9439/Party at Finn's Arcade.

Party at Finn's Arcade.
Date of Scene:	05 October 2019
Location:	Finn's Arcade
Synopsis:	Drake and Doug meet up. Bromance?
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Slipstream

---

Cypher has posed:
Some days... you just have to take a minute, or you'll snap. Setting up a tech infrastructure has all kinds of hidden snags and pitfalls that can sideline a project and create hours of downtime--

And being the man in charge has its perks. Which is why Doug Ramsey, CTO of X-Corporation, threw on his coat and walked out. "Listen, I'm gonna get some air. Text me if you need me."

Now, being possibly the best coder in the world, this left his employees sputtering, but off he went -- and that was how he found himself standing in front of Finn's Arcade, a flashy retro bar and gaming arcade -- Flashing back to when a teenaged manager threw him and Kitty Pryde out on their ear. Five years ago, but a literal lifetime.

"I'm going to need one token," He hands over a dollar, "And for you to point me toward your Tekken Classic machine." He needs to meditate. He needs to pick the hardest character to use, and then *crush it* for hours on his one token. Just like he used to.

Slipstream has posed:
"Tekken Classic, huh? You may need more than one token. The Champ is playing it tonight." The cashier says as she gives a motion of her finger over towards the machine.

There is a bit of a line behind player 2 as it appears that player 1 is the infamous Drake Winters, who is currently manhandling the hell out of the joystick and buttons as his fingers pound rapidly. He's wearing an Avengers bomber jacket with an Overwatch insignia on the back in bright silver. Floating next to him is Snowball, a perfect Stark Tech replica robot from the Overwatch game itself. Mei's companion and health bot to keep Drake alive.

As he finishes off his current opponent, the crowd around the game cheers, high fiving each other and passing tokens about. They are clearly betting on or against the superhero gamer.

Cypher has posed:
One by one, they all fall down. Doug waits his turn until finally he steps up, a guy in a button-down shirt, admitedly with great hair, loosened tie... though the first indicator there's something unusual about him is when he pulls his hands out of his pockets to slot in his token -- one is shiny, black, shot through with gold circuitry patterns.

He picks Hwoarang, squares himself up, and turns to look at Drake, before he looks back at the screen. "Ready?"

Slipstream has posed:
Taking a sip from an energy drink, Drake gives the new face a glance, then studies him for a few moments. His eyes glance down towards his hand, then says, ""Hey, I'm ready. What's up with your hand?"

When it comes to video games, it's serious business and that hand looks super sketch. Like a Power Glove was put on his arm. "You look kiiinda familiar."

Cypher has posed:
Doug grins at that, a little bit, and then says, "I've got one of those everyman faces."

The thing about videogames is you can't be faster than the game, not really. So at peak twitch levels, the game underclocks you, and forces you to match its place. So speed is only so much of an advantage... though it is a big one.

What this guy has is timing. He is completely on point, laying down those brutal kicks and neatly blocking and sidestepping hits, like he and the game are one.

Slipstream has posed:
Having selected Kazuya, Drake focuses completely on the game, and comes out extremely aggressive right from the gate.

Every combo Doug throws out, gets immediately countered and re-comboed in return. By now, the crowd has grown larger around the arcade machine, cheering and yelling. For the Overwatch star, this is /his/ house. Loud noises? Check. Screaming crowds? Check. Flashing lights? Check. All of that is tuned out completely as he focuses.

It also doesn't appear that Drake uses the same combo twice, or at least the same offensive style. He likes to switch it up, keep his opponents guessing so not to track his playstyle. In fact, this is the tenth character he's used in twelve games.

Cypher has posed:
Doug on the other hand is sheer focused perfection. While he could use any character in the game, he's the kind of guy who focuses on one and lets other people try their luck.

But in turn, he seems to intuitively tune in to the way Drake plays. He just seems to *know* how to respond on a deep, instinctual level. What counters to employ, what combos to use.

In the end, it's not a question of winning the round. He runs out the clock.

He just went the distance. To quote Apollo Creed, *nobody* goes the distance with you!

