The Cloyster - Early Evening - Rain
Nevena Solomon
Nev knew it was silly.
She could tell from the look on Basil's face that she thought it was silly, too. She couldn't really blame Basil, considering that Nev was staring at the Fletchinder website. Fletchinder. It was a dating site. Nev didn't have any business on such a thing, but... well, she thought that maybe she ought to give it a try? She was already thirty two years old. Work and school had consumed a majority of her youth, and she didn't really have time to date.
Not that there were many suitors for her. Most people often looked at her and snickered, or made inappropriate passes at her. She didn't think very highly of her appearance; she wasn't as beautiful as Cyrilla was, and she certainly wasn't as cute as Anastasia. She was just... plain. Basil trilled at her, though, and pulled her from those thoughts. She offered the bayleef a small smile as she glanced at her phone. She had invited Kasimir over, earlier, to help her with this. He was so charismatic and confident in a way Nev didn't think she could ever be. It wasn't a bad thing, but there was just something about him.
She'd invited Cyrilla, too, since she thought the younger woman would like to help. She and Anastasia had been a big help during the Camellia Festival, after all. The doorbell sounded, though, as Basil made her way towards the door.
“Hey, Nev," Cyrilla greeted as she walked into the living area. Nev had a desk set up with her computer in the far left corner, which was where she was currently sitting.
“Cyrilla! Glad you could make it. Is Kas with you?" she asked, noticing the man's absence. Cyrilla snorted softly and folded her arms across her chest.
“You don't think I'd be sufficient help?"
“Oh, no! I just... well," Nev laughed nervously. She hadn't meant to imply that. Cyrilla snickered, though, and shook her head.
“Don't worry, he's coming. He had to stop by the apartment, first. He just got back from a run and didn't think you'd want him all sweaty in your apartment," she stated, chuckling lightly as Nev did the same.
Sure enough, Kas showed up a few minutes later, freshly showered and looking effortlessly put-together in a light pink shirt over a cornflower blue undershirt. The sleeves of the outer one were rolled to his elbows, and he slid off his sandals in the entrance, stretching up to brace his hands on her doorframe and half-swing himself inside.
"So I have to know: are we really doing you up a Fletchinder account, Sis? Because I gotta say this is an unexpected development. I didn't even know you were interested in the dating scene." He let the apartment door shut behind him and plopped down onto the two-seater, pulling his long legs up underneath him and crossing them with an arched eyebrow.
Nev puffed her cheeks a little, feeling a bit of heat rush to them. “Well... I mean I thought it might be different?" she'd phrased it as a question without meaning to.
“Different, how?" Cyrilla asked, causing Nev to laugh a little nervously.
“Well, I've never dated before and... I thought it might be a good experience," she answered, causing Cyrilla to arch an amused brow. She shook her head, though, and glanced in Kas's direction.
“Not every experience is good, but... I can see where you're coming from, I suppose," Cyrilla spoke before turning her attention back towards Nev, and tilting her head. “Alright, so, Kas, we've got our work cut out for us. Where should we start?" she stated, still keeping her eyes on Kas. There was something almost mischievous to Cyrilla's smile, though, something that seemed a little more plotting. Nev wasn't entirely sure how to take that, but turned her attention towards Kas.
Kas hadn't looked too surprised at her answer—then again, he'd probably been able to figure out the part about her not having dated. It might have been why he was under the impression that she wasn't interested. Idly, he used his thumb to crack the knuckles of his left hand, pressing down on each finger in turn until they clicked, and hummed thoughtfully. "Well," he said, shooting Cyrilla a smile Nev couldn't interpret. "I suppose where we should start depends on what Sis is really after. You've gotta give us more than 'it might be a good experience.' What do you want out of it? A one-night stand? A steady boyfriend? Girlfriend? A non-monogamous relationship? A friend with benefits?" He listed off the options rather neutrally, clearly not inclined to judge her regardless.
Nev hadn't actually thought about that. She pursed her lips as she contemplated what she was after. What Kasimir had listed hadn't sounded too bad, but she didn't think she could ever do a one-night stand, or a friend with benefits. What even was a friend with benefits? She'd have to look it up later, but for now, she had to really think about what she wanted.
“Well, I guess I'm looking for something more substantial," she finally answered. “Something that's, uh, how did you put it? Steady?" she stated, causing Cyrilla to roll her eyes a bit.
“Nothing wrong with that," Cyrilla stated as she hummed a quiet note. “Assuming you want a steady boyfriend," she put an emphasis on the last word, causing Nev to nod her head, “The next thing would be what attracts you to a person? Their appearance, their personality?" Cyrilla continued, plopping herself down on the floor and glancing up at Nev.
