Felix does not soften his approach, even with his girlfriend.
Currently, Dorothea is lounging in his bedroom, seated improperly with her legs over the arms of the chair and her back against the other side, in front of his desk. The swordsman observes as she flips through a paperback without much interest before tossing it on the desk. It lands amid a disarray of documents and open books.
"Should I assume this book has also failed to capture your interest?" he asks, picking it up.
Glancing at the title, Felix restrains himself from rolling his eyes. It is a romance novel. When she first came upstairs, she claimed it was a dissertation and that she needed a quiet place to memorise the enchantments. She said the library was too busy, she did not enjoy reading lying down on the bed, and the courtyard was too hot. He allowed her in reluctantly. Now, flipping through the novel, he acknowledges he should have expected this outcome.
"Naturally," she responds, getting off the chair. "I'm so bored and there's nothing to do."
"What about working on your homework?" he suggests.
She makes a face as if she had tasted something sour. "I would rather read that entire book upside-down and backwards."
He mimics her expression but more subtly, indicating his exasperated displeasure. Then, pretending to think, he snaps his fingers as an idea comes to him.
"You could always leave," he says, clearly satisfied with himself.
She rolls her eyes. "Very funny."
"I wasn't joking. You are welcome to leave, Dorothea. Especially right now. I can even escort you to the door," he replies, placing her novel in the corner of his desk.
This elicits a reaction opposite to what Felix intended. Instead of seeing her look more displeased, her expression turns into a bright and cheerful smile.
"What a lovely idea!" she exclaims, clasping her hands together. "Unfortunately, I must decline your generous offer for a walk today. I feel too tired."
Dorothea sits down again, this time on his desk, dangling her feet off the edge. She looks over her shoulder to grin at him, showing no sign of being affected by his confusion.
This is not the first time his harsh words have had no negative impact on her. Despite his intelligence and determination, the swordsman cannot understand why. If he used such words with anyone else, they would likely leave his office hastily. But not Dorothea.
Short of telling her directly to leave, Felix does not know what might actually deter her. Even then, he suspects such a statement would only encourage her further. Between dealing with this and his work, he finds the former to be more challenging.
"I'm going to take a break," he announces, standing and heading towards the door.
The matter remains unresolved, and he prefers to revisit it later rather than force a solution now.
"Great idea. Where are we going? On a walk?" she asks, hopping off the desk.
"Well, I am. Didn't you say your legs were hurting?"
"Oh!" She pauses briefly to think. "They're all better now. Unless you want to carry me. I wouldn't mind."
Her suggestion earns an amused snort, but Dorothea reasons that if Felix truly did not want her company, he would not be holding the door open for her as he is now.
"Is there anything I can say to deter you?" he wonders aloud.
She considers it for a moment as they walk out of the office together. The swordsman keeps pace beside her as they move down the halls.
"I'm not sure. You could always call Seteth on me. But even if you told me to drop dead, I wouldn't care. I know it's just your way to declare love."
"I didn't realize I spoke a cryptic language…" he mutters, more to himself than to her.
She simply smiles up at him, and when she asks him to repeat himself because she didn't hear, he smiles back and shakes his head.
Felix maintains his firm approach, and he believes he does the same with Dorothea. However, her sweet smile dissipates any earlier tension, leaving him to wonder if there was ever a need for firmness in the first place.