A change of self? She didn't quite understand at first what he was alluding to, but she listened so very carefully, expecting some Earth-shattering revelation. At the corner of her peripheral vision, Lord lied down next to her, but she remained transfixed by Alton.
To motivate one another to become better people, that's what she gathered from his nervous speech. She wondered if this meant he was quitting Sacred Sword once and for all, and she wondered if his troubled proposition was an offer of friendship.
'let's motivate each other to…..not...lie to ourselves any more'
It sounded as though he wanted to use this meeting as a chance for both of them to learn to push each other's boundaries, become more open and confident like they were online. Riley, for one, was rather comfortable behind the wall she set up around herself, and never really felt the need to stray beyond that comfort zone.
However... this is something Domino would have wanted. She could almost feel Domino's hand on her shoulder, trying to tell her to let go of the fear, to move forward, and to learn how to be like Lorryth. Headstrong, unwavering... proud.
On any other day, with anyone else, she would have turned down the offer to motivate one another... but maybe now she was finally tired of stagnating her whole life. Maybe, just this once, she had to force herself to be uncomfortable. For Domino.
Yet another minute of silence passed since Alton had stood up suddenly, after which she drew a breath and, despite how low and nearly impossible to hear her voice was right at the moment, she managed to speak.
"I... don't know... what exactly you're implying... but whatever it is", she turned around, looking up at him with her wide bewildered-looking eyes, and added, "...I'm game". Wait no, that sounded silly, no one says 'I'm game' anymore. That must have looked so ridiculous. Saving herself from this pittance of humiliation (which, in her mind, had been greatly inflated) Riley turned away from him. It was when she was pulling her hood forward to further cover her face that she inadvertently made eye contact with the photo of Trevor.
No, I'm not hiding this time, she commanded herself.
Rising to her feet, she turned around and faced Alton once again, making a concerted effort not to let the awkward feeling in her gut get the better of her. Lord got up with her, tail wagging.
"What did... you... have in mind?", she asked, fiddling with her fingerless gloves, and trying hard to sound as calm and casual about it as possible. Honestly, though, she wasn't sure what to expect.