[Rina]

As much as Schezo would hate to admit...she's right. He's yet to find that special someone, if only because he's had more nasty first impressions than he's counted. He sighed, admitting to his mental defeat.

"As much as I wish to cover it up...you're right. No matter where I turn, I never seem to draw in anyone. Attraction by mere appearance is shallow, and when I try to use words to lay down my thoughts, that's where I falter. Sometimes I say something that has innocent context, and it gets picked apart as if it's something less so. And then due to that, I- ...ugh, get branded a pervert."

Schezo felt like he needed to scrub out his tongue after calling himself a pervert. It's the word he hates so much, after all. It's a wonder how he's able to confide with someone he only just met. Then again, she kinda read him like an open book. A book that tells the story of a loveless prince.

"Thus, I grew resigned to never finding a person to share my life with. The very idea of romance and love is foreign to me, and I shelved it away deeming it as an impossible dream."

Could she please stop calling me prince...?

[Mari]

" . . . To call a lover a pervert, seems as if it is missing the point." Raffine mused aloud. What was the point of having a lover if you weren't going to be intimate with them on some level? Either Schezo was freakier than even Raffine could imagine, which would be impressive considering the type of novels she's into, or he had a knack for picking people that simply weren't interested in him to begin with. How odd.

"If it's any consolation, Prince Schezo Wegey, you do not seem like a pervert to me." Raffine offered in a matter-o-fact tone. She would not ask him to tell her why they called him that, lest her dreams be crushed by something unfathomable. "But why have you given up? Surely you must still desire someone..." Raffine remarked, her own modesty preventing her from being any more direct.

[Rina]

Hearing Raffine tell him that he's not a pervert just gave Schezo a mental sigh relief. FINALLY, someone who doesn't call him that from first impressions! Still, that doesn't help dispel the fact Schezo's articulation is terrible.

"...I simply am just unlucky. I seem to squander first impressions so quickly, it almost as if I've lost the battle before it began. So I never once considered to try harder. ...may I request something?"

Schezo attempts to get direct eye contact with her.

"Look me in the eyes, and tell me your first impressions of me. Do not be with restraint. I'll take no offense to your brutal honesty."

[Mari]

Raffine was slightly taken aback by Schezo's question. For a moment it wasn't clear whether she would answer, as she was stunned into silence. He wanted... honesty? That was it? It wasn't very romantic, but she supposed that didn't matter. Raffine crossed her legs, setting her hands in her lap. She nodded her head in thought, seeming to consider her words carefully before meeting Schezo's eyes.

" . . . My first impression of you was through another's arms. I must say, I was surprised when I heard Ms. Rider was the one who carried me here." Raffine admitted thoughtfuly. However, she was not done yet. "You're very self-conscious in all your actions. It gives me the impression that you've met someone you love who scorned you badly. ...Perhaps they were the one who called you a pervert?" Raffine mused aloud thoughtfully. For someone who was easily distracted by the most trivial of things, Raffine seemed to be very observant when it came to Schezo.

[Rina]

Schezo listened intently to Raffine's opinion, fascinated that she caught these things that even the Dark Wizard is unaware of until it was brought into light. Self-conscious? Scorned? She's not too far off the mark, actually. Perhaps it's a woman's intuition at work, or maybe Schezo's a bit of an easy read.

"It's true that I did not carry you, for I had to keep my blade drawn to fend off any dangers that were to come and claim you."

Schezo fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply on Raffine's words a bit longer.

"Hmm...Now that I think of it, most of my unfortunate circumstances involved females. Perhaps I am quite conscious of my image, but I do not know how to approach improving it. This is considering my education was in a mainly boys' academy, so perchance I know naught how to properly interact with women."

[Mari]

Raffine smiled slightly in realization. A boys academy, hmm? As much as she of all people understood the ideal of single-sex education, it was very clear to her why it might be related to Schezo's troubles. That ... gave her an idea.

"All good things come from hard work and practice, Prince Schezo. Perhaps it is a proper lady's company you need to aid you in your quest for self-improvement?" Raffine went on to offer. She couldn't help but notice that Schezo wasn't being very romantic about any of this, and she wouldn't be caught dead making the first move on anyone--not even a prince. This presented an interesting opportunity to see if he would warm up to her given some time. In all honesty, she wasn't sure a teacher was where she functioned best. Yet, if there was any given thing she did have confidence in, her social upbringing was one of them.

