![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ax_arcane posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ax_mainFelix and Shinobi actually met at Kitty's sweet sixteen. Did they flirt? Yes. Did they quickly decide to cease flirting and judge other guests instead? Also yes. Did we lose this log in the bottom of my inbox for four months? ... also, yes.
The party was a gorgeous blur of color and song, lights and laughs, and seemed certain to barrel on for hours into the night. Small groups of teenagers clustered around the holographic games, taking turns battling one another with birds and ninja swords and gemstones and fruit.
One young man, however, was watching intently more than he played. His skinny frame made him appear taller than he was, and his tumble of bright red curls along one side of his face shone even in the colorful blend of feathers, horns, and deeply-hued faces of the rabble of guests. In his hair lay a lovely peacock feather (though on closer inspection it appeared to be made out of finely-cut paper) and he wore brilliant blue sweater which had certainly walked directly off this season's runway.
Amid the other teenagers cheering and swiping at the game, he stood quite still with upturned palms, while an array of colorful gemstone shapes made entirely of light seemed to hover above his hands. He concentrated on the movement of the holograms in the game that others were playing, his fingers twitching as the gemstones slid and swapped and re-combined. It seemed as if he were creating the light shapes floating above his hands, and he was not quite fast enough to match the speed of the hologram's computer.
Taking another break between rounds of karaoke, Shinobi had been circulating somewhat aimlessly through Kitty's apartment, greeting those who warranted greeting and sharing more cursory salutations with the rest. It was, he reflected, really quite an excellent party, for all it was quite a bit tamer than the excesses to which he'd become accustomed in his time abroad. Still, it fit the guest of honor perfectly, and he found himself pleased to have been invited.
True, the whole school had been invited, but that was a minor detail. Better to reflect upon the fact she had not specifically excluded him, in light of his known proclivities.
In due course, he wandered into the area where other guests were experimenting with the holographic games Kitty had provided. But it was less with an eye toward entertainment, and more a means of assessing the future of Shaw Industries' investments into NolCorp. Nothing he saw left him in any way dissatisfied--save for possibly the fact that Nolan had gotten to Kitty first. Still, even that didn't rankle nearly as much as it might have, for sparing the girl having to interact any more than basic courtesy demanded with his father. Sebastian Shaw was many things, but endearing, he was not.
The appearance of a startling shock of red hair above a gorgeous blue sweater suddenly attracted Shinobi's attention, and he diverted course to investigate. Burgundy suit jacket slung over one shoulder and drink in hand, he watched the younger teen intently for a few moments before venturing an amused, "You're a Felix."
Felix knew someone was watching him, but if he looked away, he would lose his concentration. When he heard his name in a stranger's voice, though, his attention slipped and he glanced at the brightly-dressed young man just a few steps away.
At once, the jewel-shaped lights slid out of their orderly grid formation, scattering into random patternlessness and hanging suspended in the air between Felix and Shinobi. Though the lights kept their shapes, they lost their colors, and all became a similar shade of pale green.
With lifted brows, and a very precise accent as if he'd once spoken only in Received Pronunciation but had lost the habit over time, he answered, "Not at all. I'm the Felix."
That drew an appreciative laugh from Shinobi, who alternated between studying Nolan's latest foray into interpersonal relationships and the semi-transparent gems hanging suspended in the air. "I stand corrected. The Felix. I like that. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm sure."
His mouth curved into a faint smile. Felix did like to be appreciated for his wit. He gave a brief flick of his fingers and the lights winked out; Felix did not care to compete with his magic for this pretty fellow's attention. "A pleasure for both of us, once the mutual acquaintance is made. You're a friend of Nolan's, aren't you? I shall have to scold him for not introducing us sooner."
"Nolan still needs a bit of work before we could consider him a proper social butterfly," Shinobi admitted, somewhat mournfully. "I'm afraid it probably didn't occur to him. That, or he simply assumed that my naturally erratic social trajectory would inevitably bring me into your orbit, eventually. I pride myself on my conviviality, you know."
