Magic shows are meant to have surprises, right?

[fuzzybluegecko]

[Los Angeles was everything Kurt Wagner could have hoped for and then some. True, most of the touristy stuff he had seen and celebrity sightings so far were spotted in the course of work (which in this case involved checking out a potential new student for the institute) so he couldn't exactly spend a lot of time drinking them in. But that didn't make it any less awesome. And now that the work was done, it was going to get even cooler!]

[The others didn't know what they were missing. How could anyone choose to spend the night at some famous restaurant or a traveling production of a play that was better on Broadway (practically in their own backyard!) when they could be here with him instead, watching a teenage magician who was already being billed as one of the best in the business?]

[That was fine. Kurt was having plenty of fun on his own. The magician more than lived up to the hype. And after a show that incredible, you can bet Kurt was going to jump at the chance to volunteer for her final trick of the evening. He probably didn't have much of a chance, given how...height challenged he was compared to the rest of the people clambering for attention around him. But what he lacked in height he made up for with enthusiasm! (And the judicious use of his seat as a step stool.)] Hier! Hier!

Comments

[fuzzybluegecko]

Groaning theatrically, Kurt buried his face in his hands. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

[sleightadvantage]

"Nope!" As if to emphasize, she reached across the table to pluck the other egg half out of his bowl and pop it in her mouth. "You're doing great, by the way."

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Huh?" he squeaked. For one moment of madness, he thought she meant he was a great secret boyfriend. Before the idea could melt his brain, though, he realized what she was most likely talking about. "Oh, the chopsticks?" He chuckled nervously, guilt warming his cheeks. He could only hope it wasn't showing on the hologram. "Thanks. I had a good teacher."

[sleightadvantage]

Oh, it was showing, and Trucy was absolutely tickled by it. "Oh, that too! But I actually meant at being my secret boyfriend." She grinned. "You already bought me lunch and everything!"

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Uhhh..." Panic shut his brain down. All he could think to say was, "I didn't know lunch was a 'secret boyfriend' thing."

[sleightadvantage]

"It is if it's a tryst!" Which this definitely wasn't, but she couldn't help teasing him just a bit.

[fuzzybluegecko]

On the hologram, his cheeks grew even darker. One might be inclined to marvel at technology that's so very advanced. "What does 'tryst' mean?"

[sleightadvantage]

"...Oh!" It hadn't occurred to her that he wouldn't know the word. Explaining the joke often ruined part of the fun, but she'd give him some slack, being German and all. "You know..." She waved her hand by way of explanation. "A secret romantic rendezvous?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

"I-is that what this is?" His voice cracked embarrassingly, and he giggled awkwardly, nerves on full display. He was about 99.99% sure by now that she was just teasing him to draw out a reaction, but even then he was at a loss for how to process the situation, much less how to respond. "If that's the case, I feel like I should up my game."

[sleightadvantage]

"Well, you could always buy me dessert," she teased, but her tone had softened. He looked really nervous, even if he seemed to be joking back. Suddenly unsure, she waited for him to respond again, to see if she needed to clarify...

[fuzzybluegecko]

"What the lady wants, the lady gets." He smiled at her, sheepish and unsure. With his experience on the dating front being absolute zero, he found it impossible to be certain whether she was totally joking or not. She had to be, right? He could never be so lucky. "I've heard that's a good rule of thumb whether you're a secret boyfriend or a really good friend."

[sleightadvantage]

He still looked a little nervous, but it seemed like he got it... Maybe he just wasn't used to joking like this? In that case, he needed practice, which she was happy to provide. "Well, you heard correct! And what the lady wants now is more ramen. We can talk about dessert later." This time, she leaned bodily over the table in order to get a nice, big scoop of noodles that she guided messily to her mouth.

[fuzzybluegecko]

The unexpected mess provided an extremely welcome change of subject. Still unsure of what just happened and what, if anything, he should do about it, Kurt eagerly shoved the bowl across the table. "Sounds like a plan, heh." Taking his cue from her, he hooked a finger on the side of her bowl and slid it closer to his waiting mouth.

"Besides, we still have to figure out how we're going to talk to Athena," he said, just before he shoveled a healthy wad of noodles into his mouth.

