genessia | Dating for Dummies

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Dating for Dummies

WHO: Minako Aino, Sync the Tempest
WHAT: Sync helps Minako learn to clean up her apartment disaster, and she in turn helps him clean up his HEART DISASTER. By which, she offers dating advice.
WHERE: Minako's Apartment - Genessia City
WHEN: August 5th, 2018

Even though it was absolutely Minako's fault that she let her apartment get as messy as it was, she wasn't a slob -- she was just very, very busy. Working as an arcade manager followed up with her self-imposed duties as a heroine of love and justice as Sailor Venus didn't leave her with a lot of free time to relax OR clean. That meant her clothes were in the hamper, but it was overflowing. Her dishes were in the sink, but it was overflowing. Her takeout containers were in the garbage can, but...well, you get the picture. The whole place needed a good dusting, with the floors and appliances needing a thorough cleaning too. As long as she had Sync there to show her what needed to be done as opposed to letting her push a bunch of buttons until something exploded, she seemed to manage just fine, and never once complained about the hard work.

When it was finally finished, she collapsed into the corner of the sofa, heaving an enormous sigh. "I'm beat!" She passed a can of strawberry soda to her fellow cleaner before cracking open her own and taking a deep chug. The cold, sweet drink tasted amazing, and she wiped the sweat from her brow with another smiling sigh. She was still sporting her apron and kerchief, both liberally stained with dust and cleaning chemicals, and she was sorely longing for a nice hot bath.

But it felt good to live in a clean apartment again. She looked around her, admiring the dust-free television, the immaculate carpet, even the cobweb-free corners of the ceiling. "I think I can start to keep up with my housework now, thanks to you. I owe you one." She winked, and tapped her can to his.

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There was a lot of jobs Sync had done since he arrived, from his humble beginnings as a bag boy and on into the realm of bounty hunting, and finally Jolly Eddy's where he seemed to have come into a career somehow, but this was one of the worst ones. Down to having to resort to asking for an apron as well, Sync looked arguably more grimy than Minako by the end. Still, work was work and it was fulfilling, and try as he might, while Minako on the surface didn't have anything that immediately appealed to him, since her secret identity was still very secret from him; her enthusiasm was a good start.

Letting her tap her can to his, he opened his and sipped from it. "Don't mention it." Since he had to learn to be self-sufficient early on; it was a big pet-peeve of his when someone wasn't, but Minako just seemed like the type that had never been taught, rather that one that deliberately wasn't, little did he knew he was wrong. Taking another sip, he sighed and took another look around her apartment before nodding, mostly to himself since this seemed very well done in the end and he turned to her, considering for a moment longer.

"Talk to me about dating," He replied after a moment, and only realized how it sounded after the fact, but he left it as is, surely she would catch on to what he actually meant.

She was self-sufficient in a lot of ways, but cleaning wasn't one of them. He was right; she hadn't ever really been taught the ways of the humble housewife. Now? She felt like she had things under control, and that felt pretty good.

Minako was fortunate that she hadn't been drinking her soda when he asked that, or they'd have to go right back to cleaning again.

"Huh?" She turned her head, blinking at him with the soda half-raised. Then she let the can rest on her leg. "Uh...anything specific, or just in general?"

Was he asking her out? ...Probably not. He wasn't being bold and charmingly straightforward about it, nor was he blushing. And she had told him she worked as a matchmaker before. She was dying to know what brought this on, but, patience.

He mentally sighed in relief. He knew she wasn't just a ditz, that had been what the strangest part of her lack of housekeeping skills seemed to be for him. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms, holding his soda carefully by the upper rim now as it dangled precariously over her floor.

No, Sync couldn't immediately jump to asking her out. That wasn't him and he wasn't sure how he felt yet, and that likely had been what prompted the question to begin with. "In general," He replied before adjusting his arms to sip his soda again.

"Like. What do you look for, for example?" Since everyone seemed to approach dating in wildly different ways; he had to keep himself open to see what worked for him, though he didn't see it in himself; maybe he was just a casual dater?

~~"Anyone who will say yes!" Artemis interrupted, cackling wildly until Minako furiously shoved him back into the couch cushions.~~

No one really asked Minako questions like that. She made the majority of her dating declarations based on the client's interest more than her own. "Well...if it's the very first date, it's best to keep it on the short side and go somewhere that you guys can talk. Going out for lunch or coffee, feed pigeons at the park," she ticked off the options on her fingers, "the key objective is just to get to know each other and feel comfortable in the other person's company. After that you can add going to the movies or the arcade. The best places to go are fun, and have activities both people enjoy, because you naturally bring out your best side when you're happy."

