Caius laughed a little.
"Thank you for your glowing remarks on my qualities but I HAVE known rejection," he said.
Doran scoffed.
Caius shrugged.
"Itâs true," he said and there was an earnestness in his words that managed to cut through Doranâs skepticism.
Caius might have been blessed with all those features and attributes Doran so eloquently listed out but he had lived years in his past life with even fewer chances with ladies than Doran currently had.
Caius continued.
"People get rejected for various reasons. Itâs not always because theyâre inadequate. Affection might simply not be mutual and thatâs fine. You dust yourself off and itâs on to the next to try again until you find that near-perfect match."
Doran smirked and there was less of an antagonistic edge to his words as he said,
"And I suppose, you just happen to have gotten lucky three times so far?"
Caius shrugged.
"The point is, they accepted my affection. Youâll find those who will accept yours as well. You canât let one rejection turn you bitter.
You canât let one rejection cause you to undo the progress youâve made thus far with your self-esteem."
As he said the last sentence, Caius looked over at Doran showing how he was now turning the conversation to the actual reason Doran had sought him out.
Doran, however, refused to have the conversation changed.
"If you knew her heart was taken, why wouldnât you just say that?" He asked, "Why would you encourage me to go for it?"
"I donât think I âencouragedâ you," Caius said, blanking on when he had actively told Doran to go for it rather than just be passive to the idea.
"W-Well, you certainly didnât stop me," Doran said.
"Why would I stop you?" Caius asked, "Itâs not really my place to tell you someoneâs heart is taken. I canât reject you on Aylinâs behalf. Thatâd be silly. You had to face her yourself, tell her how you feel, and hear her response *from* her.
Weâre more than grown enough for that."
Also, Caius had felt like telling Doran how Aylin felt and acting like her mouthpiece would be too much like what Baler had done in [To Kill A Demon Lord...]. Doran needed to face the object of his affection, profess those affections, and be ready for whatever response he would get.
Doran winced when Caius was talking and he raised a hand to his midsection, rubbing against what was clearly a sore spot from Aylinâs attacks.
"Sorry you got hurt," Caius said.
Doran seemed to realize what he had been âcaughtâ doing and took his hand away from his midsection, clearing his throat.
"Itâs nothing."
"I take it, you didnât defend yourself," Caius said.
"Never even came to mind," Doran said with a smile that twitched as he winced even more.
"Not excusing what she did but, pro-tip, âLoveâ is a pretty strong word for a first-time confession," Caius said.
"Iâll keep that in mind for next time," Doran said with a short laugh that stuttered a bit as he tried to avoid Caiusâs eyes and added,
"You know, for the next girl."
"Hmm, so thatâs it for the Aylin pursuit?" Caius said.
"Probably," Doran said but it sounded more like a definite that he just didnât want to commit to yet.
Not that it mattered anyway.
Caius nodded.
"Well, getting struck with icy rods while your classmates laugh would certainly put a dampener on any affection. No matter how great," he said with as much/as little levity as the moment required.
Doran smiled.
"Yeah, I canât deny that that influenced my decision. But overall, Iâve just had the time to thinkâin between feeling sorry for myselfâthat I just might not know Aylin Khione enough to profess my interest in her.
And the little Iâve learned shows she can be cruel and callous. Rejecting me is her right. Physically hurting me is not. If things already start off that way, who knows what the future might hold even if I do get her to accept."
"Oh, I donât know, some people like the pain. They think itâs what makes things... fun," Caius said with a shrug.
"Well, no offense, but âsome peopleâ are fucking dumb," Doran said.
"Perhaps," Caius answered slowly.
There was something about his tone that made Doran look to the side at him.
"Oh," Doran said, "I didnât know you were wired that way. My apologies. I can see why you and Aylin will get along."
Caiusâs lips twitched but he couldnât even deny what Doran said. Sure, pain wasnât exactly his kink, but he didnât hate the idea of engaging in multiple fisticuffs with Delia and letting her get in some hits in the tango of desire they were currently engaged in. Also, he had once enjoyed getting bitten in a very sensitive and private area, so really, who knows?
He chuckled then.
"Well, thank you," he said.
Doran nodded mostly halfheartedly realizing what kind of freak he might be calling a friend. And that was what Caius was; A friend.
"Are you feeling better now?" Caius asked, "Are you again secure about your place at Lochxen?"
"Yeah," Doran nodded, "Yeah, I think I am."
"I really hope your resolve wonât be shaken every time a girl tells you no. Statistically, youâre likely to still hear a couple more of those before you find your person," Caius said in a sagely voice.
It was something a friend once told him in his past life after his first rejection;
âKeep your chin up, buddy, there are many more to come.â
It sounded somewhat insensitive but it was the truth. One simply must accept it and be open to rejection and also be capable of walking away when it comes.
âDid my life as Kevin prepare me more for this world and this life than I thought?â Caius asked himself.
"That doesnât make me feel better," Doran said.
"What doesnât make you feel better?" Caius asked, confused after getting a bit lost in thought.
"That thereâll be more rejections in my future," Doran said.
"The odds show it to be so. Iâm just telling it as it is," Caius said mostly in jest.
"Well, I donât
like
the odds," Doran said.
"Fair enough. You CAN take steps to beat the odds then," Caius said.
"How so?"
"When next you like a girl, get to know her better. Get closer to her. Actually have had a few conversations with her. Gauge any possible interest she might have in you.
The more assured you are about how she feels, the more likely you are to have her accept your confession.
Rather than just blurting it out in a room of your peers to someone whoâs practically a stranger."
"Wow," Doran said sounding mind-blown and he was only partly joking. Everything Caius had said was common sense and clearly a bit mocking of his approach with Aylin but still, he felt he learned something.
Caius smiled and let the moment of levity settle in more before his expression became a bit more serious.
"And when that moment does come, I beg that you never settle," Caius said.
Doran heard the shift in tone and his smile became a bit stiffer as he looked to the side at Caius.
"What?" He asked.
Caius kept that serious tone as he said.
"You have a lot of good qualities. Your humble background is one of those good qualities, not a detractor from it. If nothing, it highlights how hard youâve worked to be here and places you a step above your peers whether you see it or not.
Whoever you choose to confess your affections to next, please let it be someone who sees and understands that about you."
Having gotten Doran started on the path to avoid a devastating future, Caius felt it was only right for him to caution him on partner selection. On that front, [To Kill A Demon Lord...] could not help because that story had gone in a different direction.
Doran took in the words. Took in what they meant and then laughed.
"Then I guess I must look away from Lochxen then," he said like he couldnât fathom finding someone with those qualities among his classmates who were all of Noble birth.
Caius shrugged.
"Maybe," he said, not willing to speak in absolutes, and paused a few seconds before he added,
"But you never can tell."