driftfleet | And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

[ ooc: continued from here ]

[ he laughs a little because - wow no one outside the service industry has ever called him sir, he's too ridiculous to be taken that seriously. ]

Just -- Winn is fine.

[ shinji smiles - and winn's smile grows in return. ]

Hey, you're welcome. [ he nods ] I hear that, I made costumes for two friends too, though when I was done I only had time for this - [ gesturing to his jacket. and it was pretty miraculous that he manged to get that much done for himself, too. but it was so worth it - kitty and kara both look so happy in their dresses (and beautiful but that they've got down no matter what they're wearing). ] You must be the fastest seamster alive. [ he's a little jealous. ]

[Shinji can be polite to a fault, or maybe he's just a stickler for mature but arbitrary rules. He doesn't want to be seen as an undisciplined little kid, even though that's... pretty much what he is...

Anyway, he relaxes his stance a little bit--mostly in his shoulders, along his spine. He inspects Winn's dark jacket and says,] It's really clean and neat-looking, [with all the sincerity in the world.] For the yukata, I didn't have to get the measurements super precise like that... [It's a loose, flowing garment on him. He tugs at the sleeves.] And I don't know if I'm all that fast. I just didn't get any sleep last week. I can't recommend not sleeping, that's for sure.

That was a smart move - would've made my life so much easier if I thought of it.

[ only not really, he couldn't make kitty and kara's dresses anything but perfectly fitted. it was worth the work, they look incredible. though...that's more them than the dresses, but the dresses made them happy, and that's worth a sleepless week to him.

it's worth a sleepless life. ]

You mean there's another way to get things done? [ cuz he sure doesn't know it! he may have a slight tendency to obsession and by slight - I mean if he had a month to get these done in he would've skipped on sleeping through most of it and just made them more elaborate. ]

[Kaworu could wear a brown paper bag and Shinji would still think he's the most beautiful person to ever exist... and Asuka isn't that far behind. They've both responded really positively to the yukata, which is its own reward. He's done enough to stress them out before now.]

Haha. That was just my disclaimer; I don't want want to be responsible for someone's sleep schedule. But, yeah, I... if I have something that needs worked on, I'm looking at all-nighters. [At least homework is a thing of the past. That's one thing he doesn't pine for.

After a moment, he asks,] What did you make for your friends?

Don't worry about it, my sleep schedule has been messed up for decades.

[ he nods with a small smile. if it wasn't to work on something, he'd stay up studying, playing video games, binge watching shows and movies...there's always something keeping sleep at bay. ]

Dresses, do you know Kitty Pryde or Kara Danvers?

[Shinji blinks, then shakes his head in reply.] I don't think so. It's, uh-- [It's not like I get out much is what he wants to say. But he's trying not to make the worst first impression ever, for once. That means fewer self-disparaging comments.] There are so many people in the Fleet, I haven't met even half of them yet.

What do their dresses look like?

[ eh, kid's probably still doing better than winn. he tends to get tunnel vision and stick by the people he knows and those who are close by.

which is why getting to make introductions is an exciting new possibility for him - kitty's introducing him to her friends, but so far he's had no one to introduce her to because everyone he knows -- she already does, too! ]

I can introduce you if you want, they're both great. Kara's my best friend from home, and Kitty's - [ his...undefined..romantic...something. they're friends, that they agree on for sure! it's complicated. ] an amazing lady. Kitty's in a blue full-length with a gash over her left leg starting a little over her knee and an open back, and Kara's in a sleeveless red that goes a little beyond the knees.

[As the introvert to end all introverts, Shinji blanches at the idea of meeting more new people. He isn't opposed to the idea, in theory, but he's quickly reaching his quota for socialization. Trying not to be rude, he says,] I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them. Uhm... [It seems like a good time to add,] Kaworu-kun's my best friend from home, too. Asuka's another friend from home. All of us, we were brought here together. They're... really important to me.

[In other words, he's in the middle of a complicated love triangle that no fourteen-year-old should have to deal with.]

Anyway, those dresses sound amazing. Blue has been my favorite color since forever.

Edited 2016-05-10 05:03 (UTC)

[ oh ok judging from the look on the kid's face -- kitty and kara will the end of him, with their overly social tendencies. he smiles sympathetically; he knows what getting nervous around people is like. ]

That's amazing -- I mean, not that you or they got kidnapped but like that you never had to be without each other - [ kitty and kate are right, the disclaimer does get exhausting.

oh if only winn could read between the brackets - he knows a thing or two about uncomfortable love triangles. or. squares even. god, is he happy to be out of it. ]

They came out pretty great. [ he nods, what - they did! he kind of amazed himself with what he accomplished here, ok. ] And blue's a great color. Kara would've gone with blue too but she didn't want her dress to be similar to Kitty's - [ he shrugs - girls, you know? ]

[Kaworu is so much better at engaging with people, that's for sure. Maybe it's his gentle demeanor that makes him not exhausting to be around. Whatever it is, Shinji is grateful for it.]

