pslplz | Blind Date

[ Here's the key difference between a girls' game and a boys' game: girls include Truth as an option.

Marui finishes his ice cream cone and drops the wrapper into the next trash can as he walks up the front steps to the mall and checks his watch. It's just about right for the time he should be meeting his date. 2:30 today, west entrance, at the fountain is all he knows.

Marui doesn't really need to go blind to snag someone to spend a Sunday afternoon with, especially with the kind of people-meeting opportunities college offered, but his friend seemed to think it would be funny to have him do it. Kind of a flat dare if you asked Marui-- certainly not worth the challenge to eat a golf-ball-sized gob of pure wasabi that Marui had hit him back with. That face had been a face of regret.

At any rate, he's keeping his end of it by signing up for a run on this dating service. Who knows, maybe he'll even stay on the roster just for kicks. It could be interesting.

The mall is pretty casual for a date, so he's dressed down to a nice pair of khaki shorts and a white knit polo shirt with a clean pair of tennis shoes. He pops a piece of green apple bubble gum into his mouth and glances around the fountain area to try to determine whether he's the first one there. ]

[Teshima had been half-tempted not to show up, if only because it feels weird to go on a blind date in the first place. However, that would've been awfully rude to the other person, especially since the date wasn't even his idea, and Teshima was not really against meeting people.

So he went anyway, taking a seat at the edge of the fountain as he waited and checkes his phone. The only detail he has was red hair and male, which was just about as blind as he was willing to go. He hoped it wasn't someone he knew, like Naruko, because that would be awkward to explain. Though, it might also be fun to tease him about it if it comes to that.

For his part, he keeps his hair in a ponytail, sporting a light purple shirt and a dark purple cardigan over it. He kept to simple black jeans, and a pair of brown dress shoes. Overall, very simple, if only because he didn't want to overdress, nor did he want to be caught off-guard.

At the very least, there's no one else hanging out alone at the fountain. There are some pairs, but only Teshima is clearly waiting for someone as he scrolls through his twitter feed.]

[ Marui spots someone that looks a likely candidate right away. At the fountain, scrolling through his phone, dressed nice but not too nice, sitting alone. That's probably his date.

There's just one little problem: Marui is almost certain he recognizes him from lit class. What was his name? Tashima? They hadn't really talked much and they only had that one class together, so the memory of his introduction is fuzzy. He seems all right from what little exposure Marui's had. Good-looking, athletic, sensible, easy personality. Service could've done a lot worse than this. A heck of a lot worse.

Still, this is probably about to become really awkward. For one of them, anyway.

Nonchalant as can be, Marui strolls up to about two meters away and blows a bubble of his gum. ]

See anything interesting?

[He looks up at the sudden question, having switched to his messaging app to text his best friend. It's probably why his screen has a strange string of messages in which one side (his) has sentences while the other side just has a number of "!" as responses.

He's a master in the subtle language of Aoyagi.

Though, at that distance, it was probably not really visible. Instead, he turns the screen off out of politeness so he can address him. He has a better memory than Marui at least. Sure, red hair and male fit, but the first thing that registers to him is he's a classmate, not that he's potentially his date.]

... Marui Bunta?

[ Marui, for his part, isn't trying to look at Teshima's screen; his eyes are on the face. Yeah, that's his classmate all right. Now that he's looked up Marui can confirm it-- never mind the fact he recognizes him back. Marui lifts his hand in greeting. ]

Yo.

[ Said as if it says everything it needs to. ]

[Yeah, that tells him nothing. Still he did ask a question out of the blue, and it wasn't like he was busy, so he decides to humor him.]

Nothing that interesting, really. Just checking on my feed.

Are you meeting someone here?

[ Smooth. Marui will credit him that much. If he were a less confident person, it might even be enough to make him doubt himself about his conclusions. Well, that makes this a lot more interesting. ]

I might be. And at this rate, it seems like I'm going to be waiting a while. Mind if I join you?

I don't mind. Though, I'm also waiting for...

[He trails off at the end, something clicking in his head as he stares at Marui. In fact, he tilts his head a bit, a thoughtful frown on his face before he speaks again.]

Why do you think you're waiting for a while? Your friend is running late?

[ Bingo. That's why he's a genius! Of course it was him. Marui plops down next to Teshima on the rim of the fountain and looks him square in the eyes. ]

Well. He's definitely slow today...

[Well, he is certainly male and a redhead, and just coincidentally there. Teshima was at least perceptive enough to make a guess, but not to confirm it.

But that gaze, the intentional choice of words, were very reminiscent of how he might do it if he were teasing someone. He doesn't know Marui that well, their circles different enough just to not spend time together, but he knows enough that it wouldn't be surprising if that's what he's doing.

He pockets his phone at that, grinning.]

You think? Maybe he's just a bit lost. Think you might need to help him out?

