Supremacy, Sonority, Tranquility [Makoto, Shishiyuki]

"Exactly, I'll teach you because that's- Wait a minute.."

The words almost went over her head until they settled in, she was trying to be really serious about the topic of love and explaining it. It was like talking about walking through fire here that might burn your or not but the joke reverberated in her head, what was she getting at here? Was she being teased by Shishiyuki of all people or was this some awful attempt at flirting!?

It better be the former, they were just a student and teacher. That'd be silly for them to ever be like that. Though Makoto did try to fob off all those rumours she heard of the odd teacher student intimacy, that wasn't what this was.

"Don't say things like that. You'll give the wrong impression you know. I don't even remember what I was saying now."

"Ah, my apologies. I did not intend to discomfort you, it simply seemed a fitting opportunity."

There was certainly no intention of flirting on Shishiyuki's end, and the completely casual nature of her delivery certainly didn't indicate any romantic intent. The apologetic look in her eye now also made it seem as though she'd not quite intended it to be taken so seriously.

"Rest assured, I would not wish to give off that particular impression to anyone, and especially not toward you. You are, after all, my student, and one of the few people I can put my trust in. I think it would be a bit disgraceful of me to simply reduce you to an object of desire, would it not?"

"Uh huh. I'm not uncomfortable, you're just teasing me."

The thick skin she usually sported had been worn down from explaining everything to Shishiyuki earlier and dropping all the bottled up feelings she'd carried for so long. It felt tender a bit tender to be teased by her even if it was harmless. Maybe later she'd get over it and be more open to the teasing, even give some herself when she felt comfortable but right now she was trying to be serious.

She felt that tender skin burn though when Shishiyuki finished her piece. Reduced to an object of desire. Disgraceful of me. The words echoed in her head and gave her a headache. Object of desire was a nicer way than how she would've put it. For a moment she wanted to break something out of anger and frustration that her teacher of a month or so treated her better than the one that she'd spent years with in love. That wouldn't be appropriate though, instead she just smiled and tried to show her appreciation.

"I hope object of desire means one you love rather than some sex toy, though if it's the person you love then I don't think I should compare, a lover compared to a student? That should be an easy choice, if you picked someone like a student over your lover then they mustn't have been much of a lover when you care about your student more. I guess to go from student to lover would be a promotion or something."

Makoto laughed a little even though the words were incredibly grim ones that essentially boiled down to understanding if she was pushed to the wayside for the sake of love. As selfish as it was, love was probably the only excuse that Makoto didn't loathe in people for being selfish.

"If I were to abandon my student for the sake of my lover, I should think that I have only proven myself a very poor teacher."

Shishiyuki was fairly firm in that one, though she understood Makoto was still doing her best to keep things lighthearted. Still, to her that only seemed self-evident. When one took in a student, in the manner that she had Makoto, you were not simply agreeing to teach them your skills and leave it at that. They were, by all accounts, someone quite important in your life, someone who had placed faith in you.

"Look at you now, saying the same sorts of things after chiding me for them. And calling it a promotion of all things, how you flatter me. Shall I take that to mean you will be working diligently toward it, then?"

If they were keeping the matter lighthearted, then Shishiyuki saw no better method of doing so than simply continuing to tease her. If she didn't know better, she would think Makoto was doing this on purpose, but she doubted that. She was just leaving openings too good not to capitalize on.

"It would prove you're an excellent lover though."

That wasn't even meant to be a joke, Makoto had just attributed the idea to a sliding scale. As she became a worse teacher for abandoning a student it stood to reason that she became a better lover for forsaking her principles. Joke or observation, it was all the same.

"H- Um. What? Don't be silly, you and I would never work like that even if you're trying to suggest it to me and make me try to do something for your amusement. Though I will work and aspire to be your best student in all areas regardless."

There was in fact no world where she ever saw Shishiyuki in that way, while the whole being a woman thing was part of it. Makoto didn't view herself as a person that could patiently deal with being wrapped up in principles and all that, that idea of just being second to what she had to uphold for her pride.

"Excellent? You continue to layer on such honeyed words, Makoto. Someone so inexperienced as I might get the wrong impression."

Grinning a bit before she took another sip of her tea, Shishiyuki could only shake her head in response to Makoto's lighthearted accusations. She was all too willing to manipulate many a person into doing things, but certainly not for her amusement, and Makoto was not one of those people, regardless.

"I would never think of doing such a thing. After all, were you not the one who said I ought to take the initiative? I should think that, if I were suddenly overwhelmed by attraction to you apropos of nothing, I would be better off taking your advice and being direct on the matter."

Not that she would, of course. Makoto may have been a good young woman, but Shishiyuki was not one to fall for someone merely because she considered them pleasant to be around. Nor, for that matter, was she one to fall for a woman.

"That would make me have to reconsider how much credit I give your resilience then and call it into question."

At this point jokes and simple responses were one and the same, even though they were said seriously it was not really the case that Makoto could call them things she was actually serious about. This was just casual convesation and the throwing of empty words back and forth, or something like that. She didn't really know what it was.

"I did say that and I stand by it. It is obvious that I am not good enough to be your lover."

Good enough, suited to be. All just synonyms. Makoto didn't really view herself as worth loving romantically, she'd just be placing all her burden on someone else and barely being able to help with their own. The only difference between the two synonyms was the fact that one implied inferiority while the other just suggested it was equal but not right for the situation.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for talking you ear off about love. It was only meant to be me telling you that you shouldn't give anyone your love because they asked for it and that you should only give it to someone that you want to give it to."

"Oh, I don't believe that to be obvious at all. It is one matter to say that we would likely be incompatible, but another entirely to say that you are not good enough. In the strictest sense, I doubt I have met many others I would consider better for the role than yourself."

Shishiyuki was aware of how that sounded, but there wasn't really much other way to word it that would remove the implications one could attribute to it. She, of course, had not particularly meant to imply such things, but she was certain Makoto would understand that.

"I do not mind the conversation. I find it rather pleasant, to simply speak on these sort of assorted topics. It is a good method of coming to understand each other better, don't you agree?"

"Ahahaha. I'm sure you have but never considered it at the time, there must've been lots of men try in your life before giving up."

A small laugh was the only way that she could really acknowledge the statement without blushing and getting all flustered, should that make her feel incredibly embarrassed or take an inkling of pride that she might still be considered more than just broken goods? Instead she'd just chuckle it away while trying to fob it off to a thousand year old memory forgetting the smaller memories of life.

"Right. It does. It's just embarrassing though, I haven't really talked about things like this in a really long time so I guess I don't want to say something wrong."

"Oh, there have been suitors here and there, but never ones I have had much desire to seriously consider. Always after political power, or simply speaking as to my beauty. Men from the other noble families, with no desire to truly understand me. You, by contrast, speak with me on matters of import, and treat me with respect without overexaggerated flattery. I think that is far more appealing in a romantic partner, wouldn't you say?"

Shishiyuki laughed herself, finding this whole exchange amusing in its own right. Not at Makoto's expense, of course, but rather just in general. She rarely had any opportunity to discuss things like this, given how few there were that she felt she could trust. And, of course, how was she to discuss these sorts of topics with her own family? That would be quite uncomfortable, wouldn't it?"

"I would not worry about saying anything wrong, Makoto. This is not a lesson, or a debate where I expect you to give me firm, thought-out arguments. It is simply a conversation over tea and a meal."