Okay, so it wasn’t really dating advice, but it was basically the same thing. The plan was still for him to get Ana to come with them to the Camilla Festival, the annual start of summer and tourist season on Cinnabar Island. It was pretty similar to an event on the Orange Islands called the Palm Festival. He was pretty sure it would involve most of the same kind of stuff—people got dressed up in colorful clothes and spent the evening walking around the island, shopping, eating, spending time together, and then lighting paper lanterns and sending them out on the ocean as a gesture for good luck and to welcome the season.
The important point here was that Eryk needed to ask Anastasia to it, and for whatever reason, he decided that was something he had to do. Even if he asked with no intent of making it anything like a real date—and Kas wasn’t so sure about that—it was going to look like he was asking her out. Which meant she might think he was. Which meant he had to do it in such a way as to convince her to accept.
Which meant he needed to be a little less like Eryk and a little more like hypothetical-Eryk-who-has-manners-and-maybe-even-charm. That was a pretty tall order. Apparently, teaching Eryk how to be hypothetical-Eryk was a job for both Kas and Cy. Honestly, he was happy to have reinforcements on this one; they were still having trouble with store clerks, and it had been weeks. Nearly eight of them in total.
“So… what exactly was it that you wanted to know, Ryk? You pretty much just ask her if she wants to go with you. Maybe lead into it by asking if she has plans for it or not. It’s not complicated.” He’d been considering asking Fiona from accounting to go with him, but since it was a mission now, that plan was firmly quashed. No skin off his teeth. She’d be fine just meeting up at some point later in the week—it wasn’t like they really dated or anything.
Kas didn't really do that, though he knew how it worked. Apparently, that made him the expert here. His coworkers really needed lives.
Eryk pursed his lips together, as if he still didn't quite understand what Kas was saying. "But if I ask her straight up, she might take it wrong, and you know how I am with other people. I might end up just scaring her off instead. I'm not good at this kind of thing, Kas, you know this. Both of you," he spoke, eyeing both Kas on the chair, and Cyrilla who'd taken to sitting cross-legged on Eryk's bed. She didn't say anything, though, and just glanced in Kas' direction.
"I need to know how to ask without upsetting her or giving her the wrong impression. You know how delicate this matter is," though from the way he said it, it almost sounded like he cared.
The tone sent up a little red flag in Kasimir’s mind—something about this was very dangerous, and he knew exactly what it was. But… for all the danger, it might also be a good thing. Resisting the urge to bring it up, Kas instead turned his attention to the actual issue at hand. It was far too soon to be trying to decide what to do about whatever it was that produced that sound in Eryk’s voice.
Crossing his arms, Kas sighed. “Fortunately, we’re talking about Ana. She’s not likely to misinterpret you if you’re clear. Also fortunately, she doesn’t seem to get offended when you’re really blunt about things. So… tell her that we are inviting her to come to the festival with us—that way it’s clear that it’s an outing we’re all participating in as friends.” His mouth pulled to the side. “Or let me do it. Whichever.”
"As friends? What else would it be?" he questioned, though he turned in the direction of Cyrilla, who snorted softly into her hand. "I still want to be careful about it. Even if she doesn't take it the wrong way, even if I do ask her as bluntly as possible, there is still a small chance that I could offend her somehow. I could say the wrong thing, mention the wrong subject, or just say something she might not like," he continued, sighing a bit heavily. He pulled his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose as he leaned against the wall for slight support.
"But she won't, Ryk. If she hasn't said anything by now, and if she enjoys your company, then there really isn't anything to worry about. Just ask her; it's that simple. If you don't do it soon, Drake is going to sweep in and take away that opportunity. Do you really want him to do that?" Cyrilla chimed in, though there was a visible tick in Eryk's jaw. He didn't seem to like that idea too much.
"It's easier said than done, Cy. What if you were to ask Luke if he wanted to go, but he wanted to go with someone else?" he shot back, causing Cy to flinch just slightly. "I didn't mean it that way, Cy," he stated, sighing a bit too heavily.
Luke? Why was he suddenly in this conversation? Kasimir didn’t think he’d missed anything that important by way of social developments. He’d been a little more careful with Cy recently, as she seemed especially sensitive lately. Particularly in regards to him. He hated that he was inadvertently making her life worse, and so he tried to give her as much space as he could for that fresh start she wanted. Difficult when they had to work so closely together, but he tried. Had he really missed…?
No, the look on her face was wrong for that. Kasimir breathed an internal sigh of relief—then he paused. He shouldn’t be relieved about that. It would be good if she were able to transfer her misplaced affection elsewhere. Her crush on him wasn’t going to amount to anything. He had no intention of letting it.
Pulling his thoughts away from that mess, he refocused it on Eryk’s more manageable predicament. “Ryk, I hate to break this to you, man,” he said, pulling himself up so he could sit a little more normally in the chair. “But… that’s a risk in literally any social interaction with literally anyone. You just have to use what you already know. Surely you’ve talked to her plenty of times by now. If there’s anything she’s avoided talking about, or any time she’s seemed distressed, don’t go back to whatever subject that was. I really don’t think she’s going to get offended if you ask her to come with us to the Camilla Festival. Give her a little more credit than that—she’s not made of glass, and even if you’re the conversational equivalent of a sledgehammer, she seems to like you well enough.”
In any other situation, he’d probably have been laughing his ass off at how concerned Ryk was about Ana’s feelings. Imagine—his friend who didn’t even get why manners were necessary, worried about offending someone. But there was more to it than that; this was a mission. The concern might not be personal at all, but only related to the success of their aim. Or, as Kas privately suspected, it could be some blend of the two that Eryk didn’t really understand himself yet.
A soft murmur escaped Eryk, however; it was hard to tell if it was a groan or something else. "I suppose you're right. There isn't any other solution," he finally seemed to concede to the idea, and glanced towards Kas. "I'll ask her today, before the day is over," he stated, pushing himself off of the wall. "I suspect the two of you will be joining us as well, that way it won't be..." he seemed at a loss for what he was trying to say.
"Awkward?" Cy spoke, completing his sentence. She tilted a brow in his direction, but there was a sort of mischievous smile on her face. "Sure, I'll tag along. Why not? We can't let Ryk feel awkward in these kinds of situations, can we, Kas?" she spoke, glancing towards Kas.
And though he was trying to be good, trying to give her her space, he couldn't resist joking back. “I don’t know if that will make things better, or just make it look like a double-date,” he observed, shooting her a bright grin. “But I’m not complaining either way. I’m only human, after all.”
Wasn’t he ever.
"True, it would look that way, wouldn't it?" she replied, laughing softly though there was a bit of pink dusting her cheeks. Eryk didn't look too happy about it though. "Oh come on, Ryk, it'll be fun. It's just between friends, right? There's no harm in that, and if she sees all three of us, she'll be more likely inclined to say yes. It's a win-win situation for you," she spoke.
"Sometimes, I have this distinct feeling that you are both conspiring against me," was the only thing he said.
“Of course we are,” Kas replied immediately. “You’d never have any fun, otherwise.”