Slipstream has posed:
As the game comes to a draw, Drake shifts his jaw a bit, then places a token on the game, nudging it towards him. "You were just playing with me. You could have won that." He says with a frown, then glances over at the crowd who look to be in /shock/ at this turn of events. Slipstream never loses.

"Welp, that was my last quarter. Guess you guys got a new champ." He says with a laugh to the crowd to a chorus of boos and cheers. A few try to shove more quarters in his direction and he waves it off. With a glance to Doug, he says, "Gee Gee my dude. Was fun."

Cypher has posed:
"I could have," Doug admits, "But to do that I would've had to play less conservatively, which means I also could've lost."

He beams, and then turns to look at the others, before he strokes his chin. "You know... there's only one person who was *ever* able to take me in Tekken. Looking at these guys?" He says, "Just standing here and dominating the machine doesn't hold the appeal it did."

He holds up his hands, and says, "Just keep an eye out... someday he and I are going to have a rematch."

Slipstream has posed:
"I'm not really a fighter type of gamer. I'm an FPS player. It's my niche. I'll dub you King of Tekken and call it a day." Drake says with a grin as he gives a tug on his jacket. Snowball gives a circling about the young Hero, giving off a round of doot-da-doo chimes and giving her companion a quick scan of her eyes as she records his health progress.

"I'm Drake by the way. You beat an Avenger at a video game. You should totally brag about that to your friends." He says with a big grin on his face. "That would totally boost the street cred I'm sure of it."

Cypher has posed:
Doug quirks his mouth, and then says, "Oh. Heh. No, that's all right. I'm just lucky nobody who worked here five years ago works here anymore. That was when a friend of mine and I caused the Galacticax machine to burn out and got thrown out here." He strokes his chin, and says, "Come to think of it, she's the only person who's *ever* beaten me on the joystick."

But then he says, "...It's not really something to brag about, for me. Honestly I wasn't expecting to meet a *challenge* like you, here."

Slipstream has posed:
"That was you? You fucked up the Galacticax machine? Ha." Drake says as he gives him a grin. "I thought you looked familiar. I was there that day when it happened, over in the LAN cubicles playing Overwatch doing scrims with an old team."

His brows lift upwards some. "You weren't expecting a challenge? That's pretty cocky my dude. Did you do the Fighting pro circuit or something?"

Cypher has posed:
"Well it wasn't just me. Real striking brunette with a big attitude and Bette Davis eyes? She was the other half of that."

Doug gives Drake a look, and then says, "No, actually. For the same reason I didn't do the League circuit or the Overwatch circuit. I'm a Mutant. And if my powers ever came out it would've been a big asterisk next to my name in the record book."

Slipstream has posed:
"You're a mutant who's powers is being good at video games? How the fuck does that even work? Like.. there are so many weird mutant powers out there that just make no sense. Like why do some people look like a dog for? It's not like dog DNA is inside us, so how would a human body know to become a dog? That's super weird. And you get video games? I wouldn't complain about that one at all. That's like .. a totally legit power." Drake says with a big grin on his face.

Cypher has posed:
"Actually my mutant power is specialized hypercognition." Doug says, "Pattern recognition and response." He shrugs his shoulders, "It makes me good at a lot of different stuff." Then he offers his left hand, not the techno-organic one. He has an iron grip, too. Just... not superhuman. "I'm Doug." He says. "Doug Ramsey."

Slipstream has posed:
"Nice to meet you, Doug. I go by Slipstream. I an move at the speed of sound in quick bursts, and at times release it into a sonic shockwave that can blow up a city block. My power is also killing me by tearing my body apart when I use it on a molecular level. Kinda wish my powers was good at playing video games. Yah-yeet, right?" Drake taps his bracelet. "This chronological do-dad that Tony Stark built for me keeps me grounded in this plane of reality. If I take it off, my body goes splat up against the wall."

Cypher has posed:
Doug raiases an eyebrow at Drake, and then he says, "Exposure to an extraterrestrial entity when I was a teenager may be causing me to slowly metamorphose into a techno-organic creature." He rolls up his sleeve, showing that techno-organic arm, or most of it, anyway.

"Also, I died once! It's overrated." He tries to keep a straight face... then he breaks down in a peal of giggles.

