she makes me feel, even if its hard."

[cobbledtogether]

Hm... "Understood." With that said, she fell quiet for a few seconds. Then, abruptly, she asked, "What...is it like to have a girlfriend?"

Her attempts at understanding the books present and available were proving to be fruitless, so it seemed logical to ask someone with practical experience rather than continuing to pursue information from an inadequate source.

[fionna_time]

That question through her off, but surprisingly, had her blushing a little less. It was one thing to find out what she was secretly doing, but outright asking about something that made her happy was different.

"It's kinda funny, really. You start out with no one, and then you don't mind it, even though you sometimes wonder what it would be like to be with somebody. I kinda think its hard to describe it for everyone, but for me, its like a seed. It starts to grow a little, when you see 'em as a friend, and are happy to do stuff with them and talk and whatever. But as time goes by, you realize anytime you see them you feel different, lighter, like nothing no one can tell you will bother you. Then one day you see that they're always on your mind, and you can tell them that you like 'em, even if they don't feel the same way. It's kinda like growing up. But the best feeling is when they tell you that they like you back. Then everything, for a little while, just kinda feels right all over."

[cobbledtogether]

Lambda listened, trying to soak in Fionna's explanation. Actually, it was easier to understand than most of the ones she had heard yet, the described feelings more concrete than the others. When she finished, Lambda realized she isn't sure what to say in reply; she mulled it over for a few moments, deciding saying she understood would be inaccurate and settling on, "...Thank you," instead.

[fionna_time]

"You're welcome," Fionna said, knowing that there was more said than just that. "You know, you are just as able to get that kinda attention too. It's just getting down understanding that other person."

Or people if you listened to someone else.

[cobbledtogether]

"Do you...think I will be able to?"

[fionna_time]

"I don't see why not! You're capable like anyone else! Is there anyone you're really into, or a least see a little differently from other people here?"

[cobbledtogether]

"'Into'...?" She had to think. It was hard for her to know what 'into' felt like. "I...want to spend more time near Subaru. I am unsure if my interest in her is romantic."

She just knew she wanted to be near her and would protect her if she had to, which was not unlike her feelings for Akiha.

[fionna_time]

Fionna chuckled. "Subaru? I don't blame you, actually. She was one of the first friends I made here, and she was real nice to me, even though she didn't know all that much about me. I guess the way you know is by asking yourself how you feel when you see her?

[cobbledtogether]

"It is...pleasant. It is similar to the way I feel toward Akiha-sama, but not the same."

If Lambda was like a loyal dog with its owner toward Akiha, then Subaru was like a playmate. Of course, the metaphor didn't occur to Lambda herself.

[fionna_time]

"Oh yeah, I think you work for Akiha, right? S-sama, still getting that stuff down. What makes it so different."

[cobbledtogether]

"...Yes. She requested that I refer to her as 'Akiha-sama.'" With that explained, she continued, "I feel...calm when near Akiha-sama. What I feel when near Subaru is..." She has to take some time to grapple with her words, trying to find an appropriate one. "...Eager?"

[fionna_time]

"Gotta find out about the whole 'sama' thing," Fionna said, who had been told about it once before by Subaru but still didn't really get it. "Eager? Like, to have fun, or to see her?"

[cobbledtogether]

"...Both?"

[fionna_time]

Hmm. That was something. It COULD be like, but it could also just be friendship. Would Lambda know the difference.

"What if she asked to go out with her, just you two, to do a quiet thing, like a picnic or something like that?"

[cobbledtogether]

Seeing as they were having this conversation to begin with? Probably not.

"I...enjoy spending time with her. I would attend."

But the thought of doing so didn't make her feel any different than spending time with Subaru normally.