She shifted to pull her legs up onto the couch, knees bent and close to her chest as Minako turned to face Sync. "Personally, I'd like the kind of dates that are super romantic! Like riding a swan boat together at the amusement park, or rowing out to the middle of a lake... It's the company that matters more than the location, of course," she added, laughing lightly.

This sounded very methodical; practiced and nuanced. Perhaps he had made a correct choice here, as all her suggestions merited some consideration.

But when is he ever happy? That seemed to be the real question. He was surely content often, but was he happy? He was musing heavily on this, the merits of living with Chiaki, and Satou's friendship when Minako decided to pour her heart out...to a degree. Sync looked up, confused now as that seemed to directly conflict what she said about progressing slowly, or at least what he took as progressing slowly.

Maybe the direct approach was also good. It would certainly be polarizing, at least. Still, there was a heavy dichotomy here that he wanted to wade through, and since she did seem knowledgeable enough...

"Really? Let's go on a date then." He decided to rely on her to give him an actual date experience, though he was going to have to put in the legwork to plan, he assumed.

This time, Minako was not spared the embarrassment of spitting soda. She dropped it too, and it hit the ground to start spilling pink fizzy beverage on the newly-cleaned floor. She didn't even care. She was suddenly upright, one hand clutching the back of the sofa, hunched over her knees with an incredibly intense stare as she peered hard at Sync.

She didn't doubt his intentions this time. He's straight up asked her out, and that never happened. Minako was always the one clinging to people's arms and dragging them along kicking and screaming to a romance that just wasn't fated to happen.

Sync, though, had just said it. No hesitation. She squinted. There had to be something she was missing here. "Are you asking me out to teach you, or because you actually want to go on a date with me?" she asked point blank, her finger held up right in front of his face as if she were on the verge of tapping his nose.

"Fuck," Sync muttered softly as he reached to grab the soda and missed, quickly moving to pick up the can and start wiping. It was a rare day for him to curse, but her reaction did not bode well for him. It spoke of anger and rejection and he was not sure if he wanted to deal with that right now.

Standing up quickly, he set her can on a table so he could briefly make sense of her expression first, only for her to read as suspecting him, in his assessment of the situation so far.

At the question, he stared at her finger briefly before he crossed his arms again. "Is it a problem if it's both?" He began, looking annoyed now. "I can't produce a feeling if I'm not sure its there, so don't ask about feelings right now."

Her squinted eyes became wide instead, blinking in surprise at his response.

Then the pink glow burned bright in her cheeks.

"Oh, er...no, it's not a problem." Minako realized her finger was still hovering, and that her stance had taken on a decidedly vulture-esque appearance. Quickly she sat down, hands tightly folded in her lap, staring at her knees as her blushing persisted. "It's just...well, things change if you're asking about dating in general, or focusing on just one special person. I didn't know you had someone specific in mind."

Someone specific like her, that is. Darn it, and here she is all dirty and tired. It was the first time someone actually asked her out, and she wasn't prepared, she was going to ruin everything. He was also about to find out the queen of dating advice had never been on an actual date, so did that make her a fraud???

The blush was a good sign. A pretty damn good one actually, and he quickly drew a smirk on his face as she realized her position, literally.

"You sure?" He asked before she clarified for him, and he nodded. That did evoke some difference, he could admit that easily. That was like asking about fighting in general or trying to counter a specific person or style.

The short was was yes; it made her a big damn fraud. The long answer for him was; sometimes you had a locked-in perspective that was great for helping everyone...except yourself. He was noting he had a tendency towards that, but he also disliked his own advice a lot of the time. Hypocrisy was pretty deeply ingrained him in and that was going to still be a while before he was fully rid of it.

"I get that I'm not exactly everyone's type, but you don't have to make it awkward if you don't want to," He then offered, trying to make it seem like he wasn't pressuring her, but he acknowledged that her sudden change in demeanor might just make her feel more pressured. "It's okay," He offered quickly, moving to toss her soda, and his. "I'll see myself out, thanks for the soda." He replied and laid his apron on her chair as he started for the door.

"Not so fast." His movement was arrested by a small tug where she'd grabbed hold of the hem of his shirt.

+_+

"I don't remember saying any of those things. And I didn't give you an answer yet either." Her head swiveled to the side as she stared straight up at him...and smiled.

"If I'm going to teach you, then we're going to do this right. From the very beginning. So that includes how to ask a girl out on a date properly." Minako stood to her feet, letting go of his shirt and wagging her finger sagely. "Your technique was good because you didn't stutter or dance around the subject. Bold is beautiful! But if a girl is dirty and tired, you're denying her the opportunity to look her best when she tells you she accepts. Understand?"