Slipstream has posed:
Grinning at him, Drake says, "That's pretty cool, you got a Power Glove. I got my powers when I was stuck in a time prison by a super villain named Glorith, who was using me as bait. In this time prison, I was in an alternate reality in which I was married with kids. When I was rescued, my body got stuck in between planes and it's how I got like this. I am lucky to be alive. You ever had your body yanked apart? It's /super/ painful." He gives a glance over to the bar. "Wanna get a drink or something?"

Cypher has posed:
Doug pinches the bridge of his nose, and says, "Sounds similar to stuff that's happened to us. I was once chained to a sink in Asgard and forced to wash dishes... and one pair of furry underwear." Doug makes a face at that memory, and then says, "...You know what, sure. I can't do everything for the other coders, they can sweat it out for a little while."

Slipstream has posed:
"Furry underwear? You got my attention." Drake laughs as he starts over with his usual confident walk. "I fought huge spore monsters with the Avengers and got to save the city, and by fought, I mean ... I mostly just ran around the street pulling civilians out of danger. I didn't get a chance to do any heavy hitting. I kinda was the kid on the team."

Cypher has posed:
"It's a really long story." Doug says, "And honestly I bet Loki would deny the whole thing, but it included highlights like one friend of mine being sealed in a wall by the Enchantress and another friend becoming the adopted son of the king of the dwarves. It was wild. I'd love to go back someday." Then he shakes his head, and sighs, "I know that feeling, I was the guy with the non-combat power."

Slipstream has posed:
"That sounds like Disney Land, except with too many Small World rides." Drake says as he slides into a seat at the bar, then orders himself a fancy colorful margarita. He shifts about to face him and grins. "You got a cool power though. I think it is. I'll show you mine later if you want. I haven't used it too much so I should be okay."

Cypher has posed:
"More flesh-eating trolls and dark elves, though." Doug thinks, and then says, "I tend not to drink a lot. I'll just have a diet coke." Then Doug says, "You know... being a Mutant, I know people who've had to deal with a lot of unwholesome side-effects, medically. They probably know more than anyone else in the world about that sort of thing. I mean -- I could see if I could get Doctor McCoy to take a look at you or --"

Slipstream has posed:
"I just burn it off fast. My body is all revved up." Drake says as he props his chin up. "I don't even know if I can get drunk, but at least it tastes good." He muses a bit, then shakes his head. "I've had Tony Stark personally try and fix me. Reed Richards. Bruce Banner. It's nothing they can do. I'm just sorta stuck like this."

Cypher has posed:
"Please." Doug says. He says, "Put a splash of rum in that diet coke, I'm not teetotal--" Then he looks back at Drake, and says, "I was dead. Two years... nice funeral I'm told. Lots of flowers. And I'm sitting here talking to you right now. If there's one thing I know, it's that exposure to the unusual creates unusual hope. So." He shrugs, and continues, easily, "You can't ever, ever, ever give up."

Slipstream has posed:
"I haven't gaven up. I coulda gave up and had a pity party, but instead I turned my situation into something useful. Now I'm a lot like Tracer. Speedy and hard to hit. I'm fine with my situation now, but I just don't obsessively try and find a fix anymore. Tony Stark says he'll keep an eye on me and through Snowball, he has a direct link into my health situation. If I go critical or get hurt, usually a big Iron suit shows up to save the day." Drake grins over at him, reaching for his drink to take a sip from it.

Cypher has posed:
Doug tilts his head at that, and when he gets his drink he curls those black and gold techno-organic fingers around it. "But you're looking for a solution, not a bandage," He says, finally. "Well--" He sighs, "Like I said, I know some people." He doesn't touch his drink yet, and looks thoughtful, for a moment.

Slipstream has posed:
"I just figure if the Avengers can't fix me, who can, you know what I mean? That and I was told that if I was to get fixed, I'd probably lose my powers and then I'd be useless. Back to playing video games I guess for a living until some younger kid takes my spot." Drake props his chin up in his palm. "This is the one thing in life that's ever made me special. I don't want to go into my sob story but it involves being homeless the last few years, abusive dad, blah blah blah. The situation sucks, but I now have a real purpose in life." He gives a lick of his lips in thought. "But if you want me to meet Doctor McCoy, I will."

