Location: Game room to washroom to living room
Interactions: Aya, Hani
@Monbon doesn't talk at all though, Mari
@ScarletNova
Mentions: Joe
@SolsticeArcanum, Mirai
@Takumi
Mood: Oh
Shin brightened at Mari's suggestion, almost shouting in response with a loud and fast paced "YES!"
Of course his entire frame turned beet red with embarrassment immediately after. He couldn't help the outburst though. It was the perfect reason to escape from the predicament he'd suddenly found himself tossed into. Giving both a sheepishly apologetic smile, he reached to scratch the back of his neck. Where it was hottest. "I mean..." another swallow, "I- I w-wouldn't m-mind at all." He rephrased, cursing yet again at his own stupid self.
He was about to make his sweet escape when Hani's balance staggard in the peripherals of his vision.
It was more instinct than will, yet the next thing he knew he was at her side, holding out his hand to steady her. Thank goodness she had waved him over midway to his action. Or she may have thought he'd been charging her like some sort of creep.
The action was one he wouldn't have been able to fight back even if he wanted to. He'd seen that sort of lightheaded look many times on Aya's face. At this point, it was unspoken habit to simply help keep her steady whenever she grew ill from overexertion.
Hani's hold was lighter though. A lot more gentle. As though afraid he'd not be able to hold her weight. Or maybe she wasn't as ill as he'd originally thought.
Just as that feeling of stupor began tracing it's poison back into his being, Hani looked up and suggested the number one thing Shin
didn't want to do. His throat closed in panic. Eyes jumping between Hani and Mari before landing on Aya from across the room. Aya
knew what this was like for him. Surely she would intervene and happily take Hani. If being sandwiched between the flitting attentions of two girls wasn't overwhelming enough, being
alone with one of them would be a hundred times worse.
Curse Aya. Curse her and her stupid self. The girl had the audacity to
smile at his silent pleas. First the boyfriend thing, and now this? He was going to have to make this 'getting back' part more intense.
He was in the middle of glaring holes at his closest and apparently ill-trusted friend when he nodded curtly at Hani's request. Noting her hold tightening on him as he led her out of the room. The change was both comforting and concerning. Proof she needed the assistance she had asked for. He wanted to scan over her features one more time to make sure he hadn't missed anything, but they were passing right by Aya. And he needed to make certain she wouldn't question later why he was upset. So he stared narrowed slits at her. Not blinking as they brushed past. They passed Ruby as well, to which his features lightened to one more welcoming and warm. He offered a kind, and painfully pathetic wave before they were on their way to the washrooms.
Gently nudging her into the room, he finally let himself give her another once over. This time more of a professional assessment than the blushing blunder he'd been the first time. Some of the flow had paused. Though her face was more of a mess of blood. To his relief, she made her way to the sink and wordlessly began washing it off herself. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she'd requested he do it.
He watched her work in silence. Knowing he probably ought to have tried to make some sort of friendly conversation, yet not knowing what exactly to talk about. Now that he thought about it, what
did girls want to talk about? If he had the slightest idea of an interest Hani had, he might have been able to fumble out something resembling a question. But he didn't even know where to begin. Hell, he didn't even know where he was supposed to
stand.
When she'd washed her handkerchief, and had turned to give him a bow, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin. Holding his hands up and shaking his head in panic as more heat ran to his face. It wasn't like he'd done anything besides hold out his hand. If anything, he was about to be charged later by Aya for not even suggesting to help wash her off.
It was in his panic he saw it again. The second wave of nausea that he'd been watching for.
He quick stepped towards her, reaching to catch her should she faint. Only to have her stumble into his arm. Stumbled... Rather...
comfortably against his arm. All of everything went blank at that moment. His eyes looking down at her as his face went eggplant status. It wasn't the first time a girl had done this before, b-but...
He jerked straight. His arms squeezing to his sides in case she tried anything more. Most of Aya's classmates had enjoyed teasing him like this at times. Dragging him around and then pouncing whenever there wasn't any spectators around to start any unwanted rumors. Was Hani like that?
The thought made his stomach twist, she hadn't
seemed like the type... normally they giggled a lot more. And rather than stepping back and loosening their grips, they typically clung tighter. More tracing along his chest and jaw as they giggled something coy. As if they enjoyed seeing him squirm. A mocking feeling typically leaving him more angry at his shortcomings than before.
He didn't get that feeling from Hani, and to his relief, she didn't pull much at that string.
Relief pulled a long breath from his lips. His heart pounding like a jackhammer as the feel of her still tickled his arm. Though her hold on his arm was light, it became his turn to clench his fists to stop some of the trembling. All he had to offer at any of her words was a small, possibly inaudible
'eep' noise. Ironic, as only seconds ago he'd been the one worried that
she would blank out.
Now here he was staring at the countertop. Looking at her forgotten handkerchief. His mind felt foggy, as if he were a ghost looking out at the scene playing before him. Hani was saying something, she sounded really far away. And guilty. Did she always sound guilty? Or was it just his problematic behavior inspiring it? Did he really make people feel
that bad around him? He certainly didn't mean to.
He continued to exist in that in-between state. Staring ahead like a soldier standing at attention. Blindly allowing Hani to tug him any direction as she led him who-knows-where.
Just as he was beginning to resurrect from ghost land, Shin blinked around to see he was sitting in a kitchen making blobs out of pastries. Or, to be more precise, Hani was creating stars. He was... mangling ingredients.
