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 Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:19 am
Paris answered with a small, sympathetic smile.
“I’m sure I don’t need to say it since you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, but I hope you’re as careful as you can be,” she said. “Aside from the normal disturbances, Destiny City is… well, I doubt you need me to tell you what Destiny City is like.”
Anyone who’d been around for any amount of time, whether they were new to town or lived their whole lives there, knew at least a little something about the not-so-normal disturbances, at least in her experience. It’d been a while since she’d met anyone who was truly ignorant about it all. Even if they didn’t know the details, they were usually aware that there were more than common dangers inherent in living there. Too many times to too many people, Destiny City felt like a war zone.
Paris felt bad for anyone who had to deal with it, but particularly those who knew very little.
Beneath the guilt, she was curious about what it might be like for a police officer. Years had passed since she was a normal civilian; she had no idea what that sort of life entailed anymore. Back then, she was just a dumb, rebellious kid, not the sort to face the city’s problems head on.
“It’s a shame work gets in the way so much, though,” she continued, choosing the safer topic. “Otherwise, I say you should definitely at least hint at your interest. Sure, there’s a chance she doesn’t feel the same and gets a little uncomfortable, but that’s when you just back off and make it clear there aren’t any expectations. At least then you’d know for sure, right?”
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Posted: Sat Aug 28, 2021 4:35 am
"Oh it's something all right," he agreed. She was right, there were few in the city who were oblivious to the fact that weird things happened here. Even if he hadn't been powered there were simply too many random and 'odd' things that occurred for him to walk around in total ignorance. Whether it was something seasonal playing with his mind, or a freak accident that ended in some gruesome disaster, there was always something going on. Though truth be told on occasions he did have to wonder if he would have been better off remaining oblivious to the root cause of it all, or if his presence was a necessary evil in all this.
...Suffice to say that sometimes his sense of duty didn't appreciate the new found gifts and everything that entailed.
Fortunately Paris had already changed the subject and as he rounded the corner his face scrunched up thoughtfully at her points. Realistically, had there ever been a scenario where someone could express their interest in that manner, get rejected, and still have a reasonable relationship after? He'd like to live in a world where that was possible but he wasn't even sure he trusted himself to not have wounded pride for a while!
"Does that work?" he asked after a moment. "I get the feeling I'd be in for more than a few months of awkwardness before any type of normalcy returned..." he confessed. In all other things he wasn't that much of a coward, but when it came to this sort of thing he was a little out of his depth.
"It's definitely much more convenient when you can date someone for a while and there isn't much already invested in there, cutting losses is easier." he murmured. "Higher stakes when there's already something there."
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:24 am
Paris shrugged as much as she could while jogging, though their motion might have made the gesture less distinguishable than it would have been standing still.
“I figure it has to work sometimes,” she says. “I guess it depends on the people involved, how deep the interest or the feelings run, and how they respond to rejection. Some guys,” a poorly repressed cringe, “can’t handle it and turn into raging assholes, so… I’d argue that’s where a lot of awkwardness comes from. A lot of girls expect the raging a*****e because they’ve known it before, so they’re sort of just… waiting for it to happen after every rejection, and it makes them nervous, even with someone who was a friend first. Especially with someone who was a friend first.
“But,” Paris added with a smile, “I’ve also been out of the dating game for almost a decade, so take anything I say about it with a grain of salt.”
She got lucky with Chris, she thought. They had their fair share of drama in the beginning, but they each worked through it in their own ways. Their relationship certainly saw a great deal of improvement after they focused on their friendship more than the romance. The better friends they were, the better partners they became for one another.
But she could also acknowledge that no two people were the same, and thus no two couples were alike, and what worked for one might not work for the other. People behaved and reacted in different ways. Some friendships worked better than romances, and vice versa.
“Do you have a mutual friend who might be able to do a little innocent prying, see how she feels about you before you spring anything on her?”
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Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2021 2:37 pm
That was fair, he'd heard more than enough unpleasant stories in his line of work to know that Paris's remarks didn't come from a place of malice so much as honesty. There were those in the world that did not respond kindly to receiving answers that they wanted and to come from a position of vulnerability... Yeah, he could see that inspiring some awkwardness. In a way he'd always known that but as it hadn't necessarily effected him on a personal level he hadn't really acknowledged it from that point of view.
