Kill A Man (IC)

[Gizmo]

With a more audible cough, Trevor schooled his expression from vaguely stunned to mutedly affable. Retrieving one of the glasses Mark had poured, he raised it delicately, placing the free arm across the small of his back. "To friends who know how you feel without it being said," he toasted, inclining graciously from the waist and using a tone Erin recognized from his calculated public appearances. Telepathy doesn't count, he thought wryly as he sipped lightly before placing the glass back down. Stepping around the hot tub, he took a seat next to Erin. "So," he murmured, barely more than a whisper, "did I already say 'wow'?"

[angrydurf]

Mike took one of the glasses of schnapps hoping it would be more palatable than the bubbly beverage that preceded raising it towards Erin in silent salute as he'd seen mostly on TV. He took carefull sip and winced slightly before setting it aside as subtly as he could manage. 'That tastes awful.' he silently warned or complained to Alex attempting not to let the opinion color his features.

Turning back to Mark he inquired, "So any thing we should know not to do once we touch down?" the last thing he wanted was to cause accidental offense though why he expect mark to know more than encyclopedia albright on his other side was anyones guess.

[alderwitch]

It's not so bad. I think it's an acquired taste, Alex responded as she worked her way through the glass, too polite to set it down without finishing her drink. She accepted the schnapps afterwards with her usual 'try everything once' demeanor. Alex frowned a little at the strange taste but stayed quiet while her friends chatted. Now, being on of - if not the most - brilliant teenager on the face of earth, it would seem like Alex would know the dangers of alcohol and hot water. Really, she did. But she had failed to calculate her own physique and body weight into the mental equation. Even super geniuses err now and again. In this case, the results wouldn't probably be catastrophic, at least.

Instead, she slipped down a little lower into the water and giggled softly again, laughing softly to herself at no verbal cues. She did look right at Erin and Trevor and say, "You two are so cute..."

There was a weird echo to her words as she was talking and projecting at the same time as all the shields that Alex kept up at all times slipped away. Apparently that was what happened when psychics inhibitions lowered. Alex cuddled closer to Mike, putting her hand on his thigh under the water and she stole his abandoned drink since hers was empty. Mike would feel her usually sharp and bright thoughts turn muzzy with inebriation down the psychic link.

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark swirled his drink contemplatively, thinking regretfully for just a second that he was the only one there without a date. I'm sure it'll work itself out. He thought quickly, and soon his brain was working down entirely different directions. "So, you guys know what? I'm thinking of living here in Africa when we graduate. There are some really good jobs and stuff, and they're really good for the community. Woof, this tastes different when it's not in daiquiris! I should make some ice cream drinks later. If I can get up." He sipped the drink some more, and went with party games. "Sooo...should we play truth or dare? Are you guys up for that?"

[Electra]

"Yes," Erin told Trevor, leaning close to murmur into his ear, "but you can say it again if you want. You look good yourself." She slid down fully into the water, blinking as her mind suddenly seemed to cloud in a not-unpleasant way. It was a lot like what she'd thought being drunk would feel like, but surely it couldn't be from one sip of one drink. She took another, harder look at the champagne, then another drink. "I don't know," she told Mark, giving him an owlish look. "I'm not sure I trust what dares you'd come up with."

[Gizmo]

Although it was his feet that were in the hot tub, Trevor felt his face grow warm as Erin slid down in the water next to him. Hoo boy. Easy on, just keep it under... keep... oh. The lean youth examined one of his hands, tingling slightly as nearly invisible wisps of mist wafted from the fingertips. He frowned for a moment before looking over to giggling telepath. Oh. Oh. That's too funny. Snorting lightly, he followed Erin into the tub, laying his arms along the edge and being careful not to get any of the inky smoke mixed in with the bubbles. "Challenge accepted," he informed Mark emphatically, pointing an index finger at his gregarious chum.

[angrydurf]

The normal tension in Mikes shoulders slackened as he draped one arm over Alex hand resting on her shoulder gently squeezing. Uncharacteristically he didn't put a stop to the altogether forward, by mike standards, behavior of his diminutive fiance as the mellow vibes she subconsciously radiated settled in his mind.

