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Post by Momentum on Aug 12, 2017 15:51:21 GMT -5
There weren't many days living at The Nest, where there was little to nothing to do. Between everything that Nathan always had them doing, and all the tests and scenarios that Logic would give them and run them through, the new team of young heroes rarely got any real rest. It made sense to DJ, even though he'd admit to being dog tired. They had to learn and grow as a team. They didn't know each other overly well, despite the time they'd spent in training. Flicker, Tech, and Zel had been taken to meet with the head honcho himself today, and DJ and Rayne had been left behind. It was no secret, at least in his own mind, that he really liked her. So knowing that the two of them would basically be alone at Eagle's Nest today, he hatched a small plan.
It was pretty easy to get almost anything that they needed here, so finding a single yellow rose wasn't difficult at all. He made a beeline for Rayne's room, knowing that she wouldn't quite be up yet, or at least hoping that was the case. He pinned a note to her door with the rose. The note read simply "balconie, meet you there." He'd also drawn a smiley face on the note. An added touch of quirkiness. And of course he didn't realize that he'd misspelled balcony. He wasn't dumb, he was just excited. He was finally going to get to tell her that he liked her.
DJ quickly ran to his room to clean up and within a few minutes, he was ready and making his way to the balcony. It still amazed him how beautiful the view was. What really hit him though was how no one could see the balcony from here, how no one could find the base when it was so out in the open. He shook his head and quickly put food out on the table. Scrambled eggs and bacon strips with toast, it was the only breakfast food he knew how to cook. Honestly, he wasn't that good of a cook either. He knew the food wouldn't be that good. But it was the thought that counted, right? He could pour a mean glass of juice though.
So all that was left to do now was wait. He could barely breathe from excitement. Hopefully she wouldn't ignore him. Or worse, laugh at him. Oh God now he was less excited and more afraid....
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Rayne
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Post by Rayne on Sept 15, 2017 0:41:14 GMT -5
Rachelle was not a morning person by nature, but the time she’d spent training here at The Nest had required her to be one. So much so that even now, on her day off, she’d found herself awake with the sunrise. Only by sheer force of will had she been able to roll back over and go back to sleep for a few more precious minutes. Take advantage of it while you can, she’d told herself. Only Hale knew when she might get an opportunity like this again. It was only after her stomach started grumbling that she finally forced herself into a sitting position. Time to actually leave the heaven known as her bed, and face the day. Room service was unfortunately not an option at The Nest.
After a quick shower and changing into what Rachelle called her “outside clothes,” she opened her door and stepped across the threshold. That was as far as she got, though. A yellow rose and a note immediately caught her eye, even in her current non-caffeinated state. Balconie, meet you there… That had to be from DJ, her team’s resident goofball. He’d even spelled balcony wrong. Under normal circumstances, she might have had serious doubts about a person who would do that. However, she knew DJ was smart enough that he knew how to spell properly. What could have gotten him excited enough to make that kind of mistake? Only one way to find out… But first, a slight change in wardrobe. She kept the jeans she’d thrown on, but switched out the plain white t-shirt she’d originally been wearing for a comfortable (but still slightly cleavage-baring) blue sweater. What? He was cute. She may not have known what he had planned, but she still wanted to look a little nice.
She walked out to the balcony and gave DJ a smile when she spotted him. “Good morning!” she said cheerfully, stifling a yawn with the back of the hand that still clasped the stem of the yellow rose. Her dark eyes took in the scene in front of her. He brought breakfast? Had he made it himself? For the life of her, she couldn’t think of what the occasion could be. Maybe he was just this excited about having a day off. “Are we celebrating something?”
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Post by Momentum on Sept 22, 2017 18:36:43 GMT -5
"Son of a bitch! I spelled balcony wrong!" DJ said to himself, having just realized that. His palm slapped his forehead hard. "Ow," he whispered. Stupid palm. His mind went right back to what he was going to say, and more importantly, how he was going to say it. His breathing hurried again, even quicker it seemed than it did after he'd used his abilities. He studied the view harder to attempt to calm himself, but then he saw her coming towards the table. Her smile immediately made a great morning even greater. She'd brought the rose with her. That was lucky, since he'd thought to bring a small glass filled with water so she could put the rose in, if she wanted to. "Morning," he answered with a smile. A couple other agents had come to the balcony for breakfast, one of them leaving just as Rayne came in. Barber always did inhale his food. Luckily, it was Walt who was there. Walt was a friend, and the only person that DJ had told about his feelings for Rayne. That was, until today. At least that was the plan. "I made breakfast. Sorry if it isn't any good," he said with a chuckle. "I'm no chef."