The effort of suppressing the resulting coughing fit long enough to swallow the noodles instead of spraying food all over the table left him red-faced and teary eyed.

[sleightadvantage]

With nothing else amiss, she assumed that was the end of that and happily slid his ramen towards her. She didn't blink when he suppressed an obvious coughing fit from the curry. "Good, right? You can have the rest." She hummed happily as she slurped up another mouthful of noodles and tapped her chopsticks against her chin thoughtfully once she swallowed. "So, how do you normally approach someone to tell them they're a mutant?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

"T-thanks," he wheezed, pounding his fist on his chest a few times as he cleared his throat. After that first bite he wasn't sure he wanted the rest. Maybe he just hadn't been prepared for the spiciness? Or maybe he should have paid more attention to the cues she had displayed when she was eating it instead of assuming she may not handle spicy foods well.

He cast a longing look on his old bowl for a moment before responding. "Well, this is going to be pretty different from our usual procedure. Remember what I said about it not being an emergency case? Most of the time we're getting to people when they just started to experience their powers for the first time." His expression turned somber. "They're often scared and even panicking, so we have to kind of talk them down. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like Athena will need that kind of approach."

[sleightadvantage]

Her heart went out to those kids experiencing their powers for the first time. Knowing what little she knew, she thought Athena probably would have benefitted from their help when she was younger... But that was not the case now.

She nodded. "Right. So... Maybe we can just talk to her about it casually? Like I said, she's really open about her abilities."

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Ja, I think that may be the best way to handle it. It's not like she needs help controlling her powers at this point, and she obviously wouldn't want to move to New York and attend the boarding school." He planted his elbow on the table and rested his cheek in his palm, smiling softly. "The only goals will be to help her understand why things are the way they are and let her know there's help out there if she needs it, even if all she ever needs is someone to talk to."

[sleightadvantage]

"That's a great idea!" Better than running up to her and announcing 'you're a mutant, Athena!', which is what may have happened had Trucy been left to her own devices. She tapped her chin in thought again. "Hmm... Would it be better to tell her before or after work?"

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Probably after. We wouldn't want to rush things, ja?" He mimicked her gesture as he considered the situation. "Would she think it was weird if you invited her to hang out for a while? It may be easier for her to take the news if she's eased into it. Plus, she may not want to hear something like this from a stranger. If we've been introduced first, maybe she'll be more receptive?" His tone curled up at the end, obviously questioning. All he knew about Athena was what Trucy had told him so far. To some degree, all of this speculation was just a shot in the dark.

[sleightadvantage]

She was about to insist it wouldn't be weird at all, but she paused to think about it for a second. She considered Athena friend, and she was sure the feeling was mutual, but they didn't really hang out on their own...

"I don't think it'd be super weird," she finally said. "She'd probably know something was up after last night, though." The sides of her mouth slowly curled upward. "I could tell her I want to introduce her to my secret boyfriend."

[fuzzybluegecko]

Groaning melodramatically, Kurt pressed the back of his hand to his forehead as if he was swooning. "Do we really want to encourage her?"

[sleightadvantage]

She meant it as a joke, but now an idea was starting to take form. "But it'd be the perfect bait! Then we could straighten up the whole misunderstanding and ease her into the mutant thing. Two birds, one stone! Besides," she pointed out, "she'd probably recognize your voice."

[fuzzybluegecko]

"Oogh. You're right." He twisted in his seat to flop back onto the bench. The brightness of the sky stung his eyes, so he shielded them with one arm. "I hate to admit it, but you're right. There's no way she'd forget a voice this suave."

After some hesitation, he whined, "Can you at least open with me not being your secret boyfriend? I'm afraid she'd run off and tell your dad, and I'd like the chance to meet him before he decides to hate me."

[sleightadvantage]

She shifted so she was kneeling on the bench, leaning over the table to look down at him. "Aw, I didn't know you wanted to meet my dad!" Her smile turned playful again, as she rested her chin on her hands and batted her eyes at him. "That's very not secret boyfriend of you."

[fuzzybluegecko]

He threw his arm away from his face, so she was met with wide, panicked eyes as he gawped up at her. His jaw moved as if he was trying to speak, but no sound came out.