Yeah, it's... [It's a long story between the three of them. Also, it's complicated. Also, Shinji wishes he had grabbed more chips to snack on.] Yeah. I know what you mean.

[Even though he has nominal experience with girls, he finds himself nodding along with Winn.]

Asuka wanted her obi--this thing, right here-- [He touches the golden yellow sash around his waist.] --to not be plain like mine and Kaworu-kun's. So I got some tassels and stuff to decorate it. [His next exhale is more like a weak, ill-fitting laugh.] I don't... really know how girls think at all, but I think she likes it. [A thoughtful pause.] Seems like you're better versed when it comes to them. [Kind of, sort of fishing for pointers, maybe...]

Edited 2016-05-13 12:04 (UTC)

Dude, nobody knows how girls think. Anyone who says otherwise, is lying.

[ he nods. most of his friends are girls, and he still finds himself completely baffled sometimes. ]

Very sincerely asking when you're confused sometimes works? If it comes off as cute. Otherwise, you can always fall back on ye old smile-and-nod.

[ winn schott: nobody's expert on women. he's an expert on kara, but even there he misses badly at times. ]

[That's disappointing to hear. But it's just as much of a relief. Shinji can't be that far behind the curve if pretty much everyone else is dealing with the same roadblock.] Oh, well... [His cheeks won't be spared a faint blush.] I don't know if that would work on Asuka, but maybe I'll give it a try...

[Asuka's favorite epithet for him is "stupid," so he doesn't have high expectations to begin with.]

Someone once told me that being a good cook's really important. I don't have the augment for it here, though, so it's tough to pull off.

[ oh, he knows that expression well. winn offers him a knowing smile. ]

You guys together? [ that's pretty cute, kid. ]

[Even though Shinji splutters--] No! We're not like that! [--there's a tattletale of a blush on his face. He can't even try to hide it. He looks down at his feet, at the floor, radiating embarrassment all over.] We're just, you know... We're friends, and... we've been through a lot together...

[ oh - he does know. he can't help but smile even more at his display.

he pats his shoulder. ]

Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.

[Oh no. Shinji wanted to seem cool and respectable, not red-faced and hopeless.]

She deserves better--way, way better--than anything she can get from me, so, that's...

[ respectability is a relative term. winn doesn't see anything undignified in shinji's behavior - then again, his own is not that different when he's flustered. ]

Her decision, don't you think? Look I'm here with a woman who's - [ he huffs a small incredulous laugh ] so far out of my league we're not even playing the same game. But she wants to be here with me. I'd be a pretty big jerk to deny her just cuz I think she could do better.

Oh... [Shinji hasn't thought about it that way before now. Yeah, rejection is one of the worst feelings in the world, but Asuka deserves... she deserves...] Well, it's... uh, complicated... more complicated than that. [He makes a sound like nervous laughter.] I'm really living up to the whole reality TV thing with... [And his voice gets smaller and smaller, but he needs to confess something:] I'm stuck between two people.

[ ah, that kind of complicated. his voice takes on a softer shade, and he gives shinji's shoulder a squeeze. he's just a kid, and those dilemmas feel impossible to sort through as an adult. ]

You wanna talk about it?

[Usually, the answer to that question would be a resounding "no." Shinji doesn't want to talk about himself or his problems, mostly for self-preservation reasons. He doesn't want to be burdensome like that. He doesn't want to cause problems. But...

But this has been going on for months. It's grinding him down.]

I don't know. I just--don't want to hurt anyone, believe me. But I'd have an easier time threading a needle with my toes than managing that.

Look in - things like that, someone's always gonna get hurt. But the longer you drag it out, the worse it'll get.

[ he could have spared himself years of torture if he'd have just told kara how he felt right away and gotten that rejection over with. ok, so maybe not right away, he's glad they built a friendship strong enough to endure it first. but even so, this didn't have to be his life for so long. ]

You have to figure out what you want here, and the other person is just gonna have to accept that. Take it from someone who's been rejected plenty - you get over it. What you don't get over is being led on.

And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

for shinji

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very sorry for the delay!

don't worry about it! <3

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