"You look great," DJ said as he pulled out her chair and waited for her to sit. He then moved back around to his chair and sat down. "Celebrating? Uhm, possibly," he shrugged. "Actually, there's just something I've been wanting to tell you. I figured now was the perfect opportunity since the place was nearly vacated. We both know I'm a man of few words, right?"
"Bull fucking shit!" they'd both hear from the table not far away. Walt was nearly choking on his food because he couldn't get that out quick enough. "Dude? Really?" DJ shouted at him. Walt got up, laughing now and making his way back inside. "Love you, man!" he yelled back. If there was an equal to DJ in the goofball department, it was easily Walt. DJ turned his attention back to Rayne. "So yeah, remind me not to let him win next time we play basketball."
"I heard that!"
DJ shook his head. That exchange was a good thing, it had helped calm him just enough. He was clearly still excited, or nervous, but it wasn't as much as when she'd shown up. "So, we haven't really known each other too long, but uhm, I, I uhm," he stammered. Dammit, DJ, get it together. "I've been wanting to tell you, that I uhm, I like you." Wow, that was a revelation. She knew he liked her, but not to the extent that he did. "What I mean is, I like y...I care about you, more than I probably should." The fuck? What did that even mean? Dammit, DJ! He started breathing harder again, but managed to settle himself. He wasn't very good at expressing himself. "I've felt like this for a while now, I just didn't know how to tell you, and to be honest, I didn't want to make things weird between us and complicate our team." Walt had repeatedly said that DJ should tell her, and he was finally listening to his friend.
But how exactly did DJ feel about her? "You're my first thought every morning. I find myself wondering if you slept well, if you had enough blankets to keep warm and comfortable. You in my thoughts all day long, and some nights, some nights I can't fall asleep unless I imagine that I'm holding you," he said slowly. He hoped that he wasn't laying it on too thick here. But he was just expressing himself. "Sometimes I dream about you, and not just sexually either. I dream about things like this, just sitting and talking, you telling me your thoughts and fears, telling me how your day went. And then, well I did say not JUST sexually." He shrugged. Everyone knew that DJ was attracted to her in that way. His eyes rarely ever left her when she was in the same room. "But you, you blow me away. When we're stopping practice for meals and we talk at the table, it's everything I can do to not reach over and take your hand." He started to reach out, but hesitated and pulled his hand back. "I see you at a distance and all I can think is, damn, she's beautiful." His head lowered for a moment. "I know this is a lot to take in, and I don't expect anything. I know I'm not good enough for you." His head moved back up to meet her gaze, his eyes clearly showing the pain of a man who knew that the woman he wanted was out of his league. "But I want to be. I want to be everything you could ever dream of. I want to be the one man in the world that can make you insanely happy." He couldn't help but feel bad about laying all of this out so quickly. He wasn't good at the whole emotions thing. There were times that he even denied having them, but everyone knew different. He took a sip from his drink, fighting back the urge to run off and not let her respond.
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Rayne
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Posts: 13
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Post by Rayne on Sept 23, 2017 15:05:26 GMT -5
So he really had cooked this by himself. That was so nice. And really, you can’t go wrong with eggs and bacon. Breakfast of champions, right there. Rachelle was determined to eat everything on her plate no matter what. Obviously if he’d gone to all this trouble, it meant something and she didn’t want him to feel like all that effort was for nothing. “I’m sure everything will be fine,” she said with a laugh before sliding into the chair he’d pulled out for her. Everything looked like it had at least been thoroughly cooked, so neither of them would get sick. Beyond that, there was nothing that couldn’t be fixed by the addition of a condiment or two. She nearly placed the rose down on the table next to her fork before she noticed the small glass of water. He’d really thought of everything. This whole setup was romantic, actually. Is that what this was about?
