First Club Meeting

[thetruefocus]

Who: Everyone with powers!
Where: The X-Men's Community Center
When: Saturday, February 7th
What: Come join the X-Men and friends and meet other people with powers!

Warnings: None

Community Center Gathering

Ororo Munroe may no longer be in this world, but her work has continued and the new community center is on its way to completion...though not nearly finished yet. The front steps are scuffed stone. Much of the iconography of the former abandoned temple is gone, but some of its architecture remains in the door frame and pillars.

There is no signage. If you've made your way here, it's likely that you received a personal invitation or spotted the notice on the Forum. While this is technically a gathering for those with abilities or powers of some kind—inherited or learned—but no one will kick you out if you're human. You just might encounter some wariness from the others. The goal is encourage folks trying to figure out their powers or learn who they are to find a group of people who can help and understand them.

Upon entering, you'll likely run into the welcoming face of the event's organizer, Charles Xavier. Once enough people have shown up, he'll give his customary speech.

Meet and Greet

The main room and the kitchen's been cleaned and painted. There's been some effort to match the floor tiles, paint, and furniture, but a close look will reveal that everything's secondhand, patched together from whatever materials could be scavenged and purchased. Still, there's a comfortable couch and two matching chairs, a couple of shelves, and a cactus by the window.

A bunch of cardboard boxes are shoved into the kitchen, holding bits and bobs that whoever is working on the center is sorting through. The oven's broken, but the fridge is working. You can help yourself to coffee, tea, and beer, and any snacks you find.

A. Failed Food Delivery

While the idea was to have pizza delivered, if you arrive earlier in the meeting, you'll find out that the pizza never arrived. If you're inclined to help, you can whip up a snack plate using stuff in the kitchen, run to the grocery store for supplies, or drive down the block to pick up some emergency takeout. Or perhaps you already arrived with food and drink all on your own? Anything you've got to donate, it'll be added to the table in the middle of the room.

B. Toaster Woes

If you're attempting to use the shoddy equipment in the kitchen, the microwave and toaster are prone to blowing the circuits, plunging the room into darkness. Not to worry: either Logan or Scott will flip the breakers in the basement to get things working again, but for a few brief minutes, the darkness might cause you to trip over the uneven floors or bump into someone carrying a drink.

C. Party Games

Several board games and puzzles are stuffed into the shelf near the whiteboard. Options include Connect 4, playing cards, Jenga, and—a new addition—Uno, but given that the place is under constant construction and repairs, the boxes have a constant thin layer of dust and you might have to look for missing cards or playing pieces. There's also a random stack of paper if you want to annoy people by folding paper planes or just find some markers and crayons for a game of improvised Pictionary.

Power Demonstration (Basement)

The basement looks a bit...creepy, but it's clean and (mostly) free of mold. It's obviously still being worked on, stacked full of boxes and building materials, but there's a space that's been cleared out for those who would like to demonstrate their powers to each other.

If you're nervous about disrupting the gathering upstairs or your powers aren't suited to polite company, you can go down here and show people what you can do. Or, you can just come to watch. Perhaps you're attracted by the sound of popping cans or the whiz of magic, and are coming down to see what's going on.

Do be careful, though: if you surprise someone in the middle of their demonstration, you might send someone's power veering wildly off course. Alternatively, you're the one who was surprised, and now you've accidentally knocked somebody to the ground. Hopefully, they'll get up with nothing more than a bruise!

The Whiteboard

A whiteboard with a few colored markers (black, red, green, and blue) is set up near the entryway door. Written in Charles' handwriting are two very innocuous topic starters: Club Name Ideas—for people to volunteer ideas to name the "club"—and Contact Info—for anyone who wishes to put down their number, if they want. It's entirely optional, meant for those who're eager and willing to make friends, nothing more.

As is the case with whiteboards and a large group of people, however, what's ultimately drawn or written on it is entirely out of Charles' control. Feel free to play Hangman, draw inappropriate pictures, scribble caricatures of your friends—whatever you want.

Whiteboard Participation
If you want to write or draw on the whiteboard, or respond to others' drawings, reply to the comment HERE.

Comments

WHITEBOARD

[thetruefocus]

Reply to this with whatever your character might add to the whiteboard, including if they'll leave their number for others to use or submit ideas for the club name!

Feel free to reply to other comments and/or threadjack.

