Re: The Divine Queer Mansion

[Waistcoat]

Jacquine was trying her best to listen to Madam Acrylic but the headache was growing worse and eventually everything started to becoming white noise.

The pain was becoming increasingly unbearable to the point it felt like her head was about to burst. Eventually she laid down on her bed and her vision blackened.

Jacquine had fallen asleep.

[ArtieStroke]

"Jacquine? ... Jacquine?" Rachel said, but to no avail. Must've been too much for the poor girl. Rachel quietly got up, and tucked Jacquine under one of her blankets and placed one of the stuffed animals on her bed within her grasp. Better to have something to cuddle while you were asleep than not.

Quietly, Rachel made for the door to let Jacquine rest. Tiptoeing out, she slowly shut it, turned around, and breathed a sigh of relief. This was gonna be a lot of work, wasn't it?

Rachel made her way down the hall, towards the training room as she intended, before rounding a corner and stumbling up on a gathering of all the Nathans, plus Kade. Well this was interesting.

"Hey boys- whatch'all up to?"

[Phoenix]

"Two Nathans and a Nathaniel, eh? That's gonna get confusing real fast," Nathan said shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. It seemed like this other Nathan was an oddity though, since he was actually a lot shorter than him and Nathaniel. It was actually pretty funny, considering all of them had to look down to talk to him. Nathan was kind of curious as to what powers they all had.

'Ten bucks says that the short kid has control over his hair.'
'You don't have any money.'
'But you do. So really, you can't lose this bet in anyway.'
'True...'

[Joule]

Nathan was light - Joule was certain that he could have lifted him with just his little finger, and it took little to no effort pulling him up to his feet.

"It's cool, you can all call me Joule, I much prefer it to Nat, and certainly to Nathaniel."

Then his turned his attention back to the new person.

"So you gonna share your doubtlessly fantastic story of how you ever ended up in there, or are you simply going to leave us all in the dark, tortured by our own curiosity?"

Just as he finished his sentence one of the women of the group approached them - the one known as Rachel.

"Oh y'know, this and that. Chatting. Falling from ceilings. That kind of thing."

[ArtieStroke]

Rachel raised an eyebrow, "Falling from- I'm not gonna ask," she raised her hands up in pacification.

"You boys aren't doing anything uncouth, are you?"

[Urban]

Nathan ignored Kade's sniggering as best he could, shooting him another glare when it got too much to bear. Apparently his attempts at patting his hair down into a slightly more controllable state weren't quite as subtle as he'd hoped.

"...Thanks," Nathan said, unusually sincerely, as Kade did his best to fix the problem. That was weirdly nice of him. Of course the whole 'cutie' thing was still bullshit, but was there really much point in starting an argument about it? He allowed Joule to pull him to his feet, swatting at the dust covering his sweater after his 'excursion'. "So Joule, Urban and Nathan then. Sorted." The whole '3 Nathans' situation was still bizarre, but it was a kind of bizarre he could live with.

"Uncouth, us?" he replied to Rachel's question, raising his eyebrows.

"And - ah. I sleep walk? I slept walk - sleep walked? I - um. Haha. Woke up in the vents I guess?" Yes. That didn't sound weird at all. Nice one Nathan, you slugging idiot.

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, offering the group a pained grin that probably ended up looking more like a grimace. "It's not that weird I swear. It happens sometimes. A lot. I can't sleep in my bed." Just keep adding to the problem. You're doing a fantastic job of this.

[Joule]

"Oh okay," Joule shrugged as if what Nathan had said was the most normal thing in the world. He knew a thing or two about bad sleep experiences. "That kinda sucks for you though. Why don't you lock yourself in your room at night or something?"

"And please Rachel, you wound me so, do you think we would ever do such terrible things?" He gave the woman his most mischievous grin.

"Soooo Urban~ tell us more about yourself."

[Urban]

Okay, so apparently Urban had managed the whole 'sounding semi-reasonable' deal a lot better than he'd originally thought. Nice.

"Man, if I thought it would work I absolutely would. Turns out most of the locks here are electronic though, and," Nathan said, taking a pause to wiggle the fingers on his right hand dramatically and blow the bulb above their heads, "they don't do much to stop me, awake or asleep. I'm considering getting something manual fitted, but I'm not even sure that would help, really. I always seem to figure out ways to get around things like that." His speech flowed a lot more smoothly now, confidence having sky-rocketed with the realisation that Joule, at least, didn't seem to think he was a complete nutcase.

Averting his gaze and forcing a smile as Joule continued Nathan shrugged. "Aha, there's not much to say, really. As great as I am not much in my life is that exciting." Or at least there weren't many things that could be considered such that Nathan would ever care to divulge. The only 'exciting' things in his life tended to be the ones he'd rather keep a secret.

[ArtieStroke]

Rachel nodded, satisfied with their answers.