“Oh, well... I've never been too inclined of a person's appearance, I suppose, but... well, I guess a nice personality?" Nev wasn't entirely sure. She'd never done this before, after all.
Kas snorted softly. "No preferences at all? Really? It's okay to have a type, or to have things that are actual turnoffs or dealbreakers, appearance-related or otherwise. The more honest you can be with yourself about that, the better, because it means you'll choose people you're actually compatible with, which means it won't be a waste of your time or theirs. A lot of the game is..." he paused, tilting his hand back and forth in a so-so motion. "A lot of it is guesswork, so the more clues you can give yourself about whether someone will or won't work, the better. It's not mean, if you're worried about that—if you know what your preferences and requirements are, then you can be up front about them and no one will feel strung along, and that's actually kinder."
He gestured more broadly. "So lay it on us, Sis. No judgement. Anything you like more than neutral? Anything you can't stand?"
“I don't know, honestly," she murmured softly. It wasn't that she didn't have any preferences; she just didn't know what they were.
“Alright, let's start with the basics, then," Cyrilla spoke, folding her legs beneath her and leaning forward. “Have you ever liked anyone before?" she asked, causing Nev to nod. There had been a few people she'd crushed on, but nothing ever came of it. She was much too shy to ever say anything about it, and they didn't seem interested in her that way.
“Alright, then tell us what you liked about them."
“Well, they were basically my friend," Nevena began, pursing her lips together as she tried to recall the people she'd ever crushed on. “And they always had the prettiest shade of red hair," she added. Now that she thought about it, almost all of her crushes had red hair of sorts. Cyrilla grinned broadly, though, as she arched a brow.
“So you have a thing for redheads. That's a start," she stated, glancing in Kas's direction and snorting softly.
He huffed a soft laugh and shook his head faintly. "I guess that's a start. It also sounds like you prefer people you can develop strong friendships with. So forget about the dating element for a second: what, to you, makes a good friend?"
“Well, I suppose that one's a little easier. Someone who makes me feel at ease, like I don't have to pretend or be something I'm not. It just feels much more relaxed, and... I don't feel so afraid to show my more refined quirks," she stated, rubbing the back of her neck, nervously. “It's also appreciated when someone can at least be honest with me if I'm being too weird or annoying," she added. A little honesty never hurt anyone, even if it did sting her a little. She tried her best to not be annoying to anyone or overbearing.
“So honesty and acceptance," Cyrilla summarized. Nev nodded her head, as Cyrilla seemed to chew the bottom of her lip in thought. “Nowadays those kind of traits are rare to find," she began, speaking softly for a moment before shaking her head. “But you basically want to build a friendship with someone, right?"
“I do. I know a lot of people aren't necessarily looking for something like that, especially those a bit... younger," she winced slightly at her own choice of words, however; Cyrilla barked a short laugh.
“You'd be surprised, actually, how many of the younger people seek that kind of thing, out," she stated, shaking her head softly. “They're just not so inclined to admit it."
“Do you look for something like that?" Nev asked, genuinely curious. The question seemed to catch Cyrilla off guard, though, as she blinked in surprise.
“Me? No... I," she paused as if she were unsure how to answer that. “It's not something I've thought about, really," she stated, but the way she said it sounded a little strange, to Nev. It was almost as if she were lying, but Nev couldn't be too sure. She wasn't good at reading people or the different tones to their voice.
“What about you, Kas?"
He was regarding Cyrilla a little curiously, it seemed, but when Nev turned the question on him, he shrugged in what seemed to be a careless way. "I'm one of those irresponsible young people," he said, pointing to himself with a flourish. "Mostly I look for stuff with no strings. But I don't use Fletchinder for that; usually I just got to bars or clubs and pull there. It's easier to get a sense of someone face to face, and if it's not working it's not like either of us has to sit through a whole date just to be polite. Plus it's painless that way when the boss sticks me on a mission that involves that kind of thing. A steady monogamous girlfriend or boyfriend would just get mad if I had to woo someone for information, you know?"
He pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing down at the screen to unlock it. "But you're interested in something completely different from me, so your strategy is going to be almost the opposite. I turn on the charm and cast a wide net. You are going to be yourself and be as honest and forthright as possible. You'll catch some assholes—that's just the way these things work. But like tends to attract like, so you might get lucky and strike on some good, honest people too. Now say cheese." He grinned at her, and the camera on his phone flashed in her direction.
Kas looked back down at the screen a moment later and burst into laughter, passing it over to Cyrilla. "You think we use that?"
Cyrilla snorted as she tried to contain a laugh. “Oh, definitely. It's too good to not use," she replied, glancing in Nev's direction. Nev was vaguely confused, and not so sure Kas was right about catching people. She wasn't the type to do that, she didn't think. “You're very photogenic, you know that?" Cyrilla stated as she glanced back at the picture on Kasimir's phone.
