Haphephobia - The Fear of Touch

01:06] Setsuna followed after Adar!
(Setsuna Ukitake)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:06] Adar Gutt asks, "Why are you following me?"
[01:08] "I thought we were friends?"

Of course she had noticed his aversion, as well as lack of friendliness. However, she had ignored it, pretended it didn't exist. In hopes that the awkwardness would go away.

Taking Keitaro's advice to heart, however, she confronted it.

"Why are you mad at me?"
(Setsuna Ukitake)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:16] Perhaps it was the substances somewhat wearing out, putting him in a sweet spot. But Adar was speaking his mind openly, and not falling victim to the awkwardness and discomfort that characterized him so strongly while lucid. For a moment, strangely enough, as well as completely out of the blue, Adar confronted himself.

"We are." The astronavigator confirmed, turning to meet her. "But I'm jealous. Very much so. I can't handle it."

It was true, all too true. The young man wasn't just illuminating her, but the both of them. Slowly, he snapped back to feeling contemptuous of himself. This was all made visible in his facial features, no filter was held.

"If you already have it this rough when I'm being elusive, imagine if I wasn't! It'd be horrible, I can asure you." Slowly, he'd start stuttering once more. Rambling, instead of correctly elaborating.

"I can't put you through that. And I can't bear that for so long, it'd kill me to."

Adar sounded apologetic once more, almost self-pitying.
(Adar Gutt)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:20] It seemed Keitaro's suspicions had been right on the money. All the same, though, it was hard for Setsuna to wrap her head around. Romance, crushes, and the like were something which she simply didn't understand.

Out of her depth, out of her element, her countenance clearly showing the fact that she was very flustered.

"Don't be jealous!"

The Qilin's voice raised, as she stood a bit taller now.

"It's stupid, it's silly. I like you just like I do any other friend. No one is better than you and you're not better than anyone else. You're Adar."

"You're my friend, and that's how I like it. That's how I want it to be."

Her gaze shifted, before snapping back to him.

"Do you understand? I need rest... And so do you."
(Setsuna Ukitake)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:32] Adar actually huffed through his nose, then laughed ironically. Taking one step back and offering a half assed, mocking shrug. Mocking himself. Mocking her, too.

"Thank god you said that, now I can just be not-jealous. That solves everything!" After his gesture was over, the young man brought a hand to his face and pinched the space between his eyebrows.

His expression was pained. He kept doing this for just over a dozen seconds before his whole body language started becoming worse. A halo of opacity would round up around him, an ominous aura. It wasn't magic however, but more of an image drawn by his psyche.

"I can't…" Adar mumbled, there was an air of agony to it all. Deep down, something would scream for help. "...It's all the same to me too, Setsuna."

Still tormented by this murmur, the astronavigator turned on his heel and slowly started to walk away. "You're right, everything's fine. Doesn't matter."

He lied his way out, sluggishly pacing west. Trying to stop himself from having to lean on the wall for balance.

Yet, his acting was the furthest away possible from impecable.
(Adar Gutt)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:35] Setsuna said nothing, merely listening to him speak. On the inside, she could very well understand his pain. It would be heart-wrenching, despite his act of bravado.

"I'll come see you later."

Perhaps it was best for the both of them to rest, to sleep off their drunken behavior. Any more arguing now would not help anything, only further escalate an already growing problem.

So as he left, she too made her way to the north. Probably off to sleep, or something.
(Setsuna Ukitake)