And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

[thespaceopera]

The Captcha is upon us, but the party isn't over! Feel free to continue your threads here, start new ones, and continue the dance party!

- Original Mingle
- OOC Post

[[OOC: Wait for Sections! Sections are up! Feel free to use the section prompts or make your own! We'd also advise against just linking back to your original mingle post for the sake of players with slower computers.]]

Comments

[astrobleme]

[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...]

[winn]

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. ]

[astrobleme]

[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.

[winn]

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

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

[astrobleme]

[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...

[winn]

[ 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.

very sorry for the delay!

[astrobleme]

[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...

don't worry about it! <3

[winn]

[ 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.

[astrobleme]

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.

[winn]

[ 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?

[astrobleme]

[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.

[winn]

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.