In other words, she wanted a shower and to change into some nicer clothes, stat!

So even though she'd stopped him from leaving, she was now herding him toward the door, hands planted on the back of his shoulders. "Come back in an hour and don't be late! You won't be sorry!"

Stopping as he was tugged, he looked back to see a smile, thankfully.

He did want to argue the point about opportunity...but it felt like a lost cause in this case. He nodded instead. "Thanks," He replied before nodding again.

"I understand," Sync replied, though he missed that she meant now, immediately, and huffed as she started shoving him toward the door. She didn't want him to leave first, but now she did? Clarification came when she instructed him to return in an hour, and he wondered if he actually would be sorry... Her enthusiasm though was back at least so he would entertain her on the notion.

"Alright." He replied before he was out the door, barely getting that out before the door almost slammed shut on him. Mentally sighing, he set an alarm on his device and figured that a shower was a good way to go for him too, and maybe a clean shirt because while the apron had been covering, he still grimy from working up a sweat.

So he trotted back to his apartment to clean up and put something new on. As long as she wasn't expecting him to return in a suit, hopefully he met expectations as he knocked on the door a couple of minutes early.

She looked calm, collected, and cheerful when she shoved him out the door and waved goodbye. Five seconds after the door slammed behind him, though, and there was a muffled squeal of excitement as Minako pranced around her apartment. "Finally! I've entered the springtime of my youth!"

--Ack, she only had an hour to get ready! She flung off the apron and kerchief as she tore down the hall toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes in her wake. There was so much to do, so many outfits to sort through. She should have realized he wouldn't really care, and probably wouldn't even notice how much thought and purpose she put into her appearance, but this was going to be her very first date. She wanted it to be beyond great. It was going to be stellar!

And so, Sync was spared the emptying of Minako's closet as she sorted through her clothes for just the right combination (a short mint green skirt paired with a lace-fringed pink blouse), the yelling at the blow dryer to work faster to get her hair dried in time, even selecting the best lip gloss she had.

At the very least, tying her familiar red bow didn't take any effort at all. She checked her face in the mirror, turning left and right, and sighed with a smile. Okay. She was ready.

*Knock knock knock*

SHE WASN'T READY!!!!

Clutching the countertop, she leaned closer to the mirror and frowned at herself, determined. "This is your big chance. Confidence! Charm! Beauty!" She pinched her cheeks for color, smoothed down her skirt, and locked the door to her room so he wouldn't somehow spot the explosion of clothing that now littered the floor and bed.

She opened the door all smiles, stepping back. "Why Sync, how nice to see you, ha ha ha ha!"

If only he actually know her thought process. He'd be devastated by her bedroom, mostly. At least Minako can rest assured that Sync does have an eye for detail, and no he wouldn't begin to approach the realization over how much effort she had spent, he can at least decide that she looked nice

However, he wondering if he was being set up for failure. Not knowing how to approach a date, it was best that he certainly didn't know she hadn't been on one; otherwise he would likely cancel due to not being able to meet expectations.

That's a moot point however as he is here, having tucked himself into some dark green chinos, a black shirt that looked like it had a galaxy tossed haphazardly on it with the way the colors splattered, and a black leather jacket that was mercifully thin for the summer. A small bit of care might have gone into his outfit choice as well, since clothing was a subtle form of expression that he could actually do.

"..." He choked back a comment that might sour her mood, and instead nodded his head. "You look nice." He offered, which likely fell several lightyears short of what she may have hoped for in terms of a compliment. It was earnest at least.

He also leaned in slightly, half-expecting her apartment to look like a tornado hit, and was pleased to find it did not.

Minako's shoulders shook lightly with a giggle. "Thank you~" she replied with a faux demure smile, laying her fingertips against the collar of her blouse. "So do you. Just the right balance between classy and casual!"

But he was starting to lean in a little too close, and while Minako's disaster was primarily confined to her bedroom, there were still a few dropped things here and there.

And that was why her hand suddenly planted against his face as she pushed him right back out. "Fresh~! You're not supposed to kiss before the date, ho ho ho!" Quickly she snatched her purse from the peg and slammed the door shut behind her to hide the evidence. "Well then! Shall we go?" Minako didn't wait for him to offer his arm. She just took it, holding it snugly as she cuddled right up against his side.

He can't help but feel there's an intention direction for his eyes to follow with her movement, and took the bait before he even realized, letting his eyes hover at her neckline briefly before he snapped back to meet her eyes.