Cypher has posed:
"You have the purpose you give yourself." Doug says, "I've had to learn that the hard way. You don't need power to take responsibility." Then Doug finally takes a slow sip of his drink, and he says, "No, the question is, do YOU want to? You've met Reed Richards, sure, but while Reed Richards is a genius, he's not Henry McCoy."

Slipstream has posed:
"I don't know. We'll see. I need to think about it.. maybe talk to Tony again and see what he thinks. I just know if I was to lose my powers, I wouldn't do the superhero thing. I'd be a liability. You may not be combat oriented but you got a power that at least helps you do stuff. Me? I'm a normal guy. I'd just go back to playing video games." Drake takes a longer sip of his drink, then sighs. "But even on the Avengers, I am mostly used to snag people and get them out of the way because of my speed. I'm not super useful outside of that, but at least it's something I can do to help."

Cypher has posed:
"Well," Doug says, "Maybe you're not thinking about this the right way. Hold on." He thinks, to himself, quietly, his hand on his chin.

Slipstream has posed:
Drake takes another sip of his drink with a chuckle. "I'm not really thinking about it at all. I'm actually happy with my life and now that I have my powers figured out, I'm not stressing." He leans in to bump his shoulder against his. "It's cool, really. Let's talk more about you. You on a team?"

Cypher has posed:
"Not... as such." Doug says, "But I am the IT-director of the X-Corporation. I went to school with the CEO. But am I like, an X-Man or something?" He laughs aloud, at that. "...No. Just a guy who's had a very colorful, brief lifetime, and now he's working on his second, still colorful, hopefully longer, but who knows?"

Slipstream has posed:
"X-Corp, huh? It sounds vaguely familiar." Drake says as he finishes his drink, then nudges it to the side and orders a water. "The X-Men are cool. Got to team up with them a few times last year when I was first starting out. This sentinel bullshit though is out of control. I don't get why we're allowing this to happen."

Cypher has posed:
"I guess it's not a question of allowing it so much as figuring out how to stop it without a lot of collateral damage." Doug says, "These... people, for lack of a better term -- they claim to be human supremacists but they think NOTHING of endangering Sapiens lives to get at mutants. At best they consider it a necessary evil -- but they're just sadists cloaking themselves in righteousness. If there were no mutants they'd look for someone else to torture." Doug's fingers tighten around the glass.

Slipstream has posed:
"Probably, but what about our elected officials? How come the President hasn't just shut it down?" Drake asks as he lifts his brows upwards. "I'm not really in touch with the political side but to me you'd think our government would send in the big guns and kick their ass or something right? This seems like a terrorist attack."

Cypher has posed:
"It seems like it." Doug says, "But it's the same reason there's so much silence from the federal government about declaring white supremacist organizations terror groups. Because there are more people in politics influenced by them than we care to admit. It doesn't matter that they were killing citizens or not. Hard targets. Do you know how deep in the pie William Stryker has his fingers? I do. I've looked at his books."

Slipstream has posed:
"Why not dump all of that out in the public and let them see it?" Drake asks curiously as he draws his water to him. "That's all kinda fucked up. It's definitely scary to think our own people is okay with robots running around targeting citizens. How come people are scared of mutants and not Superman?"

Cypher has posed:
"There's only one Superman, kids don't spontaneously turn into Superman after they get a surge of hormones, and Superman has better press." Doug says, "And there are still people who'd smear him in the press if they could. I can put it out there, but like I said... the guy has friends. You have to be careful about the moves you make, because he's also the sort of guy who engages in violent reprisals and doesn't *really* care who gets hurt." Doug sighs. "That and I don't *really* believe in Lex Talionis."

Slipstream has posed:
"Sure, but Superman is kinda invincible and can destroy cities with his eyes. I'd consider him to be far more dangerous than a kid with green skin with a long tongue. Just seems to me that the powers that be are fucked up." Drake sighs and runs a hand back through his hair. "So, besides dodging dumb robots and playing video games, what else you into?" He asks curiously.

