Her eyes were too blue.
She seemed to be the right age, the right height, the blonde in her air reminded Anders enough of Alaska's. But her eyes...they were just too blue.
"The whole thing is ruined," Anders said exasperatedly to Roanoke, who rested nearby. Roanoke shook her head slowly and disappointedly, clicking her tongue and sighing.
"What a waste of time. Such a pity," she responded through her fangs.
Anders had spent almost an entire three months on this one, finding the ins and outs of this girl's life to try and impress her and reach this point. He had made all the right cappuccinos and lattes, estimated the perfect times to crack just the right jokes, developed an algorithm to make her giggle and blush in his little coffee shop of a dungeon.
He had effectively charmed her, but not so aggressively that she suspected anything. This was his first time attempting a 'woo' strategy, and it was entertaining for him (though still ultimately an experiment). He learned how to smile the right way, how to put meaning behind his eyes when he looked at her. He noticed the way she slowly tucked her straight and thin blonde hair behind her pierced right ear when they made eye contact, even though her ears stuck out a bit more than he remembered Alaska's doing.
Outside of work, he had tracked her down. He spent time learning where she lived, what she did outside of the quick and regular visits to the Adhbhar coffee shop where he worked. He strategized, finding the perfect place and time for them to bump into each other on the street:
"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry," he said after they brushed up against each other suddenly on the busy sidewalk downtown. She opened her mouth to say something, but their eyes met unbelievably as she seemed to be dumbfounded by their chance encounter. The entire world seemed to stop.
There was a hint of destiny, like this was meant to happen and bring them together. That was the feeling Anders yearned for because that was the feeling that started all of this. The feeling between him and Alaska. The feeling of...truth. And love.
"Flora," he breathed, trying to sound as surprised and pleased as possible. "Hi."
"Hey," she said, smiling back and tucking her hair behind her ear. She was too nervous. Alaska wasn't that nervous.
"I'm heading into town," he started, pointing in the direction he was going (obviously the opposite direction in which she was headed, which he was aware of). He knew that she was usually free around this time on this day of the week, and that she frequented the downtown branch of the library. "I have to drop a few books off at the library...would you like to come?"
"Yes, absolutely," she said a little too quickly. Alaska wouldn't have been that genuinely eager to completely change whatever her plans were to venture with a practical-stranger to a library. But this wasn't Alaska, this was Flora. And this was an experiment.
Anders and Flora spent the afternoon together wandering the large downtown library, discussing books and authors (that he knew she liked or might like based on her preferences). They got along quite well and seemed to be having a decent time. Anders hinted at a lack of evening plans, which Flora seemed interested in changing. Anders took note and realized tonight was the night.
And so here they were.
Anders sat in a chair in the middle of his living room, facing Flora directly in the chair she was tied to. He leaned his elbows against his knees, his legs spread apart decently. Flora's teeth bit down on the rope that Anders had tied around her head and she looked directly at him, both out of defiance and fear.
He had succeeded. He had built something that brought Flora here on her own will, of her own suggestion even. He had found a way to keep her here. But...her eyes. They were just too blue.
"Well this just won't work," he said conclusively. And thus, Anders ended this conquest abruptly and in a way he hadn't expected -- but with every experience, he learned something new and effectively planned for the next. Eventually, he would be looking Alaska directly in the eye. That would be his moment of truth.
She seemed to be the right age, the right height, the blonde in her air reminded Anders enough of Alaska's. But her eyes...they were just too blue.
"The whole thing is ruined," Anders said exasperatedly to Roanoke, who rested nearby. Roanoke shook her head slowly and disappointedly, clicking her tongue and sighing.
"What a waste of time. Such a pity," she responded through her fangs.
Anders had spent almost an entire three months on this one, finding the ins and outs of this girl's life to try and impress her and reach this point. He had made all the right cappuccinos and lattes, estimated the perfect times to crack just the right jokes, developed an algorithm to make her giggle and blush in his little coffee shop of a dungeon.
He had effectively charmed her, but not so aggressively that she suspected anything. This was his first time attempting a 'woo' strategy, and it was entertaining for him (though still ultimately an experiment). He learned how to smile the right way, how to put meaning behind his eyes when he looked at her. He noticed the way she slowly tucked her straight and thin blonde hair behind her pierced right ear when they made eye contact, even though her ears stuck out a bit more than he remembered Alaska's doing.
Outside of work, he had tracked her down. He spent time learning where she lived, what she did outside of the quick and regular visits to the Adhbhar coffee shop where he worked. He strategized, finding the perfect place and time for them to bump into each other on the street:
"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry," he said after they brushed up against each other suddenly on the busy sidewalk downtown. She opened her mouth to say something, but their eyes met unbelievably as she seemed to be dumbfounded by their chance encounter. The entire world seemed to stop.
There was a hint of destiny, like this was meant to happen and bring them together. That was the feeling Anders yearned for because that was the feeling that started all of this. The feeling between him and Alaska. The feeling of...truth. And love.
"Flora," he breathed, trying to sound as surprised and pleased as possible. "Hi."
"Hey," she said, smiling back and tucking her hair behind her ear. She was too nervous. Alaska wasn't that nervous.
"I'm heading into town," he started, pointing in the direction he was going (obviously the opposite direction in which she was headed, which he was aware of). He knew that she was usually free around this time on this day of the week, and that she frequented the downtown branch of the library. "I have to drop a few books off at the library...would you like to come?"
"Yes, absolutely," she said a little too quickly. Alaska wouldn't have been that genuinely eager to completely change whatever her plans were to venture with a practical-stranger to a library. But this wasn't Alaska, this was Flora. And this was an experiment.
Anders and Flora spent the afternoon together wandering the large downtown library, discussing books and authors (that he knew she liked or might like based on her preferences). They got along quite well and seemed to be having a decent time. Anders hinted at a lack of evening plans, which Flora seemed interested in changing. Anders took note and realized tonight was the night.
And so here they were.
Anders sat in a chair in the middle of his living room, facing Flora directly in the chair she was tied to. He leaned his elbows against his knees, his legs spread apart decently. Flora's teeth bit down on the rope that Anders had tied around her head and she looked directly at him, both out of defiance and fear.
He had succeeded. He had built something that brought Flora here on her own will, of her own suggestion even. He had found a way to keep her here. But...her eyes. They were just too blue.
"Well this just won't work," he said conclusively. And thus, Anders ended this conquest abruptly and in a way he hadn't expected -- but with every experience, he learned something new and effectively planned for the next. Eventually, he would be looking Alaska directly in the eye. That would be his moment of truth.
