Where the Boys Are (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark Lucas sat on the quad one cool October afternoon, unaccustomed emotions shooting through him as leaves sprinkled down all around him in a colorful pattern. He wasn't bothered that Alex had broken up with him or looked prime to hook up with Mike. He'd enjoyed flirting and fooling around with Alex, but neither of them had been interested in a commitment more than that. His parents had been suitably sympathetic when he'd told them about his breakup, giving just the right consolation that a young man in his situation needed to hear. Mike and Alex would be a good couple, he was sure.

It was the other betrayal that really bothered him. Mike's angry face, his loud voice, the distrust and suspicion in his eyes...Why would anyone think that? Why would anyone think that about me? He just didn't understand it. Mike was his friend; Mike was a good guy who he trusted. But he was mad at me! Really mad at me! Having someone angry with him who wasn't a bad person themselves was just...just WEIRD! The more he thought about it, the more the anomaly dogged at him. He just didn't understand it!

[Cyroa]

James whistled to himself as he headed out of the building. Classes and schoolwork, such as they were, were done for the day. He didn't have a particular destination in mind but something always turned up. He noted Mark sitting alone in the Quad, confused and bummed out apparently. Not a common expression on the kid for whom everything tended to work out.

He knew why, at least in a roundabout way. The rumor mill being what it was and given James' tendency to be plugged into that sort of thing, it was likely one a few seconds in Zoe-time before he had heard it all. Figuring out fact from the massively fractured rumors took a little effort though. Talking with certain parties helped clear it up to. He was a little ticked off at the source though. He didn't have a lot of real friends, 8 billion associates and people who thought they were friends. But only a few who really were. And he took offense to the 'attack' on them.

Of course, since then, he'd been working on his own rumors, a 'counter rumor mill' if you will. It was actually quite a lot of fun really. And in addition to helping keep his friends clear, it doled out a little vengeance. And given his heritage, he was particularly good at doling out vengeance. He shouldn't get too much fun out of it, he was supposed to not give in to those impulses. But he really did enjoy it.

He detoured in his walk to walk up to Mark. "Hey man. Let's go. You're looking a little down. Time for a pick-me-up."

[Avenger Assembled]

"A pick-me-up?" Mark suppressed a quick wince at that mental image, having gotten quite enough of that over the last couple of days. When he looked up at James, though, and saw the look in his eye, something appealed to him beyond the unhappiness he was feeling. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good." He stood up, leaves falling off him, luckily leaving not a trace of dust or dirt on his pants. "I'm free the whole afternoon; didn't want to go back to my room yet." He grinned, already starting to feel a little better. "Where we going?"

[Cyroa]

James chuckled. "Relax buddy. Figured you'd be free and need a little relaxing. Probably was a new thing for ya." He recently learned that it would never have worked between Mark and Alex anyway. Wasn't meant to be. He turned and headed for the garage after waiting for Mark. "Whatever or wherever you like. Maybe start with some dinner before heading out to blow off steam. After that, whatever you want. Clubbing, dancing, a rave. Or something less social and more risky. Racing, skydiving, whatever you like. Sky's the limit."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I...wow!" Mark thought about that, rubbing his chin. "Maybe...dinner sounds good. You pick the spot." He grinned. "You know all the best places, I bet. And after that...gosh, I dunno!" He thought again, following James as they presumably headed for his friend's car. "How about speedboats?" he asked suddenly. "I've never been on a speedboat. It might be fun."

[Cyroa]

James nodded. "Works for me. You looking for real high class or just standard good food in normal type place. Anything you're in the mood for?" He unlocked the car and got in. "Speedboat? Sure, we can do that. I don't know how to sail or pilot one myself, but we'll figure it out I'm sure." He knew you needed a license or something but he could get around that easily enough.

He started the car as soon as Mark was in and headed out. "So, you wanna talk about it or just skip to the food and the fun?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'm sure you heard everything," said Mark, half-smiling as he buckled up in the front seat. "About Zoe, and Alex and Mike hooking up, and everything..." He sighed, shaking his head. "You know," he admitted, "I don't care about that part. I know I should, but Mike and Alex look like they're gonna be happy together. They're my friends, so that means I'm happy too." James might have scoffed at that coming from someone else, but Mark seemed to believe every word.

Distracting himself, he said, "How about Ch...no, how about the Starlight Room? That really swanky place on top of the hotel, with the dance hall and music."

[Cyroa]

James chuckled. "I seriously doubt they've hooked up like that yet. But dating? That was a given, all things considered." He smiled wistfully. "They'll be happy, true enough. So if that part isn't what's eating you, then what is," he asked without looking. "Because we both know that something is. If you don't want to talk about it, consider it dropped. But here if you want to vent. "

He nodded with a grin. "Starlight Room huh? Heh. Sure. They'll probably faint considering we're not dressed to the nines but it'll be fine. I've been there a few times."