Cypher has posed:
Doug quirks his mouth, and, having the possible power to cripple civilization in an afternoon, keeps it shut. "Well... yeah. Yeah they are. People say 'why don't you do this' but they don't really consider the consequences or fallout of their actions. Having the ability to do something doesn't mean you want to be the one to pull the trigger." Then he spreads his hands. "Well, right now I'm heading the team building the Tech infrastructure for X-Corporation, an organization dedicated to the enfranchisement of mutants and metahumans in society."

Slipstream has posed:
Nodding his head, Drake takes another long sip of his water. "I hear you. It's definitely difficult." He clinks the ice about in his glass. "I meant what else are you into outside of work and such. Like any sport teams? I'm a Yankee fan. If you'd like to go out an do something relatively normal, I can snag us tickets. Maybe we can catch a game and throw a few dogs down."

Cypher has posed:
Doug sighs, and then breaks into a pitch-perfect rendition of 'Meet the Mets'. "East side, West side, everybody's coming down to meet the M-E-T-S Mets of New York town, of New York town!" He grins. "My friend Sam? He's the biggest Yankees fan ever. Which is funny, because he's from Harlan County, Kentucky."

Slipstream has posed:
"Oof. You're a Mets fan? Oh. Geez. Guess I have to get tickets to them instead." Drake laughs with a shake of his head. "I'm a Yankee fan by proxy. They own my Overwatch team org. I'm originally from San Francisco. So ... go Giants?" He asks for another water after draining that glass. "How does one become a Yankee fan when living in Kentucky?"

Cypher has posed:
Doug gives Drake a look. "...I like the Bills." He says, before he says, "Well, he got it from his dad, who apparently went to a Yankees game once when he was sowing his wild oats when he was younger, and that was it. He never really told me the full story. But yeah. Me, Sam, Bobby da Costa -- all old classmates, at the most elite private school in the world." He sticks out his tongue. "Thus the name X-Corporation. It's a litle joke."

Slipstream has posed:
"I'm talking the Giants baseball team. They're from San Francisco. Far as football goes, I'm a Niners fan. I gotta stay true to my Cali roots." Drake grins in amusement. "It sounds cool though, to have friends like that you can grow up with and go into business afterwards. I don't have many close friends outside of Lar and Supergirl, though I don't talk to them much these days since they're kinda busy." He drums his fingers on the table. "So, you down for a game then? Your choice of team and event."

Cypher has posed:
Doug thinks about that. "Are you familiar with the M-Derby? It's sort of an underground thing that's started up in Mutant Town. It's based on Roller Derby, so it's a little wild... but it's teams of mutants in a game that allows them to use their powers. Non-lethally, of course, but it still gets pretty wild. I'm a big supporter of the Genetic Throwbacks, I used to work with a couple of them when I was a doorman for Club Evo?"

Slipstream has posed:
"I have not heard of it, but it sounds fucking awesome." Drake says as his eyes widen a bit. "I'd love to see something like that." He gives a broad grin. "I've had my times in mutant town. Power Girl and I once beat the hell out of this mutant hate group that was setting fires to the apartments. I was able to rescue a few families that were being kidnapped from there. I patrol there sometimes, especially now with those tin cans walking 'bout."

Cypher has posed:
"Well, part of what we're doing is enfranchisement. We're working on projects ranging from getting rid of the food desert in Bushwick to allowing mutant entrepreneurs to go into business for themselves - giving them help with taxes and such - to helping train and equip companies that want to hire mutant employees." Doug says, "All right, M-Derby it is. I think the next bout is Genetic Throwbacks vs. the Superiors, they're a team of gay-lesbian mutants, heavy on the fabulosity, TON of YouTube presence."

Slipstream has posed:
Chuckling, Drake looks amused. "That sounds cool. Do we snag tickets for something or do we just knock on a door and whisper a password through the sliding window?" He asks as he flags the bar tender down to order some chips and salsa for them to share. "Is there anything I need to know about attending? Like a dress code or something? Me being an ex-Avenger won't weird people out?"

Cypher has posed:
"Nah, I can get us in, don't worry." Doug thinks. "Well, like I said, it can get a little bit wild. It's a four dimensional game, so it also includes up and down scoring and aerial action, in a kind of sunken arena with random obstacles set throughout it. Like I said, non-lethal powers use only, but there are busted bones sometimes. But, y'know. Mutants play hard. And if you've got regeneration powers you're gonna take hard hits, it's legal." Doug shrugs once, hands out. "Just be ready for anything, it's a young game and they're still working out the rules."

