August catch-all ♫

[traceofeffort]

⭐ Who: Lisa and you! Yeah, on your phone in the front row! Get up here!
⭐ When: August! Waterpark threads will be on that log, but she'll be busy the rest of the month too.
⭐ Where: Mostly in Koubai and Kihada, but maybe also Akabeni? All over the place, really. See individual top-levels.
⭐ What: After taking a bit of a mental health break earlier in the year, Lisa's ready to put her life officially back on track! Part of that's going back to school, but her social life seems to be developing too... If you don't see anything you like, swing by her plotting top-level and we'll hash something out.
⭐ Warnings: Probably nothing, but while Lisa's mood is more positive than usual it's also a little more swingy. Lisa-typical poor self-image, possibly.

Comments

[hanamane]

[Well, perhaps it's less that he's been bouncing back from his set-backs earlier in the year and more... masking them better and squashing them down so he doesn't have to stare them in the face as often. Was it a good coping mechanism? Absolutely not, and a certain mental health advocate would probably drag him to proper therapy to deal with it if he knew. But if it meant projecting the image that he was Doing Okay, then he wasn't exactly about to stop, either.

He nods in vague acknowledgment to that first statement of hers-- he wasn't one to talk about fashion himself, what with his rotating closet of hand-me-downs and the occasional nerdy shirts he bought with his own coin-- although he can't help but tilt his head a bit the moment she starts flustering up. Did she buy something really risqué or something...?

Before he can go and say just that, though, she hits him with that bombshell instead, leaving his mouth agape.]

... huh?

[He stares at her for another moment or two, his brain trying to process this new information, the metaphorical cooling fan working into overdrive.]

Wait... what??

[It's not like Lisa wasn't a pretty girl or anything, and perhaps it shouldn't be such a huge surprise that she'd find herself romantically involved with somebody, but... but...

He slaps his hands down on the table as he leans in, eyes wide and comically frantic. Maybe Ai overhearing this would have been bad, but Amane's not exactly making it better, either.]

Who?? Who are you seeing??!! When did this happen??!

[Was he going to need to do the shovel talk on somebody??? Granted, Lisa looked rather pleased about her mystery beau, so maybe she wasn't seeing a total scumbag, but...]

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa won't begrudge him the illusion of being Totally Okay - she's willing to let people at least attempt to put up a front. Just ask Illya. The only reason she'll keep pushing is if that front isn't convincing. sorry Hibiki

But that illusion sure shifts into very real concern - for her - fast, huh? His reaction is funny, in a way, but it's also perhaps more socially aware than she's seen him. It's kinda touching? The question is, how much does she want to tell him?]

Um. A couple days ago? Well, we decided to actually go on a date last month, but... [She fidgets in her chair a bit; Amane isn't the person she was expecting to put her on the spot, not that she truly minds it.] I don't know, I was so nervous going into it? And then it actually happened and I had a great time.

Oh. And as for who... [A pregnant pause, as she realizes the consequences of this specific person asking.] ...promise not to be weird about it? [She knows he won't be, not really. But if he's going to go off and try to do something on her behalf, she'll be offended. It's sweet that he's worried for her, but she can fight her own battles. Well, often enough not to actively need someone watching out for her, at any rate.]

[hanamane]

[Last month?? She's known this person for at least a month already??? It's true that Amane's sort of fell behind on what was going on with his fellow Dreamers since the summer had started-- although, to be fair, socializing wasn't exactly his strong point to begin with-- but to think that something this big had been going on and he wasn't aware of it...

Of course, not that he particularly cared one way or another about people's love lives most of the time, but this was Lisa, for goodness sakes. He didn't want someone worming through her defenses and taking advantage of her, after all! She didn't seem to be like Nene, at least, who was easily swayed by a pretty face, but he can't help but worry, nonetheless.

The hesitation on her end to cough up the name doesn't exactly help matters, either-- she wouldn't ask that of him if it was somebody he didn't know, right? But then, who could she be seeing that might possibly make things weird??]

I think that depends on the person in question, but sure, why not.

[PLEASE DON'T TELL HIM YOU'RE DATING ANGO, LISA, YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THAT]

[traceofeffort]

[Lisa would be some combination of touched and offended if she heard what was going through Amane's head right now... but for the moment, she's just trying to weigh her affection and desire to share her happiness against her concern Amane will do something drastic. Her happiness, for once, wins out, and she grins at him.]

I sure hope you're not going to be super weird to your own trainee. She'd probably be confused. Well, and mad, I guess.

[Sorry, Junna. He's going to be super nosy, but at the end of the day this is probably for the best. (Really, Amane? Ango??? She has way more self-respect than that-)]

Junna and I went down to the aquarium. It was... really nice. [Her expression turns a little dreamy.] Cozy and simple without being too intimate, you know?

[hanamane]

... huh?

[You can practically see the loading bar struggling above his head as she drops that little hint, his mind tries in vain to connect the dots. His trainee... wait, did she mean Nene?? Is that why she asked him not to be weird about it??? Was Nene into girls too and he didn't even realize it???? It's not like they had an official label on their relationship or anything, so she could still see other people if she wanted to. Still.... to think his rival in love could be Lisa...

But then she casually mentions Junna's name, and the torrential aura that had been beginning to brew around him dissipates, getting him to sit up just a bit straighter in surprise.]

Hold on... you're seeing Junna-san?

[Oh. Right. It isn't as if he'd forgotten about Junna (although with her growth lately, he might not be calling her his trainee for much longer), but the idea of her of all people getting into a relationship hadn't even dawned upon him. Not that she wasn't a pretty girl or anything, but... with her serious demeanor and intensive focus on her training, he didn't peg her as the type to have romance on her radar. Really shows how much he could read people, huh?

Still... Lisa seemed happy, and she really couldn't have gone for a better person than Junna. Not that he was an expert in relationships in any way, shape or form, but...

As the initial shock of it starts to wear off, however, he can't help but look a little comically put out. Not because he was disappointed in this turn of events, mind you, but rather:]

Why didn't she tell me about it? I mean, I'm glad for you guys and all, but I'm her Mentor, for crying out loud! Isn't this the sort of thing you share with them or something?

[Said as somebody who probably hasn't actually told Ai about his own budding romance just yet, but. Shhhhhh]

[traceofeffort]

[Something about Amane is off for a moment. Who does he think she'd gone on a date with, without her telling him? Was there something she was missing about his love life? Does Amane have a love life???

Then the air seems to clear and Lisa takes a reflexive breath, relaxing as he seems to calm down. Then he pouts, and she grins.]

I'm happy you seem to approve. And I don't know about Junna, but the idea of telling anyone freaked me right out for a while, I was so nervous. So I hid it from everyone, for the most part. You're only hearing about it now because it went well, so I'm happy enough I don't feel like hiding it anymore. [Her expression turns playful, her tone light.] Would you tell me if you were going on a date?

[The moment she says it, she realizes she has no idea what she'll do if the answer is yes. But the die is cast.]