"That's generous, thanks." He offered, since he did feel that was generous on her part, but it was nice to hear all the same. As he did return to scanning around what parts of her apartment he could see, he felt a hand before he recognized it being plastered on his face as he was outside again. The comment about the kiss has him redder than he cared to admit, as well as her very sudden proximity reminding him of all the things that a teen might be thinking about at this time.

Still, he was a soldier, and he had focus. It was nice to have someone clinging to his arm and smelling lightly of perfume, but they had set plans and he wasn't going to think about things that didn't have bearing. "Yes." He replied to her urging them to go after a pause, and he started walking. The problem with this was they didn't have a destination, but at least she had offered activities.

"We could go to the lake?" He suggested, unaware if she had already made a set plan or not.

"That sounds nice~" she practically cooed. It was probably a side of her he hadn't seen before, given how energetic and gung ho she usually was. But at the prospect of romance? She melted. There would be so many batted eyelashes and shoujo sparkle bubbles.

Inwardly she was pleased. He'd paid attention to her own interests rather than playing the generic but much safer route. "I've always wanted to go out there with a boy. This'll be fun!"

She pressed the elevator button, beaming up at him with sparkles and sunshine.

"Then you can tell me all about yourself, and how you got to be so good at doing laundry and casting wind spells!"

Yes, this was definitely a sigh he had not seen. It made him weak in the knees almost, but also fiercely on guard as it also read as a deception and possibly a trap. Or a test, at least.

Still, it was considerably more easy in actual practice how many men seemed to fall prey to such; if he wasn't naturally distrusting, he would be swept up easily, and still almost is. Especially since Minako was very reassuring.

"Is that so?" He asked quietly. Still, it was a nice change in a way, and he stepped onto the elevator with her, trying to keep his face a reasonable color since this was quickly growing embarrassing. However it was talking about himself that caused his stomach to churn. He wasn't sure if it was more embarrassment, or annoyance.

It was sensible that dating did involve talking about himself, though. "Well, I lived alone and I needed to do for myself as soon as I was taught basically. Van was...mildly nurturing when he wasn't being obsessive. Legretta helped for more practical matters. "As for the spells, well I've always liked fighting and it felt the most natural." Which he could say without talking about how there was a lot of reason for him to use Fonic Artes.

"What about you? You just..." Was a complete mess. Yet also put together well. "What did you do where you came from?"

Minako listened attentively. It was a little odd that he hadn't mentioned any parents. She wasn't sure who Van or Legretta was, but she doubted they served as father and mother to Sync. And he'd said he needed to take care of himself. Did that mean he was an orphan or something? Geez, that was kind of sad. She gave his arm a reassuring little squeeze.

And now the question was turned back on her. Oops!

"Nothing all that special," she half-lied. As Minako, her day-to-day life was pretty ordinary. Sailor Venus was another story altogether, but she couldn't reveal that to anybody. "I went to school, played volleyball, spent time with my friends. Just your average city girl stuff!" she chuckled. "I've got a cat, too. He's bossy, but cute."

The elevator dinged and she stepped off, letting Sync take the lead as far as which lake he wanted to visit.

"We used to go to the arcade a lot too, and had milkshakes and hamburgers afterward. It was fun! ...Except for the homework, I guess. I don't miss that one bit!"

Once they were outside, she turned her head to look at his face. "You're pretty incredible, though. A master of magic and combat, and every domestic skill under the sun! And you're cute, too," she winked.

Minako was of course painfully astute in that assumption. He was glad she decided to keep that to himself, though he did look over curiously at the squeeze.

He also had to remind himself that he had important things to think about. Like her answer, because she had made him genuinely invested. "I mean normal is good. Cats can be fun, too." It was enough that he was admirable, even if Minako thought very little of it. In the end he started them to Fayren, because that seemed the most...quaint? Romantic? Magical. It was definitely magical, and that might be close to romance.

"Yeah...homework sucked." Which also reminded him that she had shared...technically more than he had. Looking to her as they were outside, and the movement startled him, he could only blink at her words. How bold did he want to be? He wasn't shy, and yet he didn't know if he had that same energy she had to put herself out there so easily. Blushing at her words, he looked away and started walking.

"Kind of you to think so," He replied. "I guess I needed to make an effort since I have a cute date." Though he was back to not sharing anything compared to her again. "As for the rest... I was in the military." Which was succinct, but he hoped he didn't sound like he was fishing for her to press for more, it was the opposite for him, but if he wanted this date to go even slightly well, he was going to have share a lot more of himself than was in his immediate comfort zone.

Just one little compliment was all it took for Minako's face to light up, putting a healthy pink glow into her cheeks. "Very smooth!" she complimented him. "I guess we can skip the lesson about sprinkling little compliments and flirtations throughout the conversation, you've got that down pat!"