“Thank you?" she stated, supposing Cyrilla meant it as a compliment. At least that's what it sounded like.
“You're very welcome. Now, come on, tell us a little more. What are your likes, hobbies, dislikes, preferences," she stated, listing off a few things. “Nev, you and Kas switch spots; he needs to do your profile for you," she stated, motioning for Nev to take a seat next to her on the floor. Basil trilled lightly as if to object before shaking her head.
She did, however, take a seat next to Cyrilla, leaving the chair open for Kas to take a seat. “Well, I guess my hobbies are mostly work related," Nev stated. “Oh, but I do play video games with Aidan. Does that count as a hobby?"
This prompted Kas to exchange another look with Cyrilla, laden with some meaning Nev didn't quite understand, but he shrugged, settling into the chair and situating himself in front of her laptop. "Well it's a hobby, but you probably don't want to make direct mention of another guy when you're talking about it. That'd come off weird on a date."
He navigated to the webpage for Fletchinder, setting his phone down for the moment and opening a blank profile from the looks of it. "Okay," he said, starting to check boxes and fill in text fields. "You're a woman seeking a man for a long term relationship, monogamous. Oh—education and job. This is the section where you get to show off. Normally, I'd recommend you don't because some men are stupid and easily scared away by women who are smarter than them, but since you're not just looking to get laid you're gonna want to be pretty open about that..." He filled in a few more fields.
Apparently he remembered where she'd gotten all of her degrees and when, which was fairly impressive, as she'd only ever told him that once.
She wasn't entirely sure why, but she did feel a little bad about not mentioning Aidan. “Even if he's just a friend?" she asked cautiously. She trusted Kas and Cyrilla to know what they were doing, and the look Cyrilla gave her made it obvious it was a silly question, but Cyrilla merely shook her head.
“Especially that. You see... like Kas said, some men are stupid, and get jealous very easily when there are other men in your life. Even if Aidan's just a friend, if you were to find a possible someone to be in a long-term relationship with, he might feel threatened by your friendship. As sad as it is, that's just the ugly truth when it comes to having male friends when you're a woman. Of course, you'll find some men who say they don't necessarily care, but there will always be a hint of jealous in the back of their minds."
Nev supposed Cyrilla had a point about that, but Nev couldn't really fathom that. Why would they get jealous about male friends? Why would it matter if they were dating? It shouldn't matter.
“But it does matter, Nev," Cyrilla spoke as if reading Nev's mind. “It's easy to see where your thoughts are going when you wear them so openly on your face."
"Honestly she's right though," Kas said, pausing in his typing and shaking his head. "They shouldn't care, and the good ones won't. But bringing up that your main hobby outside of work is tied to one specific friend could be misleading in the sense that some people are going to interpret that as a possible situation where you have feelings for the friend that you're not acting on for some reason. No one likes to feel like a backup plan. It can be kind of a delicate balance, but you want to be clear in communicating so you don't give that impression."
He switched fields and continued typing. "If you are clear that your male friends are just friends and some guy has a problem anyway, then he's an asshole and you should get out of there ASAP. Especially if he tries to guilt you into hanging out with them less. That's controlling behavior, and it's a sign of abuse. Don't ever put up with it Sis, you got me?" He regarded her seriously, unusually so for Kas, a certain brightness to the gold of his eyes.
“Of course, Kas," she replied. That was a little strange, even for Kasimir. Cyrilla regarded her with a somewhat serious stare as well.
“If you ever feel uncomfortable, Nev, you let them know that. If they don't stop, then you need to leave. Don't let anyone pressure you into something you don't want; if they get forceful," she paused, pulling out her cell-phone from her back pocket, “you call me, or you call Kasimir or Ryk." Nev nodded her head. It was the only thing she could do.
Was dating that dangerous?
“Alright. Thank you, really, the both of you for helping me with this. I didn't think it would be so... harsh."
“It's not that it's harsh. People are just... well, they're stupid for a lack of better words. But I promise that, once you find yourself someone you can enjoy yourself with, it... it'll be worth it," Cyrilla stated, smiling just softly enough that it looked a little misplaced on her face.
"And try not to worry too much. We're reading you the riot act because you haven't done this before, but most bad dates aren't that kind of bad. Just boring or whatever." He grinned a little. "Some of them are going to be bad, though. That's just how this works." He did something with his phone and her computer that transferred the photo he'd taken earlier to the right spot on the page.
"Okay. Now I've filled out all your basic fields and put your picture up. This last box here is for you to say anything you want. Some people go all out with these, but personally I think it's better to leave a little mystery—give enough to hint at conversation topics, but hold enough back that they won't know your answers just from reading your bio. You want people to want to get to know you."
