So I won't keep all my superiors busy with stupid stuff, I'll cut to the particulars of my situation.

1.) Already was approached BY her. But I AFC'd like hell, and simply excused myself. Hopefully mistaken for a nonchalant IOD, but at worst was taken as a sure sign of lower value. The truth; I was nervous and fled.
2.) She's shown me IOIs, which were likely platonic but which I didn't capitalize on because I was still in AFC mode and really didn't know about the Game. In the times we've spoken she's only interacted with the timid, shy, self-effacing me. Would the transition to forward thinking, ambitious PUA seem too sudden? Should I keep it subtle or just respond to "you're acting different today" with something like "well, I finally got a good night's sleep for a change!" or "insert-witty-retort-here" ...

I'm also friends with a friend of hers, who's currently out of town, I could start with "yo [insert name here] says hi", but that wouldn't really lead the conversation anywhere, would it?

In short: She knows the AFC me. Is that a deal breaker?

She knows the AFC me. Is that a deal breaker?

No, the deal breaker is if you 'stay' with the AFC attitude. How she responds to your transition is irrelevant, what matters is that you 'make' the change.

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Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. - Robert Greene