"Unfortunately not," he winced. "I have friends that would be aware of her but I will be entirely blunt when I say their way with words and their impishness might lead to..." he shook his head. He was sure that if Vincent understood how important it was he'd behave, but every now and then his partner couldn't resist throwing a spanner in the works with his love of mischief and sarcasm. Knowing his luck Lilith might say something that would set it off and what should have been a gentle nudge in the right direction would end up as an opportunity to just tease the life out of...Well, him.
He could put his pride aside sometimes but even he would have gotten frustrated that the conversation had derailed.
"But I think I can take your point about not being a d**k," he offered with a soft laugh. "If she happens to say no then that's all there is to it," he paused for a moment and turned the corner, looping back from the streets they had run through and back towards the park and the last of the circuit.
"Might take me a few months to get my dignity back but there are worse things that can happen than rejection," he conceded.
"Though perhaps I will try a little prying myself first, or simply observe a little longer to see if there are any signs that may indicate it's mutual," he squinted thoughtfully. "Although I have never been great at subtle gestures in that respect so wish me luck on that one."
"Now if you have any tips for that I'd be willing to hear them, otherwise I'll just have to wing it and well...you may have to pat me on the back and say 'you tried lad' if you see me with my head in my hands in a few months."
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:50 am
“Subtle gestures can be difficult to interpret,” Paris admitted. “A lot of the ones you’d want to look for would imply trust and affection, but some of those could just as easily mean she likes you as a friend.”
She paused to consider the topic a little more thoroughly. What sorts of signs had she noticed in Chris? Or were her memories of their early relationship colored by what she knew now? Knowing how things ended up, and why they ended up that way, made going back to the beginning more difficult, in a way. The things she remembered might not have had the same meaning then that she would ascribe to them now.
When the silence stretched a little too long, Paris offered Regula a sheepish smile.
“I’d hate to give you bad advice,” she said. “I hope everything I’ve told you doesn’t backfire.”
She’d feel terrible, both for Regula and for the girl he seemed to like. Putting either of them into any sort of awkward or stressful situation was the opposite of what she intended. Paris simply loved to see people happy and in love.
“Some people have different boundaries than others, so without knowing her, I have no idea what might be a sign and what might be her just wanting to be your friend. Even the things some people might say are obvious, like physical affection, could just be someone’s way of showing they care for someone else, not necessarily in a romantic sense. Especially these days, when people are a lot more openly affectionate with their friends.”
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:24 am
He had a great appreciation for the fact that Paris was trying but even he knew that given the mere fact they were human threw in a layer of complexity that meant that there was no simple or effective answer to the conundrum. It wouldn't be her fault if it exploded in his face and he certainly wouldn't blame anything on anyone but himself if he got it really wrong but...
"Maybe I'll just invest in a billboard then," he teased. "Or perhaps a few queue cards with the option of selecting option A or B," he added. They were methods used elsewhere and they were far from romantic, but at least then he couldn't be misunderstood. Sadly if he could predict how he would react in the future he would have been sorely disappointed in himself as the entire thing would turn out to be neither romantic or subtle.
"If it back fires it'll be on me and it probably wasn't meant to be in that case," he smiled wryly.
"On the plus side Lilith has a fantastic sense of humour so she might also take it in her stride," he mused. "Alternatively she may tell her lovely dog to bite me but I think Raja can be bribed," he admitted.
"Either way, I'll not accuse you of ruining my life if it all goes on it's a**. That's hardly fair on you given you just met me, that would be a bit too much pressure to put on anyone," he finished with a grin.
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Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2021 9:17 am
Paris laughed lightly.
“I don’t know that a billboard is the route you want to go,” she said, then playfully lamented, “If only things were as easy as they used to be when we were kids. ‘Do you like me? Check this box if yes.’ Now we’re adults and have to make everything so complicated.”
Paris, for her part, tried to be a little more forthright about things these days. It didn’t simplify everything, but there were enough problems that could be solved with a little honesty to make a small difference.
The name Lilith was unfamiliar to her, but she filed it away in her memory just in case. Along with the fact that she apparently had a dog. Dogs were generally a good judge of character and, in her experience, tended to be better at interpreting emotion than some humans were.
“Definitely let me know how it goes,” she said, slowing as she pulled out her phone. “I can give you my number, if you want. You can shoot me more questions if you need to, even if I’m not sure I’m the best with offering reliable advice.”Epine de Rose I'm so sorry for the wait!!!! gonk This is what happens when I put my other tags into a seperate window during the meta. crying
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