#where svern says a whole lot of words most of which have to be gone through with a sieve

[darkestrellar]

Bringing back an old ask meme: 'talk about us' with Blanc ✨

Svern tells your muse...

What they define their relationship with your muse as:

"Oh! That's easy!" Svern claps his hands together, a bright smile on his face. "You're my friend! You know, we've known each other for a pretty long time now, Blanc. Time sure flies, doesn't it? Somehow you haven't gotten sick of me yet. What a longsuffering person you are! It's honestly quite admirable, even if I do have to pity you for it."

Something they like about your muse:

He makes a show of thinking, tilting his head to the side and looking upward, tapping his index finger on his chin. "Well, there's a bunch of things, naturally! You're a decent cook, your clothes fit me pretty well. That's convenient! Your cupboards are always stocked. Also convenient! You haven't kicked me out of your house yet, how kind! Your couch is comfortable, and so is your bed."

"Not to mention you're awfully cute, 'specially when you're flustered."

Something they dislike about your muse:

Svern reacts by dramatically doubling over, as if the mere thought was a punch to his gut, his hands clutched in his hair. "Nooo! That's a terrible question! How could there possibly be something I dislike about my good friend Blanc? How am I even supposed to answer this?!"

He mutters in a pained voice, "Negativity is bad for you..."

Give him a few seconds, then he'll straighten up again and answer in a deadpan voice with a face devoid of any discernible emotion:

"There are a few things about you that vex me, it's true. There's no such thing as perfect in this world. Still, I'd rather not talk about it."

Their first impression of your muse:

Ah. A question that warrants a serious answer.

"...you were dangerously close to being roped into something that you would've been better off staying out of. Just some teenager sticking his nose into something that he shouldn't."

"Do you remember, in Pinwheel Forest? I told you to keep out of the business with Plasma, or you'd end up regretting it. Looking back, knowing what I do now, I guess you didn't really have a choice."

"I will say I didn't think much of you at first. Nor did I warn you out of the goodness of my heart. That was merely common sense; plus, I thought you might complicate things for me. In the end, things were going to play out how they did regardless of what either of us did."

Their impression of your muse now:

The cloud passes over, and Svern's usual demeanour returns. Talking about the present is much more pleasant than dwelling on the past.

"Look at this recluse! He lives in a haunted forest full of ghosts and shadow people! I have to go 'round to his place constantly and drag him out into the world again, because if I don't, he'll forget what real people look like!"

That's a bit mean.

"I also understand now that you're just really unlucky for some reason. It's not fair, I don't think you deserve that. I'm not helping much, though."

How they feel about your muse:

"Positive, moreso than average! That's as specific as I'm going to get, sorry! There'll be no further elaboration on feelings from me."

Something they are hiding from your muse:

Following the rules of the game, Svern should give an answer. It would be easy; he just has to provide filler, say something small and inconsquential that's technically true. He's done this type of thing a thousand times before. He knows how to say something while saying nothing.

But he doesn't feel like playing that game with this particular question. Instead, Svern holds up a finger and makes a tutting sound, then leans in close, his voice lowering.

"Come on, now. If I'm hiding something from you, then I'm not going to tell you about it, am I? Even if you ask super nicely. Where's the fun otherwise? If you want to know my secrets, go look for them yourself."

Something they wish they could tell your muse:

The last question. He supposes this is where most people would say something embarrassingly sappy, or something shockingly mean, or really anything that they would normally keep to themselves.

"Something I wish I could tell you? Usually if I want to say something, I'll just say it. If I don't say it, I never wished I could say it in the first place. I don't really do the whole 'I secretly wish I could tell you' type of thing."

Is there really nothing? Surely Svern can spare something here. He already gave an evasive answer to the previous question.

His expression suddenly goes blank. It's like someone pressed a reset button inside his brain, but anyone who knows Svern at all knows there's no such reset button at all, and if there was, he'd be the one pressing it. The way he looks at Blanc afterwards is crystal clear and serious, and there's no false brightness in his eyes or in the few words he says.

"I'm glad I'm here with you."