Kill A Man (IC)

[Electra]

"You're such a freak." Erin told Mark almost affectionately, her cheeks flushing at the saucy question. She glanced over at Trevor and blushed a little harder. "The cutest part of a guy is definitely his car," she said with a nod. Tipsy as she was, she could only hold the deadpan for a moment before she started to snicker. "Well, it's a very important feature, anyway. That classic limo was amazing, especially when I got to drive it. But I also have to admit that a guy with a great back is super hot, especially when he's exercising." She nodded definitively at that, though her face was bright pink by now.

[Gizmo]

Trevor dimly regretted joking about Mark's extensive collection when his friend revealed his favourite piece; he'd been noticeably more prone to melancholy sentiments since his father's departure, something the dark haired young man could relate to all too easily. He was abruptly distracted fro that train of thought by the game's next question and Erin's response. Reflexively looking over his shoulder, he blinked a few times as he turned back around. "Never buying shirts that fit again."

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark glanced at his own back in an automatic reflex, shrugging a little as he did so. I guess it looks good. I mean, it's just a back. It wasn't that he was particularly interested in looking good for Erin, much less Alex, for all that he'd had his hands on places visible in the bubbling water on the teen telepath, but when the subject came up, a man had to check himself out to make sure he was all right. "Very interesting! Trevor, I suggest you get another car...with a big trunk. Erin, I believe you're up."

[Electra]

"Yeah, yeah," Erin said, waving a hand. Her blush hadn't subsided one bit, but she seemed to be taking it in good spirits. Or the good spirits were responsible for her good mood, at least. "Okay, let's see here..." She looked over the entire group calculatingly. "Hmm.... okay, yeah." She turned sideways. "Trevor, truth or dare," she said with a challenging smile.

[Gizmo]

Trevor went still, turning very slowly to meet Erin's grinning expression. On the one hand, choosing 'dare' was probably the safer choice, despite Mike's stated philosophy. Then again, the theme of the night seemed to be running in the opposite direction. Even in his light headed state, he hesitated, unsure of his own ability to say the right thing. Ultimately, though, it was Erin he had to put is trust in, and that was easily done. "Truth," he responded, the corner of his mouth twitching upward.

[Electra]

That took Erin aback for a moment, and she nibbled on the end of her thumb as she studied him. She'd expected that Trevor would pick Dare, and she'd had a good one all thought up and everything. This was something of a stumper. She hemmed and hawed for a moment, trying to come up with a good question. A really good question, she decided, was one she wanted to know the answer to, and that she'd never have the guts to ask while she was sober. "Tell me why you like me," she finally asked, watching his face intently.

[Gizmo]

"Why I...?" Trevor blinked in surprise, leaning back slightly. "Thought you knew," he told her apologetically, feeling a stab of guilt for not having made it clear as he reached out and took her hand in his. "Erin, you are so strong. You face every challenge head on and don't stop until it's done. You know how bad things can get, you know there's no guarantees, and you stand up anyway. I..." The young man let a short, fast breath out of the corner of his mouth, a trail of mist accompanying it as he marshaled his feelings into words. "I'm used to people... giving up. On me. You're okay when I don't have anything to say, okay with the silence, when I'm distracted by some project or case or gadget." He ran his free hand through his dark hair with a chagrined look. "Honestly? Remember the first time you showed me the Doom Room, that simulation with the Grue? The big one was going to crush me and you just came out of nowhere and took the hit. It was... it's silly, but that was pretty much it for me. I was done, right there."

[alderwitch]

"Aw," Alex said, unabashedly watching. She poked Mark with her fingertip even as she snuggled down against Mike's side once more, "That's sweet. Don't you think that's sweet? Alcohol makes for good mushy talks. Well, provided that's how your inhibitions lower. Some people would just be naked."

She cleared her throat, like she hadn't just been talking about them about two feet away, "Okay, Trevor, it's your turn before there is mist and kissing again. Because, there is to be noooo naked time. That would be rude cuz it's not our jacuzzi. Maybe we should get one. Mike, should we get a jacuzzi?"