Despite the interlude from Walt, DJ didn’t keep her in suspense long. Rachelle heard his words, but it was his body language as he spoke that truly captured her focus. She saw everything. It was obvious that a complicated range of emotions were flowing through him as he confessed his feelings to her, and that created similarly complex ones inside her. Of course she was happy, flattered, and surprised to discover that he thought of her this way. She never would have pegged him to be such a romantic underneath that goofball exterior. Never thought a relatively quiet person like her would be the one to stir these feelings inside him. But then, she never would have expected the darker side he was exposing either. The self-doubt. Her heart broke a little when she noticed him start to reach for her...and then stop himself. And the pain on his face when he finally willed himself to look at her again was so difficult for her to see. Was it so hard for him to believe she might want him to touch her?
She had to do something, but what? He was obviously waiting for… some kind of response. He’d already said he didn’t expect anything, yet there he sat sipping his juice. Undoubtedly he thought she would reject him. How much courage did he have, to lay all his feelings on the line like that when he sincerely thought she was going to cast them aside? Rachelle didn’t think she would ever have been able to do something like that. For God’s sake, she didn’t even know how to respond to him now, when she already knew how he felt. Seriously though, what was a girl supposed to say after a confession like that? She couldn’t just say ‘ditto’ and be done with it, but right now it was impossible for her to find the right words. It would be easy for her to blame a lack of caffeine in her system, but she knew that wasn’t entirely the reason.
Silence had taken over the balcony. It had gone on for much too long, and she felt horrible about it. He already thought he wasn’t good enough for her, so she could only imagine what was going through his head at that moment when his speech was followed by nothing but quiet. The problem was that nothing she could think of to say was anywhere near adequate in the face of everything he’d said. Screw it. She abruptly pushed her chair back, stood up, and crossed to the other side of the table before leaning forward to press her lips against his. Words had never really been her strong suit anyway. “You’re kind of a dummy, you know that?” she told him with a shy smile once she’d finally pulled away. Instead of kissing him again like she wanted to, she went back to her seat. “I don’t know what I could have done that made you think you weren’t good enough for me. You’re attractive, funny, brave, smart… We’re even part of the same organization, on the same team.” She couldn’t think of any way in which they weren’t equals, in fact. She just would never have thought he’d be drawn to a quiet type like her. Wouldn’t he be better off with someone else who was as much a social butterfly as he was? “I really admire you, you know. Ever since I first came to The Nest, I noticed people were always drawn to you. It seems so easy for you to find the right words to say, to make friends. I… have a hard time sometimes.” A slow, deliberate inhale helped organize her thoughts, as well as calm her racing heart. “I don’t know what will happen with the team once the Director finds out. But… I like you too.” She didn’t foresee it becoming an issue with their teamwork, but getting reassigned wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to them if they were working out. “So… I guess we should eat before everything gets cold, huh?”
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Post by Momentum on Dec 8, 2017 22:22:45 GMT -5
No amount of energy could have prepared DJ for this. His every word was agony. Not because he didn't want to tell her, but because he did want to tell her. He just wasn't sure how. And, all bullshit put aside, he was scared shitless. What if she reacted unfavorably? What if she just laughed at him? Or worse...what if she ignored him? It became apparent pretty early on that none of those things would be what happened. Walt's banter was a welcome distraction, for sure, but there was only so long that this could have been put off for. It was something that had been on DJ's mind for a long time now. So much of his time in the field had been trying, sometimes way too hard, just to make her laugh. He loved that laugh. Her smile just melted his heart, made him want to smile. So his comedic act during, well, everything, was all just to see that smile, if he could make it happen anyway. DJ knew that he wasn't always as funny as he thought he was. But he wouldn't admit that out loud of course. He was hilarious...end of story.
Everything inside of him told him that he'd just screwed up. Had he? Had he just screwed up a good friendship? Because he'd always seen her as a good friend. It wasn't often that DJ got in a bad mood, but every time he did, she was one of the first to check on him, to make sure that he was okay. Maybe that was part of what drew him to her. The thought that maybe someone cared about him as much as he did about her. DJ had never thought about that too much before. He was never one who'd had a good history with women. They'd all seemed to take advantage of his trusting nature, of his generosity and his willingness to give of himself even at his own sacrifice. The fact was, he was tired of hurting so much, and he was more tired of hiding it, even though that hiding it was self imposed.