[Rina]

Schezo's face...lit up? Someone is willing to help him with his problems? Schezo normally does everything on his own, but someone offering help on one of his weak points is just a rarity to him. Color him surprised!

"Y-You'll aid me in improving my image?"

Despite the fact that this is laced with ulterior motives, if this little quest becomes successful, he could finally get rid of his poor articulation once and for all. As much as he often doesn't ask for help...something like this is an exception.

"Please, do teach me the how to properly express myself, so that I may rid myself of my poor articulation!"

[Mari]

"As you will it, Prince Schezo." Raffine replied in a somewhat light-hearted, good-natured tone. She seemed to be poking fun at the formality more than anything at this point. "Of course, only practice can make perfect. If you allow me to correct you, I believe you need only spend time with me to correct your image." Raffine went on to explain, a very pleased smile on her face. Look at all those ulterior motives all over the place. Wanting to spend time with Schezo. How dastardly.

[Rina]

"I-I'm quite used to being corrected in my wording, in fair honesty."

Schezo let out a nervous laughter from that. Oh boy, Schezo took the bait and things are likely going to go crazy. Well, at least there's the time to fix his wording...right? Schezo looked up at the clock, realizing how much time has passed. How long have they been conversing?

"Huh, I've nearly forgotten. How long are visiting hours?"

[Mari]

...Visiting hours? Raffine hadn't really had a chance to ask about visiting hours, what with her near death experience and the many other, less mundane questions she'd had about the world she'd wound up on and her condition. More than that, why hadn't Schezo's behavior changed if people were always correcting him..? ...Was that stubbornness she was detecting? Not quite what she'd had in mind, but it was too late to second guess herself. "We'll work on it." Raffine reassured. At this point she wasn't sure what to expect, but she was certain she could handle whatever came up. "As for visiting hours, I cannot say. Yet, it would do me well to get a bit of rest." Raffine went on to relent. Her desire to pursue Schezo aside, she knew she could not leave this room yet.

[Rina]

"Thank you. I'm sure your assistance will bring me much pleasure."

Schezo sighed in relief, assured that he'll get the help and feedback. Though, he might need it right now...immediately, even. Seriously Schezo, you completely butcher your words right on the spot after the agreement? Well, at least now's the time to show his legendarily bad word choice and see how she can fix it right up. And Schezo hasn't realized it.

There's still a few more hours to go for visiting hours, but she's right. She's going to need to rest up.

[Mari]

"...As am I." Raffine remarked, amusing herself with her own double meaning. She did notice something odd about the way Schezo spoke, however. "Yet, pleasure is a word with several meanings--some of them rather lewd. A more proper word to use would be joy, or perhaps relief." Raffine explained thoughtfully, covering up her remark by delivering on her promise of clarification.

[Rina]

"Ah-..."

Schezo thought back to his previous sentence...and it eventually dawned to him on how vague and 'off' it sounded in hindsight. Well...first error of the day for the Dark Wizard. Upon realization, Schezo turned away, flushed red from the embarrassing words he said out loud, covering his face in a feeble attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"I-I'll keep that in mind..."

[Mari]

Raffine considered Schezo's response. Very tame. Why hadn't anyone tried this before? Perhaps she'd just gotten lucky with this... strapping young prince. Raffine pondered where to go from here for a moment before resigning herself to being content with this result. "Excellent. Tomorrow I'll have some of my own training to do. You may join me if you're so inclined, yet I don't know where I'll be staying or where a nice gym is located." Raffine replied. One could only imagine her trying to get Schezo to work out if he accepted this offer.

[Rina]

"Hmm. When I passed by Rainbow Square, I did spot a pool that appeared to be part of a community center. It is likely there are some athletic facilities for the public's use. Perchance that is what you seek?"

Now that he mentioned it, does that center have an area to practice swordplay? Maybe so. Schezo could take advantage of a training dummy and practice his swordplay on his spare time. Heaven forbid he dull the skills he learned as a boy! Still...how did he get wound up with her? The girl is pretty enough, but she can be a bit nasty from under that. Just not so much in front of Schezo.