He shifted out of the seat, gesturing for her to resume it. "Oh," he added, seemingly just thinking of something. "I'm not sure what your supervision arrangement is like on this. Should you be telling boss you're doing it?"
For some reason, that question caused Cyrilla to snicker a little. “I probably should?" Nev stated. She wasn't sure, actually. Did Aidan need to know? Did it matter since this was a personal thing, and not at all work related?
“You should at least give him a heads up so that he knows. It'd be the nice thing to do, but he is also your superior," Cyrilla stated with a light shrug of her shoulders, glancing in Kas's direction with an amused brow.
“I guess you're right. I think he's in, should I go tell him now?" Nev asked.
Kas huffed. "Sure. The bio can wait till you get back I guess. We can help with it if you want." He shrugged, and shot a look at Cyrilla with narrowed eyes. Honestly those two seemed to be communicating telepathically half the time.
Were they telepathic? They certainly seemed to be with the way they always seemed so synchronized. Maybe it was just Nev seeing things?
“Oh, uh, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that! You're already doing so much for me," Nev stated once she realized what Kasimir said. Cyrilla huffed lightly, though, and shook her head.
“It's not a problem at all, Nev. Now go tell Aidan about your dating profile and we'll finish it up for you, alright?" Cyrilla stated, all but shooing Nev out. With a light chuckle, Nev stood from her spot on the floor and pursed her lips together.
“Thanks again," she stated, watching as Cyrilla nodded and stood from her spot. She leaned over the chair Kas was sitting in as if to look at what had been typed so far as Nev left her apartment. It was a good thing Aidan lived next door, she supposed. She hovered by his door for a moment, lifting her hand but not quite connecting it to the door.
“Oh, come on, Nev, it's just... you're just telling him about a profile and nothing more," she stated to herself, finally knocking on Aidan's door. But why did she feel so nervous about it?
It opened a few moments later; Aidan blinked slightly down at her and tilted his head. "Hey Doc," he said mildly, the corner of his mouth tilting up just a fraction. It disappeared a moment later, though, as he seemed to take in the expression on her face. "Why don't you come in?" he offered, stepping back away from the door so she could. "You want a drink or something?"
“Oh, no thank you, I'm fine," she stated, smiling and relaxing a bit. She did, however, step into his apartment without missing a beat. It was pretty routine, by now, that they were often in one or the other's place. Most of the time she spent it at Aidan's because of the video game. They weren't close to finishing it, yet, but Nev suspected that it would only take them a couple of more weeks before they were close.
“I won't take up too much of your time, though," she stated, remembering why she'd come here in the first place. “I just... well, I, um," she stuttered a bit, furrowing her brows at herself. She took a deep breath before shaking her head.
“Kas and Cyrilla are making a fletchinder account for me and... well, I just... thought you should know?" Arceus why was this much more awkward than it should have been?
Aidan, who'd been headed for the living room, paused as the words rushed out, turning back to her with the closest thing to confusion she'd ever seen on his face: brows furrowed, mouth pulled slightly to one side as though he'd tasted something unexpected. He lifted a hand to his hair and scratched the back of his head. "Fletchinder? Like the... the dating app or whatever?" This didn't seem to clarify much for him, but anything else he might have said was interrupted by an odd thump sound. It seemed to have come from the hallway; he rolled his eyes at the door for a moment before turning back to her.
"If this is about the supervision thing, you don't have to tell me stuff like that, Doc. Your personal life is yours, as long as it doesn't mess with work. Honestly, you can let it mess with work if you want to, even—it's not like I won't cut you any slack, you know?" He huffed softly and smiled at her, just a little.
"If you wanted my opinion as your friend, though... good luck out there. You ever need an excuse to get out of a date quick, send me a text that's just a punctuation mark. I'll call and act like you've gotta go in for a thing."
Nev pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “You know, from the way you, Cyrilla, and Kasimir put it, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," she murmured. She huffed lightly to herself, though and rolled her eyes. She did say she wanted to give it a try, though. Something new. “But thanks for the support! I'll make sure if anything like that happens, I'll text you, Cyrilla, Kasimir, or Eryk. Because apparently I have choices," she stated, smiling just a bit.
“Well... since I'm already here, do you want to see how much further we can get in the game?" She had said she wasn't going to take up much of his time, but... well, she was here already, right? And they were making decent progress.
He expelled something like a soft ha at the question, then turned towards the door momentarily. "You heard that, right?" he said, raising his voice a little. "Go home for the night, you two."
There wasn't any response that she could hear, but Aidan seemed satisfied. "Sure thing, Doc. Let's see if we can't get past the water labyrinth this time."