He quickly hid whatever austrocity he had been squeezing the life out of from Hani's gaze. Giving her the best apologetic smile one could manage when half their face felt numb from blushing. It was a look that, put bluntly, resembled that of a horse rather than an actual smile.
Slowing his efforts, he set to making himself
look busy as he attempted to gather his thoughts well enough to replicate one of her perfectly created star shapes. Shin spent the rest of pastry prepping working on that single parcel of food. Which, with his mindset, inevitably ended up looking like a monstrosity. It was obvious which ones were hers and which one was his. As the pastries that were hers actually looked like something you'd find in a cookbook.
The most frustrating part of it all was that he
knew how to make shapes out of food. He'd done it loads of times for Aya during their childhood. The chief had loved it because he'd actually managed to get her to pick at the veggies that way.
Curse this stupid irrational fear of his. He didn't even know what was making him so afraid!
Glaring at his hands and completely fed up with himself, he was in the middle of cursing under his breath when they moved onto oranges.
When in a bad mood: attack the oranges.
Peeling the oranges as violently and as fast as one physically could. Shin found his tactic actually worked. Quite well too. By the end of his furious unraveling, he'd actually managed to relax enough to start toying with it. Peeling some in a perfect spiral, and others into a mock TIE fighter ship you'd see in Star Wars, etc. His pacing slowed, his posture easing as he messed with the peels. Even a bit of content as he happily amused himself.
In a much better headspace, he happily worked alongside Hani for the rest of their time together. Even grinning in triumph when his mind realized the star pastries looked almost like ninja stars.
It helped that Hani didn't seem to mind his lack of conversation. A very nice reprieve from the intense panic all that talking had given him earlier. His eyes slid to the girl in question as she suggested he take some of
hers their creations to the living room. He nodded, taking a couple things towards the living room.
There were more than a few people gathered there. And Shin quickly found himself ducking back towards the kitchens before taking it all in. His second trip, he was half tempted to bet with Hani how much he could carry without spilling. A fun balance game he often played with Aya when forced to do chores. Instead he went the safe, normal route and grabbed a few more things.
A few trips and he was done, leaving him in the growingly used living room. He contemplated heading back to the kitchen to help Hani clean up, but he was sure he'd seen her finishing up right as he'd done his last run. Perhaps he should go check on her. Busy wasn't really the ideal rest someone needed when nearly collapsing twice.
The worry forming in his stomach eased when she walked through the door. At least she was sitting and eating now.
Most people in the room were those he hadn't met yet. With the filling vicinity, he was beginning to find himself molding into the background. Taking a place where he could easily pass as an unimportant wallflower. Unnoticed and able to scout the area. The room itself didn't seem to offer a lot of chances to be breached. And there wasn't the air of tense danger lurking over the pleasantries. It was rather odd. Far from the gatherings he was used to.
Usually his 'group gatherings' consisted of the parties Aya insisted they attend. Meaning the room was typically full of scheming rich folk discussing 'business' and ending with a looming threat or two. Fun.
About 30 seconds of scouring the room, Shin was pretty certain the lovers club wasn't that sort of group. At least, not on the same levels as he was used to. Thus, rather investing himself with the task of making sure things didn't get too hectic too fast, Shin began playing with the idea that he might actually have the luxury of socializing with these people. A gift he rarely allowed himself.
The concept was so foreign he had no idea how to start.
So he snagged his one, terrible pastry before anyone else could fully see it and sat down to nibble on it. Who could he talk to? His eyes rescanned the room. Trying to cipher which person he might have a possible chance of befriending without buckling under the pressure.
A soft voice of assurance tugged from Hani, and he found himself giving her a small smile of thanks. An actual smile! Today was proving rather groundbreaking. Pitifully.
He lifted his pastry so she could see it, raising his brow and nodding as though to say,
'Look what we made!' he paused for a split second. Taking the largest bite he could muster and feigning deep, overdrawn satisfaction. After a few thoughtful chews he popped his eyes open to watch her reaction. Only for all jokes and amusement to fade into sharp focus as he turned towards the door.
Another gorgeous woman walked into the room. Someone he was certain he would have stunned him into yet another fit of discombobulated silence had they not been followed by a large figure.
All at once the feel of alertness came back. His eyes tracking every small movement of the man hefting bags into the room. The bit of enjoyment had long been forgotten as years of... erm... working instincts flipped. Something about that man, whether it was the swagger in his step, or the way his muscles hefted those bags in a well experienced way, put Shin on edge. The long hair of his looked familiar. Shin was certain he'd seen him before.
But where?
Where did he recognize that face? Was it someone from one of those wretched parties? Or from somewhere else?
Slowly, the pastry dropped to his lap. Forcing himself to pull further into that wallflower state of mind, his thoughts began running. Aya was in the game room still. She had been with the vice president. Surely nothing could happen to her while she was around others. Not unless Jigoku was here, but he would have known when Jigoku was present... His brows furrowed as he tried to make himself as insignificant, and unacknowledgeable as possible. Watching the big fella very carefully.
Summary:
Shin says nothing and panics, I was serious that legit is the summary.
But also he sees joe at the end and gets that 'huh you seem like you've seen stuff like I have' vibes, which is weird vibes to get in a lovers club. So buddy is all 'have we met before?'
The end:)
Senpai