Alex turned to look at him, obviously giving naked time the same sort of intense thought she gave to defeating evil.

[Electra]

Erin studied Trevor as he spoke, revealing nothing but intense concentration until he got to the part about the Grue in the Doom Room, when she broke into a goofy smile. "That was it, huh?" she asked softly. "I need to train with you in the simulator more often." She glanced over as Alex spoke, rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Alex, I'mma kiss him anyway." She matched word to deed, for once not giving a damn who might be watching or what they were thinking.

[angrydurf]

Mike studiously looked away both at the exchange and the following display of affection happy to give them what limited privacy the spacious jaccuzi allowed. "Well good thing it was Erin and not me in the training session." he said with a smile fully intending that it was good they had had such a chance to come together and happily ignorant of any other subtext that might be read into the comment.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Ooooh!" Mark applauded. "Oh man, you guys are adorable! Look at them! Aren't they adorable!?" He sounded very animated about the whole thing, rumless or not. "Young love is so sweet!" He put his hands to his cheek, then pointed. "And you too, Mike and Alex! So nice to see young people in love, doing loving things, and being happy together..." He wondered if either couple had done it yet, but was too polite to ask. I dunno. They all seem a little uptight about that kind of stuff. I hope we don't play Have You Ever, because I won't do so good!

[Gizmo]

Trevor's arm wrapped around Erin's waist, leaning backward slightly as he drew her closer, legs tangling loosely under the bubbling water. He ignored the peanut gallery with suitable aplomb, but by the time they broke away he was flushed darkly for entirely different reasons. He spent another long moment with a grin broad enough to show teeth before he was finally able to direct his attention elsewhere. "Sorry, big guy, the codpiece does nothing for me," he deadpanned distractedly as he tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing. "Hrrn, guess I'm asking Alex, then. Truth or Dare?"

[alderwitch]

"Shhh, wait, don't think of one yet. I can still hear you." Alex screwed up her face, scrunching her eyes closed as she tried to stop focusing on Trevor enough so that she could be surprised with the options. She covered her eyes with her wet hands and waited for a few moments. "Uhhhm. Okay. Truth!"

[Gizmo]

Trevor's expression briefly shifted into one of subtle bemusement at the reminder of Alex's startlingly powerful skill set; although the youth knew intellectually that the diminutive genius was likely reading at the very least the surface thoughts of those around her at all times, it was a difficult thing to adjust to for someone as vocally reserved as he. It did point him in the direction of his question to her, however. "Hrm. How about an embarrassing unintentional mind reading story? Something you 'heard' you wish you hadn't?"

[alderwitch]

There was a ripple of sadness through the euphoria leaching off of Alex before she rallied. The expression on her face didn't even have time to fall but she was outputting all of her reactions so strongly that it would be a noticeable blip in the shared buzz of one drunken telepathic teen. Alex had many memories of overhearing things that were unintended to be shared, but many of them weren't funny stories. Still, she wasn't a maudlin drunk and after a moment of thought, amused embarrassment colored her emotions and a little bit of titillation.

"Hee hee hee." Alex turned bright pink and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes crinkling up. Mike would know exactly what thought flickered through her mind and not just from their mental link. She continued to giggle and snort through her hands as she pointed at Mike and then made the unmistakable one hand jerking up and down motion before she dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter that had likely haunted Mike since the first time he'd discovered that particular activity.

[angrydurf]

A slight frown crossed Mikes face as the question was uttered, he knew of many unpleasant thoughts Alex had uncovered accidentally over the years. He looked to Alex about to call the game off on her behalf when he caught the mischievous glint in her eye and blanched. As she dissolved into giggles at her gesture he blushed deeper than any of the prior embarrassments had elicited and buried his face in his hands before slowly sinking below the bubbling surface an annoyed thought arcing across his mental link to Alex, 'I was twelve and we agreed never to speak of that again.' He was showing no signs of returning to the surface until they landed or at the least until he wouldn't have to face his newly informed peers.