Nev groaned. “I forgot we were at that level." Still... it was shaping up to be a pretty good night.
She could tell from the look on Basil's face that she thought it was silly, too. She couldn't really blame Basil, considering that Nev was staring at the Fletchinder website. Fletchinder. It was a dating site. Nev didn't have any business on such a thing, but... well, she thought that maybe she ought to give it a try? She was already thirty two years old. Work and school had consumed a majority of her youth, and she didn't really have time to date.
Not that there were many suitors for her. Most people often looked at her and snickered, or made inappropriate passes at her. She didn't think very highly of her appearance; she wasn't as beautiful as Cyrilla was, and she certainly wasn't as cute as Anastasia. She was just... plain. Basil trilled at her, though, and pulled her from those thoughts. She offered the bayleef a small smile as she glanced at her phone. She had invited Kasimir over, earlier, to help her with this. He was so charismatic and confident in a way Nev didn't think she could ever be. It wasn't a bad thing, but there was just something about him.
She'd invited Cyrilla, too, since she thought the younger woman would like to help. She and Anastasia had been a big help during the Camellia Festival, after all. The doorbell sounded, though, as Basil made her way towards the door.
“Hey, Nev," Cyrilla greeted as she walked into the living area. Nev had a desk set up with her computer in the far left corner, which was where she was currently sitting.
“Cyrilla! Glad you could make it. Is Kas with you?" she asked, noticing the man's absence. Cyrilla snorted softly and folded her arms across her chest.
“You don't think I'd be sufficient help?"
“Oh, no! I just... well," Nev laughed nervously. She hadn't meant to imply that. Cyrilla snickered, though, and shook her head.
“Don't worry, he's coming. He had to stop by the apartment, first. He just got back from a run and didn't think you'd want him all sweaty in your apartment," she stated, chuckling lightly as Nev did the same.
Sure enough, Kas showed up a few minutes later, freshly showered and looking effortlessly put-together in a light pink shirt over a cornflower blue undershirt. The sleeves of the outer one were rolled to his elbows, and he slid off his sandals in the entrance, stretching up to brace his hands on her doorframe and half-swing himself inside.
"So I have to know: are we really doing you up a Fletchinder account, Sis? Because I gotta say this is an unexpected development. I didn't even know you were interested in the dating scene." He let the apartment door shut behind him and plopped down onto the two-seater, pulling his long legs up underneath him and crossing them with an arched eyebrow.
Nev puffed her cheeks a little, feeling a bit of heat rush to them. “Well... I mean I thought it might be different?" she'd phrased it as a question without meaning to.
“Different, how?" Cyrilla asked, causing Nev to laugh a little nervously.
“Well, I've never dated before and... I thought it might be a good experience," she answered, causing Cyrilla to arch an amused brow. She shook her head, though, and glanced in Kas's direction.
“Not every experience is good, but... I can see where you're coming from, I suppose," Cyrilla spoke before turning her attention back towards Nev, and tilting her head. “Alright, so, Kas, we've got our work cut out for us. Where should we start?" she stated, still keeping her eyes on Kas. There was something almost mischievous to Cyrilla's smile, though, something that seemed a little more plotting. Nev wasn't entirely sure how to take that, but turned her attention towards Kas.
Kas hadn't looked too surprised at her answer—then again, he'd probably been able to figure out the part about her not having dated. It might have been why he was under the impression that she wasn't interested. Idly, he used his thumb to crack the knuckles of his left hand, pressing down on each finger in turn until they clicked, and hummed thoughtfully. "Well," he said, shooting Cyrilla a smile Nev couldn't interpret. "I suppose where we should start depends on what Sis is really after. You've gotta give us more than 'it might be a good experience.' What do you want out of it? A one-night stand? A steady boyfriend? Girlfriend? A non-monogamous relationship? A friend with benefits?" He listed off the options rather neutrally, clearly not inclined to judge her regardless.
Nev hadn't actually thought about that. She pursed her lips as she contemplated what she was after. What Kasimir had listed hadn't sounded too bad, but she didn't think she could ever do a one-night stand, or a friend with benefits. What even was a friend with benefits? She'd have to look it up later, but for now, she had to really think about what she wanted.
“Well, I guess I'm looking for something more substantial," she finally answered. “Something that's, uh, how did you put it? Steady?" she stated, causing Cyrilla to roll her eyes a bit.
“Nothing wrong with that," Cyrilla stated as she hummed a quiet note. “Assuming you want a steady boyfriend," she put an emphasis on the last word, causing Nev to nod her head, “The next thing would be what attracts you to a person? Their appearance, their personality?" Cyrilla continued, plopping herself down on the floor and glancing up at Nev.
“Oh, well... I've never been too inclined of a person's appearance, I suppose, but... well, I guess a nice personality?" Nev wasn't entirely sure. She'd never done this before, after all.
