--t-top, yeah! That's the penguins, right? Man, can you imagine being born as a bird that can't even fly? That's like... a faunus being born without... faunus parts, I... okay, that wasn't the best analogy...
H-Hey, a faunus without faunus parts can still be a faunus, right?! Like a bird that can't fly is still a bird! Or... say someone who can't use their Semblance...
[ His voice drifts off for a moment before bringing it back to his point. ]
--a-anyway, all I'm saying is that there should be more awareness for the creatures!
[ Pyrrha can't imagine that they can't quite get more aware of than a preservation effort that also doubles as an educational tourist attraction, i.e. the aquarium they are standing in right now.
Honestly, though, she's just baffled. Jaune's segues are particularly hard to follow in this instance. What is he trying to tell her? ]
[ What he's trying to do is connect with her god damn intellectual side because he knows absolutely nothing about anything related to... aquariums. ]
Right! Nobody ever talks about the penguins. Are they on cereal boxes? No. Would I eat a cereal brand with them on it? Probably not. I was doing a Pumpkin Pete's thing. But just think, there are kids right now who have never even seen what a penguin looks like.
[ An entire excursion of first graders walks past them, coming from wherever the penguin room is. ]
[ Step one: Locate utterly wrong conclusion. Hold it steady in periphery. Step two: Gauge distance between self and said wrong conclusion. Step three: Take a large, running leap right into that conclusion's waiting arms. Step four: ??? Step five: oh god why is this happening ]
... are you afraid of penguins?
[ She looks genuinely concerned for him right now! ]
[ Fiiine, in that case, he'll mess with her. He figures he'll look really cool when he surprises her with the truth later. Set her expectations low, right?! ]
Well, what if one pokes me in the eye? What if one of them gives me frost bite? [ That part is not a joke. He really doesn't know what frost bite means. ]
[ Nudging him with her shoulder as she saunters past, Pyrrha explains -- ]
Frostbite is damage sustained to skin tissue due to freezing. Contrary to popular belief, [ yeah, right, ] you can't actually contract it through being poked in the eye by a penguin.
[ Patiently, she waits for him to fumble his way through that - that compliment, perhaps, before finding his figurative footing once more. It's nice to hear, of course. It suggests he's paying attention to her, which ... hm.
It also leaves her a little bashful. "Don't say it enough"? What does that even mean? A few simple words and he's opened an entire gaping maw of uncertainty right under her feet.
Okay. Just. Say something. Do that much, Nikos. ]
Thank you, Jaune.
[ There's a strange little click, not even a full syllable, that seems to imply she wants to say something else, but... yeah, awkward silence. ]
Jaune wonders if that's a good sign or a bad sign. He complimented someone he likes and she wasn't entirely repulsed. Not that he was expecting that sort of reaction from his partner in the first place, but this is all brand new territory for the both of them. Maybe she doesn't like compliments after being praised all her life? On the other hand, she clearly thanked him, so that's definitely a positive response. Then again, it would be entirely out of character for her not to thank him for it because she's a decent human being with good upbringing. She's so great.
Upon further reflection, since when was awkward silence ever a good sign?!? UGH, STUPID ARC.
(if you've just joined us, welcome to jaune arc's stream of consciousness)
Alright, well, he can't let this end on an awkward note. It just means he'll re-calibrate his game and tone down the compliments, and in turn stick to what he knows best. Comedy! He knows just the joke to--
--n-no. NO. That's the OPPOSITE of what he wants to do. GOD. He's alone with Pyrrha and all he wants to be is the comic relief again! WHY IS SHE EVEN HERE WITH HIM
This is bad.
Just kidding, it's a god damn catastrophe. He's literally staring at her with nothing clever to say. ]
[ You know what, she can fix this. She ought to, since it's entirely her fault that there's an awkward moment between them in the first place. As it grows larger and larger, like some sort of unsettling monster, she decides that now is the time to take decisive action! ]
[ And hey, it isn't like either of them is going to die in a week! They've got time to sort themselves out at their own comfortable pace. ]
Yeah, we did.
