"Okay c'mon Jay you can DO this!" Jay had just arrived at home after visiting her cousin in the hospital, she'd gone there to show her support and to help Alex start feeling better with some positive reinforcement, and yet it feels like Alex helped HER more than she helped Alex. Maybe it was wrong that it was this way, maybe Jay should've done more for her cousin, but she's never been in this position before, she's not sure what else she could've done or said that might've proved useful to her older cousin. Though to be fair, Alex mainly needed rest right now while her body recovered from the literal physical trauma… gods she looked like she'd been through hell. It would probably be a while before she would even be able to start processing the mental effects of what happened to her.
Jay takes in a deep breath, then pulls up her phone and dials Marie's number. She was sure it would just go to voicemail, Marie was so busy between being an idol and working with the Splatoon that she almost never answered her phone, it was much more reliable to get ahold of her via text since she could respond to one of those quickly. But Jay felt that something like this needed to be done in a more personal way than just text, and she wasn't sure where Marie was, so she figures she'll just… wing it, and ask her on a date over the phone. But Jay was nervous, especially since she expected to be met with the recorded answering machine message Marie had. Jay had spent several minutes rehearsing what she'd say in the message, getting it committed to memory so it wouldn't be an awkward jumble of words in Marie's answering machine. But then, the unexpected happened, she picked up!
"Hello? Four- I mean… Jay?" Marie's voice called through the receiver, she sounded happy, excited almost, like she was hoping for Jay to call. Jay was shocked about Marie actually having picked up and had to take a moment to collect her thoughts. Jay panics a little and almost forgets to reply but after remembering why she called in the first place, she takes a deep breath and calms her mind, remembering her cousin's advice and deciding to open with the flirtatious pickup line.
"Hey Marie… uh… I'm beautiful, wanna go on a date?" Wait no that doesn't sound right… she can almost hear Alex facepalming in the distance. Jay is mortified, she must've just absolutely botched her chance! She's prepared for Marie to yell, to be upset with her, to just straight up hang up and never speak to her again. But then another unexpected thing happens, Marie just… giggles.
"I would've said 'cute' but I guess beautiful works too… and, I'd be honored Jay." Marie says, you could almost hear her smile through the phone, and maybe even a hint of blush too. These words seemed to just further dumbfound Jay, she hadn't expected this kind of response at all! Wait did Marie call her CUTE?! Jay would've replied with another attempt at flirting but she was too busy blushing intensely and being completely awestruck at how Marie has responded to what Jay said.
"Uhhh… uhhh… uhm…" Jay stammers for a moment, she was at a loss for words. She kept trying to think of a way to flirt again, to say something about how she adores Marie but nothing sounds right to her mind, they all sound forced and ingenuine, she has to say something or else Marie might think the line went dead! Focus Jay, focus, just suggest a date idea. "Uhh… How about a walk through Inkopolis park? Say around eight so we could catch the sunset?"
"That sounds lovely Jay, I'll be at your place around seven thirty so we can make it to the park by eight. See you later! *click*" Marie hung up quickly, Jay wasn't sure why, but she agreed! It was so exciting! She was going to be going on a date with Marie! And it was an ACTUAL DATE! Not like what happened with Three and Eight where it was a whole 'will they won't they' thing that everyone and their pet knew would actually happen. Oh but now she had to find something NICE to wear!
"Shit" Jay looks down at herself and realizes she's wearing sweatpants and a grease stained teeshirt, granted it was grease stained because after doing her league battles for the day with her team she had gone over to Crusty Seans's truck and refueled her energy but still! Jay runs over to her bedroom and starts tearing through her closet. Surely there must be something cute but not over the top… Okay absolutely no way she is wearing pants though, those are reserved for functional purposes only, like agent work and when she needs to be warmer than just her underwear will allow for. No she needs something like a cute dress! Or maybe a skirt and a blouse?
"Augh! Why is this so difficult?!" Jay realizes maybe she should've put a little more thought into this, but she isn't going to give up! She shoves aside every pair of pants she owns and pretends they don't exist, she doesn't like pants at the best of times, the last thing she needs right now is to feel dysphoric while she's on a date! She continues searching through her clothes, trying to fi- why is there a llama hat? When did she buy this and why? She tosses the hat aside, it's time to focus. She considers a skirt and blouse combo for a minute but then remembers that none of her blouses are clean at the moment, and she doesn't have time to do laundry. She then digs a little deeper into her closet and... Oh! A sun dress! Perfect!
