[ Well, she figures Odette is mostly right.... when was the last time Giselle ever burned someone with water that was too hot, or served them a drink that was only lukewarm? She has a sense for these things, even if she can actually sense the temperature itself. She sighs, tilting her chin down — more out of an attempt to let go of some of her nerves than anything else. ]
Perhaps that is just what I am used to... [ It's still hard for her to let go of her training, sometimes. She's getting better, but 600 years is a long time to be one way. Gently, she pats the lip of the tub next to her, beckoning Odette over silently. ] But I don't mean for this to be a formal affair. Rather, the opposite.
[ She trails off, closing her eyes briefly, brows knitted, as though straining against something. Let it never be said that Giselle does anything flippantly; while she carries out most of her day to day actions with grace, there's always intent behind her every blink and word, every movement of her hand. Here, too, there's visible effort going towards spilling each word — the only difference is that she's showing that effort rather than bury it. A sliver of her humanity wrenched back. ]
...I have something I must show you. [ The words have to be pushed out like a stubborn splinter, but she does it anyway, her ghostly heartbeat quickening. More shyly: ] If I'm to be at your side... I want you to see all of me. Else — I don't think I'll ever have the courage to be looked at.
[ She needs to intentionally show Odette the marks she bears, they're not things that can or should be seen in passing. After all this time, she's still too afraid to be perceived and judged in such a way. Only like this can she stomach it. ]
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Perhaps that is just what I am used to... [ It's still hard for her to let go of her training, sometimes. She's getting better, but 600 years is a long time to be one way. Gently, she pats the lip of the tub next to her, beckoning Odette over silently. ] But I don't mean for this to be a formal affair. Rather, the opposite.
[ She trails off, closing her eyes briefly, brows knitted, as though straining against something. Let it never be said that Giselle does anything flippantly; while she carries out most of her day to day actions with grace, there's always intent behind her every blink and word, every movement of her hand. Here, too, there's visible effort going towards spilling each word — the only difference is that she's showing that effort rather than bury it. A sliver of her humanity wrenched back. ]
...I have something I must show you. [ The words have to be pushed out like a stubborn splinter, but she does it anyway, her ghostly heartbeat quickening. More shyly: ] If I'm to be at your side... I want you to see all of me. Else — I don't think I'll ever have the courage to be looked at.
[ She needs to intentionally show Odette the marks she bears, they're not things that can or should be seen in passing. After all this time, she's still too afraid to be perceived and judged in such a way. Only like this can she stomach it. ]