"I… well, let's just say that I came from a faraway place."
Raghnall raised an eyebrow as a complaint about her vagueness.
"How far away?"
Inna didn't want to talk anymore about it but for some reason, probably due to the minute alcohol still in her system, she still answered him.
"Just a place called… Earth?"
Her statement sounded like a question at the end, showing her uncertainty as she answered. But Raghnall didn't seem to notice her tone as he bombarded her with more questions.
But after listening for a short while, her mind ached from all his questions that she winced in pain. When she finally couldn't take it, she stared him down as she cut him off with a question of her own.
"Why do you want to know all of a sudden?"
Raghnall gave her an obvious look as he sighed.
"Didn't I tell you that you should be more amazed at the fact that I just asked now? I mean, you--"
"I answered you when I told you where I came from. So, why are you asking more questions?"
Raghnall gave her a sulking look as he whined.
"Do you really not want to tell me more?"
Inna sighed as her gaze softened.
"It's not like I don't want to tell you but it's more like I want to know why you suddenly wanted to know more about me. Back then, even when I talked about these things, you'd just listen and not question it any further. You just take what I give and I do the same, y'know?"
Without much thinking, Raghnall bursted out the real reason he had in his mind.
"Well, it's different back then. If you asked me a year ago, I would have respected anything you'd have told me. Now, I realized that I like…"
When he saw Inna's eyes show a hint of fear, he finally realized what he was about to say and he immediately stopped himself. After a short pause to compose himself, with a small tremble of his lips, he smiled before continuing as though nothing happened.
"… listening to other people's stories. A-after all, I told you a bit of mine earlier so it's about time you tell me a bit of yours."
His smile didn't seem to reach his eyes as he finished. He didn't know why but seeing the fear become replaced with relief in Inna's eyes after he spoke made him have a heavy feeling in his chest.
Meanwhile, Inna didn't seem to notice his change of attitude. Instead, she wanted to laugh at herself for actually thinking he was going to confess to her.
My god, how embarrassing. She actually thought that was the case and panicked for a moment.
Damn, what's gotten into her? Why would she even think that a handsome and talented guy like Raghnall would like her enough to confess?
She must be getting delusional because of the alcohol. There's no way he'd actually do that. He's most likely only with her because he found her intriguing and he's too kind to leave such a cute, pretty, and weak little lamb alone.
Inna snorted in amusement at the thought.
Raghnall took her amused snort as a sign that she didn't believe what he said so he tried to convince her.
"I'm serious! I just want to know about your life in that place called… Earth?"
Inna almost bursted out laughing at how he pronounced the word.
He totally copied her uncertainty back when she said it!
"It's not 'Earth?', it's 'Earth.'"
Raghnall raised an eyebrow in confusion but he still followed.
"Earth. Okay. Earth. As I said, I just wanted to know about your life on… Earth. And I'm especially curious about how you were as a child. Were you always like this ever since then?"
Inna narrowed her eyes at him as she clarified one thing.
"What do you mean by 'this'?"
Finding her question ridiculous, Raghnall gave her a flat look as he quipped.
"By 'this,' I meant you and your craziness. I can only imagine the number of enemies you've accumulated over the years if you were the same crazy animal back when you were just a child."
Inna rolled her eyes at him before chuckling.
"Well, sorry to disappoint you, little ragdoll. I'm wasn't a crazy animal when I was a kid. On the contrary, I was quite a shy, gentle, and cute little doll. I wa--"
Raghnall's loud snort of disbelief cut Inna off.
"You? Shy? Gentle? Are you sure?"
Inna pulled a face at him and before Raghnall could react, she slapped his arm playfully.
"Do you want to know or not?! Because it seems to me that you're not interested, seeing that you're doubting everything I say."
While he caressed his slightly throbbing arm, Raghnall chuckled lightly before he conceded.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop with the commentaries. So please, continue."
Inna shot him a warning glare, daring him to cut her off again, as she resumed.
"As I've said, I was a shy, gentle, and cute little doll. And I do have to admit that I am incredibly different from how I was before, save for the… cute part."
Raghnall snickered and was about to comment something when Inna gave him a warning glare that made him instantly stop and straighten up.
Then, she continued on.
"Anyways, yeah, I was a timid child, okay? That's mainly because in my whole childhood, I've always been by myself so I never got used to people being around me."
Raghnall didn't expect this kind of story so he could help himself and asked a question.
"You're all alone? Your whole childhood? What about your parents? Were they not there with you?"
Inna was planning to end her little story session there and to change the topic because she felt as though he'll see her as strange if she were to continue on. But for some reason, she wanted to tell him more.
Well actually, she just wanted to tell someone, anyone, of her story.
Maybe it's because she's starting to become afraid of the fact that no one else would ever know the real old 'her' for the rest of her life in this new world?
And that maybe she's afraid that if she were to die in this new world, no one would ever know her as Inna Lovenhart but instead would just see her as Ingrid Lidden?
Or maybe it's the alcohol still affecting her reasoning again?
She didn't know the real reason behind the feeling she felt but nevertheless, she felt like talking more about herself even though she knew that she should stop.
So, with a deep breath, she decided to end her internal battle as she chose to follow what she felt.