Instead, the boy stays right there at her side, chuckling along with her huffing laughter, even if he can't possibly understand just why Alicia reacted the way that she did. And more than that, she shows her disfigured face to him and he only continues to gaze upon her instead of politely averting his eyes. Seconds pass by, but there's no outright horror or gentle pity that blooms in Yusuke's expression, just something so much warmer. An artist's appreciation, perhaps, looking through the monstrous to find the flicker of beauty within it.
The thought that anyone might look into a face like hers and discover something beautiful there feels so completely unlikely, but Alicia doesn't mind humoring this boy. He seems harmless, just another passionate artist, and Alicia finds that more familiar than anything.
So he mentions that he understands why she isn't speaking and Alicia offers Yusuke a smile in return, nodding her head along in affirmation, a curt little tip of her chin forward. But then he asks how else they might communicate and, without warning, Alicia leans forward into Yusuke's space to snatch his sketchbook and pencil off of him. Gloved fingers carefully flip through to the very back of the book to an empty page, where none of Yusuke's precious artwork will be altered, before Alicia scrawls a very quick response down before flipping the book back to show him.]
no subject
Instead, the boy stays right there at her side, chuckling along with her huffing laughter, even if he can't possibly understand just why Alicia reacted the way that she did. And more than that, she shows her disfigured face to him and he only continues to gaze upon her instead of politely averting his eyes. Seconds pass by, but there's no outright horror or gentle pity that blooms in Yusuke's expression, just something so much warmer. An artist's appreciation, perhaps, looking through the monstrous to find the flicker of beauty within it.
The thought that anyone might look into a face like hers and discover something beautiful there feels so completely unlikely, but Alicia doesn't mind humoring this boy. He seems harmless, just another passionate artist, and Alicia finds that more familiar than anything.
So he mentions that he understands why she isn't speaking and Alicia offers Yusuke a smile in return, nodding her head along in affirmation, a curt little tip of her chin forward. But then he asks how else they might communicate and, without warning, Alicia leans forward into Yusuke's space to snatch his sketchbook and pencil off of him. Gloved fingers carefully flip through to the very back of the book to an empty page, where none of Yusuke's precious artwork will be altered, before Alicia scrawls a very quick response down before flipping the book back to show him.]
May I have your name?