Kas snorted softly. "No preferences at all? Really? It's okay to have a type, or to have things that are actual turnoffs or dealbreakers, appearance-related or otherwise. The more honest you can be with yourself about that, the better, because it means you'll choose people you're actually compatible with, which means it won't be a waste of your time or theirs. A lot of the game is..." he paused, tilting his hand back and forth in a so-so motion. "A lot of it is guesswork, so the more clues you can give yourself about whether someone will or won't work, the better. It's not mean, if you're worried about that—if you know what your preferences and requirements are, then you can be up front about them and no one will feel strung along, and that's actually kinder."
He gestured more broadly. "So lay it on us, Sis. No judgement. Anything you like more than neutral? Anything you can't stand?"
“I don't know, honestly," she murmured softly. It wasn't that she didn't have any preferences; she just didn't know what they were.
“Alright, let's start with the basics, then," Cyrilla spoke, folding her legs beneath her and leaning forward. “Have you ever liked anyone before?" she asked, causing Nev to nod. There had been a few people she'd crushed on, but nothing ever came of it. She was much too shy to ever say anything about it, and they didn't seem interested in her that way.
“Alright, then tell us what you liked about them."
“Well, they were basically my friend," Nevena began, pursing her lips together as she tried to recall the people she'd ever crushed on. “And they always had the prettiest shade of red hair," she added. Now that she thought about it, almost all of her crushes had red hair of sorts. Cyrilla grinned broadly, though, as she arched a brow.
“So you have a thing for redheads. That's a start," she stated, glancing in Kas's direction and snorting softly.
He huffed a soft laugh and shook his head faintly. "I guess that's a start. It also sounds like you prefer people you can develop strong friendships with. So forget about the dating element for a second: what, to you, makes a good friend?"
“Well, I suppose that one's a little easier. Someone who makes me feel at ease, like I don't have to pretend or be something I'm not. It just feels much more relaxed, and... I don't feel so afraid to show my more refined quirks," she stated, rubbing the back of her neck, nervously. “It's also appreciated when someone can at least be honest with me if I'm being too weird or annoying," she added. A little honesty never hurt anyone, even if it did sting her a little. She tried her best to not be annoying to anyone or overbearing.
“So honesty and acceptance," Cyrilla summarized. Nev nodded her head, as Cyrilla seemed to chew the bottom of her lip in thought. “Nowadays those kind of traits are rare to find," she began, speaking softly for a moment before shaking her head. “But you basically want to build a friendship with someone, right?"
“I do. I know a lot of people aren't necessarily looking for something like that, especially those a bit... younger," she winced slightly at her own choice of words, however; Cyrilla barked a short laugh.
“You'd be surprised, actually, how many of the younger people seek that kind of thing, out," she stated, shaking her head softly. “They're just not so inclined to admit it."
“Do you look for something like that?" Nev asked, genuinely curious. The question seemed to catch Cyrilla off guard, though, as she blinked in surprise.
“Me? No... I," she paused as if she were unsure how to answer that. “It's not something I've thought about, really," she stated, but the way she said it sounded a little strange, to Nev. It was almost as if she were lying, but Nev couldn't be too sure. She wasn't good at reading people or the different tones to their voice.
“What about you, Kas?"
He was regarding Cyrilla a little curiously, it seemed, but when Nev turned the question on him, he shrugged in what seemed to be a careless way. "I'm one of those irresponsible young people," he said, pointing to himself with a flourish. "Mostly I look for stuff with no strings. But I don't use Fletchinder for that; usually I just got to bars or clubs and pull there. It's easier to get a sense of someone face to face, and if it's not working it's not like either of us has to sit through a whole date just to be polite. Plus it's painless that way when the boss sticks me on a mission that involves that kind of thing. A steady monogamous girlfriend or boyfriend would just get mad if I had to woo someone for information, you know?"
He pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing down at the screen to unlock it. "But you're interested in something completely different from me, so your strategy is going to be almost the opposite. I turn on the charm and cast a wide net. You are going to be yourself and be as honest and forthright as possible. You'll catch some assholes—that's just the way these things work. But like tends to attract like, so you might get lucky and strike on some good, honest people too. Now say cheese." He grinned at her, and the camera on his phone flashed in her direction.
Kas looked back down at the screen a moment later and burst into laughter, passing it over to Cyrilla. "You think we use that?"
Cyrilla snorted as she tried to contain a laugh. “Oh, definitely. It's too good to not use," she replied, glancing in Nev's direction. Nev was vaguely confused, and not so sure Kas was right about catching people. She wasn't the type to do that, she didn't think. “You're very photogenic, you know that?" Cyrilla stated as she glanced back at the picture on Kasimir's phone.