So her silence after really threw him off. Had he upset her? Way to go, dumbass! After a sip of his juice, his head dropped, nearly to his hands. And it took every ounce of strength he had to hold back the tears. He looked up when he heard her chair scrape across the floor. She had quickly gotten up. Shit! She was pissed now. DJ's head hung again, but this time he couldn't hold back. A few tears began to fall from his eyes. But then she kissed him. He'd never in a million years expected that to happen. He'd always figured that she'd never look at him the way he looked at her. Part of him had come to terms with that. But the kiss....it was the single greatest experience of his entire life. He'd been with women before, but this was something completely new and different. This wasn't a 'one and done'. There was no way that he'd ever treat her like that. He cared about her way too much. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her comment about him being 'kind of a dummy.' Yeah, he knew that. How many times had he heard that before? Yup, lost count.
"I guess it's just kind of what I do," he said in answer to why he thought he wasn't good enough for her. But truth be told, any good man thought that about his girl. Her compliments of him were.....true, he found. He knew he was funny, thought himself fairly attractive, he was definitely brave (sometimes too brave), but smart wasn't really his thing. Not that he was stupid, of course. "Yeah. I just. I look at you and I see...I see everything I've ever dreamed of. And I guess I feel like I don't really deserve that." As far as the director finding out, there was a slim chance that the man didn't already know somehow. DJ hadn't spilled the beans, but there was the small chance that Walt had. Still, DJ was sure that Hale would have said something to him about it by now. The director was good about making sure his people were okay. But he was sure that other agents had gotten together, so what harm would there be in these two if that were to happen. "I don't think the team will be an issue." Then she said she liked him too. That uplifted him, more than even he would ever believe it would have. "Oh, um, yeah. We should definitely eat the food. I just hope it's not too horrible. I'm no chef, after all. I'm, um, I'm also sorry that I misspelled balcony on the note. I was just excited, nervous....scared to be honest." He picked up his fork and stabbed a bite of egg.
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Rayne
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Posts: 13
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Post by Rayne on Dec 20, 2017 0:22:28 GMT -5
If DJ kept talking about her like that, her face was going to invent a new shade of red. Rachelle really didn’t think of herself as anything that special, so the idea that he’d harbored these kind of feelings and thoughts about her floored her completely. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that decision isn’t up to you.” Nope, she had no doubt he was more than good enough for her. Her only hope was that he still thought this well of her once he’d gotten to know her even better. She didn’t want him to put her on some kind of pedestal, only to be disappointed later. That was probably her greatest fear. Would he think she was boring? Maybe, but to be honest she could spend her whole life being afraid of that. To her, the chance to be with him was worth the risk. If she ended up with her heart broken later on, she would have no regrets.
At least he agreed that eating was a good idea while the food was still warm. “I’m sure the food is fine. Everything looks good at least.” Eggs and toast were pretty tough to screw up, unless they were super runny or burnt. These looked just fine. And they tasted fine too, when she actually took a bite. “I’m sorry you were that nervous about talking to me, but… I’m really glad you told me everything.” He hadn’t really mentioned how long he’d felt this way. Hopefully not long. She didn’t like to think that he might have been suffering for a long time, alone with these thoughts of not being good enough for her. Hopefully she could show him just how wrong he was.
“So do you have anything else planned for today?” she asked. Since they had the whole day pretty much to themselves, she figured that they could maybe spend some more quality time together or something. If he wanted to, that is. She didn’t have anything planned conveniently enough. And if he didn’t want to do something, well, there was always her favorite pair of pajamas and a good book waiting in her room.
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Post by Momentum on May 4, 2018 20:38:48 GMT -5
DJ couldn't help himself. He was just releasing, finally, all of the things that were on his mind. Telling her how he felt about her, how he wanted to be around her all the time. Not a moment passed that he wasn't thinking of her, not one single fleeting moment. He didn't understand it, but he'd been told some time ago that you couldn't help who you fell in love with. The simple fact though was that he was glad it was her. She understood him, not that he was overly difficult to get. He was a goofball, a fun loving weirdo, but a good guy. He'd give anything for a friend and even more for her. It wasn't just because she was drop dead gorgeous, though that didn't hurt. She was a beautiful person. Generous, kind, loyal, everything that a good person should be. There was no degree of error there. She was the perfect woman for him. Any man would be lucky to call her his. DJ wanted to be that lucky guy. And to this point, it looked like he might just get that chance. He could breathe a momentary sigh of relief. And he did just that.
