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

Yeah? Well, you gotta be a lot better at this stuff than me.

[Meaning, sure, he'll take some pointers.]

Well, maybe! I mean, I do practice a lot. It's my passion...

[He tries to work through his flustered state because chill, Jeb--it's just an observation!]

I could show you some of my work sometime and give you some advice from there. But I can give you a little now to start with, too: landscapes are great practice. You get to visibly see what you're drawing, and gives you an idea of perspective! I've done a lot of landscape work since I first arrived here.

Sure, if you want to sometime. [Like, I guess that's ok...]

Maybe I can show you what I've got by then. [Maybe. Very maybe.]

Of course I'd want to. Sometimes seeing other people's work can be just the inspiration you need. And I would be honored if I could see what you've done by then, I really would!

[You can tell how excited he is, right?]

It's kinda creepy, the way you're sucking up to me, you know.

[Or he's just embarrassed. Seriously... So he likes to draw a little, it's not a big deal.]

It's not sucking up, it's having genuine interest. I promise! [But now he's worried that he's offended Jean.] I mean, it's good for friends to have common interests... isn't it?

Sure...

Just don't set your expectations too high. I don't wanna disappoint you or anything. [He's not that great, he promises.]

You don't? [Well, that's confusing. He didn't think Jean would care that much about doing that. But still...] Um, well... it's okay. As long as you put your heart into what you do, there's no way you could disappoint me!

[It was more of a joke. But also he's leery of being made fun of, not that Jeb is the type to do that. But still.]

Don't say something like that when we're both guys.

Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't say anything out of the ordinary, did--?

[Wait.]

T-That's not what I mean at all! I promise! I swear! I--!

...I guess I'm just used to being open like that with people. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.

[What kind of guy do you take him for? Really.]

[Oh my god, Jeb, you're so embarrassing sometimes. He holds one hand up in a lazy, placating sort of gesture.]

Hey, don't make a big deal out of it. I'm just saying.

I'm sorry, I just don't understand why it's such a weird thing to say... [Yeah, he can be embarrassing. Like when he sulks. Sort of like what he's doing right now. He sincerely doesn't see anything wrong with what he said.] Or why it should matter that we're both boys. Gender shouldn't matter when it comes to being open with friends!

Edited 2014-06-09 06:28 (UTC)

Just...never mind. [It might just be that he's surprised to hear Jeb call him a friend, and embarrassed that the guy cares this much because he definitely doesn't know how to receive it with any grace.]

I appreciate it, alright? You're being way too nice.

I am? [He laughs nervously.] I'm sorry. I guess I did come on a little strongly with everything... it's just--I'm excited that a friend of mine shares an interest with me.

Yeah, I guess I don't really know anyone else who's into this. [But you don't see me gushing about it, he doesn't add, because he can be nice too, and Jeb can be the kind of person who shrinks if you say the wrong thing.]

Then again, I don't talk about it much either. [Closet artist Jean Kirstein, at your service.]

Well, now you do know someone else! [And that is a good thing. Right?] ...why don't you talk much about it, anyway?

[It's an innocent enough question!]

[He just shrugs, eyes sliding back over to the shelved art supplies rather than sticking with Jeb.]

It's just, you know...something private.

[This whole conversation is dumb. So freakin' dumb. Can they talk about things that aren't this.]

Oh! I'm sorry.

[He'll... try to get them off the subject, then. Even he can pick up on hints sometimes.]

Did... did you ever get to go to the beach, Jean?

[Alright, subject change. Good. Thank god.]

The beach? No...not yet.

[He'll grab supplies while they talk: a sketch pad, a boxed set of pencils, all in an offhand manner that suggests it doesn't particularly matter, but that's just bullshit.]

[He picks up a couple of things, too. However, the manner he does it is anything but offhanded. There's a lot of things Jeb has shame for, but art will never be one of them.]

I hope you're able to soon. I think you'll really like it!

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