[ The way he pockets his phone and grins tells Marui that his teasing hint may have done the trick. And not a shred of embarrassment or awkwardness to him, either. Marui is intrigued, because that takes a pretty high level of comfort with yourself. That's not something a lot of people have on a date-- especially a blind one and especially especially a blind date with the twist of being someone you already know, if only peripherally. Marui is an exception, of course, but he didn't expect his classmate to be as well. He likes it.

He was already grinning a little, but it subconsciously widens in return, mirroring Teshima's change in expression. ]

Heh... OK. I'm supposed to meet my surprise date in this spot at this time. Meeting someone blind sounded interesting-- turns out I was right. Well, not that there was ever any doubt about that.

Not much of a blind date if we actually know each other.

[He points out, looking quite relaxed even as he drops the pretense. He had the opposite thought, after all, preferring someone he at least sort of knew compared to a complete stranger. Had he chosen to sign up willingly, he might have a different countenance. However, since this was pretty much his friends' idea, he can just namedrop them if it was too embarrassing.]

I didn't know you used apps like this. Did you expect to run into a classmate?

[ Marui could tell him the truth, but what point would it serve? All it accomplished was to put his date on the spot to justify his own use of it-- as though it was something that needed to be justified at all. ]

Can't say that I did. It begs the question of why we haven't hung out sooner, though, doesn't it? Feels a bit like the app is shaming us.

I'd like to think it's just nudging us in the right direction.

[Though it makes him wonder if Marui really is looking for a date. Well, he supposed there's no real expectation in it working or not until they do it.]

Well, since we're both here, wanna start on that date? I was thinking we can check out what movies are showing today first.

Sounds good to me.

[ Marui stands up and pockets his hands. ]

I heard that one with the warrior princess is fun. That just came out last weekend. I'm sure it'll be there.

Wonder Woman?

[He makes a guess, mostly a very educated one based on the fact that he was considering asking his best friend if he'd want to watch it with him.

Good thing he hasn't told Aoyagi yet.]

Didn't realize they already translated it. Did you ever watch the first one?

[As he says that, he picks himself up and pats down his pants, in case there was some dust, before he turns towards the direction of the movie house and starts to lead.]

[ Marui comfortably slides into place at Teshima's side as they start walking. ]

Maybe. I haven't really paid attention. I probably saw it when it came out. It was pretty popular, right?

It's good. The actress is really pretty, so that's a bonus.

[Which probably is a poor judge of why a film is good, but he doesn't really overthink things like this. It's not related to school or cycling, after all.]

I take it it's not your kind of thing normally?

[ Marui grins at the comment on the actress's appearance. For his part, he's not overthinking the trail of conversation either. It's just talking. ]

I like action movies just fine! Pirates of the Caribbean is an all-time favorite. Did you see that one? The first one.

Who hasn't?

[He clears his throat as soon as he finishes saying that, his voice taking a slightly deeper pitch as he speaks in an almost drunken manner, mimicking the pirate in question. He says the words in English, doing his best Jack Sparrow impression.]

"Not all treasure's silver and gold, mate."

[ True that, Curse of the Black Pearl was an instant classic. Pretty much everybody saw that one; it's unsurprising Teshima is in the majority.

A game of quotes is a game he can get behind, though, especially for this movie. He grins and lowers his own voice, adding as much raspiness as he can to mimic Captain Barbossa. ]

"You'd best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner. You're in one!"

"I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

[He shifts to a higher pitch at that, not quite as well done as his earlier imitation given his deeper voice, but he punctuates it with a hair flip, off-script, his ponytail swishing from side to side as he laughs. Those, he say in Japanese, unlike earlier.]

Looks like I found a fan.

Damn right you did! [ Marui says with energy. ] What's not to like about it? It's a fun movie with great characters who have great lines.

[ He does manage to take it down a notch for his follow-up, though. ]

Well, since you mentioned it with Wonder Woman-- spill it: Keira or Orlando?

[ On a date with a guy and suggested attraction to an actress; Marui assumes from this that Teshima plays both sides of the field. ]

Definitely Knightly though Orlando is pretty good-looking. She stole my heart from the first movie.

[His guess is right, and Teshima doesn't make any move to deny it. Though, his preference is probably obvious.]

Though if we're comparing Depp and Bloom...

Who's your pick?

[He's not sure of Marui's preference, but he assumes he doesn't seem to mild at least the implication of it.]

[ Marui frowns thoughtfully, managing to blow a full bubble out to popping before he has an answer for him. ]

Well, I guess Orlando Bloom between them. But you know, I'm not really interested in either of them on his own. I like cute more than sexy when it comes to girls, and on the occasions it happens, I like men who are clean-shaven and athletic. Confidence is a nice bonus, too.

[ He doesn't mind the implication Teshima made with the limited information he had, nor does he mind using his answer to clear things up for him. That's all part of what they're doing, isn't it? Getting to know each other. ]

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