[ For a moment, she struggles valiantly against the desire to reach for his hand again. It's tempting - she had been as comfortable with their fingers linked as she had been hands safely by her side - but -- dammit, it's too soon! Not for the first time, she's both glad and begrudging of their meandering pace. There really ought to be books about this sort of thing. ]
So, the penguins? If we keep standing here, they might ... fly away!
Well, the important thing is I laughed on the inside! [ Also not true... he did visibly smile after all. Please don't stop trying to be funny, girlfriend..... f-friend-girl.
Also she's absolutely right about them needing to move on already, so he takes the lead as they reach the place. Follow the leader! ]
The room is a large circular viewing area, where a thick, chest-high barricade does its best to keep the average aquarium goer separate from the penguins. Their habitat is filled with ice water and snow, and a reef for them to play on. There's an employee in there with them, doling out small fish. Most of the penguins are patient; one is squawking with frustration, attacking the unmoved employee's shoe with his beak.
Pyrrha, who actually has never seen them in person before, looks delighted. ]
They're -- [ quite precious, she had been about to say, but ends up shyly reconsidering. What if her formal word choices intimidated him? WHY HAD SHE NEVER CONSIDERED THAT BEFORE ]
--CUTIELICIOUS! [ Yeah, she really shouldn't have let him finish that. ]
Pyrrha, look! That one's nibbling on the man's foot, hahaha! [ He points to the thing they're looking at already. ] Hey-- feed him already!! Oh, man, and-- WHAT?! Look at that one!
[ He points somewhere else, nudging Pyrrha by the shoulder to look once more. What are they looking at? It's this. ]
I-Is it dancing? Pyrrha, it's dancing-- like, like we did! Like-- I-I mean, we, like... a-all of us. Together! [ As a team! Not as a "we're together" thing. ... But also kind of yes?
Holy shit though, they found something cuter than Zwei. Look at it go... ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT?? ]
--t-top, yeah! That's the penguins, right? Man, can you imagine being born as a bird that can't even fly? That's like... a faunus being born without... faunus parts, I... okay, that wasn't the best analogy...
no subject
... do you mean a human?
[ Seriously.
What does she even say to that? ]
no subject
[ His voice drifts off for a moment before bringing it back to his point. ]
--a-anyway, all I'm saying is that there should be more awareness for the creatures!
no subject
[ Pyrrha can't imagine that they can't quite get more aware of than a preservation effort that also doubles as an educational tourist attraction, i.e. the aquarium they are standing in right now.
Honestly, though, she's just baffled. Jaune's segues are particularly hard to follow in this instance. What is he trying to tell her? ]
I suppose...
no subject
Right! Nobody ever talks about the penguins. Are they on cereal boxes? No. Would I eat a cereal brand with them on it? Probably not. I was doing a Pumpkin Pete's thing. But just think, there are kids right now who have never even seen what a penguin looks like.
[ An entire excursion of first graders walks past them, coming from wherever the penguin room is. ]
..........
S-See? They don't even care!
no subject
[ Step one: Locate utterly wrong conclusion. Hold it steady in periphery.
Step two: Gauge distance between self and said wrong conclusion.
Step three: Take a large, running leap right into that conclusion's waiting arms.
Step four: ???
Step five: oh god why is this happening ]
... are you afraid of penguins?
[ She looks genuinely concerned for him right now! ]
no subject
[ This is how the fandom on tumblr spreads shit about him being a coward. ]
.......Should I be?
no subject
[ Despite his rather surprised insistence, Pyrrha's tone still comes across like she's trying to gently cajole him out of this alleged fear.
Huh. ]
There's no reason to be afraid.
no subject
...
[ Fiiine, in that case, he'll mess with her. He figures he'll look really cool when he surprises her with the truth later. Set her expectations low, right?! ]
Well, what if one pokes me in the eye? What if one of them gives me frost bite? [ That part is not a joke. He really doesn't know what frost bite means. ]
no subject
Failing.
Teehee. ]
no subject
Penguphobia is a serious thing and it affects seven out of ten Huntsmen every year!
no subject
Frostbite is damage sustained to skin tissue due to freezing. Contrary to popular belief, [ yeah, right, ] you can't actually contract it through being poked in the eye by a penguin.
no subject
[ Just kidding! Although, hopefully he said it quietly enough for nobody to hear. Anyway, he follows Pyrrha--]
Y'know, you... you're really smart, Pyrrha. [ ... ] T-That's not to say that I never thought you weren't! It's just... I don't say it enough, I think.