She was practically strutting next to his side, sure that all the other girls who watched them go by would be wildly jealous, and they had every right to be. It was actually kind of fun being with someone she didn't have to instruct all that much.

"Oh yeah? They enlist people young in your world. You'll have to tell me more about it sometime." She smiled, then winked. "That's the kind of response to give to show you're interested, but to avoid sharing too much too fast with someone you're only starting to know. I'm actually dying to know more, but I get the sense it's probably a sensitive topic for you. So open up at your own pace, okay?"

That felt anything but smooth for him, but at least the effort paid off, and kept his gaze averted a little long as a blush creeped over his cheeks. It was a nice reassurance that he was doing this well, and that was good since he did want to do well. His stride didn't break, as despite his mild shyness over the situation, it was impossible to not also feel upbeat given Minako was still on his arm.

"They liked to take talent as soon as it was shown in some cases, I'll tell you more on the second date," He replied, being bold about it, but nodded at her wink.

"Yeah...It'll make sense when I get into some, but let's take that slow." He also muttered a thanks for the tip and looked up, turning them down a street, Fayren seemed romantic enough for a short venture. Plus it was probably going to be the easiest place to get a rowboat without issue. However he knew that this walk did need some conversation, and he was sifting through what he actually felt comfortable sharing about himself. "How do you..." Well that was going to be another question about her. "Nevermind. I have to say, getting used to all this technology is a bit strange, now that I'm thinking about home."

Darn. Now she was curious about what he was about to ask her! Well, maybe he'd ask again later. She could see how hard he was trying, so she decided to follow his social lead. ...For now, anyway.

"Oh yeah? What sorts of things are here that you didn't have in your world?"

It was a pretty safe topic, and could be a lot of fun for them to compare their origins. "We've got a lot of similar technology, but at lower levels. It's the magical stuff we really didn't see too often."

He might, she was having a lot of success dragging things out of him compared to most of the rest of the folks here.

It was a very safe topic since it didn't have a great deal to do with either of them in depth, and other than Chiaki; he had no one he really felt comfortable opening up with since people either seemed to grasp things well, or kept quiet about it besides one or two cases. "Uh...Microwaves." That one utterly mystified him. "These devices."

~~Television in some form had to exist thanks to Peony's cosplay fetish he inflicted on the group. Or maybe he was just a manga nut.~~ Listing a few more things that might not make sense if he were to offer what he did have access to, Sync thought about the comparison.

"That explains why you seem so natural, then." This one he isn't thinking about, and it's just a statement on things. Watching people, it wasn't hard to see who did "fit in" this place based on how like their home it was. People like Chiaki, Satou, and Minako seemed to get on well, so did Dante, but he also seemed like a huge oddity since he wasn't "normal" either. Focusing on where they were walking again, he looked around idly.

"Did you want a drink before we cross? Fayren don't really have drinks you can get easily." Other than at a bar, but that's at a bar and Minako just didn't seem the type to suffer a bunch of men drinking loudly.

Natural? Her? "You think so?" she giggled. After all, he'd seen firsthand what Minako had done to her vacuum cleaner and the community washing machines. Still it was nice of him to say so, so she totally accepted the compliment even if she didn't deserve it.

"Ooh, I love Fayren!" she beamed, giving his arm an affectionate squeeze. "Maybe we'll see a unicorn, or even a fairy!" A land of fantasy was ripe with romance and opportunity. This was going to be an awesome date, she just knew it!

--Oh, right, he'd asked her a question too, hadn't he? "Sure," she agreed cheerfully. "Pretty smart, being able to think ahead like that. Clever!" Minako could dish out the compliments as well as receive them, especially since she was legitimately impressed with his foresight. "You should come by the arcade sometimes. I'll teach you how to play the best games!"

Yes, her. He was pretty certain...even if she was a disaster with housework. As she squeezed his arm and exclaimed, Sync wondered just how friendly it would be to see such since he had heard a lot of stories.

It wasn't like he couldn't defend himself at least if it came to it. His concern was Minako since her defensive abilities seemed like they would be limited to a slap and take cover. A small lake venture had to be fine though.

He did perk up when he got the offer for more gaming help. While he hasn't spiraled out of control; Sync had discovered he enjoyed video games. "Nice of you to offer. I'll drop by some time." After, he turned to steer them to a vending machine and got two waters.

"What else did you want?" As he spoke, he glanced to the convenience store down closer to the archway. He didn't really deal with soda brands, so he was content with his water, but figured she might want something else as well.

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Dating for Dummies

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Icons are limited, just pretend this is her Intense Stare

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