“Thank you?" she stated, supposing Cyrilla meant it as a compliment. At least that's what it sounded like.
“You're very welcome. Now, come on, tell us a little more. What are your likes, hobbies, dislikes, preferences," she stated, listing off a few things. “Nev, you and Kas switch spots; he needs to do your profile for you," she stated, motioning for Nev to take a seat next to her on the floor. Basil trilled lightly as if to object before shaking her head.
She did, however, take a seat next to Cyrilla, leaving the chair open for Kas to take a seat. “Well, I guess my hobbies are mostly work related," Nev stated. “Oh, but I do play video games with Aidan. Does that count as a hobby?"
This prompted Kas to exchange another look with Cyrilla, laden with some meaning Nev didn't quite understand, but he shrugged, settling into the chair and situating himself in front of her laptop. "Well it's a hobby, but you probably don't want to make direct mention of another guy when you're talking about it. That'd come off weird on a date."
He navigated to the webpage for Fletchinder, setting his phone down for the moment and opening a blank profile from the looks of it. "Okay," he said, starting to check boxes and fill in text fields. "You're a woman seeking a man for a long term relationship, monogamous. Oh—education and job. This is the section where you get to show off. Normally, I'd recommend you don't because some men are stupid and easily scared away by women who are smarter than them, but since you're not just looking to get laid you're gonna want to be pretty open about that..." He filled in a few more fields.
Apparently he remembered where she'd gotten all of her degrees and when, which was fairly impressive, as she'd only ever told him that once.
She wasn't entirely sure why, but she did feel a little bad about not mentioning Aidan. “Even if he's just a friend?" she asked cautiously. She trusted Kas and Cyrilla to know what they were doing, and the look Cyrilla gave her made it obvious it was a silly question, but Cyrilla merely shook her head.
“Especially that. You see... like Kas said, some men are stupid, and get jealous very easily when there are other men in your life. Even if Aidan's just a friend, if you were to find a possible someone to be in a long-term relationship with, he might feel threatened by your friendship. As sad as it is, that's just the ugly truth when it comes to having male friends when you're a woman. Of course, you'll find some men who say they don't necessarily care, but there will always be a hint of jealous in the back of their minds."
Nev supposed Cyrilla had a point about that, but Nev couldn't really fathom that. Why would they get jealous about male friends? Why would it matter if they were dating? It shouldn't matter.
“But it does matter, Nev," Cyrilla spoke as if reading Nev's mind. “It's easy to see where your thoughts are going when you wear them so openly on your face."
"Honestly she's right though," Kas said, pausing in his typing and shaking his head. "They shouldn't care, and the good ones won't. But bringing up that your main hobby outside of work is tied to one specific friend could be misleading in the sense that some people are going to interpret that as a possible situation where you have feelings for the friend that you're not acting on for some reason. No one likes to feel like a backup plan. It can be kind of a delicate balance, but you want to be clear in communicating so you don't give that impression."
He switched fields and continued typing. "If you are clear that your male friends are just friends and some guy has a problem anyway, then he's an asshole and you should get out of there ASAP. Especially if he tries to guilt you into hanging out with them less. That's controlling behavior, and it's a sign of abuse. Don't ever put up with it Sis, you got me?" He regarded her seriously, unusually so for Kas, a certain brightness to the gold of his eyes.
“Of course, Kas," she replied. That was a little strange, even for Kasimir. Cyrilla regarded her with a somewhat serious stare as well.
“If you ever feel uncomfortable, Nev, you let them know that. If they don't stop, then you need to leave. Don't let anyone pressure you into something you don't want; if they get forceful," she paused, pulling out her cell-phone from her back pocket, “you call me, or you call Kasimir or Ryk." Nev nodded her head. It was the only thing she could do.
Was dating that dangerous?
“Alright. Thank you, really, the both of you for helping me with this. I didn't think it would be so... harsh."
“It's not that it's harsh. People are just... well, they're stupid for a lack of better words. But I promise that, once you find yourself someone you can enjoy yourself with, it... it'll be worth it," Cyrilla stated, smiling just softly enough that it looked a little misplaced on her face.
"And try not to worry too much. We're reading you the riot act because you haven't done this before, but most bad dates aren't that kind of bad. Just boring or whatever." He grinned a little. "Some of them are going to be bad, though. That's just how this works." He did something with his phone and her computer that transferred the photo he'd taken earlier to the right spot on the page.
"Okay. Now I've filled out all your basic fields and put your picture up. This last box here is for you to say anything you want. Some people go all out with these, but personally I think it's better to leave a little mystery—give enough to hint at conversation topics, but hold enough back that they won't know your answers just from reading your bio. You want people to want to get to know you."