Luckily, he hadn't messed up the food. The eggs were not quite as good as he'd hoped, but he had a high standard when it came to eggs. No one cooked them as well as his mother had. She'd taught him how, but he never quite got it down pat. The thought of the omelets she'd make almost made his mouth water. Then he heard Rachelle talk again, this time about being glad he told her. That was a relief as well. She could have responded in many different ways, or not at all. Jesus, that would have been awkward. And honestly it would have broken his heart more than any other response could have. There was no worse Hell in all the world that knowing the woman you loved wouldn't ever feel the same way about you. And DJ had been living with that for close to six months now. Sleepless nights, days of wanting nothing more than to just be alone. It was Hell, there was no other word for it. But he lived for those brief seconds of time that he got to spend with her.
"No, nothing planned. To be completely honest, I wasn't sure you'd stick around after I told you," he answered. He shrugged and took a deep breath. "But there are plenty of things that we could do since the place is cleared out for the day." Of course he wanted to spend more time with her. He thought for a few minutes, then perked up after a quick sip of his juice. "Walt and I found something the other day. I could show you that if you want." He wasn't sure if she'd be interested in the arcade room they'd found, but it was something.
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Rayne
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Posts: 13
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Post by Rayne on Jun 30, 2018 15:02:08 GMT -5
Wow, he really had been pessimistic about the way this conversation was going to go. There was a lot of insecurity hiding behind that ever-present smile. Rachelle would never have expected that to come from him. Obviously she didn’t know him as well as she’d thought she did. But she wanted to. He’d caught her attention with his kindness and sense of humor, the unflinching loyalty and welcoming smile. Now she was seeing the side that he probably didn’t show to many others. Walt probably knew. It seemed like the two of them were pretty close. But other than that...who else would know? She hadn’t really had any idea, and the two of them were on the same team. Now she actually felt a little bad about it, like maybe she should have been paying more attention or...something. She didn’t really know.
“You really thought I would just run off?” She knew that she could be blunt sometimes, but she hoped he wouldn’t really expect her to be flat-out cruel like that, after he’d gathered up the courage to expose what lay in his heart. Never, even if she hadn’t been able to reciprocate his feelings, would she have just run off after that. At the minimum, they were still teammates. She would still respect and treasure that bond enough for her to be kind. They would still have to work together no matter what, so that part just didn’t make sense to her.
The topic change to what they should do next was a welcome one. She didn’t want to keep thinking about the what-ifs and possible expectations for how this might have gone. It happened the way it happened. Now they could move forward. Together. And hopefully during that time, he would see that he didn’t have anything to worry about. Not when it came to her. He might have confessed first, and was better in general with words than she was, but that didn’t mean her feelings weren’t just as deep as his were. He was just braver than her. She wasn’t sure she would have ever found the courage to tell him how she felt if he hadn’t said something first. It was still a little dizzying to her that he was even attracted to her in the first place. They seemed like such opposites. Then again, his aforementioned insecurities gave her a hint that they probably had more in common than it seemed like on the outside. “Sure, wherever you want to go will be fine. If you and Walt thought it was interesting, I’m sure I will too.” She wondered what kind of place it was that they’d found. Hopefully it was somewhere fun. They could use a little mood-lightening after the little emotional rollercoaster they’d just taken a ride on.
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Post by Momentum on Aug 4, 2018 21:02:32 GMT -5
It was safe to say that DJ had gone through the entirety of his emotional spectrum today. Scared, lonely, nervous, all the way up to now being excited and happy. It had gone very smoothly, much more so than he'd thought it would. To be fair though, if she'd slapped him in the face it would have been less than he'd expected. Hope for the best but expect the worst, that had always been banged into his head, even from a very young age. Still he somehow managed to stay upbeat and funny most of the time, at least while he wasn't alone anyway. No one got to see that, not even Walt really. Despite his amiable personality, DJ tended towards solitude more often than not. Though it was clear to everyone around that he could easily be the life of the party. He had no qualms about making a fool of himself just to get others to laugh and have a good time.
To be totally honest, he felt a little bad about unloading all of that at her. It was their day off, after all. Who the hell wanted to deal with all of that when they were supposed to be just chilling out for the day? But she seemed so cool about it. Blunt, yes, but cool. And she'd kissed him. That he'd have never expected, but boy did he enjoy it....
