driftfleet | And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

[It had been a bit, so Asuka doesn't scold him for not remembering, just offers up a shrug.] I asked why you were here.

[Not that he doesn't have a right to be anywhere he wants, she supposes; it's just that skulking around the ship and making himself scarce suits him better, same as her. Definitely no one invited him specifically; that's for sure, so he has to be wanting something. It's probably not the fancy cheeses.]

['people watching,' is his automatic response to that--and even if she doesn't recognize the first word, the second one is pretty self-explanatory. just here to observe. no big deal.

but he glances away, back toward the ballroom, after he answers. because of course that doesn't come close to being the actual, whole truth. that's just the response he'd prepared for the normal people that might try to talk to him while he's here. and she's admitted enough embarrassing things in even the last ten minutes to maybe earn more. on top of that, she's still talking to him, and that counts for a lot. so, after thinking about it for another minute, he shrugs a shoulder.

'f-a-m-i-l-i-a-r,' comes next, and he waves a dismissive hand over his shoulder, indicated something far behind him. the past is way back there somewhere.]

Familiar? [And a frown. He comes off as so scruffy, almost like a stray animal. Asuka's not sure what a guy like him would have ever done in a place like this before.]

You used to go to events like this? [As usual, she can tell she's on the verge of asking too many questions for him to sign responses to at once. In this case, though, it's half to distract herself from what she's already told him. She adjusts the flowers pinned around her patch.]

Don't tell me you know how to dance.

[she might be piling up the questions, but he might sort of answer them all with the way he recoils from the subject of dancing. it's a very knowing grimace, and he forms the (probably familiar by now) sign for 'don't-like'... which is not a no.

there are actually a great many skills he'd learned in his apparently-refined former life that he knows but does not particularly enjoy.

she should see what he can do with a harp.]

[Asuka's mouth curves upward just slightly. Her facial muscles over the last few months have gotten a workout as she's started to remember how to do things besides frown and shout. Yeah, he knows how to dance. He definitely knows.]

Me, too.

[That better not come as much of a surprise as her having a friend did. If it does, well, maybe she's not above teasing him for having a skill like that under his belt.] I was in the air force. Military. [That's a quick amend.] I only got to dance at one ball before now.

[yeah, he won't dare tease her for that one. he doesn't want that to come around to bite him back.

and he starts to explain himself with the sign for 'family,' before he remembers that she might not know that one, and it would kind of be a long-winded explanation anyway. so, he's quick to drop it for something else.

instead, he spells out 's-i-l-l-y,' which sums up his feelings on the whole subject pretty well.]

It's not silly. It's a sign of culture. [Something fellow weirdos generally don't have. Her mouth twitches, and on impulse, she hops right on up to sit on the balcony rail, legs dangling idly. It's not as if falling would be too dangerous.]

You let people underestimate you.

[a sign of culture--that's what his mother had said about it. he'd always thought the concept was ridiculous, especially in light of everything else she'd put her children through. who had time to think about culture while learning how to end and manipulate lives?

he doesn't openly scoff, though. he'll let her have this one.

and just about when he's idly wondering if the fabric of her outfit is slippery enough for her to accidentally fall, and running through the casual tally of what kind of damage a tumble from a balcony might do to someone if they fell just right, she surprises him with that statement.

he blinks for a moment... but then replies with a very slight nod. because, she's exactly right. why try to hide it at this point? so, he makes his little admission and joins her at the railing, propping his arms and peering down over the edge.]

[Asuka stays silent for a little bit, mulling herself, toying again with the flowers she's wearing in her pigtails. Soft things never suited her very well, not even when she really was a kid. She always looked a little too mean and a little too uncomfortable to be smoothed out by something as simple as a pretty dress. At least, that's how she's always felt, forever gawky and angular.]

Why? Does it make it easier? [Swing, swing. She knocks her heel on the rail at one point, but barely winces.] Or do you just not like people?

[Honestly, she couldn't blame him for either.]

[he could nod to either (or both) of those options, and it wouldn't be a lie. they're both true statements, but they're not the reason why. it started somewhere else, long before those other factors ever came into play.

summing it up into something he can fingerspell doesn't come easy, though. he watches her kick her feet like a child while he thinks about it. she really does remind him of someone, sometimes. a couple of someones.

finally, he spells 't-r-a-i-n-i-n-g.' because his little underestimation game is that intentional.]

Were you a spy?

[She'll have to nab those sign language books sometime for some further study. It's got to be tedious for him to literally spell everything out for her, even if Asuka doubts that learning more signs would make him be too much more talkative. Her short conversations with him feel more like exchanges of information, tradeoffs more than discussions. She's okay with that.]

[She takes a needless, maskless breath, shrugging her shoulders. It's an odd gesture for her, a little too relaxed to fit.]

To not like people, you enjoy paying attention to them.

[even carrying on this much discussion is a relatively recent development for him. when he'd lost his tongue, it was meant to be a forfeit of all rites to communication. that vow has obviously slipped over recent years, but he still wouldn't know how to have a real conversation to save his life.

not with words, anyway. he's much more well-versed in silent communication.

which is maybe one of the reasons he watches other people so much. he doesn't really answer her question, which is maybe a little incriminating in itself, and just watches her from the side instead. and as such, he does notice her uncommonly loose little mannerisms, but he doesn't think too hard about it before making a guess.

instead of responding to anything else she's saying, he points curiously (or suspiciously) at her cup.]