"Alright- so long as you boys aren't doing anything incredibly forward to each other on 3V," She continued on her way, past the group, "I'm heading to the training room- my offer for teamwork exercises still stands."

And with that she turned the next corner and headed towards the training room.

[Joule]

"Pffff no need to be so stuck up, sweetheart. There's a reason the show is PG18! And anyway, parents can always block the 'unsafe' content using their meChips, really there isn't an issue!"

As Rachel left, his attention returned to the one who'd fallen from the ceiling.

"I don't believe that for a second. Every single life is exciting! But sure, keep us in the dark, play the sexy, mysterious hero, that's cool with me~"

[Herald]

A brunet scientist, garbed in a white button up shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers was in heaven. Hands akimbo, Kevin had been relishing the new room silently for at least fifteen minutes after setting up his personal lab space.  On the other hand, his bedroom which was still stark with only unopened cardboard boxes was something he would worry about later.  Looking at the filled off-white room, he simply drifted into his dreams, imagining the discoveries he could make as he looked around at his large collection of equipment. A hospital bed, blood pressure monitor and personal computer among many others -- he could not wait to get cracking.

Snapping out of his thoughts at the registration of the time, Kevin turned and finally left his lab. Perhaps he could grab some lunch and maybe start introducing himself.

[Plume]

The Italian slunk out of the kitchen with an apple in hand, trying to avoid the hullaballoo in the other room. He loved talking to people, but Luca was pretty new around here, and the only person that he was comfortable with right now was Dax.

With that thought in mind, Luca headed for the younger boy's room, until somebody caught his eye. There was a man in the hallway, but he looked lost.

Oooh? New guy?

Curious, Luca walked towards the stranger and before the man even saw him, Luca stopped in his tracks and dropped his half-eaten apple.

Holy fuck, he's hot.

A smirk slowly crept up Luca's face.

This was going to be fun.

[Herald]

On the way towards the kitchen, Kevin stopped in the hallway at the realisation that he felt somewhat bare. Patting down his attire in thought, he'd realised he was missing his lab coat.

Slugger. He'd left it in his lab.

He raked his hand through the tufts of his hair in disappointment but didn't worry about heading back. Especially at the godly face he was graced with the moment he looked up.

He was met with a strong gaze with a nice jaw... and stunning smile.

W-wow.

His mind short circuited for a second at the sight before he managed to compose himself with a kind smile in return. He tried to put a name to the striking face, but nothing seemed to come to mind at the moment. Perhaps he didn't research enough before coming after all.

He wanted to know more about him and made the first approach with his right hand out for a hand shake.

"Hi. Name's Kevin Howland. I'm new here."

[Plume]

Luca grinned, admiring the five o'clock shadow on... Kevin. Merde, that name was slugging adorable.

"Luca Saverio Donati. You can call me Luca, bello." He gently took the offered hand, lightly kissing the smooth knuckles. Running a thumb across the kissed skin, he cocked his head to the side; his Italian charm worming into his smile.

"So what're you doing around here? It looked like you were kinda lost."

[Herald]

"Luca Donati. I'll take note of tha-- Shit."

Kevin's heart stopped as he felt Luca's lips press against his skin. Every movement of his was purposeful, and Kevin was being quickly swept away in a torrent of emotion. What was happening?!? Were they all going to be like this? Heat began to burn at his ears as he listened to the sensual Italian unabashedly dripping from his everything.

"Slugging--"

It was going to take him more self control than usual to pull himself together around him. Biting at his tongue sharply, he took a breath and slowly retracted his hand.

"Just lost in thought for a moment. Otherwise, I'm fine."

[Plume]

A little sad from the loss of touch, Luca stepped a little closer, pouting. Looks like this'll be harder than he thought.

"Oh, really? Where were you headed?"

Using one of his other techniques, he tilted his head down and and looked up at the taller man through his lashes. He laid a hand on Kevin's bicep. Mm, that's definitely not bad at all.

"I wouldn't mind accompanying you, bello."

[Herald]

Klaxons were ringing in his head. Every time Kevin stepped back, Luca was eager to follow. While he admittedly enjoyed it, it was rather sudden.

"I'm just going to get some lunch."

Luca knew exactly what he was doing, it was clear as day for him. And it was working.

Again, Kevin continued to fight against his interest to hook up with the stranger in the hallway. He wasn't that flighty... he hoped.

He firmly placed his hand on Luca's shoulder in response to Luca's actions.

"You're welcome to come with me. I'd love to get to know you first."

Perhaps getting to know about Luca's powers would keep the feelings at bay.

Yes. Exactly that.

[Plume]

Luca grinned, glad to hear the other party's interest. The kitchen wasn't his top 'get-to-know-each-other-(;>)' spot right now, but it was better than nothing.

"Meraviglioso! C'mon, I'll show you to the kitchen." Taking hold of Kevin's hand from his shoulder, Luca happily trotted down the hallway.

