Everyone has problems. I've had a lot of time to work on mine. [ Jen found herself still breathing calmly, which was good. it was dangerous to get worked up around this topic. to build up any inertia. best to stay grounded. focus on other things. ]
[ she let out a puff of breath that would have come close to a laugh if she had the spirit for it. ] But ... we've. Got to stop assuming stuff.
[the level of... calm that Jen was able to keep throughout this entire thing was impressive to Lina. it didn't seem something she was actually capable of? but. she knew so little about her roommate. and like she said, they really needed to stop assuming things—well, Lina did. she wasn't sure Jen had any assumptions about Lina that weren't completely accurate.]
It's gonna take a while for me to stop doing that. But I'm always willing to try.
[she said it with almost... a serene quality to her voice? like she'd actually hoped for somebody like this. and like she was. more than ready to try to patch things up. god, she was a dork sometimes. she couldn't have thoughts like that when she couldn't put them into words. otherwise she just sounded like a nerd.]
[ freaking emotions, how do they work? sometimes it's just trial and error. the fuck-ups hurt worse than anything else, but the near-misses can lead to unexpected developments too. Jen's been the victim of her share of all of the above and it's by sheer willpower and support from her friends that she's still able to roll with those punches. ] That goes for me, too.
[ Jen relaxed her grip to pat Lina on the back. ] I think that's enough boob-squish though, don't you? [ hey, look! a joke! ]
[wild to think that Jen could learn anything from Lina that wasn't, like, about dumb weeb shit. but she'd keep that thought to herself, and it wasn't even too prominent in her head after all of this. she actually giggled a little at the joke, too, and pulled herself away with a smile still on her face.]
There are better reasons to be doing that with people. Thanks again, Jen. [that smile was going to stay on her face for the entire damn evening.] Let me know if you ever wanna eat dinner together again, okay?
Yeah. I'm thinking... this should be a regular thing. [ a snort. ] I mean dinner.
[ Jen paused. this might be a little sudden, but she's feeling a rare need right now. an itch that needed to be scratched and Lina was still her and hopefully in better spirits overall. so. why not go for it? ]
I'm not in any hurry to go lock myself in my room just yet. [ to be alone with her thoughts. ] Do you... want to watch something maybe? [ Jen gestured toward the not-to-aptly named living room. the poor TV and DVR that gathered more dust than signals. ] Your choice.
[Lina probably shouldn't have been alone either right now. she glanced over at the TV and turned a laugh inward.]
I don't even know what's on that isn't anime these days. Do they still do the game shows around this time or is that not a thing anymore? [it has definitely been multiple years since she's watched anything like that.] Or we could just find something goofy.
You're asking me? [ Jen rubbed at her neck, putting a little more distance between them. it's probably easy to guess what she watches, too. ] I'm good with anything distracting. If all else fails there's always Animal Planet.
[ another pause. ] Oh right. I was going for an ice pack. Want anything?
If you were serious about dessert, we could split some of the ice cream in there.
[because she definitely hadn't forgotten that. it was going to be stuck in her head for a while, the part where Jen basically admitted she wanted to see her nude.]
Otherwise I'm good. Let's just look for the crappiest thing we can find and make fun of it. That's, like, a friend thing, right?
R-right! [ oh great. way to remind her of that when she doesn't have the strength for maintaining composure. Jen clears her throat and quickly moves to the fridge. maybe if she stuffs her face in the freezer for a minute it'll be a good cover for her cheeks turning red. ]
Okay, I'll get the goods, you go get the couch warmed up! [ good luck finding the remote though. just as Jen will need some luck to balance the tub of ice cream, an ice pack for her arm, and two spoons. ]
[Lina couldn't read people very well and didn't do a whole lot of social interaction, but even she could tell she'd said something to get at Jen. and she smirked a little, and fired off a quick "you sure?" before trusting her roommate with everything.]
[and of course, she had no earthly clue where the remote was and she was even the one who last cleaned this place, she was pretty sure. ugh. okay, off went the couch cushions to start digging and—oh, hey! she let out a surprised gasp and pulled out, along with the remote, a black tank top that had gotten lodged pretty deep inside the couch.]
Hey, I thought I left this in the break room! [she draped it over the back of the couch and made quick work of reassembling things, this time leaving the remote in plain sight for both of them. it would never get lost again. probably.]
