"I..."
>You stutter like a jackass
"Did...did she say she was...uh, like, um...unhappy with me or something?"
>"Not at all"
>Opera gives you a reassuring smile
>>"Mhm. She seemed a bit confused and lost. Like, relationshipwise. She said she's a bit unclear on if she does like you back the way you like her."
"O-oh.."
>>"And she was kind of wondering how we'd coped, being in a somewhat similar situation and so on."
"I...see. How *did* you? I mean, you told us the basics, but, well, refresh my memory please?"
>He does
>With Opera supplementing wherever necessary
>You nod in understanding
"I think I see."
>You mull it over for a bit
"What would you guys have done if you didn't go over as well as you did?"
>They shrug
>>"No idea."
>"Yeah. Truth be told, we got absurdly lucky. Sorry we can't be of more assistance"
>She gives a sad little smile
>Then perks up again
>"Oh, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. As in, the both of you, plural."
>"Heh. Yeah. Besides, the 'friendzone' is mostly bullshit, and hell, even if you do get into it, that's still not a bad thing. I mean, we're friends, and I like that quite a lot. And hey, if your significant other isn't also your friend, you're gonna have a bad time."
>You raise your eyebrow
>You hadn't thought of it like that before
"I..hm. Yeah. So...speaking of, maybe I shoul-"
>"Yeah. You should"
>She gives a little wink
>You give your goodbyes, then head home
>Your mind's racing with the possibility of both a relationship and the very real option of not having your love requited
>It hurts, but what hurts more, you imagine, is the uncertainty
>You try to pre-accept that she's not into you like that
>It'll hurt less that way, right?
>Can't hurt *more*
>You sigh and just empty your mind, enjoying the wind whipping both your hair and your wispy strands of neckbeard about
>You realize you're in that numb place again, where nothing seems to affect you at the moment, but rather does later
>A bit like the 'Impervious to pain' ability from HoMM VI
>But you digress
>If anything, you fear your soul will look like Necropolis after this
>A cold, desolate wasteland
>As you're stewing in your own melodrama, you arrive back home
>You notice the lock's open
>It's probably Saff
>But in case it's not, you dial 91 on your phone
>You enter
>And find Saff on the bed, reading 'neuromancer'
>"Hey, Anon!
>She slams the book shut and bounds over to you, nuzzling your legs
>Oh yeah, you just now notice she's in pony form
>Interesting
>Sort of
"Uh, yeah, hi."
>"Where ya been?"
"Opera and Anon two's place"
>"Oh. Funny thin-"
"Yeah, I know, that's kind of why they called me over. They told me everything"
>That came out a lot more dramatic than you intended
>Your tone sharper than you'd anticipated
>She doesn't seem that fazed though
>"Mmhm. Yeah, sorry I left without you, you just looked tired as all hell; and I needed time and help to figure out how I feel. That's better than rushing into something unprepared, right?"
>She gives you an unreadable look
>You can tell it's something like sympathy or something up that alley
"And...?"
>You hear your voice shaking just the tiniest bit
>"If I may be characteristically blunt?"
"Mhm"
>"For lack of a better word, I'm...I guess friendzoning you. I'm sorry. Nothing personal or anything, I'm just not good with relationships."