Felix lifted his brows with a slight nod. "You seem to be living up to your own expectations, I'd say. Does your conviviality extend to getting a drink for someone who isn't completely positive what each of those bottles are?" he asked, tilting his head toward what he assumed was a drinks bar. His posture had shifted slightly, but noticeably, open and inviting. One fair hand brushed fingertips absently across his cheek in an attempt to brush the red tumble of curls away from his odd eyes.
"Well, that's just good manners, isn't it?" Shinobi grinned, bounding behind the table before he could give too much thought to just how overtly fetching that little gesture had been. "I'll make you something mild," he added, already pouring splashes from a variety of bottles into a plastic cup, "until we decide where your tolerances lie." With one last shot from one of the mysterious bottles, he pushed the cup in Felix's direction. "Give that a try. If it's not to your taste, we can always make another attempt."
Watching Shinobi mix the drink, Felix had to bite back a laugh. Of course, Shinobi couldn't know that Felix's tolerance had been eroded only by enforced abstinence and the good medicine provided by the Xavier School. That five years ago, something much harder than alcohol had ensorcelled his blood, and that a bare few months before his arrival at school, his wine was regularly dosed when his teacher wanted him especially compliant. This consideration for Felix's health was almost... sweet.
Was he really doing such an admirable acting job? Fascinating.
Felix smiled, his curious expression not entirely feigned as he took up the cup and made himself take a small taste at first. It was much preferable to most things he'd been given to drink in his life. Also, he'd watched Shinobi make the entire thing and knew ther was nothing else, nothing dangerous, in it. "It's good," he pronounced, taking a fuller drink, then glancing askance at Shinobi. "Your concern for my well-being is evident in the flavor." Felix knew he could handle something much stronger, but why give away the game so early?
"Courtesy," Shinobi insisted, waving the comment aside as he went about preparing a drink for himself. "Basic courtesy, really. One can never be overly-solicitous of new friends. Or new friends-of-friends, I suppose. Please, think nothing of it."
Taking a sip from the cup he'd prepared, he evidently found it to his liking, and waved a hand vaguely in Felix's direction. "We need not settle for merely 'good'. With the next iteration, 'fantastic' shall be our goal. I simply need a better sense of where your tastes lie."
Felix seemed to weigh this for a few moments, watching Shinobi with an expression of thoughtfulness unwarranted by the situation. Then, he apparently made up his mind. "It's a bit sweet," he allowed, though he wasn't in a hurry to give up the beverage he currently had. "I'm not one for sweet," he added, catching Shinobi's gaze for a long beat.
One dark brow arched, disappearing beneath the Shinobi's disorderly black bangs. "Something a little more tart would be more to your liking?" he inquired lightly. "I've an immense catalog of cocktails swirling through my misused brain, so I'm certain I can come up with something to suit your palate."
"Tart describes me perfectly," Felix answered, his words perfectly careless and perfectly timed. Then, almost immediately, he dissolved into a laugh that transformed his face from archly pretty to utterly delighted. "I'm sorry, that opportunity was too good. We can keep trading innuendos if you like. You're very good at it. Most people I flirt with can't keep up."
He shrugged. "I've had ample opportunity for practice, I must admit, and one hate's to leave one's abilities to atrophy through misuse, neh? I thank you for this one. But I have a nagging sense that it would take ages for Nolan to forgive me, should he begin to imagine I'm actually trying to seduce you. He has very peculiar ideas about that sort of thing.
The sentiment surprised a laugh from Felix. "Why in the world should Nolan care? He doesn't want anything from me. He only has eyes for one man, which is an impressive quality itself."
Felix shook his head, then, with dancing amusement in his mis-matched eyes, he executed a complicated little bow with a swirl of his free hand. "I give you full permission to try and seduce me," he said, his words light and airy until the last two syllables, when his tone darkened and warmed. Shinobi could interpret it the way he liked best -- either as a jest, or an honest invitation.
"Nolan's a philanthropist," Shinobi said, his tone conveying just how ludicrous he considered that particular life choice. "He wants the best possible good for the most possible people. Even me! I do try to forgive his odder quirks, but it just seems exhausting to me, all that selfless, socially-conscious folderal."
