Re: First Encounter (Adrian and Kiera)

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera arched an eyebrow, “Backed down from an adventure so quickly? Tsk, tsk, tsk, certainly didn’t expect that from you. Or,” She leaned forwards with a challenging gleam in her eyes, “Are you simply scared?”
Then when Adrian asked her not to touch her hand unless she meant it, Kiera let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Thank Merlin. To her surprise, she had found herself kind of tolerating a civil conversation with Adrian, but the way he had been looking at her was……..suspicious. Kiera leaned back and laughed, “Well, you definitely passed my test with flying colours. I don’t intend to touch your hand any time in the future, so you needn’t be worried.” Then clinking her fingers on the glass, “Good to see that you don’t intend to pry. I despise people who can’t mind their own business.”

“And no, dating and me, are on the opposite poles of the world. I don’t intend to give my enemies a chance to hurt me by dating someone, since that person only becomes your weakness and nothing else. Besides, the concept is the most skewed and irrational thing that I have ever heard of. Everyone in this world is selfish, no one cares for anyone, and those who delude themselves into thinking that someone else cares for them, are idiots.”
[OOC: Sorry for the late reply! Real life has been very taxing lately!!!]

[Adrian Castella]

He stared at her, trying to decide how to answer. "It isn't the fact that I'm scared that is telling me not to do this. My reason is telling me that if I go with you, I'm going to regret it. Can't say why, but my instincts are telling me not to go. I trust my instincts, Kiera. Why do you even need me to go, surely you can find a way in by yourself?" Adrian challenged back.

All of a sudden, the tension drained out of Kiera. She let out a breath, and seemed much more comfortable. It made him a little sad that she had indeed been testing him, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Passed your test, what test was that?" Adrian asked her. "I wouldn't mind you touching my hand, but only if it was out of genuine liking. Which obviously you don't have for me." he said dryly. "You can't be an Auror without the self-control to mind your own business when need be.

"I see, I'm in the same position as you. Unlike you, I have hope and believe that relationships can work. However, I was hurt when my significant other was killed. It made me, like you said, vulnerable, and created a weakness that could be exploited." Adrian told her. Then, he tried to explain exactly what he thought. "It isn't that people don't care about each other. The problem is that, despite how much we care, we don't always know how to show it. Yes, we are selfish, but it can still work. As of now, nobody cares about me, but that wasn't always the case. Just keep an open mind, and try not to be so cynical. Surely you've met somebody who is genuinely nice towards you. Even if you view them as a friend, or acquaintance, or maybe employee, there must be somebody who cares about you."

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera's eyes flared up at the challenge, "You doubt me? Fine then. I will break into the Department Of Mysteries, next week in fact. Alone. Stop me if you wish." The look in her eyes sharpened. "If you can."

"What kind of test? Well....." Kiera suddenly found herself without words. What was she supposed to say? Adrian had clearly proved that he didn't think of her that way as she was suspecting him to, the way he snapped at her not to touch his hand. And now she came to know that he apparently loved someone else. "Suffice to say that it was a test of feelings."

Then Adrian explained himself to her. Somewhere in a tiny corner of her mind, Kiera found herself understanding and agreeing, and felt a long-dead portion of her awakening, awakening to hope. But she had suffered too long, and she crushed that hope as mercilessly as she would a bug under her sole. "If you have really 'loved', and been 'loved back', then congratulations, you are a fortunate person. But in the world I live in, love has never existed, and it never will." Kiera drew a breath. "Yes I have met people who have been nice to me without any ulterior motives." Her mind flew back to Humphrey working in her shop. "But such people are a rarity, and they would extend the same courtesy to anyone and everyone. I've never truly meant anything to anyone. People are kind to me because they would be kind to anyone else, I've never been anything special to anyone, never held a place in anyone's heart."

[Adrian Castella]

Her eyes flared up, and he smiled. "No, I don't doubt you Kiera. I have a feeling you mean exactly what you say." he replied. "Maybe I should stop you. You'll just have to wait and see whether I show up." Adrian told her. I really should put a stop to her before she does something she'll regret.

Surprisingly, she didn't know what to say. Up until now, he'd thought she had a quick response to everything. Perhaps she wasn't quite as cold and unfeeling as he first thought her. "A test of feelings, interesting. It wasn't you placing your hand on mine that I minded though, it was the way you did it. If you had actually meant it...I might have had a different reaction. But I could tell that you didn't." he said honestly.

Kiera knew how to listen, and he could see her mulling over what he was telling her. She knew how to fight back her emotions, which is what he suspected she was doing now. "Yes, I am fortunate in that regard. Give yourself a chance though Kiera, if you never expect to find love then you won't." he stated. It was the truth, people who didn't give love a chance never found it. "That's very unfortunate, maybe someday you will mean something to somebody. Hold a place in their heart. A rare thing to find though, but I wish you the best of luck. You aren't going to find it if you fight back every emotion that you get though. One of the reasons real love is hard to find is because people are afraid to be vulnerable."

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