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'm sure it'll be okay," said Mark automatically. "You've got money and your name, and I'm sure I'll be able to talk them into stuff." He hesitated for a few moments at James' words, long enough that it almost seemed he wasn't going to say anything at all. "That's never happened to me before. Out on the quad, I mean, when Mike was shaking me around. He was..." Mark seemed like he was looking for the right word. "He was angry with me, James. Really angry with me. And we were friends!" The words seemed to be opposites in Mark's world. "He wasn't possessed or an evil shapeshifter or anything, he was just...really, really angry with me."

[Cyroa]

James nodded. "It's always worked so far. And I'm no slouch at talking myself," he said with a grin.

James nodded. "Well, yeah. Mike's great. Normally wouldn't hurt a fly. About as nice and wholesome as you can get; a good guy. But whether he wants to admit it or is ready to or not, he's in love with Alex. And vice versus, though Alex is probably more wise about the subject than him. They are meant to be together. Not like childhood sweetheart kind of thing. But honest, true, right from the storybook soul mates," he said with a touch of envy. "Trust me, it's true. So Mike might not know it consciously, but he still cares for her more than anything in this world. And he's a tad gullible. So when he thought you did something to 'hurt' her, he took it kind of personally. Can you blame him?" He shook his head. "But it wasn't really you that he was mad at. It was the rumor, the thought that something bad had been done to Alex. It's not exactly your style either. But everyone has that one thing that will set them off, some people have more than one. Some are just better are guarding against it than others." He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't take it personally."

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark shifted at James' words, looking decidedly uneasy at them. "I guess that makes sense. It was like someone was mind-controlling him, if they told him all that bad stuff about me..." He swallowed. "But...we're friends, James! Mike and I are friends, we know each other! We fought bad guys together. I've...I've never had a friend be angry with me before," he admitted. "Not like that. I mean, I worry sometimes, but they always just forgive me. Only jerks are mad at me usually."

[Cyroa]

James gave a little half-smile. Mark was a good guy but man was he in his own world sometimes. Downside of having everything always work out for you apparently was that things some people took for granted were a bit of a shock. "Yeah, you're friends. You were before and you are now. I'd bet that Mike was ready to apologize within 10 minutes of the whole thing." He chuckled. "You're lucky. Literally and figuratively. Not surprising that stuff like this is new to you. Having people mad at you is pretty much a given for most people on the planet to one degree or another. And worrying about it? Nothing wrong with that either. You're too good to obsess so that's not a problem," he said with a smile. He gave a little shrug. "It was a minor thing really even though it seems massive. But if you want to be a great leader, and you do by the way, knowing what happens to everyone else would help you understand and help them a great deal."

"Just remember, it wasn't meant to hurt you really." He paused. Well, technically it probably was meant to hurt him. Mike was just the gun though. Person who aimed it had some payback coming. But Mark didn't need to know that. "In a little while, you'll have put it to one side and taken up that cheery positive attitude again. Think work out, right?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yeah, I guess so," said Mark, relaxing a little more. He still looked, and felt uneasy, but he was sure that was going to get better in his friend's company. "And you shouldn't be mad at Mike on my behalf or anything. He did come to me and apologize later." Mark didn't really want to delve too much into that conversation, though, so he moved on to better things. "Things do usually work out for the best, anyway." He looked out the window as they went. "So did I hear you bought one of these for Erin? That's pretty nice, James. You're a good friend."

[Cyroa]

James chuckled. "I've got no reason to be mad at him. Like I said, it'll be fine." He drove the car through traffic, letting Mark have a few moments before finally answering.

"One of these? Oh, a truck. Yeah, though I kind of led her on a little bit. It was partly to help us move things around while getting the base up and running. Flying or superstrong people aren't exactly subtle and wanted to make sure we didn't give it away. At the end, I had her put her name down for the tittle. It's hers, free and clear." He chuckled. "Well, I don't have too many. And money's just a tool like anything else. If I can't use it to help out a friend, what good is it?" He pulled the car into the parking garage as he answered.

[Avenger Assembled]

James could tell Mark was still chewing over their conversation as he got out of the car, but just being there seemed to put a little life back into him. "I grew up around a lot of people with money," he commented, "but my folks were never more than just comfortable. It's probably a good thing they had so many friends." In the elevator up to the lobby of the big hotel, Mark scratched his chin thoughtfully. "And we do have a nice base. I should get over there and put something in it sometime. I guess I'm worried Alex will think we need to be awkward. She can be real precise like that."

[Cyroa]

James gave a little shrug as the started walking. "I've always had it. Not even the Family's but mine. I do understand that not everyone does. Sometimes I flaunt it but not intentionally. Just to offer and help out, you know?" He'd happily give it all up to have the mother he never met back though. Not going to happen, but still.

