[ That is, indeed, exactly why he's here. She knows the risks. She knows what might happen. She'll need him, if it gets to that point.
Kara selects the armor and equips it.
Her outfit immediately turns into something slightly more elegant: A long white dress with ruffles that look a bit uneven, not perfect at the seams. Its imperfections are glaring. Fake lilies are stitched onto the lower half of the dress. She's also in white knee-high boots with heels that don't look super equipped for running in, but this is a video game, so they're probably functional. Finally, her hair is tied up into a ponytail.
Overall, the ensemble isn't bad.
What is, however, is Kara's mortified expression when she catches a glimpse of herself in her new gear.
Nothing Levi can say will change her mind. She doesn't look happy about this at all. ]
[Glaring imperfections or no, Levi's quickly taken with this ensemble. While lilies are a somber topic for him and his brothers, he can't help but note how well Kara wears them.]
[It's beyond horrible to watch, and he feels doubly so for how he reacted. It's not like he could have known the memories attached to that dress, but he can't help but feel bad regardless.
He moves in to comfort her.]
Hey...
[His extended hand momentarily freezes as Kara speaks up. Those words hit him like ice cold water. "She"... He has a pretty good idea of who Kara's talking about there. Someone who would berate her...just like his dad did to him.
Tentatively, he puts a hand on her shoulder and tries to pull her close.]
[With her leaning on him, he shifts to wrap his arms around her in a protective embrace.
This oppressive sense of inferiority...though their circumstances are different, Levi knows it well. He's felt it, even poured it out to Kara. Just like she was there for him in that moment, he's more than willing to do the same for her.
It's hard to tamp down the growing anger inside of him at the same time, though. First it was Barrett with his armor that made him relive horrific memories, and now this... But he manages, with a shaky breath of his own. Kara needs him, and he needs to keep calm.]
Don't say that. [His voice is lowered to a whisper, saddened by her self-deprecation.] Please, don't say you're not good enough.
[He raises a hand to give her head a gentle stroke.]
C'mon, let's... Let's get you out of that and go to the guild home. I'll make you something nice.
[ She can't help it. Reliving this particular memory is a bitter reminder of how she was never going to be the person mom wanted her to be. Any sense of artistry, passion, talent -- none of it was ever enough.
The hand in her hair gets her to calm down, and Levi's gentleness helps to remind her that she's not there anymore. That place is never going to be home to her, not anymore. Home feels better when she attributes it to him instead, anyway. ]
[Levi backs up to give her the space to get her gear situated. Once the dress is gone, he holds out his hand for her to take.
Soon enough, they're back at Fandom Foodies. After guiding Kara to the private room they've been sharing, he disappears for just a moment to grab snacks and craft a tasty little drink for her that should hopefully help her feel better.
Once he's back, he hands everything to her with a small, reassuring smile.]
Here.
[With that, he'll settle next to her to provide a steady presence, until...]
Um, Kara-chan... You know how you listened to me after what happened with the wind? If you need to talk...I wanna listen to you, too. I wanna help.
[ She says it quietly, and she reaches out to take the drink and one of the snacks. The drink looks good, but she's admittedly not thirsty or hungry right now. Still, she'll sip on some of the drink to appease him. It's quite good, even if her expression doesn't make that inherently obvious.
She ends up just looking at her hands afterwards, not really saying anything until Levi speaks. And, like him...she has to wonder how long she can avoid talking about things. How much longer does Levi have to go without knowing the things that have shaped her?
...They can start here, she supposes. ]
My mom was an artist. I...was essentially being raised with the expectation that I would follow in her footsteps. I didn't live up to her expectations. This dress is part of one of the paintings I was proudest of, as a kid. She looked at it, said I needed lessons. Scrutinized a lot of my work that followed after that.
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no subject
Yeah! I am. I went a little hard, haha...but I guess I'm here now, with some cool new armor. And I wanted you to be the first person to see it!
