Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5543592-20190505235456/@comment-5583506-20190521005406

"I know", she said with a sigh. "I am really hopeless with jokes."

Though Evangeline had without doubt only intended her previous statement to be for Tanner's ears alone, there wasn't much that could go by Shanks' ears unnoticed, even with bullet stuffing.

The mutant rolled with his eyes and refrained from making a gagging noise. Not because of how incredibly corny he found her statement to be, but because he had a lump of flim stuck back in his throat and didn't want to give them the impression that he was reacting to it. Even though he would have certainly liked to...

He wondered about Kayleigh. That gorgeous little red-top. Maybe he would ask her out on a date as soon as they got back to the HQ? Just a couple of beers at some sleazy bar. Would she even consider it? Hanging out with a freak like him? Would she even be able to look at him? Naomi had somehow managed to overcome the hideous crater that was Hancock after all. Was there such a miracle waiting for him somewhere?

Maybe it was just the sake that had started to take its toll on his already pre-occupied mind, temporarily bolstering his courage and his need for some social comfort, or maybe it was just by watching this blind girl seeking the affection of some man she had known years ago.

He found it pretty sad in a delightfully twisted way. He could clearly tell that the blind woman enjoyed the company of Tanner to the point where she was hoping for something more than just friendship. But he could also tell that she herself was in denial. It hadn't occurred to her yet that she was star-struck. As for Tanner, the man most likely didn't view the walking blinders the same way, and probably didn't know anything about what she was thinking about him either. And if he did, he ignored it or hid it well enough to fool him.

Though Shanks was good at reading other people, judging them by their scent, the sound of their heartbeats, their gestures, the tone of their voices; he knew better than to laugh at the relationships of others. That would've made him the saddest being in the world: only able to find affection by paying for it an hour or two.