He shifted out of the seat, gesturing for her to resume it. "Oh," he added, seemingly just thinking of something. "I'm not sure what your supervision arrangement is like on this. Should you be telling boss you're doing it?"
For some reason, that question caused Cyrilla to snicker a little. “I probably should?" Nev stated. She wasn't sure, actually. Did Aidan need to know? Did it matter since this was a personal thing, and not at all work related?
“You should at least give him a heads up so that he knows. It'd be the nice thing to do, but he is also your superior," Cyrilla stated with a light shrug of her shoulders, glancing in Kas's direction with an amused brow.
“I guess you're right. I think he's in, should I go tell him now?" Nev asked.
Kas huffed. "Sure. The bio can wait till you get back I guess. We can help with it if you want." He shrugged, and shot a look at Cyrilla with narrowed eyes. Honestly those two seemed to be communicating telepathically half the time.
Were they telepathic? They certainly seemed to be with the way they always seemed so synchronized. Maybe it was just Nev seeing things?
“Oh, uh, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that! You're already doing so much for me," Nev stated once she realized what Kasimir said. Cyrilla huffed lightly, though, and shook her head.
“It's not a problem at all, Nev. Now go tell Aidan about your dating profile and we'll finish it up for you, alright?" Cyrilla stated, all but shooing Nev out. With a light chuckle, Nev stood from her spot on the floor and pursed her lips together.
“Thanks again," she stated, watching as Cyrilla nodded and stood from her spot. She leaned over the chair Kas was sitting in as if to look at what had been typed so far as Nev left her apartment. It was a good thing Aidan lived next door, she supposed. She hovered by his door for a moment, lifting her hand but not quite connecting it to the door.
“Oh, come on, Nev, it's just... you're just telling him about a profile and nothing more," she stated to herself, finally knocking on Aidan's door. But why did she feel so nervous about it?
It opened a few moments later; Aidan blinked slightly down at her and tilted his head. "Hey Doc," he said mildly, the corner of his mouth tilting up just a fraction. It disappeared a moment later, though, as he seemed to take in the expression on her face. "Why don't you come in?" he offered, stepping back away from the door so she could. "You want a drink or something?"
“Oh, no thank you, I'm fine," she stated, smiling and relaxing a bit. She did, however, step into his apartment without missing a beat. It was pretty routine, by now, that they were often in one or the other's place. Most of the time she spent it at Aidan's because of the video game. They weren't close to finishing it, yet, but Nev suspected that it would only take them a couple of more weeks before they were close.
“I won't take up too much of your time, though," she stated, remembering why she'd come here in the first place. “I just... well, I, um," she stuttered a bit, furrowing her brows at herself. She took a deep breath before shaking her head.
“Kas and Cyrilla are making a fletchinder account for me and... well, I just... thought you should know?" Arceus why was this much more awkward than it should have been?
Aidan, who'd been headed for the living room, paused as the words rushed out, turning back to her with the closest thing to confusion she'd ever seen on his face: brows furrowed, mouth pulled slightly to one side as though he'd tasted something unexpected. He lifted a hand to his hair and scratched the back of his head. "Fletchinder? Like the... the dating app or whatever?" This didn't seem to clarify much for him, but anything else he might have said was interrupted by an odd thump sound. It seemed to have come from the hallway; he rolled his eyes at the door for a moment before turning back to her.
"If this is about the supervision thing, you don't have to tell me stuff like that, Doc. Your personal life is yours, as long as it doesn't mess with work. Honestly, you can let it mess with work if you want to, even—it's not like I won't cut you any slack, you know?" He huffed softly and smiled at her, just a little.
"If you wanted my opinion as your friend, though... good luck out there. You ever need an excuse to get out of a date quick, send me a text that's just a punctuation mark. I'll call and act like you've gotta go in for a thing."
Nev pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “You know, from the way you, Cyrilla, and Kasimir put it, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," she murmured. She huffed lightly to herself, though and rolled her eyes. She did say she wanted to give it a try, though. Something new. “But thanks for the support! I'll make sure if anything like that happens, I'll text you, Cyrilla, Kasimir, or Eryk. Because apparently I have choices," she stated, smiling just a bit.
“Well... since I'm already here, do you want to see how much further we can get in the game?" She had said she wasn't going to take up much of his time, but... well, she was here already, right? And they were making decent progress.
He expelled something like a soft ha at the question, then turned towards the door momentarily. "You heard that, right?" he said, raising his voice a little. "Go home for the night, you two."
There wasn't any response that she could hear, but Aidan seemed satisfied. "Sure thing, Doc. Let's see if we can't get past the water labyrinth this time."
Nev groaned. “I forgot we were at that level." Still... it was shaping up to be a pretty good night.