"Just choose truths then." he suggested with a grin as this was precisely his plan to avoid Marks inevitably embarrassing dares. Of course he didn't consider what kind of truths were normally exchanged in such an exercise.

[Avenger Assembled]

"All right..." said Mark, looking around at his happy, relaxed friends. After all the stress of the last few months, and as busy as Alex and Mike had been with school, it was really nice to see everyone so relaxed and happy with each other. Maybe he wasn't part of any of the couples around him, but that was OK: he had no complaints about his personal life, and look how happy they were! Everyone was so happy, even Trevor. "All right, Trevor Hunter," said Mark, pointing at Trevor with his champagne flute. "Truth...or DARE!?!"

[Gizmo]

Trevor's eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed in concentration. He steepled his fingers in front of his nose then sunk deeper into the tub until only fingertips and slivers of onyx orbs were visible above the bubbles. There was a long, silent moment as he intently contemplated the choice. The pause was threatening to turn awkward when he abruptly straightened and addressed Mark. "Truth and dare, for double bonus points," he declared gravely.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Ooh, a double-challenge," said Mark thoughtfully. "Well, then..." He hmmed, thinking carefully, if woozily, before replying, "If we're going both ways, I think I'd better come up with something for everybody." He had to be careful here, not wanting to ruin the joke or make his friends angry, but who could be angry when everyone was so happy. He pointed at Trevor. "Tell everyone who you think is the hottest supervillainess. And why! While..." He hmmed. "While standing on your head. You can get out of the water for that," he added with a laugh.

[Gizmo]

Trevor raised one eyebrow while lowering the other. "Villainy is not attractive, Mr. Lucas," he chided with tipsy severity, touching the fingers of one hand to the side of his head in a half-hearted attempt to shake off some of the psychically induced inebriation. "But in the spirit of the exercise..." Without getting out of the tub, Trevor placed one hand on its bottom and extended his lean form, lifting himself from his seated position with undulled motor control until he was balanced with his toes pointing upward, his board shorts bunching downward and the ends of his hair falling into the bubbles. He thought for a moment before shrugging with his unoccupied shoulder, the gesture looking strange upside down. "Suppose Sandstone is a brick. House." Snorting to himself, he clarified, "It's funny because it's a song."

[Electra]

Erin watched, blinking with great intensity as Trevor turned his headstand. His shorts were long enough that the headstand didn't reveal more than the tops of his knees, so it wasn't embarrassing or anything, she supposed. "Who's Sandstone?" she asked, frowning when he revealed his thoughts on hot supervillainesses. "I don't think I know her." Or maybe she did, but right now her memory was a little cloudy. She knew for a fact she didn't like her, whoever she was.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hah! Nice one, Trevor. She's a super-merc," Mark offered, having taken a moment to place the name himself. "She does bodyguard work for mastermind types mostly, she doesn't go out and knock over banks. Good moral choice there, Trevor. She's made of sand, see, so she can travel around and fight like that, but she can also harden herself up and turn herself into stone. What's really interesting about her is that because she's also a shapeshifter who changes her whole body, technically she's naked every time she fights. And in all her pictures!" Mark made a "bosoms! And lots of 'em!" gesture as politely as his good manners and level of intoxication allowed. "So, you want to take your turn, Trevor, or leave it open?"

[Gizmo]

Trevor eased himself back into the water with considerably more care than he'd used to lift himself upward, a little embarrassed to find how closely his internal reasoning matched his friend's explanation. Off Erin's less than impressed expression, he looked back and forth between the two for a moment. "...Mark made me do it." Clearing his throat with less subtlety than usual he turned to the other side of the hot tub. "Mike. Truth or Dare?"

[angrydurf]

Tilting his head slightly in surprise mike watched the sudden handstand and nodded murmuring, "Wow." at the impressive feat. He laughed lightly at Marks reasoning, "I think he was just joking about the song." he said as assuredly Trevors mind was not so lodged in the gutter as Marks, Right?

As the onus fell upon him Mike became slightly less comfortable with the game but was relaxed enough not to prevaricate. "Truth." he said with a satisfied smile.

