fandomtownies | The Perk - Late afternoon/early evening...

::shuffles over, slowly, and sits down at a chair across from Shane::

Hey, buddy... you mind talking with a stranger about a few things? I'm kinda confused, and figured I might as well get a second opinion.

Shane arches her eyebrow just slightly as Ash sits down. She remembers him very well from the 'art for the Master-baby' thing a week or so before. He seems to be better, now, even though he's looking a bit troubled.

"Umm," she says carefully. "Sure, yeah, go ahead."

Okay, buddy, now... The Doc, you know the Doc? Teaches at the school, right...

He tells me it's not okay to think we guys are better than girls. Like, I shouldn't be callin 'em baby or anything.

Does that make sense to you?

I'm just lookin for a little man-to-man talk on this.

Shane listens intently while Ash is speaking, her face working through a wide range of emotions - concerned, faintly disapproving, amused and then... yeah, even more amused.

"Um, sir?" She says carefully, reaching up to scratch a hand through her hair. "I'm... I'm a girl. Female."

::Ash blinks a few times, and his jaw drops::

Dammit. ::rolls his eyes, and then bashes his head against the table a few times::

Sorry about that. I, uhh, didn't mean to insult you or anything baby.

...dammit, I called her baby

It's Shane's turn to blink in surprise and rather thinly veiled horror as she watches Ash bang his head on the table. Dropping her cigarette, she scrambles up out of her seat. "Hey, shit, god - take it easy, man," she murmurs, reaching for his shoulders to stop him. Straightening up, she studies him for a moment, frowning. "You didn't -- I'm not insulted... at least, I don't think so. Not right now, anyway."

Worrying on her bottom lip, she watches him for a moment longer. "So, um... women. Right, women? That's your problem?"

::tears are starting to form in his eyes::

I don't know what to do. I... cut one up with a chainsaw, and then I just can't seem to find a girlfriend that'll put up with me. ::rubs his face::

No crying, Ashley... ::smacks himself in the forehead with each word:: No. Crying. You. Screwhead.

Cringing in sympathetic pain as Ash literally beats himself up, Shane reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a clean and neatly folded white handkerchief. "Um," she says quietly, "this might... work better than the... hitting, I think."

Taking a deep breath, she pats him on the shoulder and lights herself another cigarette, blowing the smoke up into the air as she tries to gather her thoughts. "Okay, well... cutting people up with a chainsaw is usually not the best way to handle, umm... so, you want a girlfriend? Right?"

::looks over at Shane::

Yeah, I guess that's what I'm sayin'.

"Okay," Shane says decisively as she returns to her seat. She crosses one leg neatly over the other and slouches back down into her seat, thumb resting against her bottom lip as she considers the situation. "Okay, so, umm... maybe you should try... not calling women baby? I mean -- unless you know that... they like that, that they tell you they do. Some don't. Most of them just ... like to be called by their name. It's... it's not very respectful to -- to do that. See?"

Right, right. I think I can pull that off.

Got any more advice, ba-... dammit.

Fighting a smile, Shane takes another drag on her cigarette and exhales the smoke up in to the air before replying. "My name's Shane," she says evenly, her tone friendly. "It's very nice to meet you."

She frowns for a bit more, thinking about what other advice she might be able to give him about women. "The, um... the hitting? Might kinda... put some girls off? Some of them ... uhh... aren't really big on violence." She worries at her bottom lip for a moment.

"Look, from what I know, the most important thing is to listen. You get them talking, and you start hearing about their life, and then you figure out what they want. That's it." She says with a slight shrug.

After a moment, she holds up her hand. "But... you do not talk too much. That's the thing. Talking too much can kill it. You don't tell your life story, and you don't let them tell theirs."

Right, right... talk, but don't talk. Got it. And make sure to listen.

Geeze... wish I had my clipboard right now, I'm never gonna be able to remember all this. ::pinches the bridge of his nose::

...damn my head hurts.

"Listening is the most important thing," Shane says gently. "With women, if they don't think you're listening to them, they can be hurt by that, because they feel that you don't think what they're saying is important. Just... talk to them like you would another guy." She pauses for a moment and makes a face, thinking she should probably amend that statement.

"I mean, don't tell any gross blonde jokes or anything, but... just... just be yourself, you know?"

Be myself, got it.

...but don't call them baby, and I'm guessing makin' demands for sugar ain't gonna go over well either.

...be myself, but don't be myself.

Great.

"Demands for --"

There's a long pause.

"... probably not," Shane says finally, nodding. "All women want is to be respected, okay? Just the same as guys do." She takes another drag off of her cigarette, thinking about it for a moment. "Imagine for a second that you're surrounded by a bunch of guys ... demanding... sugar. From you. How would that make you feel?"

Like I walked into the wrong kinda bar.

"Right," she says, chuckling. Shane takes another drag off of her cigarette and considers how she should proceed. "Okay... what makes you feel bad, as a person? Is there ever something that someone does to you that you don't like, but you don't know how to deal with it?"