[Electra]

Erin put her hands over her mouth and nearly shrieked with laughter at the revelation, a very unusual sound coming from her. "Oh my god, that's awful," she told Alex through giggles. "I can't believe you even said that. You better give Mike some more champagne or the rest of the schnapps or something. "And I'm not sure any other truths or dares are even going to come close." She laughed again, hard enough that she started hiccuping, which at this point was also funny. At least she knew Mike wasn't going to drown himself, no matter how long he stayed down.

[Gizmo]

Trevor visibly winced at Alex's response, shoulders tightening slightly as he reflexively twisted away, regretting his line of questioning. "Hnn. You're a mean drunk, Albright," he opined in a wry, gravelly baritone. He was quickly distracted by Erin's outburst of laughter, regarding her fit with a slowly broadening grin and a raised eyebrow. "Gonna make it?" he asked her as she started to hiccup.

[Avenger Assembled]

Mark slapped himself in the face and laughed. "Hah! That's...that's pretty tough. I wasn't laughing at you, Mike!" he added amiably to where his friend had just disappeared under the water. "Just the situation. I mean, you wouldn't expect Alex to talk about..." He mimed what she'd been talking about, and this time he broke into a fit of giggles that nearly made him go under the water too. "Hah-hah! Good stuff. Okay, Alex, whose turn is it now?"

[alderwitch]

"Oops... Uhm, Trevor! Since he says I'm mean." Alex stuck her tongue out and went to go find her submerged boyfriend. "Honey... come back up. Everyone else here does that too, honest. Oh, stop hiding under water, I can't breathe down there."

She patted at his head and then wiggled around so that she was smushed against him. If he wouldn't come up, she could at least be distracting. "Pleeeaaase? I'll make it up to you later. I'll do that thing you like!"

[angrydurf]

A burst of bubbles flashed to the surface as Mike let out a small yelp of surprise at the rather public offer and he returned to the surface with a glare at Alex, 'Not helping!' he thought to her frustratedly but acquiesced non the less as he settled back studiously not meeting the gaze of any of the others waiting for the game to move on and quietly wondering how Trevors truth or dare woudl end up in humiliation for mike.

[Gizmo]

Trevor gave Mike a silent but apologetic look for a moment while the larger youth refused to meet anyone's eyes. He didn't know Mike nearly as well as the others did, compounding the awkwardness. "Hnf, tagbacks," he grunted dryly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Better stick to 'Dare' this time."

[alderwitch]

Alex scooted into Mike's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck as she though about a good dare. "Okay... I dare you to..."

She glanced around for a few moments and then beamed, "Smoke animals. Let's see that mist misused. I betcha can't do a giraffe."

[Electra]

Erin waved off Trevor's concern good-humoredly. "'Sokay, I only need to breathe every few -hic- minutes anyway. I'll be fine." She looked over at Mike, torn between hilarity and sympathy. "It's okay Mike, you shouldn't -hic- be embarrassed. Everybody does it. I mean, oops." She giggled again at the inadvertent admission, her cheeks going red. "Smoke animals! " she hastily agreed. "Do an alligator."

[Gizmo]

Making a sound that was halfway between a cough and a chuckle, Trevor rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head contemplatively to one side, studiously leaving Erin's comment unremarked upon. "Hum, well..." Taking a deep breath, the dark haired young man exhaled a long stream of inky midnight mist into the air in front of him, then set to work, letting short jets out from each of his finger tips in lines and bursts. He had to work quickly before the stygian cloud could dissipate, but he managed a rough approximation of a giraffe, its neck seeming to extend as the smoke drifted upward. Rubbing his chin and narrowing his onyx and blood red eyes, he tried a different tack, clapping his hand together then pulling them apart slowly, shaping the midnight mist between them into a considerably more accurate alligator the floated in the air next to the first cloud.