Felix's offer drew a smirk from the Shaw heir. "A most intriguing invitation--though I can remember when I ever actually needed to be invited before. Perhaps I'll even take you up on it--though probably not tonight. I have to dedicate some attention to the guest of honor, or she'll no doubt begin wondering why she invited me in the first place."
Ah, but Felix knew a gentle brush-off when he heard one. Why, he could not fathom, but it was clear that Shinobi's interests did not lay in his direction. Unfortunate; he was terribly pretty.
Instead of pursue the question, Felix shifted topics of conversation as smoothly as a rustle of silk, leaving nary a wrinkle in his wake. "Do you know Miss Pryde well? I only really know that she created a bit of technology I've been using, which was marvelous. I hadn't the faintest idea what she might enjoy as a birthday commemoration. What do you think?"
"Our gifts are superficially similar," he told him, "though, according to her, there is a scientifically-significant difference. It's not something I'm really capable of wrapping my head around--something to do with molecules and quantum tunneling and other such highly technical rigmarole." As to the second question, Shinobi offered a lackadaisical shrug. "I honestly have no idea. She can afford to buy herself practically anything she wants now, and I don't flatter my intelligence so much that I imagine I might guess at something she hadn't considered she needed. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised she didn't ask us all to commit to a session of Dungeons and Dragons as a birthday gift." Horrifying as the prospect might be to him, he probably would have indulged it.
Felix had finished off his first test drink, and offered his cup back to Shinobi with a quirked eyebrow in silent invitation to make him something more tart. "Is that a sort of game?" he asked with interest. "Like the... ?"
Rather than give the holographic video games a collective name, he fluttered his free hand and the grid of gem-shaped lights appeared again in the air, hovering in spectral multi-colored glory between them.
Shinobi took the cup with a smirk and began mixing something new and, with luck, more in line with Felix's expressed tastes. As he mixed, he began attempting to answer Felix's question to the best of his ability--which was really very limited, in this case. "It's a sort of game, certainly," he began, screwing up his face in thought. "But nothing at all like this. Dungeons & Dragons usually involves a half-dozen or so people of otherwise reasonably-sound social standing sitting around a kitchen table and pretending to be elves or pixies or Gelflings while doing math and consulting tables."
"Really," Felix said, clearly interested. "Aside from the pixies, that sounds fascinating. A game of math and tables? If large heavy books are involved, it sounds like heaven. I must ask Miss Pryde about it later."
"On your own head bit it, then," said Shinobi dolorously. "But be forewarned it's several hours of your life you'll never get back again."
Felix shrugged mildly; it didn't sound so bad to him. "Math games don't sound quite in line for a party like this," he said brightly. "How shall we amuse ourselves instead? I should be clear that I don't sing, but I do dance, as well as gossip and judge others on their sartorial choices."
"You don't sing only because you've yet to have a proper karaoke experience," Shinobi argued, with the ironclad certainty of one who believed the appeal of the pastime lay less in the quality of the performance than the enthusiasm for it. But that was, perhaps, best saved for another time. "I also dance," he went on. "And my powers of gossip and judgment are rivaled by few, and second to none. Would you care to take a turn on the floor and cast aspersions on some of the more dubious couture decisions on display this evening?"
"Oh, let's," Felix drawled, offering Shinobi one pale, delicate-looking hand. He kept himself at a certain distance from others at nearly all times, just out of touching range, but a dance was a singular exception to his no-personal-contact rule. It was required, wasn't it? "Perhaps you can somehow explain the allure of torn holes in one's denim trousers. I simply do not understand."
"I've heretofore gone out of my way to avoid considering the proposition much," Shinobi admitted, accepting the slender hand and gently guiding Felix to the open space where others of Kitty's guests were partaking of the terpsichorean pleasures. "Perhaps it's for ventilation? Though I can't imagine whose legs would require that much airing out. Or maybe it's some game to discover the minimum amount of denim required to actually constitute 'jeans'."
It seemed like ages since Felix had danced. The sort of dance that his peers engaged in was like nothing he had really seen before, but Shinobi was so clearly differently-educated that Felix had hope he might know how to dance in the way Felix had been taught. "You know," he laughed, "that actually sounds like the most likely explanation. I've been shopping with Nolan, and some of the shops were charging the most outrageous prices for perfectly desiccated clothing items. There were shorts that were shorter than the pockets inside them -- 'inside' being a relative term at that point."