That's... wild. [ Jen holds back the volume of her laugh because, honestly, if she didn't she might end up dropping the payload. instead she gives the shirt a look over while rounding to the front of the couch and unloading everything onto the coffee table. ]
Sometimes I come out here and watch stuff. I probably took it off and forgot about it or something.
[she'd let Jen put the rest of those pieces together herself as she started rearranging the stuff on the table to make it look damn near like they were civilized human beings about to eat ice cream together. they were gonna do the breakup special with this eating right out of the tub, huh? all right, sure, wasn't anything Lina was a stranger to.]
I might do that more often now. [anyway, she'd give Jen some help putting these pieces together.] Looking forward to not feeling like I gotta hide from you anymore.
[ she is going to try not to think about what Lina was out here watching while stripping. Jen could have picked up bowls, too, but that would probably also mean putting her arm back on and right now? all she aims to do is settle in on the couch with a pillow under her arm and her stump resting on that ice pack.
after a hiss through clenched teeth, she sighed and simply melted into the cushions. ] Mmn, good. And I'll make more time to just... be present.
[ Jen rolled her head side to side again. ] That guest gym pass offer's still on the table, by the way. Exercise is good for the soul. And, uh, some of the regulars are your type. Juuuust saying.
[yeah, she super was not about to force Jen to change at all. she sort of doubted it was possible? but maybe that was just her having a really poor understanding of Jen as a person.]
I could always try, I guess. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to get muscles. [she sounded... mm. not super confident about it.] Is there, like. A beginner area?
[ on that front, Lina had nothing to worry about. Jen's ways were slowly adapting to the world around her, and though her schedule was still strict, she felt good enough about herself and her condition that a few extra minutes could be shaved here or there so they could sit down and, like, interact. maybe even daily!
though Jen might also just end up doing some stretches or warm-ups while that happens. habit. ]
There's plenty of equipment you can get started with, for sure. You don't have to take any classes. Just, like. I don't know. Bring your phone and hit the treadmill for a while. Or the stationary bikes.
I'm pretty sure I don't want people to catch me watching the garbage I watch in public.
[but hey, maybe she'd find somebody at the gym who was her type and actually liked bad anime. she didn't know. god, speaking of, she picked up the remote and flipped through whatever on demand service looked best to find just, like, the worst dubs she could think of. maybe she shouldn't have been in control of this.]
I think I'm actually okay on my legs? [she biked to work, after all, so she wasn't totally noodly, at least. while she idly browsed through the list of things they could watch, she started thinking out loud, clearly just letting words come out.] My arms could use some work. Girls with toned arms are hot.
[give her a couple seconds and what she just said out loud would actually hit her.]
[ Jen can't say one way or another if she has seen anyone giving off any anime nerd vibes because, truth be told, she wouldn't really know what to look for. not a lot of people with cartoons on their t-shirts or pins on their bags but, also, she hasn't been looking too hard. gives her something else to try and keep an eye out for, for Lina's sake.
that comment comes out at the same speed at which Jen is sizing up Lina's legs. so if one of them was guilty of being caught in that moment, they both were. ]
Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. [ sigh. ] You should see one of the ladies my friend Satsuki wrestles with. She's, what, half a head taller than me? Biceps like chiseled stone. [ she uses her own to illustrate her point except she can't... really point to it without going back and getting her arm. ah well. it's the thought that counts? ]
[Lina tried to imagine the kind of girl Jen might have been talking about and felt a grin creeping to her face, but she put a stop to it before it got lecherous. not quickly enough to avoid still having that look on her face when she glanced at Jen's arm, though.]
Yeah? I mean, usually I prefer girls my height, but that's close enough. Does she go to the gym?
[had Jen just given her the big secret to self-motivation? was Lina going to try to improve herself in the name of cute girls? fuck.]
[ everyone has their reasons. also, she's used to being stared at but not quite like that, so to distract herself Jen leans forward to pick up the ice cream tub. she doesn't even realize that the two of them are the exact same height, either. oops. ] I don't know if she goes to my gym, but... [ smirk. ] I could probably find out.
[ okay so buff arms, not too tall, big badonkadonks. Jen can work with this kind of crowd. ]
See, this is how hooking people up is probably supposed to go. You talk about what they like and then you actually find someone who fits all those things.
[yeah, but how many buff 5'6" lesbians with great-looking grongolohongous could there be in the city. Lina grabs both their spoons and hands one off to Jen while putting her hand on the bottom of the tub. she'll hold it.]
