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Eula was very very beautiful.
In all honesty, that was an understatement. Beautiful simply didn't do her enough justice. Stunning, perhaps? Breathtaking? Gorgeous? Irresistible? Heavenly? Insanely bewitching?
No, it didn't work. No words could truly describe how drop dead gorgeous Eula Lawrence was. For someone as socially lacking as Albedo, communicating this was not an option, even to himself.
He admired Eula from afar. He never said anything. What could he say? And most of all, why would he say it?
Eula was a strong woman, one of the most independent Albedo had ever seen.
He loved that.
Eula was hard working, self determined, self sufficient...Eula was unconventional, alike Albedo. That was attractive.
Regarding Eula's personality, it was nothing short of elegance. Most seen her as self obsessed, desiring nothing more than to prove her worth. But Albedo didn't mind that. He wasn't competitive, he would gladly give her praise but Eula Lawrence did not take that. She didn't need it. She could only prove that she was worthy via her own actions, Albedo knew the way she thought. He'd spent long enough thinking about her and how she perceived things.
How she perceived things was unique, or as people would say behind her back, weird.
But Eula did not care.
She was higher regarded than them. She didn't need their opinions. That was something incredibly rare to find in a person. Such self fulfillment was admirable.
Albedo didn't know how it happened, but he found himself quickly attatched.
First, it was her personality. A beautiful, elegant woman.
And her looks? They were nothing less. Eula Lawrence had no shortcomings here. Definitely not.
She was tall, another unconventional feature Albedo grew attached to. Albedo was small himself and although he never seemed to care beforehand, he actually liked Eula towering over him. Another sign of her dominating personality. Albedo felt crazy for such admiration.
Her hair was gorgeous. The way it moved, the shape. The way her hair moved with her was nothing like Albedo had seen before. He was smitten.
And...her body? Albedo, surely not Albedo, would be looking into her in such a way. Surely not, right?
Albedo swore to keep that bit of admiration to himself. It was nothing bad, of course, at least not to Albedo. He was embarrassed at first. He swore it was an artistic standpoint, she was just a very pleasing shape. A good ratio. It was nothing sexual.
But then Albedo couldn't excuse some of his artwork. It started with a few light sketches, some of Eula dancing, some of her fighting, some of her mannerisms, etc. Albedo noted it all.
But then, Albedo focused even more.
Eula Lawrence was indeed a very beautiful woman.
Her hips, for a start, were amazing. How did Eula manage to access that much curve? And then her thighs? How were they so captivating? Albedo wasn't a person to stare, as he'd learnt it was rude, but Eula made that extremely hard.
Her legs, too. As a whole. Her legs furthermore accentuated the affect of her height. Her long, soft, glowing legs.
Albedo shouldn't stare. He couldn't stare.
Unless, of course, she didn't know.
When Albedo thought of it like that, it was creepy. Albedo didn't like that. He had no ill intention, right? Either way, he kept this part of him hidden for a very long time.
Meanwhile, he drew Eula. Well, Albedo drew many things but he tended to draw from view. Now, Albedo drew Eula so much he could replicate her perfectly.
Albedo focused on all the small details. From the way her suit stretched over her assets to the way her eyes reflected in different lightings.
Eula Lawrence was extremely beautiful.
How could Albedo concentrate?
It started with one sketch, a simple sketch of admiration. Then another, just to perfect his overall judgment on anatomy. Then another one, Eula was specifically gorgeous when she smiled. Albedo wanted to capture the rare moment.
Soon enough, Albedo had many sketches. Albedo had sketchbooks of Eula. Many of them. Albedo had to dedicate full sketchbooks to Eula drawings, although sometimes he would mindlessly sketch her in his usual books. Just on the side of some diagrams, here there and everywhere. Sometimes it was her face, sometimes her lips, other times her eyes and on rare occasions, her body.
Albedo never understood his infatuation with Eula. Of course, she was exceptionally attractive but...Albedo didn't ever think his liking for Eula would go this far.
So far that now, Eula Lawrence was in front of him. She was holding one of the multiple sketchbooks he had filled with his obsession of her.