[ofgoldenthread]

[ In a polite and aesthetic corner, Aglaea has drawn the following, which did not take her long if anyone watched. She will probably stop by the whiteboard regularly to clean it up and wipe away vulgarities, at least so long as she's visiting.


Source: René Gruau. ]

Charles Xavier | XMCU

[thetruefocus]

[ Simple 'here's where he is' below, feel free to hit me up even for quick greetings, whatever you want.]

The Speech

[thetruefocus]

Once it seems that the new people coming in have trickled, he will ding a glass to try and get people's attention.

"Hello everyone, thank you for coming. I am hoping that this is the beginning of a regular meet-up. This community space was created by Ororo Munroe, our good friend who was recently sent back home. She was passionate about making this happen. We mutants back home face a great deal of prejudice, and it is with one another that we have been able to build community and train in our powers together. If even one of you finds a new friend at this event, I will consider it a great success.

There is a basement downstairs where you can choose to show your gifts to each other or practice a little. If you want more private tutoring, please see me. I have experience helping people with abilities learn how to control themselves, and I would be happy to pay it forward, so to speak.

If you would like to share your contact information, you can either do it one-on-one, or on the washboard. My number is posted on there, and you should feel free to text or call me at any time.

Thank you again, and I hope you have a pleasant evening!"

Around

[thetruefocus]

Charles is the host for this particular event, so he is there early and leaves last. He is trying to push past his sadness about Ororo, and focus on how this was something she was passionate about. It was one of the first things they did together, and he wants to make certain it comes to fruition. Because of that, there may be times in the night when he's alone that he looks sad, but otherwise he will be warm and friendly, as usual.

He is in his improved advanced wheelchair right by the whiteboard to start, so he can greet people as they come in. "Thank you so much for coming," he says with a pleased smile, blue eyes shining. If he sees that you've brought anything, he will direct you to the table with food and drinks, and say to help yourself. For most of the beginning of the event, Charles will be posted here to say hello, and usher others in.

While Charles misses most of the little parts of the evening due to introductions and greetings, he will at one point find himself in the basement to encourage people to use their powers. "Go ahead, you won't hurt the feelings of the boxes," he says with a laugh. Charles will observe anyone who just wants to show off, impressed and pleased. If your character needs a little encouragement or seems to be struggling, he will be there.

[stupidbutgood]

"Uh, hi." Peter keeps his hands in his pockets and rocks back slightly on his heels. "So, are you the guy in charge of this place?"

He seems to be given he greets everyone and is directing people to go place. Peter's trying his best at small talk and to get to know people. Socialize. Scott told him it would be a safe place to meet people.

Still feels weird to mingle with other super-powered people. He wonders what this guy can do.

[savante]

The polite thing, of course, is to introduce yourself to the host.

Lune had been paying careful attention during his speech — the mechanical wheelchair draws particular curiosity and she finds herself briefly distracted, looking at the wheels, wondering how it was built — but then she listens. Afterward, she waits until the initial rush of introductions passes, and the professor has a little bit of breathing room and a spare moment, a swell between the waves; at which point she finally approaches.

“Hello,” she says, brightly. “Charles Xavier, yes? My name is Lune. I wasn’t sure if I belonged at this event, but your message on the forums mentioned magic users, which does apply, so— hopefully that’s alright.”

Her smile is a little self-conscious, the automatic politeness she wields once she’s correctly sniffed out an Authority Figure™ and very much wants to make a good impression. And to settle a question:

“Listening to your speech, I wanted to ask. What are mutants, to you? I’m aware of the biological term, of course, but— it seemed there was a more specific connotation to it.”

We mutants back home face a great deal of prejudice. It feels like there’s some additional context she’s missing, something crucial behind the formation of this ‘club’ to begin with.

Peter Parker | TASM/MCU

[stupidbutgood]

Meet & Greet - OTA

This is… uncomfortable.

Peter’s never been this open about having powers before. This is a small gathering and everyone else here has powers but Peter still feels like this many people knowing he has super powers is way too many.

He’s also just awkward at parties anyway so being a wallflower is not out of character for him.

In his head he knows he should just walk over to someone and introduce himself. Maybe ask how they got their powers and what they do with them. Peter’s met a few people now who are totally open and comfortable about having powers and being heroes.

But people knowing is one of those things he’s worked so hard to avoid for a literal decade. Peter’s used to protecting his identity. It’s really weird to just be open and talkative about it.