Or maybe it isn't. You've got the experience here. Maybe your way is the best way.
[ pointing with the spoon. ] In my defense, Alison wasn't far off the mark. Right?
[ so! there. ] I don't think there's a "best" way. You just have to try stuff out before it works. I... actually haven't had the chance to hook anyone up before now. [ going to just get that out there quickly and then stuff a frozen chunk of cream into her mouth.
[which is a charitable way of putting it, but again. she's trying to be nice. which is also why she doesn't snicker at the inevitable brain freeze that's coming Jen's way if she keeps eating like that.]
I'd love to hear how you sold me to her, then. Especially if you've never done anything like this before.
I just. Told the truth! I only tried to pretty up that one part you gave me permission for, and, well. You know the rest.
[ Jen can't let on that Alison probably just did it to humor Jen. or even get her off her back. there's a reason they didn't last long and it wasn't just a distance thing. at least as far as she knows; it's not like she's actually discussed anything with Alison about it. (it's a trend.) ]
[she doesn't have to let it on, because Lina's not dumb and has pieced a lot of this together by now. or at least she's pieced together enough of it to satisfy the narrative she wants to tell.]
Well, I appreciate it. Like, for real. However you made me sound better must've been magic or something. [her idle search on the TV brings her to some of the most thinly-veiled horny bullshit she's ever seen, and she barks out a laugh.] Holy shit, this looks awful. Total mastur-bait.
[she separates the syllables to make it clearer that she's trying to make a pun, but that's the problem with homophones.]
[ she had some more to say about Alison calling Lina out as a nerd and still going for the date, to prove a point. but then Lina had to go and say that. two seconds after taking apart the pun, and Jen is full on laughing. she drops the spoon into the tub so she can cover her mouth and double over.
it wasn't even THAT funny but just. after everything else tonight, she clearly needed some emotional relief. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ she let out a puff of breath that would have come close to a laugh if she had the spirit for it. ] But ... we've. Got to stop assuming stuff.
no subject
It's gonna take a while for me to stop doing that. But I'm always willing to try.
[she said it with almost... a serene quality to her voice? like she'd actually hoped for somebody like this. and like she was. more than ready to try to patch things up. god, she was a dork sometimes. she couldn't have thoughts like that when she couldn't put them into words. otherwise she just sounded like a nerd.]
I really could learn a lot from you.
no subject
[ Jen relaxed her grip to pat Lina on the back. ] I think that's enough boob-squish though, don't you? [ hey, look! a joke! ]
no subject
There are better reasons to be doing that with people. Thanks again, Jen. [that smile was going to stay on her face for the entire damn evening.] Let me know if you ever wanna eat dinner together again, okay?
no subject
[ Jen paused. this might be a little sudden, but she's feeling a rare need right now. an itch that needed to be scratched and Lina was still her and hopefully in better spirits overall. so. why not go for it? ]
I'm not in any hurry to go lock myself in my room just yet. [ to be alone with her thoughts. ] Do you... want to watch something maybe? [ Jen gestured toward the not-to-aptly named living room. the poor TV and DVR that gathered more dust than signals. ] Your choice.
no subject
[Lina probably shouldn't have been alone either right now. she glanced over at the TV and turned a laugh inward.]
I don't even know what's on that isn't anime these days. Do they still do the game shows around this time or is that not a thing anymore? [it has definitely been multiple years since she's watched anything like that.] Or we could just find something goofy.
no subject
[ another pause. ] Oh right. I was going for an ice pack. Want anything?
no subject
[because she definitely hadn't forgotten that. it was going to be stuck in her head for a while, the part where Jen basically admitted she wanted to see her nude.]
Otherwise I'm good. Let's just look for the crappiest thing we can find and make fun of it. That's, like, a friend thing, right?
no subject
Okay, I'll get the goods, you go get the couch warmed up! [ good luck finding the remote though. just as Jen will need some luck to balance the tub of ice cream, an ice pack for her arm, and two spoons. ]
no subject
[and of course, she had no earthly clue where the remote was and she was even the one who last cleaned this place, she was pretty sure. ugh. okay, off went the couch cushions to start digging and—oh, hey! she let out a surprised gasp and pulled out, along with the remote, a black tank top that had gotten lodged pretty deep inside the couch.]