The party was a gorgeous blur of color and song, lights and laughs, and seemed certain to barrel on for hours into the night. Small groups of teenagers clustered around the holographic games, taking turns battling one another with birds and ninja swords and gemstones and fruit.
One young man, however, was watching intently more than he played. His skinny frame made him appear taller than he was, and his tumble of bright red curls along one side of his face shone even in the colorful blend of feathers, horns, and deeply-hued faces of the rabble of guests. In his hair lay a lovely peacock feather (though on closer inspection it appeared to be made out of finely-cut paper) and he wore brilliant blue sweater which had certainly walked directly off this season's runway.
Amid the other teenagers cheering and swiping at the game, he stood quite still with upturned palms, while an array of colorful gemstone shapes made entirely of light seemed to hover above his hands. He concentrated on the movement of the holograms in the game that others were playing, his fingers twitching as the gemstones slid and swapped and re-combined. It seemed as if he were creating the light shapes floating above his hands, and he was not quite fast enough to match the speed of the hologram's computer.
Taking another break between rounds of karaoke, Shinobi had been circulating somewhat aimlessly through Kitty's apartment, greeting those who warranted greeting and sharing more cursory salutations with the rest. It was, he reflected, really quite an excellent party, for all it was quite a bit tamer than the excesses to which he'd become accustomed in his time abroad. Still, it fit the guest of honor perfectly, and he found himself pleased to have been invited.
True, the whole school had been invited, but that was a minor detail. Better to reflect upon the fact she had not specifically excluded him, in light of his known proclivities.
In due course, he wandered into the area where other guests were experimenting with the holographic games Kitty had provided. But it was less with an eye toward entertainment, and more a means of assessing the future of Shaw Industries' investments into NolCorp. Nothing he saw left him in any way dissatisfied--save for possibly the fact that Nolan had gotten to Kitty first. Still, even that didn't rankle nearly as much as it might have, for sparing the girl having to interact any more than basic courtesy demanded with his father. Sebastian Shaw was many things, but endearing, he was not.
The appearance of a startling shock of red hair above a gorgeous blue sweater suddenly attracted Shinobi's attention, and he diverted course to investigate. Burgundy suit jacket slung over one shoulder and drink in hand, he watched the younger teen intently for a few moments before venturing an amused, "You're a Felix."
Felix knew someone was watching him, but if he looked away, he would lose his concentration. When he heard his name in a stranger's voice, though, his attention slipped and he glanced at the brightly-dressed young man just a few steps away.
At once, the jewel-shaped lights slid out of their orderly grid formation, scattering into random patternlessness and hanging suspended in the air between Felix and Shinobi. Though the lights kept their shapes, they lost their colors, and all became a similar shade of pale green.
With lifted brows, and a very precise accent as if he'd once spoken only in Received Pronunciation but had lost the habit over time, he answered, "Not at all. I'm the Felix."
That drew an appreciative laugh from Shinobi, who alternated between studying Nolan's latest foray into interpersonal relationships and the semi-transparent gems hanging suspended in the air. "I stand corrected. The Felix. I like that. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, I'm sure."
His mouth curved into a faint smile. Felix did like to be appreciated for his wit. He gave a brief flick of his fingers and the lights winked out; Felix did not care to compete with his magic for this pretty fellow's attention. "A pleasure for both of us, once the mutual acquaintance is made. You're a friend of Nolan's, aren't you? I shall have to scold him for not introducing us sooner."
"Nolan still needs a bit of work before we could consider him a proper social butterfly," Shinobi admitted, somewhat mournfully. "I'm afraid it probably didn't occur to him. That, or he simply assumed that my naturally erratic social trajectory would inevitably bring me into your orbit, eventually. I pride myself on my conviviality, you know."
Felix lifted his brows with a slight nod. "You seem to be living up to your own expectations, I'd say. Does your conviviality extend to getting a drink for someone who isn't completely positive what each of those bottles are?" he asked, tilting his head toward what he assumed was a drinks bar. His posture had shifted slightly, but noticeably, open and inviting. One fair hand brushed fingertips absently across his cheek in an attempt to brush the red tumble of curls away from his odd eyes.