[ She's still grinning. (That smile won't be here for much longer.) ]
So...let's get it out of the way? Maybe we can go exploring together after this?
no subject
[It's...hard, to not also be a little wary. He's well aware of the track record with these "special" gear sets.
But that's part of why he's here. If something goes wrong, Kara's not going to deal with it alone.]
no subject
Kara selects the armor and equips it.
Her outfit immediately turns into something slightly more elegant: A long white dress with ruffles that look a bit uneven, not perfect at the seams. Its imperfections are glaring. Fake lilies are stitched onto the lower half of the dress. She's also in white knee-high boots with heels that don't look super equipped for running in, but this is a video game, so they're probably functional. Finally, her hair is tied up into a ponytail.
Overall, the ensemble isn't bad.
What is, however, is Kara's mortified expression when she catches a glimpse of herself in her new gear.
Nothing Levi can say will change her mind. She doesn't look happy about this at all. ]
1/2
Kara-chan, you look so beau--!
no subject
Kara-chan...?
no subject
She's frozen in place, but a moment passes, and soon, her fingers curl as she brings her hands up to rub at her face. ]
...No. I don't.
[ Sorry, Levi. She's not all here. She doesn't even fully sound like Kara, right now. ]
This is -- imperfect. Hideous. Horrible. ... Words she said to me when I was ...
no subject
He moves in to comfort her.]
Hey...
[His extended hand momentarily freezes as Kara speaks up. Those words hit him like ice cold water. "She"... He has a pretty good idea of who Kara's talking about there. Someone who would berate her...just like his dad did to him.
Tentatively, he puts a hand on her shoulder and tries to pull her close.]
I'm so sorry, Kara-chan. I'm here for you.
no subject
...I...
[ Her breath hitches. ]
I need to unequip this. I can't wear this.
[ She shakes her head. ]
I'm not -- I'm not good enough.
no subject
This oppressive sense of inferiority...though their circumstances are different, Levi knows it well. He's felt it, even poured it out to Kara. Just like she was there for him in that moment, he's more than willing to do the same for her.
It's hard to tamp down the growing anger inside of him at the same time, though. First it was Barrett with his armor that made him relive horrific memories, and now this... But he manages, with a shaky breath of his own. Kara needs him, and he needs to keep calm.]
Don't say that. [His voice is lowered to a whisper, saddened by her self-deprecation.] Please, don't say you're not good enough.
[He raises a hand to give her head a gentle stroke.]
C'mon, let's... Let's get you out of that and go to the guild home. I'll make you something nice.
no subject
The hand in her hair gets her to calm down, and Levi's gentleness helps to remind her that she's not there anymore. That place is never going to be home to her, not anymore. Home feels better when she attributes it to him instead, anyway. ]
...Okay. I...okay. Yes.
[ She unequips the dress quickly. ]
no subject
Soon enough, they're back at Fandom Foodies. After guiding Kara to the private room they've been sharing, he disappears for just a moment to grab snacks and craft a tasty little drink for her that should hopefully help her feel better.
Once he's back, he hands everything to her with a small, reassuring smile.]
Here.
[With that, he'll settle next to her to provide a steady presence, until...]
Um, Kara-chan... You know how you listened to me after what happened with the wind? If you need to talk...I wanna listen to you, too. I wanna help.
no subject
[ She says it quietly, and she reaches out to take the drink and one of the snacks. The drink looks good, but she's admittedly not thirsty or hungry right now. Still, she'll sip on some of the drink to appease him. It's quite good, even if her expression doesn't make that inherently obvious.
She ends up just looking at her hands afterwards, not really saying anything until Levi speaks. And, like him...she has to wonder how long she can avoid talking about things. How much longer does Levi have to go without knowing the things that have shaped her?
...They can start here, she supposes. ]
My mom was an artist. I...was essentially being raised with the expectation that I would follow in her footsteps. I didn't live up to her expectations. This dress is part of one of the paintings I was proudest of, as a kid. She looked at it, said I needed lessons. Scrutinized a lot of my work that followed after that.