Albedo was finished. Eula would curse him out any moment now.
"Are these yours?", Eula didn't seem angry yet. Albedo wasn't one for nervous behaviour but he couldn't help but swallow uncomfortably.
"I-", Albedo wasn't the type to stutter, "Uhm. I don't know," He wasn't the type to lie either.
Eula done nothing for a moment, she didn't even take the time to look at Albedo. She flicked through the pages, nodding to herself every now and then. Eula could appreciate artistry in all forms.
"So whose might these be then? I don't suppose Klee has taken a new found liking to art," Eula scoffed with a playful look.
Uncomfortable. Albedo was uncomfortable. He was nervous, scared even. He didn't say anything. He didn't avoid her gaze, but her question, he did not want to answer.
Eula continued to scan the pages.
What had Albedo drawn? He'd forgot. There were too many sketchbooks to say which one she was inspecting.
"They're all of me, huh?"
Albedo couldn't take it anymore, rushing over to try and take it from her hands. His pride was destroyed enough already.
"Eula- it's just practice sketches- it's nothing like that," Albedo, despite being oblivious to social implications, was fully aware of what they were here.
"Did I ever say it was?", Eula snapped sharply, letting Albedo clumsily flip the book from her hands.
What was supposed to be a save of the small amount of pride Albedo had left, turned into much worse.
"Is that-"
Yes. Yes it was that. That was Eula Lawrence's ass.
"I-It's not what you think-", Albedo flustered with the idea that Eula was going to see this. He should have known better than to leave his sketchbook open carelessly.
Eula stuck her arm out to guard the book, allowing herself to pick it up again.
"I didn't know you liked...Well."
Didn't know he liked what? Women? What had she seen?
"Eula, please can I have it back-", Albedo tried to remain indifferent but he was far past that. No one could stay straight faced in such an embarrassing situation.
"Why?"
"Because- Well- I-...It's mine?", Why did Albedo even need to think about that?
"But I like them. I want to see them," Eula told him, flicking to the next page, "Although I'm not sure why you drew them. They're wonderful. You have a talent, I can acknowledge that. It's very respectable," Eula kept herself formal for the time being as a guard for her overwhelming sense of appreciation.
No one seemed to admire Eula, not that Eula expected them to. She was so used to being shunned or sometimes even praised out of what she believed was pity. This, however, was more Eula's love language.
The two of them were never good communicators.
"Well- Thank you- but they're my private drawings. I'd prefer if-"
"Of me in my private time," Eula interrupted, leaving Albedo stunned. He kept his gaze away from her, a sense of embarrassment and guilt overcoming him.
Eula stayed silent. Albedo remained the same. The only noises that could be heard was the small little flicks of the pages and Albedo stood there, watching it all.
"This is an interesting perspective. I didn't know someone like you had these thoughts, Albedo."
He wanted to deny it. He really did. But Eula and him both knew that was a lie.
"I- Sorry. I can stop drawi-"
"Why?"
Silence yet again.
"I like your skills. I guess I never saw myself as...inspiring."
Almost instantly, Albedo responded, "You're immensely inspiring," Albedo wanted to say that for so long, "You're a pleasure to captivate. I got ahead of myself."
Eula wanted to thank him, but her pride forbade that.
"I'm glad I could inspire you," She responded, a newfound softness lingering in her tone, "I wouldn't be against inspiring you more."
Albedo turned red, with anyone else, this would have been fine, but Eula?
"What do you mean?"
Eula's lips curved into a rare expression Albedo got to see. It was short. Only for a moment. It soon turned into her signature smirk, as playful as before.
"Well, you wanted to explore my body, didn't you?"
…
"Underneath the clothes?"
Albedo's eyes widened, "Well- I- Guess? From-"
"From an artistic standpoint, of course," Eula played into his small delusion for now. It served a comfort to Albedo, something he didn't get in this conversation.
"I guess that would be nice."
Albedo would love that. He wouldn't say that though. It really wasn't a sexual thing, Albedo just...admired Eula's outstanding beauty. She always had an irreplaceable elegance about her, that even Albedo felt somewhat intimidated by every now and then.
"Then how about we started?"