Heh. I've never really had that problem... then again, my problems usually involved time travel, demons, and the undead.

The King knows how to deal with those.

"I'm sure you do," Shane says, grinning. "Well, look... just try to remember what I said. Ask them their names and remember them. That means a lot to women. I never forget the names of any of the women I've been with."

Alright, remember their names, got it... ::pauses, thinking:: Shane.

::pauses again::

Wait... you've been with women?!

Shane nods, smiling approvingly. "Right," she says.

At the next question, her smile gets a bit wider, but then becomes slightly shy. "Yeah, I have," she murmurs, nodding.

::perks up::

Damn, that's... that's hot ~~baby~~. Really. The King approves.

"Well, thank you," Shane says, sounding very amused. "Kinda makes sense, though, since I'm gay and everything."

Did I mention hot? Really hot. Really damn hot.

...this means the King doesn't have a shot with you, though, doesn't it?

::strokes his chin, grinning::

That's the saddest thing I've heard all day.

Putting her cigarette out in the ashtray on the table, Shane chuckles and shakes her head as she lights another one. "That's what it means," she murmurs, cigarette bouncing and wobbling between her grinning lips as she speaks, pausing to take a drag. "And even if I was bi, I have a girlfriend." She shrugs, as if that explains everything.

Good for you. ::nods, and then winces::

Okay, I'm gonna head back to the Falcon... I got a pretty splitting headache for some crazy reason.

Thanks for talkin' with me, Shane.

"No problem," Shane says, offering him a smile. "Hope it helped a little."

::nods again, and waves::

You take care, and continue being so damn hot, that's a good kid.

::laughs, and walks off::

"Yeah, thanks..." She calls after him, shaking her head and chuckling to herself as he leaves.

*pauses by Shane on her way back to the Apple*

Shane, Mike and Ben of the Emporium are having a small games night next Wednesday at their place. Just a few of the townies gathering together - if you're interested.

"Games night?" Shane asks, sitting up in her seat a little. "Umm, sure, yeah, that sounds like it'd be fun. I guess I can call Kate and see if she can come." After a moment, she blinks a little and smiles. "Sorry, I -- my girlfriend - I haven't introduced you guys, yet. She works at the police department."

That's the lady who was with you at the townies party last Saturday? No, I don't think we were ever introduced, but we'd love to have both of you along.

"Yeah," Shane says, smiling brightly at the thought of Kate in her blue dress that night. "Yes, that's her. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce you guys. So yeah, I'll umm... I'll see if she can make it - if she doesn't have to work or something..."

Kate walks along Della Street, staring down at the asphalt and rubbing her temples. She'd just been to Deb's, and seeing it was closed, hadtraveled back through the park to get to the Perk. She needs coffee before she does anything else. ~~Like, say, calling, because that would have been smart.~~

She looks as she turns, and it's not long before the Perkolator comes in to view.

Her eyes narrow. Is that...Shane's there, talking to a woman she vaguely recognises but doesn't know. Her grim expression breaks in to a small smile as she strides toward them.

Funny, how these things work out.

Glancing up to look at Inara as she's speaking to her, Shane's eyes also notice movement behind Inara. Squinting a little, she smiles broadly as she sees Kate coming closer. "Hey!" She says.

She looks back at Inara and smiles. "I guess I can ask her right now," she murmurs, pointing to a spot behind Inara as she stands up from her seat. "Here she comes."

Kate's smile widens in spite of herself, and she pushes back her guilt. She can apologise later, when they're alone.

"Hey," she says, coming to a stop in front of Shane's table. She locks eyes with her a few seconds, telling her silently that she's glad to see her, and then turns to the other woman. Her smile lessens but is no less sincere.

"And hello."

"Hey," Shane says again warmly as she leans in and brushes a kiss to Kate's cheek, slipping her arm around her waist as she turns to Inara. "Umm, Inara Serra, this is my girlfriend, Kate Lockely. Kate, this is Inara."

"Nice to meet you," Kate says, inclining her head slightly. She shifts a bit, imperceptibly drawing herself closer to Shane.

In the back of her mind, she's running through all the possible places she could have seen Inara.

"Pleased to meet you, too," Inara says. "I saw you at the party last weekend, but we weren't actually introduced."

Kate's eyes widen a bit in final recognisation, and she nods, relieved. She doesn't like not knowing things, generally.

"Is that where you two met?" she asks.

"No, actually... one of the girls from school introduced us," Shane replies with a smile, her thumb smoothing back and forth over the small of Kate's back.

"I see Shane in town every now and then," Inara added. "And I'm working at getting to know the other townsfolk better, so I try to speak with Shane now and then."

"And it's always a pleasure," Shane adds, smiling as she gives her a slight gentlemanly nod.

The Perk - Late afternoon/early evening...

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