☀️ Arselia and Akonia

— That’s a beautiful name, quite rare. I’ve never heard it before. Where are you from?

Definitely not a Drearian. Just a greenhorn who read some “pickup” techniques in some cheap book for 30 rems. Perhaps a Drearian would have been a more preferable conversationalist in this case. Maybe someone might find Gorazd’s awkward approach endearing, but certainly not Alaria.
— Beautiful, — the Thanarian agreed, — but before we continue our conversation, I’ll state upfront that I’m not looking for a relationship right now, just to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
The warrior wasn’t lying. When you’ve just arrived in a foreign world and are risking your life, it would be extremely unfair to the other person to try to build a relationship. When death lurks around every corner, there’s not much room for romance. Some people in such a situation might even feel an increased desire for romantic, or at least physical, intimacy, but Alaria hadn’t observed that in herself. However, even if we disregard all external reasons, Gorazd simply wasn’t interesting to her in that way