Slipstream has posed:
"I'm excited to see it. Does the crowd have protection so they don't get hurt or caught up in any cross-fire?" Drake asks curiously as he takes his phone out and taps along the glass. "Also, what day and time so I can make sure I don't have anything going on." He thinks for a few moments, then says, "Wanna get dinner afterwards?"

Cypher has posed:
Doug sits back, and studies Drake for a moment, his expression thoughtful. Behind his eyes, that mutant brain fires, collecting information, reading the nuance to Drake's words, taking in the subtle tics of expression and gesture that give away the unspoken. "There are barriers and the crowd's set back a bit and the game is kind of in a pit. Firing projectiles outside of the designated area is an automatic expulsion unless the ref judges it was a legit accident."

Slipstream has posed:
It's pretty obvious that Drake is excited about the chance to do something like this, and he doesn't hide any of it. He seems to wear his heart on his sleeve fairly easily. "Cool. Good to know I won't come home missing an arm or something. Then I'd have to get a kickass McCree cyber arm." He glances back up at him with a grin, hoping he'd get the reference at least. "This is so cool. Okay, so, now I gotta figure something out for us to do later." He shifts his jaw some. "I can get you VIP tickets to my next Overwatch League game here in New York. Static versus the Gladiators? You'd be right up front, then you can hang out backstage with us and meet the team."

Cypher has posed:
Doug flashes a faint grin at that. "And if somebody gets the flu, I can jump in and play? I haven't played Overwatch in years, though." Then he nods, relenting, "And dinner, sure. I suggest picking a place where the menu isn't in english -- I come in *really* handy in places like that."

Slipstream has posed:
"Now you're just showing off." Drake laughs. "I think it'd be fun to have you play, but maybe in scrims? We have a full roster and three subs, but if you're /really/ serious in playing with us under contract and not telling anyone you're a mutant.." He trails off with a wide grin. "I'd be down. At least in scrims you'd be able to challenge the hell out of us." Far as the menu goes. ".. I'm down for .. Thai maybe? Indian? I love butter chicken. I /love/ Filipino food. I love Mexican. I can eat just about anything."

Cypher has posed:
Doug raises an eyebrow. "Russian. I have a friend, sometimes when she gets homesick she drags me out to the Russian places in the city. I'm pretty sure half the people eating there are mobsters," The corner of his mouth turns up, "But that just means I get to see russian mobsters get stared down by my friend, which is *something*."

Slipstream has posed:
"You wanna get Russian food?" Drake chuckles a bit. "We can do that. I haven't had Russian food before. I wouldn't even know where to get it. But, it'll be my treat though. I'll try anything once." He picks up his water and takes another sip from it, then snags a chip from the bowl now that it's arrived. He taps on his phone again. "Looks like borscht is popular, as is pirozhki. I think I can hang with something like that. Are you going to order in Russian?"

Cypher has posed:
"That's sorta the point of having me aorund, in restaurants at least." Doug says, before he snags a chip himself, and takes a thoughtful bite of it. He chews, swallows, and then says, "Really I'm all about the novel experience, you know? Life is about constantly expanding your horizons, discovering, learning, if only to find out more about yourself. Do you know who the absolute *best* cook I've ever met is, though? My friend's mother, down in Kentucky. Figuring out how to feed ten kids on a widow's pay--I dunno how she did it."

Slipstream has posed:
"Yeah, homecooked food is always the best." Drake says as he softens his expression a bit, then rubs the back of his neck. "I never had a lot of that. My mother left us when I was young and my dad was more of a buy a pizza and stretch it out a week kinda guy." He takes another chip and lobs it into the salsa, then takes a bite. "So I grew up getting hook ups at the back of restaurants in exchange for favors like doing dishes or cleaning up the place after it's closed. I never had southern cooking. Not like real southern food."

Cypher has posed:
Doug thinks about that. "I was raised LDS, but not very strictly. Really, the only thing my mother strictly adhered to about Mormonism was the *awful cooking*." Doug sighs, "And honestly, it's one of the few things I've run into in life I have no talent for. Just spectacularly bad, something always seems to come up to distract me or something happens and the whole thing comes out awful."