"I didn't really know what to think. I just...I look at you and I can't help but wonder how someone so beautiful would ever want anything to do with me. I figured, and so did the director, dude knows everything, that if I didn't ever tell you that it might hurt my focus out in the field at some point. I didn't want that of course. But to be honest, I was just....scared." He didn't want to admit that, but she'd seen him get distracted in the training programs before. There had been a few times when he'd jumped into a dangerous path to make sure nothing got to her. She may not have noticed that, which would probably have been for the better if she hadn't. "I don't fall easily, but I fall hard when I do and I find it difficult to think about anything but that person. I'm a lot more insecure than I let on. I try to play the goofball to make it seem like I'm just happy. And I'm not unhappy, but I overdo it sometimes." Still unloading, it seemed. But it had gone well. She didn't hate him, she didn't ignore him, she didn't run off, she didn't hit him. She....kissed him. She liked him back. Of all the potential scenarios that played in DJ's head beforehand, that wasn't one of them.
"Oh, very interesting," he answered when she asked about what they'd found. "Did you know that the director has a room with nothing but arcade games in it? It's ridiculous. Walt and I found it a little bit back. Old stuff too. I would have never guessed that he could have that kind of hobby. They all work too." He hadn't wanted to ruin the surprise of what it was, but damn if he just wasn't so overly excited again. Now that he knew he could rest easy, that she looked at him the same way at least in part, it was back to being DJ. Oh the fun was about to begin.
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Rayne
character
Posts: 13
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Post by Rayne on Sept 15, 2018 18:10:48 GMT -5
Rachelle knew exactly what DJ meant by losing focus. There was a certain point at which it felt like you were going to burst if you didn’t tell the person. Obviously he and the Director had felt like he was hitting that point. Rachelle hadn’t gotten there yet, but that didn’t mean her feelings weren’t as strong as his. They obviously just processed things differently. For her, since she never in a million years would have thought he would have feelings for her, her main goal had just been to be as close to him as she could be. They were teammates. She’d convinced herself that was all they would ever be, and that she would need to be happy with it somehow. Part of her still couldn’t believe he’d confessed to her like that. Never in a million years would she have thought she would be his type. You couldn’t help who you got feelings for, though. That saying was as true as it was old. As much as she might be surprised he’d picked her, she was really grateful. Pretending to be satisfied with just being on the same team as him was so much harder than she could have imagined.
“Arcade… games?” Rachelle raised an eyebrow. “The director? Seriously? I never would have thought that in a million years. I mean, he’s such a stoneface.” She honestly hadn’t even been totally convinced the word ‘game’ was part of his vocabulary. Except maybe in the context of a training exercise being presented as a game. Or maybe team-building activities. The man genuinely cared about his people, but it was difficult to truly bond with someone when it almost seemed like the guy wasn’t entirely human. This room of games completely changed Rachelle’s view of Hale in some ways. He was still the leader that everyone in the organization would gladly give their lives for, but now she knew he also had a sense of fun. “I’ve gotta see this.”
She stood up, figuring they should probably head over there if they were both done eating, which they seemed to be. There were still so many more questions she wanted to ask him. She couldn’t overload him, though, so she would have to narrow it down a bit. “You’ll probably have to teach me how to play them, though. Do you and Walt go there a lot?” He said they’d found it together a bit ago, but she knew they didn’t always have a lot of time off for leisurely activities. He’d probably gone at least a couple of times, though, which meant he was going to have a significant advantage in some of the games they would play. Maybe all of them. He’d said there was an entire room full of them though, so maybe she had a good chance that he hadn’t played them all yet.
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Post by Momentum on Oct 12, 2018 18:29:20 GMT -5
Straight to the point, there were days that as far as losing focus went, he just couldn't help it. A fine example was last week during a training session. Logic had set them up on another of his nearly lose lose situations, and they were to find a way to win, of course. During the battle, that shouldn't have even happened by the by, he had caught a slight glimpse of her in the distance, and took a car door to the head. It was a good thing the car door hadn't been real, of course, but it still hurt like hell. And it had earned him a stern reprimand from Logic. That had actually caught him off guard, being as the tech genius really wasn't that much higher in rank than DJ was. But he still scolded himself as well, and steeled himself that he wouldn't let it happen again....until it did, of course.