Hey, I thought I left this in the break room! [she draped it over the back of the couch and made quick work of reassembling things, this time leaving the remote in plain sight for both of them. it would never get lost again. probably.]
no subject
I wonder how it got there.
no subject
[she'd let Jen put the rest of those pieces together herself as she started rearranging the stuff on the table to make it look damn near like they were civilized human beings about to eat ice cream together. they were gonna do the breakup special with this eating right out of the tub, huh? all right, sure, wasn't anything Lina was a stranger to.]
I might do that more often now. [anyway, she'd give Jen some help putting these pieces together.] Looking forward to not feeling like I gotta hide from you anymore.
no subject
after a hiss through clenched teeth, she sighed and simply melted into the cushions. ] Mmn, good. And I'll make more time to just... be present.
[ Jen rolled her head side to side again. ] That guest gym pass offer's still on the table, by the way. Exercise is good for the soul. And, uh, some of the regulars are your type. Juuuust saying.
no subject
[yeah, she super was not about to force Jen to change at all. she sort of doubted it was possible? but maybe that was just her having a really poor understanding of Jen as a person.]
I could always try, I guess. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to get muscles. [she sounded... mm. not super confident about it.] Is there, like. A beginner area?
no subject
though Jen might also just end up doing some stretches or warm-ups while that happens. habit. ]
There's plenty of equipment you can get started with, for sure. You don't have to take any classes. Just, like. I don't know. Bring your phone and hit the treadmill for a while. Or the stationary bikes.
no subject
[but hey, maybe she'd find somebody at the gym who was her type and actually liked bad anime. she didn't know. god, speaking of, she picked up the remote and flipped through whatever on demand service looked best to find just, like, the worst dubs she could think of. maybe she shouldn't have been in control of this.]
I think I'm actually okay on my legs? [she biked to work, after all, so she wasn't totally noodly, at least. while she idly browsed through the list of things they could watch, she started thinking out loud, clearly just letting words come out.] My arms could use some work. Girls with toned arms are hot.
[give her a couple seconds and what she just said out loud would actually hit her.]
no subject
that comment comes out at the same speed at which Jen is sizing up Lina's legs. so if one of them was guilty of being caught in that moment, they both were. ]
Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. [ sigh. ] You should see one of the ladies my friend Satsuki wrestles with. She's, what, half a head taller than me? Biceps like chiseled stone. [ she uses her own to illustrate her point except she can't... really point to it without going back and getting her arm. ah well. it's the thought that counts? ]
no subject
Yeah? I mean, usually I prefer girls my height, but that's close enough. Does she go to the gym?
[had Jen just given her the big secret to self-motivation? was Lina going to try to improve herself in the name of cute girls? fuck.]
no subject
[ okay so buff arms, not too tall, big badonkadonks. Jen can work with this kind of crowd. ]
no subject
[yeah, but how many buff 5'6" lesbians with great-looking grongolohongous could there be in the city. Lina grabs both their spoons and hands one off to Jen while putting her hand on the bottom of the tub. she'll hold it.]
Or maybe it isn't. You've got the experience here. Maybe your way is the best way.
no subject
[ so! there. ] I don't think there's a "best" way. You just have to try stuff out before it works. I... actually haven't had the chance to hook anyone up before now. [ going to just get that out there quickly and then stuff a frozen chunk of cream into her mouth.
oh GOD that's cold. puff puff puff. genius. ]
no subject
[which is a charitable way of putting it, but again. she's trying to be nice. which is also why she doesn't snicker at the inevitable brain freeze that's coming Jen's way if she keeps eating like that.]
I'd love to hear how you sold me to her, then. Especially if you've never done anything like this before.
no subject
[ Jen can't let on that Alison probably just did it to humor Jen. or even get her off her back. there's a reason they didn't last long and it wasn't just a distance thing. at least as far as she knows; it's not like she's actually discussed anything with Alison about it. (it's a trend.) ]
no subject
Well, I appreciate it. Like, for real. However you made me sound better must've been magic or something. [her idle search on the TV brings her to some of the most thinly-veiled horny bullshit she's ever seen, and she barks out a laugh.] Holy shit, this looks awful. Total mastur-bait.
[she separates the syllables to make it clearer that she's trying to make a pun, but that's the problem with homophones.]
no subject
it wasn't even THAT funny but just. after everything else tonight, she clearly needed some emotional relief. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)