#( theyre ummm intellectuals . having an intellectual conversation )

[freshsprout]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ || the coffee mug remains in her grasp for now, though she makes no move to take a third sip. with how much milk she's added to it, its offensive flavour has mellowed out into something she can, at the very least, force herself to finish. for now, however, she simply wants to enjoy the warmth against the sore joints of her hands.

patiently, she listens to her company, trying her best to keep up with his train of thought. part of her feels happy that he has deemed her smart enough to have a conversation that goes beyond, hello, how are you? al-haitham has always struck her as the type of person to only engage in conversation with a purpose.

his questions are not ones collei has given much thought to before, so she allows herself a moment to mull it over - and then another moment to put words to her feelings. it's a little difficult when normalcy and belonging must have such different meanings to her and al-haitham.

her gaze moves to the mug in her hands. "it's not about wanting to fit in," she starts firmly. "...and it's not about me trying to be normal; i already know i'm not. a-and that's fine, i've accepted that a long time ago. but i..." she tries to keep her tone sure. even if it's a little scary to talk about, she wants al-haitham to know she feels strongly about these things. "i want to experience normal things because i never had the chance to do any of them before; normal things that people usually think are boring - to me, they're things i've longed for."

"i want to try coffee... and go shopping and read magazines and - and travel for fun and learn how to bake. i want to do it for myself because... i think i deserve it. to try these things."

"Well - I expect Tighnari knows what he is talking about, but I don't see the harm in trying out a few sips." The scribe won't have the dishonesty of pretending he knows the first thing about handling teenagers, but even he can tell that the Forest Ranger may be (understandably so) a little protective over his ward. Al-Haitham doesn't know the details, nor has he asked for them, but even he would expect the road to recovery from Eleazar and the Fatui's influence to be a long and arduous one.

Now, does that mean walking on eggshells is necessarily the way to go? It is not his place to say, he reasons with himself, when he looks at Collei, and catches these first glimpses of independence, these tentative first steps back into a life she has been robbed off and handed back so very late.

His place, however, is to introduce her to something as inoffensive as a scholar's coffee drinking tradition -- and to pick up on whatever subtle cues the girl drops for him to interpret. This is what this is about them? he wonders. Gloved fingers drum quietly against the rim of his own cup. "That was to be expected, I suppose. Most young people want to experience the same things their peers do. Belonging with the group is an integral part of identity formation in one's younger years." The scribe muses; looking entirely unconvinced

Perhaps it is their difference in experience suddenly that suddenly over their conversation like a dissonant shrill. Collei had been deprived of a normal childhood and never been given the chance to form her own experiences - al-Haitham has made his own and near-instantly decided the group was not something he wanted anything with.

"What does it mean for you to do things like normal people?" He asks, curious, as he reclines in his chair, one arm thrown over the backrest. "I don't know if it's any comfort, but there are many people who don't like coffee either - all while being perfectly normal. You don't have to force yourself to fit into a mould made up of arbitrary rules, you know."