"Games," he answered with a wide smile. "I would have never thought it either. Walt thinks it might have been some sort of reward program. I think Walt's crazy. Well, I know he's crazy, but I mean he's wrong. I think Director Stoneface is really just a kid at heart and likes to have a good time when no one else is around." As much as he respected Hale, DJ always did see him as the stick up his ass type. But in truth there was so much responsibility on that man that DJ figured he'd be the same way in the same situation. He smiled when she said she had to see it. DJ's jaw had dropped when he'd seen it, and he and Walt broke into a Kid'n'Play type of dance only seconds later. It was a good thing no one saw it. They'd have both been a little embarrassed, even though everyone at the Nest knew that those two were the resident class clowns.
"Oh we've only been there twice. The room is huge so we didn't get to all the games. Walt kicks my ass at....skee ball?....," he said with slight hesitation, not sure he remembered the name of the game. "I'll be happy to show you the other games though. You'll probably kick my ass at a couple of them. Don't tell Walt I admitted that," he chuckled. Leading her through the complex, they eventually came to the door to the room. It was slightly open, which meant that Walt was already there. That didn't matter though, DJ was going to spend as much time with Rachelle as possible. His buddy would understand, especially since he knew just how DJ felt about her. "I see you didn't screw it up," he heard immediately when Walt saw them come in. "Shut up," DJ shot back with an obviously feigned anger. He then quickly turned to see Rachelle's expression when she saw the place. Walt stepped out and whispered to DJ, "Have a good time, buddy."
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Rayne
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Post by Rayne on Nov 11, 2018 20:12:56 GMT -5
The idea of their fearless leader spending late nights in a room full of games made Rachelle giggle. It was good for her to be able to humanize the man a little in her own mind. She’d never been able to picture him with any kind of hobby before. And this was one that she and DJ would be able to benefit from as well. It would be their first real date as a couple. She really liked the way that sounded. She’d thought about this for so long, but part of her still didn’t believe it was finally happening. It all just made her feel like the luckiest girl alive.
It definitely made her feel better that he had only been to this room a couple of times. She didn’t want him to completely whoop her ass at everything they played. Well, a lot of that was probably unavoidable depending on the kind of games they ended up playing. She didn’t really mind it, actually, now that she thought about it more. “We can play whatever you want. I’ll probably be awful at just about everything at first.” If he ended up being better than her, that meant he could teach her how to play better. That thought made her smile, and she hesitantly took his hand as they walked down the hallway toward their destination.
She, too, noticed the door already open when they arrived. So someone was already there. IF she hadn’t known better, she might have thought it was the Director. But no, she knew he was gone for the day. That meant it must be Walt. He’d been just leaving when she arrived for breakfast too. Rachelle felt a little bad that he picked the exact moment of their arrival to decide he was done with this room too. It was nice of him to want to give them some privacy, but at the same time she didn’t want him to feel like he had to avoid them all day. “He didn’t have to leave…” she said, a light blush painting her cheek. She didn’t know Walt very well, only that he and DJ were good friends, so it made sense that DJ would have told him how he felt about her, but the teasing was still a little bit of a surprise. This was all so new, after all. Her head was still spinning a little from the surprise of it all. And the second biggest surprise was the room itself. Rachelle’s jaw damn near hit the floor. “Holy cow!” The damn place was massive, full of lots of things she’d never seen and games she’d never heard of before. “Where do you even start in a place like this?”
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Post by Momentum on Dec 1, 2018 22:59:26 GMT -5
DJ had always, since they'd found this place anyway, found it hard to believe. "Damn, this game has got to be even older than the director," Walt had once said. That comment had drawn a belly laugh from the team's goofball. The two would joke each time they visited about just that. But the truth was, in DJ's mind anyway, that games like this tended to let people relax, and at the same time build a bit of comraderie amongst each other. So it was firm in his mind that director meant for the two to find it, and for it to be used as a team building device. Regardless of whether or not he was right, DJ was glad he'd found it with his friend. And he was even happier now that he got to share it with his.....girlfriend.
Holy shit! It just really donned on him. Is that what they were now? The thought about knocked him over. All this time he'd spent pining over her, thinking she was too good for him and that she'd never feel anything towards him, but now here they were. Of course, there wasn't a man alive worth his sack who believed he deserved his girl, and DJ still didn't believe he deserved her, but he was going to do everything that he could to make sure she was happy with him. He was far from perfect, despite his feigned confidence antics on the battle fields. Those were all just him goofing around, and he was pretty sure the team knew that. Flicker took it a little too seriously at times, getting slightly annoyed, but Rachelle did always seem to laugh with him....and sometimes at him. He didn't care which, as long as that beautiful smile graced her face, it was all good to him. That smile, it just wrecked him, but he loved it. He loved her.