[Asuka blinks for a minute, not realizing what he's getting at, before it hits her. She snorts, holding out the half-full cup.]

I'm not drunk. Do you really think anyone would serve me alcohol? [They didn't. She had to steal this drink.]

[he shrugs, because it sure has happened before. not all planets have the same rules regarding that sort of thing, after all. he has experienced that one firsthand.

...it also doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to believe that she'd steal herself some. it's just a guess.

and he doesn't offer a different guess, so he's maybe standing by this one until told otherwise.]

[Well, he's not changing his mind. Asuka doesn't say anything for awhile, but she does glare (which is normal), mouth pulling into a pout (which is not). She keeps the cup held out, though she doesn't take another swallow.]

People shouldn't put their drinks down. [The smell of the alcohol in the cup isn't too strong, but it's definitely there. Asuka doesn't really recognize the type or flavor beyond it being sort of sweet, thanks to half a life full of synthetic mixes rather than real food.] Do you want it?

[he finally leans forward to peer into the cup and... yep, smell the alcohol. at least it doesn't seem to be as vile or as strong as it could have been. he always expects these things to be worse than they usually end up being, thanks to the company he keeps.

still, when she offers, he reels quickly back into his own space and shakes his head rather adamantly. almost hilariously so.

that would be a definite no, thanks.]

[Asuka makes a face in response. I'm not contaminated is almost on her tongue, except she most assuredly is. Still, without another blink she takes one gulp and then another of the drink, finishing it off in front of him. It's distinctly unsatisfying. No pleasant buzz. Nothing.] What, were you scared I'd infect you?

[...oh. even if that maybe should have crossed his mind, it actually hadn't in this case. so, in a very uncommon twist, Coil actually looks apologetic for something.

he's quick to wave his hands and shake his head, because that's not what he meant at all. instead, he points at her now-empty glass and hurries through the word, 'a-l-c-h-o-h-o-l.']

[Oh. That's mildly embarrassing, but then, the chip on Asuka's shoulder is the size of a small continent. Her glare doesn't soften much, but it at least focuses itself on her empty cup instead of his face. She's weirdly pleased at his hurried signing. Good to know he doesn't want to offend her.]

Does it mess with you? [She's disappointed with the cup, really. She's only drank on infrequent occasion, scorning alcohol most of the time as just another sad attempt at an escape route and another leering reminder of the adulthood she'd never have. But tonight she'd wanted just a taste.]

[he hesitates, but eventually nods. because trying to explain what happened the last time he drank is not something he wants to spend the effort or the embarrassment on. so, this shallow answer will have to do.

he also makes a bit of a face, because he doesn't exactly like alcohol. unlike with some teenagers, there isn't much of a draw for him there. it's something that is messy and lacking in control, and he's painfully aware that his intelligence tends to plummet fast...

he doesn't make a very good drunk.]

[Asuka's figuring on barroom brawls or bad sexual decisions. Maybe both. Either way, it's not something she can judge on.]

[It's hard to talk to him when she's the one asking all the questions. Asuka's inquisitive, even nosy by nature, and the fact that he never gives her enough to go on is simultaneously infuriating and vaguely intriguing. She kicks her feet against the rails again.]

My commanding officer used to drink all the time.

[he might be unable to ask her very many questions with the current language barrier between them, but it at least makes him a fabulous listener--whether he likes it or not. he's lucky he has a curious nature and actually finds his conversation partner interesting, in this case. he's not always so willing to be talked at.

so, he turns around to rest his back against the railing instead of his elbows, giving her more of his attention than the people milling around below, and his eyebrows raise in an open expression. look at that, he's listening. he wants to hear more.]

I thought she was nasty for it.

[Katsuragi was brilliant as long as she was at work. No, as long as she was at NERV. After hours, she'd happily drown her sorrows in alcohol, transforming into some parody of a giddy college girl. But that was fourteen years ago. Now she's just heading a ship full of corpses. The further away the Wunder is, the more easily Asuka can see it. Katsuragi's unraveling. Well, she hadn't been too far behind.]

[Coil's turned around. He's paying attention. That encourages her to go on, a bit more quietly, less bitterness punctuating her words. She's scuffed her shoes mightily already, but she doesn't mind. The sound of them touching the metal railing isn't a bad cadence.]

I thought only weak people needed something else to get by. But everybody needs something.

[without speech getting in the way, it's easy to see the little path that his mind takes. his expressions are all subtle, but they're easy to read when he's not all closed up. he glances away to consider that statement, compare it to whatever his beliefs are. the thought rolls around in his head, and he has some Opinions that he's maybe considering arguing with.

but first, he's curious. looking back up, he nods toward her, questioningly. she's obviously speaking from personal experience, so... what is her 'something?']

[Before she replies, she drops the empty cup from the railing. With any luck, it might land on top of some passerby-- but from the sound of it falling to the ground, she hasn't been that lucky. Asuka's vaguely surprised he's interested, and even more surprised she's bothering to reveal even a small tidbit like that to him. Maybe the alcohol's loosened her tongue a bit, or maybe she's lonesome.]

Piloting. That was what I did before I got here. [Another one of those one-word answers that could invite a lot of questions, so she tries to fend them off beforehand.] Now, I don't know. [Liar.]

And We Danced (Masquerade Overflow!)

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aaah I never saw this notif Im sorry