[ Among other things. ]
no subject
It also leaves her a little bashful. "Don't say it enough"? What does that even mean? A few simple words and he's opened an entire gaping maw of uncertainty right under her feet.
Okay. Just. Say something. Do that much, Nikos. ]
Thank you, Jaune.
[ There's a strange little click, not even a full syllable, that seems to imply she wants to say something else, but... yeah, awkward silence. ]
no subject
Jaune wonders if that's a good sign or a bad sign. He complimented someone he likes and she wasn't entirely repulsed. Not that he was expecting that sort of reaction from his partner in the first place, but this is all brand new territory for the both of them. Maybe she doesn't like compliments after being praised all her life? On the other hand, she clearly thanked him, so that's definitely a positive response. Then again, it would be entirely out of character for her not to thank him for it because she's a decent human being with good upbringing. She's so great.
Upon further reflection, since when was awkward silence ever a good sign?!? UGH, STUPID ARC.
(if you've just joined us, welcome to jaune arc's stream of consciousness)
Alright, well, he can't let this end on an awkward note. It just means he'll re-calibrate his game and tone down the compliments, and in turn stick to what he knows best. Comedy! He knows just the joke to--
--n-no. NO. That's the OPPOSITE of what he wants to do. GOD. He's alone with Pyrrha and all he wants to be is the comic relief again! WHY IS SHE EVEN HERE WITH HIM
This is bad.
Just kidding, it's a god damn catastrophe. He's literally staring at her with nothing clever to say. ]
.........
My good!
no subject
[ what. ]
no subject
Yes.
[ THAT'S NOT HELPING ]
...
[ Still. Not. Helping. ]
surprise multi-parter is done
We're not very good at this, are we?
THANKS
We made it this far, didn't we?
[ Whatever that means. ... What did she mean by it? What does he mean? ]
sits here and laughs at you tbh
Yeah, we did.
[ For a moment, she struggles valiantly against the desire to reach for his hand again. It's tempting - she had been as comfortable with their fingers linked as she had been hands safely by her side - but -- dammit, it's too soon! Not for the first time, she's both glad and begrudging of their meandering pace. There really ought to be books about this sort of thing. ]
So, the penguins? If we keep standing here, they might ... fly away!
[ That's a joke.
She's funny. ]
no subject
Really? Fly away? You didn't go with "can't let this opportunity slide"?
[ Penguins... slide... get it. ]
no subject
[ Pyrrha seems genuinely bashful under his comedic scrutiny. ]
... I suppose, in hindsight, that would have been best.
[ She can't sing, she's too tall, and he doesn't even like her jokes. :( ]
no subject
Well, the important thing is I laughed on the inside! [ Also not true... he did visibly smile after all. Please don't stop trying to be funny, girlfriend..... f-friend-girl.
Also she's absolutely right about them needing to move on already, so he takes the lead as they reach the place. Follow the leader! ]
no subject
The room is a large circular viewing area, where a thick, chest-high barricade does its best to keep the average aquarium goer separate from the penguins. Their habitat is filled with ice water and snow, and a reef for them to play on. There's an employee in there with them, doling out small fish. Most of the penguins are patient; one is squawking with frustration, attacking the unmoved employee's shoe with his beak.
Pyrrha, who actually has never seen them in person before, looks delighted. ]
They're -- [ quite precious, she had been about to say, but ends up shyly reconsidering. What if her formal word choices intimidated him? WHY HAD SHE NEVER CONSIDERED THAT BEFORE ]
no subject
Pyrrha, look! That one's nibbling on the man's foot, hahaha! [ He points to the thing they're looking at already. ] Hey-- feed him already!! Oh, man, and-- WHAT?! Look at that one!
[ He points somewhere else, nudging Pyrrha by the shoulder to look once more. What are they looking at? It's this. ]
I-Is it dancing? Pyrrha, it's dancing-- like, like we did! Like-- I-I mean, we, like... a-all of us. Together! [ As a team! Not as a "we're together" thing. ... But also kind of yes?
Holy shit though, they found something cuter than Zwei. Look at it go... ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)