"Oh this is exactly what I need! Something cute but not over the top!" It's a simple design, white dress with a sunflower pattern all over it, super cute and it accents her natural yellow tentacles quite well. She decides to go with the cream basics as shoes, sure they're the default but she's not exactly trying to draw attention to her feet anyways, she thinks that would be weird. As for her head wear, well why not her glasses! She actually needs them to see, so what better way to show her true self to Marie than something as simple as glasses! She sets the dress on her bed and then goes over to her bathroom to get freshened up, she's gotta make sure she's clean after all.
She takes a quick shower, she wasn't dirty or anything but just in case. She wanted to make sure any and all of the potential smell of sweat from her ranked and league battles that day was completely washed away and nonexistent on her body. She lets the warm water wash over her and purrs softly, letting it envelop her as she relaxes, waiting a moment or so before finally starting to actually wash herself. She was glad to see that Alex had survived and was on the road to recovery. Not to mention she had given some remarkably helpful advice too, despite being stuck in a hospital bed. Jay really would have to go above and beyond to make sure she and her cousin spent some proper time together once she got out of the hospital. Jay had been having some success with ranked battles, and was putting together a team for tournaments, maybe she could see if Alex would consider joining it!
But that would have to be a question for another day. Jay had a date to go on! She was still surprised that Marie said "yes" to it, especially with how botched the attempt at asking was, but still! She wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. She takes extra care to make sure her tentacles are clean and shined, maybe blushing a little as she imagines Marie gently caressing them, but she quickly quells those thoughts as she steps out of the shower and dries herself off, before heading back into her bedroom and getting herself dressed. She pats down the dress to make sure it's free of wrinkles, she has to do everything she can to make herself as presentable as possible after all! Once she's satisfied with the lack of wrinkles she gets her undergarments on and then slips into the dress.
Something about wearing dresses always made Jay feel more comfortable about who she was, which she definitely needed right now as she got herself ready to go on a date with the girl she's been crushing on for literal years. Sure Jay had next to no idea who Marie was when they'd first met, but at the time Jay's only knowledge of the Squid Sisters was a passing mention, she'd never done much research. She also didn't watch much TV or listen to much music outside of what was available in her small town, Alex was the one who got really into the whole music thing, even going so far as to take up drums! Jay was quite young when the Squid Sisters stopped by her and Alex's home town on a tour, Alex had only just gained control of her humanoid form, and Jay was still a few years off.
Alex had won tickets to the concert but Jay sadly had prior arrangements that couldn't be altered. Alex was so sad she couldn't take Jay. This was well before the Squid Sisters were even hosts of Inkopolis News too, that would be four years out still, but they were still gaining traction as young up-and-coming pop stars. To think that all these years later Jay would be GOING ON A DATE with one of them, neither Jay nor Alex would ever have guessed.
Once Jay's got everything on and she's satisfied with how it sits on her body, she goes over to her vanity and sits down to start getting some light makeup on. She's had this vanity since she was very young, Alex's parents had gotten it for her when she moved in with them. It wasn't cheap either, they'd gone above and beyond what they needed to do… probably because Alex insisted. It was a solid unit, built with both wood and metal, with a mirror that lit her face up with a ring of lights around the outside of it. It was white with multiple drawers for her makeup, and even a convex mirror for up close and personal touch ups that was on an adjustable arm.
Jay doesn't want to go over the top or anything, so she goes for a neutral look, opting to make her lips just a touch pinker than they usually are and maybe drawing some attention to them with the rest of her makeup, maybe it's hopeful thinking but hey a girl can try can't she? She smiles at herself in the mirror and blushes a little, she never thought she'd end up going on a date with someone so wonderful as Marie, but life truly is full of wonderful surprises!
Jay was about to get going when her phone beeps at her. She grabs it and looks at it, reading the notification and realizing she'd set a reminder for herself. Time to take her hormones again! Jay again smiles, doing this now means she won't have to awkwardly pause the date to take her hormones, even if she knows that Marie wouldn't mind. She does quickly take them and finishes getting ready, she's so beyond excited now that she can barely contain herself. She takes one last look in the mirror and makes sure her tentacles are situated and look clean, and that nothing is egregiously out of place. With a smile she heads for the door, making sure to have her phone and wallet on her, now just waiting for Marie to arrive so she can head out for her first date!