[alderwitch]

Alex continued to giggle into her drink. "You've so missunderstood the way this game works." She informed Mike with another laugh. She was a giggly, giggly drunk. Her fingers continued to trace distracting patterns on his leg idly and she inched closer. "He's got a good one too. I can tell." She informed him in a little sing-songy voice.

[Gizmo]

Trevor tilted his head to one side slightly, his expression ponderous. He hadn't actually had a specific question in mind, an odd sensation for the usually meticulous planner. He discarded a few options out of hand as being too easy, and a few more for being either too personal or potentially having answers he was happier not knowing. Finally, he pointed dramatically in Mike's direction. "Name one thing you want to do before getting married."

[angrydurf]

"hmmm" Mike murmured thoughtfully in response to the question. It had caught him somewhat off guard but wasn't as embarrassing as what had been levied at Trevor at least, for that much he was grateful. "Well," he pondered out loud, "We're not getting married for awhile but there aren't really specifics." he revealed with a sigh, "I guess I would say I want to graduate before we get married." he said with a final nod even if it was more timeline than the obvious question of what he'd need to do before he was married as it wouldn't be an option after.

Glancing around at the others for confirmation that he had answered the question satisfactorily he inquired, "So my turn?"

[Electra]

"That's a cop-out answer," Erin protested, wrinkling her nose. "You're gonna graduate before you get married anyway, so it's not even like it's something you want to so. What do you actually want to do like for fun, or see, or try, while you're still young and single and, I dunno, not tied down even in good ways." She nodded decisively, then laid her head on Trevor's shoulder, then took it off again, not sure if she was supposed to still be mad at him or not.

[alderwitch]

"A deflection is still a lie." Alex straightened up slightly to correct him. One did not tweak the rules when one played with Alexandra Albright. She squeezed his thigh under the water and beamed at their friends, "He really wants to get married as quickly as possible because I am testing his resolve."

Alex looked terribly pleased with herself and added, "I am a total seductress. Oh, yeah!"

[Avenger Assembled]

"That's not..." Mark thought better of it, finished his schapps, and poured another one, slowly sinking further into the bubbly, steaming water. "That's, uh, actually about what we heard on Earth-XX. Alex Albright kept trying to seduce Michelle Harris, but she would have none of him till he put a ring on her finger. Marcie was always encouraging Michelle to try and live a little, even...well, uh, I guess I shouldn't tell that story." He coughed. "Mike, I think you're up for truth or dare."

[Gizmo]

While the others gave Mike a hard time over his evasive answer, Trevor simply crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head sadly, his expression disapproving, showing a remarkable level of seriousness for a shirtless teenager halfway submerged in bubbles. He relaxed as Erin's head rested on his shoulder, but looked over, mournful, when she straightened, evidently still upset. He shifted to raise one knee out of the water, resting elbow on it and his chin on his hand with a glum look.

[angrydurf]

Blushing deep crimson at Alexs revelation mike coughed and stammered for a moment, "I-I-I didn't understand the question." he insisted resolutely but felt he had certainly earned his turn with all the commentary from the peanut gallery. "And what would I want to do now that I can't do when I'm married?" he rejoindered sternly and shot mark a look, "Don't answer that."

Running one hand through his hair he looked to Erin glad to seize on an opportunity to change the subject from Alexs seductive capabilities. "Erin truth or dare!" he blurted out in a rush.

[Electra]

Erin blinked, caught off-guard when she'd expected Mike to ask Mark next. They were roommates, after all. She looked over at Trevor and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "I don't think I better let Trevor get too far ahead of me, pointswise," she concluded with a decisive nod that made the room rock a little in front of her eyes. "Better give me the truthy dare as well." She shot Trevor a challenging grin.

[angrydurf]

"Alright!" mike replied hurrying along towards not talking about Alex the seductress or worse her degree of success. He came to a grinding haltof course as he realized he'd need to come up with a truth and a dare. He lightly drummed his fingers on Alexs shoulder as he thought about it briefly. "Ok For the Dare you have to say two nice things about each of us." he said with a smile as this was moving things in a direction away from the naughty. "And your truth is you have to tell us what you really want to do for your birthday!" he requested with a wide smile knowing that between the remaining four of them they were pretty assured of being able to manage it.