wipesfaith | 04 [written/action]

[Classic incognito message, with the picture blocked out and everything; he even makes an attempt to disguise his handwriting, which he forgets after the first three words.]

Say you want to ask a girl out. How do you go about doing that?

Girls like flowers, right?

[See, there's actually a lot of consideration that goes into this. For a guy with a faulty brain-to-mouth filter and a do-or-die attitude, the amount of waffling here is...strange, maybe. But everyone's a walking contradiction. He has some ideas, along with maybe ten different speeches that he's mentally mapped out over the past three years and never planned on actually using, but second- and third-guessing himself leads to this pandering for advice...thing. He's pretty sure it's lame, but... It couldn't hurt, right?

Okay, so maybe he's just procrastinating.]

[Action]

[Anonymous dweebiness aside, Jean goes about his day as usual. Training at the Battle Dome; going to school; taking care of his horse at the stables, and taking him out for a ride into the woods; and checking the General Store for some...supplies, art supplies. Don't ask, don't tell.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...Crap. He'll attempt to disguise his handwriting again, but this might be analogous to slapping on a pair of glasses and a fake moustache.]

So my guess is as good as anyone else's. Great.

I'm not going to ask out someone I don't even know, that's just creepy. [He almost writes, "What kind of guy do you think I am?" but, right, anonymous.] I've known her for a while and I guess you could say we're friends.

[It's a valiant attempt, but to someone used to forging documents or working with forgers, it's obvious. The forced changes in letters that become inconsistent, an attempt to write in a different style that only leaves letters sloppy or unnatural. Ginia really can't blame him for trying to hide his identity.

So to save Jean's pride, Ginia doesn't say anything.]

Then is she someone that would like flowers? And have you given thought on what to do for a date? I can't tell you what flowers or presents I got on a date. I can tell you what we did and how the dates went. Memories [good or bad, though Ginia doesn't write that because she doesn't want to discourage him] always trump flowers or rote gifts.

[He's about half sure that she can see right through him, but he's probably just being paranoid, right?]

No clue on the flowers. Maybe I should just scrap the idea.

Yeah I've thought about it. I don't know. Maybe go for a walk somewhere nice and just talk. That's not lame, is it? I just want it to be special so she takes notice.

Not at all. There are lots of nice places to walk around at. By the river, the cherry trees, beach is great with the weather getting better. Maybe pack some food for a small picnic?

[He still hasn't seen the ocean, and he knows Marco would want to go too, so it might be a betrayal (brotrayal) to take a girl there (not just any girl, Mikasa) just to impress her. But the idea is tempting enough to linger in the back of his mind, spawning self-indulgent fantasies of how awed she would be.]

You think sandwiches will be good enough?

Sandwiches are always good for a picnic. I'd bring a snack on the side too, fresh fruit or vegetables are always good. Something to drink too.

I'll keep that in mind. [Food, walking, talking. Alright. He can do this, he can totally do this.]

So what do I say to her? To ask her out, I mean. [Aside from something like, "Hey, I like you. Please willingly subject yourself to spending time with me." Straightforwardness is his specialty, but it can't be as easy as that, can it?]

I think a simple approach is best. Something as simple as "will you go out with me?" can work. You don't have to make it a big song and dance. Sincerity goes a long way. So does being yourself.

[Okay, so maybe it can be as easy as that. He feels like a moron for fumbling through so many dumb questions, and maybe he's over-thinking it all, but...he just wants to do this right. He won't mess up what could easily be his only chance.]

Simple is better. That doesn't sound too hard.

Take it slow. Consider the timing too. And if she says no, don't press it.

How do you know if your timing is good or bad? [This is one of his biggest worries, that it's never gonna be the right time.]

You have to gauge the situation. Is she in a good mood or is she upset about something? Are you two hanging out like always or did she ask you to come over to help out with something?

[He'll take a moment to consider her questions.]

If she's upset about something, should I try to do something nice to make her feel better or is it better to just leave her alone? [But there's a high chance she won't even think that him asking her out is "something nice"...]

I think it really depends on the person and situation, but a good rule to go by is realize you can't always solve someone's problems nor should you ever feel like you should solve someone's problems. However, you can be a good listener and show your support that way.

Don't know if I'm any good at that. Listening and that sort of thing.

It's a thing more people could stand to learn. But a good key to being a good listener is not talking. Sounds obvious, but lots of people struggle with not trying to say anything or offer advice.

All I have to do is shut up and pay attention? Doesn't sound so hard.

It's hard for some people. People want to give advice or share a similar experience, some are chatty. Depends on the person.

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