"So, bello, when did you come in?" He shifted his grip on Kevin's hand, and began to absentmindedly run his thumb through those knuckles again.

Man, he had really smooth hands...

[Herald]

Hand in hand, Kevin was quickly lead towards the kitchen. His pace quickened to catch up with Luca's gait, not bothering to stop his advances any more.

For a moment, he looked back in wonderment why he'd forgotten the now bruised apple on the floor. It was a bit unhygienic wasn't it?

About to speak up about it, he felt Luca do that thing with his knuckles, switching his gears once again.

The small bit of intimacy between them was very comfortable...

Mmmm.

Losing his train of thought he mindlessly answered Luca's question as they finally reached the kitchen.

"This morning. You're the first person I've met since arriving."

[Plume]

"Ooooh, well that makes me pretty special then," Luca teased, winking at the newbie.

Then his gaze follows Kevin's, and he noticed his apple on the floor. The smirk turned into a sheepish smile as the Italian idiot quickly picked up the apple. Whoops.

"Err, sorry about that, hehe." Okay, continuing the tour... They stop at the kitchen entrance, and Luca winced at the noise.

"Um, I have an idea. Grab some food from the fridge, and we can just eat outside? Or..."

Luca gnawed at his lip, hoping that the next thing he says wouldn't be too imposing. He genuinely wanted to get to know more about Kevin, and he definitely wanted to get to know more about those biceps... ASAP.

"We can talk in your place? It's pretty close by, and I can help unpack!"

[Herald]

Kevin was relieved that Luca had gone back to pick that apple up. Nonetheless, it also set his mind at a bit more ease with Luca. He wasn't just a complete flirt, and it made him chuckle.

Noise polluted the kitchen, and while normally he would have paid little mind, he did agree with Luca on not staying if he intend to actually converse.

"Sure, I'll just see what we can get--"

He went to take a step into the room, but was stopped with Luca's additional comment.

"My room?" Kevin considered whether it'd be stupid to allow such a thing, but figured with nothing to hide, and the need for extra hands, it didn't seem like a bad idea.

"I'll take you up on that offer." A grin spread across his face, and he went to the fridge to quickly reach for a six pack of beer to share between the two of them. They'd surely be in there for a while.

"Anything you want?" He asked Luca, unsure what to grab for.

[Plume]

Luca walked over to the trashcan and threw the apple away. Eugh, there was a strand of hair on the apple. Gross.

"Great! And um... would you mind getting another apple for me? Oh, and maybe the leftover macaroni. It's on the bottom shelf." Because somebody interrupted his meal.

Well, he'll be getting his next course soon, so he didn't really mind the disturbance. Heh.

After washing his hands, Luca strode back towards Kevin.

"Here, I'll carry that. It's the least I can do," he said before reaching out for pack of beer.

[Herald]

"Sure thing."

Kevin grabbed an apple, alongside the tupperware container of macaroni after a moment of scavenging. About to put the pack of beer to his side, he instead gave it to Luca who saved him the trouble as he went back to grab himself a large tub of chicken salad.

"Thanks," he said as he shut the fridge with the back of his heel with his hands full. "Mind grabbing me a pack of chips from the pantry as well?"

Hopefully this should do.

[Plume]

"Ah, si. What flavour?" Luca did NOT go on tiptoes to peer at the bags of chips at the back of the top shelf. He rummaged through the chip bags, grabbing them as he announced each flavour.

"We got... barbecue, salt and vinegar, classic salt.. Oh! There's jalapeño lime!" He snatched the bag and looked at the label.

"Wow, that's new. Yeah, getting that for me," he mumbled to himself and placed the bag under his armpit, looking somewhat triumphant for his find.

"So what would you like?" Luca asked, glancing back at Kevin.

[Herald]

Kevin placed Luca's macaroni in the microwave for him and watched Luca reach for some chips, while grabbing his own while he was at it.

The microwave beeped quickly and Kevin reached for the container, managing to barely tolerate the streaming heat searing his fingers.

"Salt and vinegar thanks.  Now let's go." Kevin quickly responded before heading out of the raucous kitchen area, leading them to his room in a saunter. He was eager to relieve himself of all the food in his hands.

However as he reached his room, he'd realised he couldn't reach for his key stuffed into the back pocket of his jeans. Slugger.

"Sorry, give me a moment."

Putting down the containers on the ground, he fished out his keys to his door as he stood up.

There we go. With a quick turn, he unlocked the door for their entry into his room. The walls were painted white, curtains of a dull blue billowed with the breeze coming from his open windows and unpacked boxes lined the wall. Furniture at the least was thankfully already set prior to his arrival. All he really needed to do was fill the place up.

"Welcome to my humble abode. Or at least soon to be. As you can see, I like things simple." He remarked with a laugh before grabbing the food once again and laying them on a coffee table.

"Feel free to take a seat. We can eat before we get started."

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