"Well, that's just good manners, isn't it?" Shinobi grinned, bounding behind the table before he could give too much thought to just how overtly fetching that little gesture had been. "I'll make you something mild," he added, already pouring splashes from a variety of bottles into a plastic cup, "until we decide where your tolerances lie." With one last shot from one of the mysterious bottles, he pushed the cup in Felix's direction. "Give that a try. If it's not to your taste, we can always make another attempt."
Watching Shinobi mix the drink, Felix had to bite back a laugh. Of course, Shinobi couldn't know that Felix's tolerance had been eroded only by enforced abstinence and the good medicine provided by the Xavier School. That five years ago, something much harder than alcohol had ensorcelled his blood, and that a bare few months before his arrival at school, his wine was regularly dosed when his teacher wanted him especially compliant. This consideration for Felix's health was almost... sweet.
Was he really doing such an admirable acting job? Fascinating.
Felix smiled, his curious expression not entirely feigned as he took up the cup and made himself take a small taste at first. It was much preferable to most things he'd been given to drink in his life. Also, he'd watched Shinobi make the entire thing and knew ther was nothing else, nothing dangerous, in it. "It's good," he pronounced, taking a fuller drink, then glancing askance at Shinobi. "Your concern for my well-being is evident in the flavor." Felix knew he could handle something much stronger, but why give away the game so early?
"Courtesy," Shinobi insisted, waving the comment aside as he went about preparing a drink for himself. "Basic courtesy, really. One can never be overly-solicitous of new friends. Or new friends-of-friends, I suppose. Please, think nothing of it."
Taking a sip from the cup he'd prepared, he evidently found it to his liking, and waved a hand vaguely in Felix's direction. "We need not settle for merely 'good'. With the next iteration, 'fantastic' shall be our goal. I simply need a better sense of where your tastes lie."
Felix seemed to weigh this for a few moments, watching Shinobi with an expression of thoughtfulness unwarranted by the situation. Then, he apparently made up his mind. "It's a bit sweet," he allowed, though he wasn't in a hurry to give up the beverage he currently had. "I'm not one for sweet," he added, catching Shinobi's gaze for a long beat.
One dark brow arched, disappearing beneath the Shinobi's disorderly black bangs. "Something a little more tart would be more to your liking?" he inquired lightly. "I've an immense catalog of cocktails swirling through my misused brain, so I'm certain I can come up with something to suit your palate."
"Tart describes me perfectly," Felix answered, his words perfectly careless and perfectly timed. Then, almost immediately, he dissolved into a laugh that transformed his face from archly pretty to utterly delighted. "I'm sorry, that opportunity was too good. We can keep trading innuendos if you like. You're very good at it. Most people I flirt with can't keep up."
He shrugged. "I've had ample opportunity for practice, I must admit, and one hate's to leave one's abilities to atrophy through misuse, neh? I thank you for this one. But I have a nagging sense that it would take ages for Nolan to forgive me, should he begin to imagine I'm actually trying to seduce you. He has very peculiar ideas about that sort of thing.
The sentiment surprised a laugh from Felix. "Why in the world should Nolan care? He doesn't want anything from me. He only has eyes for one man, which is an impressive quality itself."
Felix shook his head, then, with dancing amusement in his mis-matched eyes, he executed a complicated little bow with a swirl of his free hand. "I give you full permission to try and seduce me," he said, his words light and airy until the last two syllables, when his tone darkened and warmed. Shinobi could interpret it the way he liked best -- either as a jest, or an honest invitation.
"Nolan's a philanthropist," Shinobi said, his tone conveying just how ludicrous he considered that particular life choice. "He wants the best possible good for the most possible people. Even me! I do try to forgive his odder quirks, but it just seems exhausting to me, all that selfless, socially-conscious folderal."
Felix's offer drew a smirk from the Shaw heir. "A most intriguing invitation--though I can remember when I ever actually needed to be invited before. Perhaps I'll even take you up on it--though probably not tonight. I have to dedicate some attention to the guest of honor, or she'll no doubt begin wondering why she invited me in the first place."