"Well I haven't gotten that good at any of them yet. The skee ball maybe, and space invaders. Oddly fun despite how simple it seems," he answered. When Walt headed out and she said he didn't have to leave, DJ just shrugged. "I know. But he's a good friend really, and wants to see us both happy. Wants to let us have fun together, you know." The look on her face when they were in the place was all it took for that belly laugh to escape DJ. Once he caught his breath, he shook his head. "I usually just pick a direction and go for it. Let's find something. Ladies first."
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Rayne
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Post by Rayne on Jan 5, 2019 18:12:59 GMT -5
It took Rachelle a few minutes to really absorb the sheer size of the room she was standing in, and the massive number of old games inside. The idea that she was going to have to choose one was a little intimidating. Then again, if he hadn’t really played many of them either, that meant they would get to experience them for the first time together. That idea made her happy. She hadn’t really spent much time with DJ one on one, had admired him from afar at first and then gotten to know him better when they were assigned to the same team. This day was the first that they’d gotten to be alone together, and it couldn’t be under better circumstances.
It still floored her that he’d confessed his feelings for her just a few minutes ago when she’d been so certain a wallflower like her would never have been able to even catch his eye. There was never any telling when it came to matters of the heart, apparently. She wondered briefly what people would think when they found out. Not that it really mattered, she just wondered whether or not they’d be surprised. She knew a few girls who would be not only surprised but also disappointed. He was a catch, and she wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that. She was just the lucky one he’d chosen.
“Hmmm okay well now I know which ones to avoid,” she joked. “Alright, if I get to pick first let’s go this way.” She took his hand and led him off to the right, walking past a row of games until she stopped in front of one with a curious expression. “Ms… Pac-Man?” she said curiously, her forehead wrinkling slightly as she looked at the controls and the artwork on the outside of the machine. She shrugged. At least it was two-player, unlike some of the other games they’d walked past already. It seemed like as good a place as any to start. “How about this one?” she asked, turning to look at him to see whether or not he would approve of her choice. He’d told her to pick first, but there was always the chance that he and Walt had played this one already and it wasn’t much fun. She hoped not. It looked interesting, and the controls seemed simple enough. Since she’d never played anything like this before, she thought it would probably be best to start off with one of the more simple ones.
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Post by Momentum on Feb 16, 2019 9:22:53 GMT -5
So they were off on their way to choose a game. DJ noticed as she looked over each game they passed, mentally taking note of which ones he'd want to try out at some point, because as he'd said, he hadn't even explored the whole place yet. Though it was his feelings that were put out there, today was solely about Rachelle, at least in his mind. It was all about showing her a good time. So letting her choose the game just made sense to him. He followed with a smile on his face the entire time, the feeling of her hand in his nothing short of divine. They stopped when she came to Ms. Pac Man, but his smile didn't stop. Instead, as she was looking over the controls and ensuring that it was two players, he stood there, hands in his pockets with his thumbs hanging out, just staring at her. Sure it might have been a little weird, but only if she didn't already know how he felt about her.
He startled a bit when she turned to see him and point out the game, but he quickly snapped out of that and nodded. "Yeah, looks fun." He looked over the controls for a brief moment and nodded again. He reached down to start the game and they were off. Okay, so this was just crazy, he kept thinking as they played. Not only did he now have a girlfriend....but she was playing video games with him. What more really could a guy ask for? She was perfect. He stole a glance at her before his eyes went back to the screen. Just in time to see one of the ghosts eat his player. "No,no....where is the turbo button?" he complained with a laugh. Oh well, he had two more lives. "You're doing really good at this," he commented as he started again.
"Chomp, chomp," he started saying as he ate the little dots. "Doesn't she ever get full?" he asked. "No,no, get away....." he yelled as another ghost started chasing him. Stealing another glance again, he just had to see her reaction. Was she focused on the game and that's why she was kicking his ass? Or was she laughing at him. He looked back again just in time for another ghost to eat him. "Ahh, monkey shit," he exclaimed. He started again, knowing this was his last life.
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