Paper Set Aflame (Hime/Elyss)

Matters of the heart were often so confusing to the graceful woman sitting by the mirror. Her sincerity was a damnable bane whenever someone desired her honesty. Did she make the right decision in revealing what had taken place so long ago? Should she have shown a level of restraint? Hime extended her head ever so slightly, to gauge the crimson-haired woman's reaction while she leaned in her chair.

To her surprise, the initial reaction she received was a dry chuckle that fell lazily from the fierce shinigami's lips. She couldn't deduce anything from her tone - if anything, her faint hint of laughter only served to confuse the woman as she tilted her head in curiosity.

Was she upset? Amused? Agitated? Elyss was a walking enigma. No one could ever truly know for certain what went through this woman's mind. In the span of a few seconds, the crimson-haired shinigami rose up from her position, slamming her hands on the table. If Hime were a woman of lesser mettle, she would've likely found herself startled by the woman's sudden shift in mood.

It was precisely because she knew how unpredictable Elyss was that nothing she did ever seemed to surprised her. In the not-so-distant past, she had learned that the crimson-haired shinigami shared some form of familial relation with Ulv Auber - a woman that had soared way beyond her realm of understanding. If Elyss was an enigma, Ulv was an outlier.

Releasing a short shout from her lips, Elyss noted that even if Hime hadn't revealed her past fling, Arkin's reputation proceeded him. He was well noted for sleeping with many women whenever he fancied their attention.

No sooner than those words passed through her lips did the crimson-woman fall back into her seat, a loud huff passing through her lips. This is exactly why applying any form of perception to Elyss seemed like an exercise in futility. What could the aqua-haired woman say? That she apologized? Did she want an apology? Should Hime apologize even if she asked?

“There should be an order to these things…”

The words were faint - spoken with a low mumble that seemed almost inaudible - but they somehow still managed to reach her ears. An order to these things? Hime stroked her chin.

She was familiar with the concept of courtship but Hime had never experienced it firsthand. She shared her heart with a tyrant and an ambitious man who sought to overthrow the soul society and shake them at their core. Those were terrible experiences and using them as references for what Elyss implied would be the same as trying to solve world hunger.

"If you do not mind my asking, what is the order that you speak of? Forgive me for my lack of knowledge but my time in prison has left me oblivious to the concept of how men and women should interact with the other - romantically, that is."

Hime was sincerely honest. There was no aim at playing the fool or trying to assume the role of the oblivious dumb blonde. She really had no idea how these matters worked.