Ah, but Felix knew a gentle brush-off when he heard one. Why, he could not fathom, but it was clear that Shinobi's interests did not lay in his direction. Unfortunate; he was terribly pretty.
Instead of pursue the question, Felix shifted topics of conversation as smoothly as a rustle of silk, leaving nary a wrinkle in his wake. "Do you know Miss Pryde well? I only really know that she created a bit of technology I've been using, which was marvelous. I hadn't the faintest idea what she might enjoy as a birthday commemoration. What do you think?"
"Our gifts are superficially similar," he told him, "though, according to her, there is a scientifically-significant difference. It's not something I'm really capable of wrapping my head around--something to do with molecules and quantum tunneling and other such highly technical rigmarole." As to the second question, Shinobi offered a lackadaisical shrug. "I honestly have no idea. She can afford to buy herself practically anything she wants now, and I don't flatter my intelligence so much that I imagine I might guess at something she hadn't considered she needed. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised she didn't ask us all to commit to a session of Dungeons and Dragons as a birthday gift." Horrifying as the prospect might be to him, he probably would have indulged it.
Felix had finished off his first test drink, and offered his cup back to Shinobi with a quirked eyebrow in silent invitation to make him something more tart. "Is that a sort of game?" he asked with interest. "Like the... ?"
Rather than give the holographic video games a collective name, he fluttered his free hand and the grid of gem-shaped lights appeared again in the air, hovering in spectral multi-colored glory between them.
Shinobi took the cup with a smirk and began mixing something new and, with luck, more in line with Felix's expressed tastes. As he mixed, he began attempting to answer Felix's question to the best of his ability--which was really very limited, in this case. "It's a sort of game, certainly," he began, screwing up his face in thought. "But nothing at all like this. Dungeons & Dragons usually involves a half-dozen or so people of otherwise reasonably-sound social standing sitting around a kitchen table and pretending to be elves or pixies or Gelflings while doing math and consulting tables."
"Really," Felix said, clearly interested. "Aside from the pixies, that sounds fascinating. A game of math and tables? If large heavy books are involved, it sounds like heaven. I must ask Miss Pryde about it later."
"On your own head bit it, then," said Shinobi dolorously. "But be forewarned it's several hours of your life you'll never get back again."
Felix shrugged mildly; it didn't sound so bad to him. "Math games don't sound quite in line for a party like this," he said brightly. "How shall we amuse ourselves instead? I should be clear that I don't sing, but I do dance, as well as gossip and judge others on their sartorial choices."
"You don't sing only because you've yet to have a proper karaoke experience," Shinobi argued, with the ironclad certainty of one who believed the appeal of the pastime lay less in the quality of the performance than the enthusiasm for it. But that was, perhaps, best saved for another time. "I also dance," he went on. "And my powers of gossip and judgment are rivaled by few, and second to none. Would you care to take a turn on the floor and cast aspersions on some of the more dubious couture decisions on display this evening?"
"Oh, let's," Felix drawled, offering Shinobi one pale, delicate-looking hand. He kept himself at a certain distance from others at nearly all times, just out of touching range, but a dance was a singular exception to his no-personal-contact rule. It was required, wasn't it? "Perhaps you can somehow explain the allure of torn holes in one's denim trousers. I simply do not understand."
"I've heretofore gone out of my way to avoid considering the proposition much," Shinobi admitted, accepting the slender hand and gently guiding Felix to the open space where others of Kitty's guests were partaking of the terpsichorean pleasures. "Perhaps it's for ventilation? Though I can't imagine whose legs would require that much airing out. Or maybe it's some game to discover the minimum amount of denim required to actually constitute 'jeans'."
It seemed like ages since Felix had danced. The sort of dance that his peers engaged in was like nothing he had really seen before, but Shinobi was so clearly differently-educated that Felix had hope he might know how to dance in the way Felix had been taught. "You know," he laughed, "that actually sounds like the most likely explanation. I've been shopping with Nolan, and some of the shops were charging the most outrageous prices for perfectly desiccated clothing items. There were shorts that were shorter than the pockets inside them -- 'inside' being a relative term at that point."
no subject
Date: 2019-11-10 02:40 am (UTC)