[ or as close to a facsimile of one as someone so mired in humanity's cynicism can achieve. alina's mouth twitches at the obvious effort it must take to — not lie, but diminish it. like telling orphaned children their scraped-up knees aren't as bad as the bloodied sight of them suggests, before slapping gauze over it. ]
It's always worse than that. [ her mouth slants into an ironic smile. ] They judge. Or act as though they've witnessed all there is to know.
[ names that rhyme with 'kaleksander mirigan' for 200, alex. months away from the ximilia haven't dulled her annoyance with his analysis of her. chishiya, at least, knows intimately well where her opinions on assumptions and over-familiarity from strangers fall. ]
no subject
[ or as close to a facsimile of one as someone so mired in humanity's cynicism can achieve. alina's mouth twitches at the obvious effort it must take to — not lie, but diminish it. like telling orphaned children their scraped-up knees aren't as bad as the bloodied sight of them suggests, before slapping gauze over it. ]
It's always worse than that. [ her mouth slants into an ironic smile. ] They judge. Or act as though they've witnessed all there is to know.
[ names that rhyme with 'kaleksander mirigan' for 200, alex. months away from the ximilia haven't dulled her annoyance with his analysis of her. chishiya, at least, knows intimately well where her opinions on assumptions and over-familiarity from strangers fall. ]