Says Quentin, moving to pull his hat and scarf off- then his glasses, which are pretty badly fogged up, and need to be cleaned on the flannel corner of a shirt.
"Well, then you could do one of a few things. You can try to think of something that she'd really like, that'd be special to her and based off what you know about her?"
"Vulnerability is part of what builds intimacy, Credence."
He says, slipping his glasses back on.
"You're opening up a bit. If it's bad- you can come watch a movie with me and eat candy and mope. If it's good- it'll be all the more worth it for the risk. And- there are other ways. If you don't know her that well, you could do something less personal, but that takes a bit more effort. Like making her something. She'll see the time you put into it."
"That's what I was going to suggest next, actually. If you can't think of anything you liked that you've tried, maybe you can think of something that you both might like to try, together."
He says, rubbing his hands together, blowing into them to warm them, then smiling at him.
"A craft. An activity. A recipe to cook. A place in the Enclosure."
"Think of it like an incredibly scaled down version of our communicators. Inside that, there's information that says how much money you have. You tap it to the bigger communicator that the stores will have, and that acts as you giving permission to take the dollar amount out of your account. It messages your bank to tell it now you have a little less money, and the store has more."
Explains Quentin,
"Keep it out, we can use it to pay here, I'll show you the system. The Admiral gives the wardens cards with a lot on them, more than they could realistically ever spend."
"Great." Says Quentin, and then sits up straight; the waitress is setting the cocoa down between them. He wraps his hands around his mug for warmth. "I need a couple of things for some other people, while we're at it."
"...neither. But I meant - we didn't celebrate Christmas like people do
here. I never bought gifts." He sips his cocoa: it's very good, and not
sweet enough to make him sick. "I think she's from around your time?"
"Then let me tell you a little about the typical norms of dating. She might be completely different, especially if you've got stuff in common- but it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to have some general context, even just to contrast against her perspective and know a little better how she's different from most people."
But at least he waits to make sure Credence agrees with this plan.
"So in my day and age, it's still more normal for a man to ask a woman out- but that's changing. A girl who approaches you might be- modern thinking in a pleasant way, forward in a way you'd really admire."
He says, as he thinks through what he might need to know.
"If we lived somewhere normal, the first thing you'd do would be to get up the courage to ask for her phone number. That gives you a way to get in touch with her. Sometimes it can be misinterpreted as wanting to just be friends, especially if you're coworkers or have some kind of thing you need to collaborate on. But usually it's enough to at least begin the process of checking that there's a mutual interest there. You'd smile. Maybe pay a compliment. Or even propose a plan- 'we can get a cup of coffee' or 'I'd love to take you out to dinner.' All this is kind of useless on the barge."
"Maybe ask her first? 'I'd like to cook you dinner some time, just us.' Or 'cook dinner together,' if she's good at it too. Now- in a modern day relationship, there would be more expectations- but I want you to know first and foremost, then only thing that matters is that neither of you does anything you don't want to do and feel uncomfortable with. Most people my age in my time do have sex outside of marriage, so there's a chance the conversation will come up-"
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magician_king) wrote2020-01-12 01:19 pm
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As he slips into a seat.
"Maybe you could bring her something nice she's never tried."
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Credence sits down across from him, nervously folding his hands together.
"I - she lived in Japan, but...I don't think she saw much of...anything, really."
He's nervous of saying anything more, of repeating things he feels he was told in confidence.
"But I guess that means there's a lot she hasn't tried."
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He proposes, with a small smile at him, then a bigger one up at their waitress, who comes to take their order.
"Cocoa for me."
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"Oh - um, cocoa," Credence echoes, eyes a little wide. He can't think; cocoa sounds fine.
"I...I can't think of anything like that," he mumbles. "Mr Graves showed me some things, but he..."
His memory has been colored by his betrayal.
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Says Quentin, moving to pull his hat and scarf off- then his glasses, which are pretty badly fogged up, and need to be cleaned on the flannel corner of a shirt.
"Well, then you could do one of a few things. You can try to think of something that she'd really like, that'd be special to her and based off what you know about her?"
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Even in the warmth indoors, Credence doesn't feel he's sufficiently defrosted to take off his coat, yet.
"Yes. But I - what if I get it wrong? She might hate it."
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He says, slipping his glasses back on.
"You're opening up a bit. If it's bad- you can come watch a movie with me and eat candy and mope. If it's good- it'll be all the more worth it for the risk. And- there are other ways. If you don't know her that well, you could do something less personal, but that takes a bit more effort. Like making her something. She'll see the time you put into it."
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That has not been Credence's experience of what vulnerability does, at all, but he supposes Quentin wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.
"Oh. That's - we've made things together, she might - like that."
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He says, rubbing his hands together, blowing into them to warm them, then smiling at him.
"A craft. An activity. A recipe to cook. A place in the Enclosure."
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Credence nods.
"But - we've done a few things like that," he says, fidgeting. "I wanted to give her something..."
He knows how childish he sounds.
"Special."
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He's sure there'll be millions of little gift shops.
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"Okay. Alec gave me..."
He produces a credit card.
"He - says it's money?"
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Explains Quentin,
"Keep it out, we can use it to pay here, I'll show you the system. The Admiral gives the wardens cards with a lot on them, more than they could realistically ever spend."
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Credence nods.
"So...the money is a gift from the Admiral, I won't need to...return it?"
So maybe he could get himself some clothes, too.
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He agrees, obviously thinking along the same lines.
"Let's pick up what you need- if you've got some time and don't mind company?"
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"No - no, not at all. That's - that'd be....helpful. I don't want to buy the wrong thing. Thank you."
And he obviously does not really have plans with anyone else. With the possible exception of spending some time with, well. A girl.
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Credence does the same with his own mug, offering their waitress a nervous mumble of thanks.
"I - I guess I do too. Back home i didn't - we never - "
He chews his lip.
"But I want to."
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He wonders, and then decides he needs to know;
"It'd help me to know what year she's from?"
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Credence goes pink. Again.
"...neither. But I meant - we didn't celebrate Christmas like people do here. I never bought gifts." He sips his cocoa: it's very good, and not sweet enough to make him sick. "I think she's from around your time?"
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But at least he waits to make sure Credence agrees with this plan.
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Credence gives a slow, careful nod.
"I - yes, you're right. That sounds like a good idea."
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He says, as he thinks through what he might need to know.
"If we lived somewhere normal, the first thing you'd do would be to get up the courage to ask for her phone number. That gives you a way to get in touch with her. Sometimes it can be misinterpreted as wanting to just be friends, especially if you're coworkers or have some kind of thing you need to collaborate on. But usually it's enough to at least begin the process of checking that there's a mutual interest there. You'd smile. Maybe pay a compliment. Or even propose a plan- 'we can get a cup of coffee' or 'I'd love to take you out to dinner.' All this is kind of useless on the barge."
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He has to smile? Oof.
"Not - not the last part. We have coffee. And I work in the kitchen, I could - make something just for us."
He thinks he'd be allowed.
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He says;
"Maybe ask her first? 'I'd like to cook you dinner some time, just us.' Or 'cook dinner together,' if she's good at it too. Now- in a modern day relationship, there would be more expectations- but I want you to know first and foremost, then only thing that matters is that neither of you does anything you don't want to do and feel uncomfortable with. Most people my age in my time do have sex outside of marriage, so there's a chance the conversation will come up-"
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