Slipstream has posed:
"I never got into religion myself. My family wasn't really into it. So, I've never seen the inside of a church." Drake takes another chip out and noms on it with a loud crunch. "You can't cook? You can read a cook book in every language but you can't make food with it?" He laughs softly. "I can cook okay. Wanna come back to my place and have quesedillas?"

Cypher has posed:
"Well, I know a ruler of a hell-dimension personally," Doug says, "But sometimes I wonder if they're just as lost and confused as we are. I guess having met a bunch I think of gods differently?" He shrugs, and says, "I just don't have the talent, man--" Then he tilts his head, and says, "I'm actually trying to duck out on work for a little while before it makes me crazy. But, ha, it's nice to know I'm making a good impression!"

Slipstream has posed:
"No problem, maybe next time then. Quesedillas is literally the only thing I can make." Drake jokes as he makes a motion with his hands. "Single tortilla, layer it with cheese, fold it up and stick it on a frying pan for a few minutes and flip it. Easy peasy. Legit Mexican food." He taps again along his phone, which really is just flicking the screen back and forth between his rows of apps. "You want my number?"

Cypher has posed:
Doug considers that, and then he says, "I can get it." He takes his phone out, and fiddles with it for a moment -- and then he's added to Drake's phone book. Showing off? Just a little. "I'll hit you up with the date of that game," He says, still relaxed on his stool. "I appreciate the offer to cook me dinner, by the way, I really do. I'm on a *really* strict diet, though, and it's not cheat day."

Slipstream has posed:
Tilting his head to his phone as his number is passed over, Drake casually taps the bluetooth button off. "You're on a strict diet but you wanna get Russian food?" He says with a lift of his brows upwards, followed by a soft laugh. "It's cool, maybe text me with what you're able to eat and I'll poke about and see what I can make later. I'm a walking garbage can so I can eat just about anything. I'm pretty open minded when it comes to food."

Cypher has posed:
Doug tilts his head at that, and winks. "Listen man, I've been on a metabolically perfected diet since I was fifteen years old, and I manage to stay probably the only IT guy in the world with a six-pack and killer lats because I stick to my diet and gym routine like glue." He beams, at that. "But if you don't cheat on your diet now and again, you go crazy, so I'll just move around a cheat day and pig out."

Slipstream has posed:
There is an intrigued look upon Drake's face as he lifts his brows up higher. "Six pack, huh?" He says as he tilts his head to one side. "I'm working on those. I got about four right now." He says as he pounds his stomach. "If you wanna work out sometime, I'll be down for some tips in the gym. Working out with the Avengers was always hard for me. They go like a million miles an hour there." He laughs softly. "It's hard to pump iron next to Thor or even Cap. They just make it look so easy."

Cypher has posed:
"Yeah I know, something about me just says 'asthmatic nerd' but I was actually a scholar-athlete BEFORE I became a mutant. I dunno, there's always been some drive in me to be moving and doing. People used to ask me where I found time to sleep in between scouts, track, chess club, D&D, honors classes, and generally being out and clowning around--" He shrugs his shoulders, emphatically.

Slipstream has posed:
"Well, you kinda 'are' a nerd, but you're definitely a cool one." Drake laughs as he leans back, reaching for another chip. "Us cool nerds gotta stick together though. I played a lot of soccer before I got into gaming." He pops the chip into his mouth to chew a bit thoughtfully. "You sound like an overachiever. How do you fit in dating?"

Cypher has posed:
"Oh, man, Bobby da Costa was gonna go pro before--" Doug says, "Anyway, the guy can still do the most amazing tricks with a soccer ball." Doug shrugs. "Well -- I think of it like this. I was dead, for two years... I lost two years of my life. So compared to everyone else I know, I am still learning who I am and what I want, and I don't saddle people with false promises. But I AM sort of seeing someone, I think... maybe? We're figuring out how things go."

Slipstream has posed:
"Ahh." Drake says as he runs a hand back through his hair, ruffling it away from his eyes. "That's cool." He says a bit sheepishly, then reaches for another chip to stick into his mouth with a loud crunch. "It sounds like you're doing a great job of picking up where you left off and cramming a lot into your schedule."