He gave a wry smile. "Alex is too smart for her own good sometimes. She needs to just be a teenager and have fun sometimes without having that big brain plan things 80 million steps in advance. I doubt it'll be awkward for long, if at all. It isn't like you two did much. And you're still friends. And she's too smart and logical to let things get in the way. Go and hang out with her; with friends around at first might be best to help you guys ease back into normalcy. Like I said, doubt it'll take long for things to work themselves out," he said as the elevator doors opened with a 'ding'. "So, have you been here before?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yeah," said Mark with a rueful laugh. "I guess everyone knows just how far we went." Mark was a teenage boy, but he was too well-bred to talk about his sex life where anyone could hear it. "Uh, yeah, I've been here a couple of times," he said as they made the quick transition from the short parking elevator to the big elevator up into the hotel. "It's a little out of my family's price range, and I don't exactly pay for it with mowing lawns. But we had my dad's 60th here last year, and my parents anniversary the year before that."

He let James lead the way when they got up to the Starlight Room, trusting to his friend's charisma and good name to get them a table. Sure enough, one had just opened up, one that gave the two young men good seats near the live music, a cheerful Freedom City jazz band, and soon the company of a helpful waiter with a great interest in their welfare. Mark fell back on old patterns, automatically ordering the escargot and a Diet Coke. "What? I like escargot."

[Cyroa]

James nodded with a slight smile. "It's not that big a school after all." The wait was non-existent, luckily enough. And James credit and smooth talking got them past the other obstacles easily enough.

When they were finally seated and Mark ordered, James did raise an eyebrow. "It's not that. I enjoy it as well and I've eaten stranger things. It's the Diet Coke. They really don't go well together but whatever you like," he said with a smile, picturing the 5 star chef having a conniption over hearing the selection. When the waiter returned, James just had them surprise him with the chef's best. He wasn't exactly a regular but he'd been here plenty of times. He was willing to eat whatever was served. "So, speedboats huh? Want to head down to Florida or just get one here?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"I didn't know actually going to Florida was on the list," said Mark with a little laugh. "Have you been upping your distance without telling me, or are we going to ride the Prophet family airways?" He grinned. "Either way, I'm up for it. It'd be nice to be somewhere warm." When their food arrived, he smiled, digging into it with gusto. "I'm up for an evening of living in the moment. Best way to live, I always say."

[Cyroa]

James shrugged. "We could take a jet I suppose. But that's a good hour plus transit time. One way. I was figuring we'd want to have more time for fun though," he said with a grin. "Yeah, a bit. I can't 'port us there in one shot but should be able to in 3 or 4 hops. Less than a minute, easy." He started in on the food, eating slowly to enjoy the flavor. He chuckled at Mark. "You have no idea. Anyway, figure we head down, get some clothes. Rent a boat or jetskis or whatever. Flirt with some ladies on the beech. Clean up, new clothes, and hit some clubs. I'm sure there will lovely ladies in aplenty willing to hang with us for a fun night on the town."

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark relaxed as he ate his odd meal, making a strange appearance in his jeans there at the fanciest restaurant in town. But James was used to that sort of thing from Mark, who generally seemed nearly immune to the reactions of the people around him. When they were done, he left a tip while James paid, and got up to join him for the trip out. "I've only been teleported a couple of times," he said as they went out of the restaurant, "so this should be pretty cool. What's it like on the inside?" he asked. "Is it like that one French hero, where if you open your eyes you go crazy inside?"

[Cyroa]

James shook his head with a chuckle. "Man, you and your stories. Of course not. There's no time to blink at all. One instant we're here, the next we're there. No time in between really. It's almost 600 miles to Daytona from here. So about three hops should do it." He reached out and put a hand on Mark's shoulder. "Ready?"

As soon as Mark nodded, they vanished, reappearing briefly on the top of a watertower at the edge of some small town. They were there only a moment before vanishing, appearing in what looked to be a small park. Once again, before being able to do much but look around, they two blinked out and reappeared in the shadow of a wall, looking out over a beach and at the ocean beyond it. "Welcome to Daytona Beech. This is Northern Florida. We could head farther south if you prefer." It was significantly warmer down in Florida than it was in Freedom City.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Daytona Beach? Oh wow!" Mark pulled off his jacket, unabashed wonder on his face as he held it under his arm. "James, that is sooo cool." He grinned at his buddy. "I've never been here, I've just seen it on TV. Lead the way, man!" Exuberantly, he followed James lead as they went, taking pictures with the phone on his camera. "This is awesome."

[Cyroa]

James nodded. "Change of clothes first. This is not exactly beach and water gear we're wearing." James picked a direction and headed down the boardwalk. It might be a bit chilly in October up in Freedom City, but in Florida is was pretty nice. It took a little bit of walking to find the type of store James wanted but soon enough they were inside. "Ok, swimsuit and something for tonight. Pick whatever you want. We'll drop it off at a room and make sure they get cleaned by the time we're back." James moved down the isles of the higher end store, picking out a few things as he talked. It was probably more stuff than he needed but it wasn't like it mattered much to him.

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark was like a kid in a candy store as he cheerfully went about gathering up all the gear he'd need for time at the beach. He'd never worried overmuch about sunscreen, but he picked up a low-level bottle so he'd tan, and gathered up a bright red swimsuit to swear. "Hey, this is colorful," he said aloud, wandering down to join James. "So do you come here often?"