Cypher has posed:
Doug quirks the corner of his mouth up, and then he says, "Listen... the flirt's *really* appreciated. And I - well, I'm sorta maybe dunno it's up to her seeing a girl? And I'm not about to fool around on her, NOT because she rules her own hell-dimension, but because I respect her as a person, a lot. But I'll level with you, I've been a singular being with an alien who self-identifies as a dude on multiple occasions, and I enjoyed the heck out of it." He sighs. "So here." He turns, looks around, and then reaches around to pull his shirt up and flash Drake his abs, before he quickly tucks his shirt back in. "Fortune favors the bold."

Slipstream has posed:
There's a laugh from Drake as he rolls his eyes upwards and to the side. "Dude, I don't even know if I'm bi-sexual or not. I've only dated two girls seriously and one of them was a Green Lantern and the other was emotionally destructive and a member of the Foot clan. She got me stabbed more times than I'd like. I mean.. cool abs and all, but I was more probing than flirting. I think you're a cool dude and I don't get a chance to roll with normies often. I figure if something happened, it'd happen organically, but I really was looking for a bro to hang out with that wasn't a God or a world famous hero or a Hulk or something."

Cypher has posed:
"...I think it'd be pretty cool to hang out with gods. Maybe not the Hulk so much, he really just wants to be left alone. It's amazing how nobody listens." Doug holds up his hands. "Okay, okay!" He says. "So, friendships start by hanging out, right? So let's hang out." He extends his techno-organic hand, closed into a fist. "Pound it, blow it up."

Slipstream has posed:
"You say that, until you find yourself sitting in the back of the cafeteria while everyone talks about who they punched in the face or how much they can bench press. I love the Avengers and they are awesome, but sometimes it felt lonely because I can't really identify with them. They were 'born' for this, and they're so kickass. I always felt like the annoying little brother who got hurt a lot. They just aren't the go hang out and play a board game type of guys." Drake says, reaching out to pound his fist, then gives a little 'ka-pow' noise as he wiggles his fingers. "I have a friend on the team named Zapp who's my best friend, but since I got replaced on the team due to superheroing, he's so busy with them that we don't really hang out much. Which is cool. Team bonding is important and he works really hard to maintain his starting position."

Cypher has posed:
"Really because I met Bucky and I bet he and Captain America would be up for board games," Doug says, scratching his head. "And I mean I've sort of stood to the side and watched Thor walk by in the past, I bet you could talk him into going out to an AEW show or something--" He shrugs his shoulders again. "Listen man, like I said, the guy with the power of talk real good grouped with 'solar powered super-strength', 'lovechild of a jet engine and a battering ram', 'demon queen of a hell dimension', 'can fire a bow with her toes and is the only native american valkyrie' and 'badass werewolf'. I know from which you speak!" He holds up his hands. "I swear."

Slipstream has posed:
"I never met Bucky. Cap is awesome, but that dude is so busy. We never really had a chance to just talk. I spent more time with Tony and it was mostly snagging him sandwiches or being lectured for taking said knives to the back, or stomach, or shoulder. I'm not an awesome fighter by any means." Drake grins as he glances down at his phone as it beeps. "Mm. I got a police alert on my phone near by territory. Looks like a bank robbery in session. Woo. I guess I can roll out there and check it out. You're welcome to join me, or I can blow them off. Doesn't seem like a 'super' alert. Just a normal back robbery. Cops probably will be okay."

Cypher has posed:
Doug thinks about that. "Well, I'm less useful in the front line, but--" He says, "Check this out." He takes his phone, and says, "Security systems are all operated by computer these days. And sophisticated technology is my playground." He says. "So you go in and be a hero, and I'll take control of the bank's security system and back you up. Wonder what kind of fire suppression they have..."

Slipstream has posed:
Giving him another grin, Drake salutes across the brow as he hops off his chair. "Cool. Thanks for watching my back." He says. "Come on, Snowball!" He calls over to the robot that gives a chiming 'doot da doo!', then floats after him. He pushes off with one foot, then blinks out of thin air in a rush of blue light streaks. Zip!