He picks a wall to lean against that’s close to people but not in the middle of them. He’s got a cup of coffee - which will not help with his anxiety but whatever - and settles into crowd watching.

Maybe if a familiar face shows up he’ll make an attempt but Peter’s got to wrestle with himself for a while first.

Toaster Woes - OTA

Now this is Peter’s element. A toaster that blows a circuit every time it’s used? Sign him up!

Which is why he’s sitting on a kitchen counter with the toaster in his lap and a collection of tools he’s managed to scrounge up from his few days here to work on it. He is slowly and carefully taking the toaster apart to reach the inner workings where something must be going wrong.

Sorry to anyone who hoped to use the toaster, Peter’s got an engineering DIY project and that’s where he’s happiest.

Mingle with people and talk about having superpowers? Nope.

Poke at the inner workings of a toaster to find where the short is that’s clearly drawing too much power and blowing the circuit every time? Yes, please.

If it’s not the toaster, well, Peter might just appoint himself the new electrician and start to get at the wiring in the walls. Someone should probably interrupt him before it gets that far.


The Basement - OTA

The problem is he’s curious. Peter wants to know what’s going on. He ends up in the basement because of his own curiosity to see what other people can do. He’s the only superhero in his world. Everyone else with powers keeps turning evil. He wants to see what other people can do.

His spider-sense kind of hates it though.

Turns out even good people with powers can trip it though not in the same way as a typical threat. Peter just happens to get a tingle when something is about to happen that includes a large explosion or a loud noise.

Yay for him.

It does help though when something goes wrong. A demonstration goes wrong, debris goes flying. Peter’s spider-sense kicks in hard.

He grabs the person next to him and pulls them out of the way of a piece of debris without conscious thought that the person might be perfectly capable of protecting themselves from danger. It’s all muscle memory, insanely fast reflexes, and the desire to protect.

Peter even physically curls himself over the person to keep them safe until the warning of danger passes and he slowly draws back from them.

“Are you okay?” he asks because he cannot help himself.

toaster woes

[opticular]

[ Scott's currently mingling with the rest of the people who managed to attend. Now that Ororo's gone, he's taken it upon himself to manage everything, offering not to get long-term projects at the Scrapyard in exchange for keeping an eye out on work that's being done here.

It's true that they still need formal electrical wiring. The temple's huge and he can't do it alone, not without at least one other help.

So there's a smile on his face when he approaches Peter who's starting to tinker with their wirings. ]

Saw what you did with the toaster earlier. Good job. [ Scott would've gone and repaired it after the initial complaint but when he saw Peter's on the job, he just smiled and let the young man do it. ]

[stupidbutgood]

Oh, thanks. Yeah, it was a small fix. Shouldn't blow the circuit anymore. [ He shrugs a shoulder. ] But, uh, I have some concerns about the rest of the wiring in this place.

[ The whole restored temple thing is nice but clearly it's been slow going on actually updating it and making it better. Making it fully safe. ]

If you want some help with that I know a lot of DIY stuff.

the basement;

[valle]

Curiosity carries them both downstairs, though in Laura's case it's with a slightly more guarded edge to the whole thing — she wants to see the type of thing she might be up against one day. People had been in it for themselves in the Void, and while that hasn't been the case here, knowing the ways other mutants might attack them had helped her keep her friends alive a little longer. She wants to be prepared for anything... just in case.

He could be forgiven for thinking she needs the help. She's a slight girl, petite, and visibly only about eighteen years old. It probably does look an awful lot like she'd need to be whisked out of the way of impending danger.

Except that when he pulls back and looks down at her, he'll notice the pair of sharp metal claws protruding from either of her fists — popped out on instinct when she sensed the debris flying at her, ready and certainly willing to simply swipe at it in the air and obliterate it into harmless little chunks. She never gets the chance — instead, she's got to quickly yank her hands back to keep from accidentally impaling him when he spins her, and it's entirely possible she winds up catching a blade on his arm in the process anyway.

"Shit- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

She just wasn't expecting the assist. She doesn't really get a lot of people trying to take blows for her, considering she's basically a tiny little immortal tank. Taking the hits is usually her job.

[stupidbutgood]

Peter did think the girl was weirdly kind of heavy.

"Hey, no, no, it's okay." Peter pulls open the cut on the side to show she only cut through layers of clothing and left barely a scratch on him. It looks more like a paper cut than him getting sliced open. "See? Nothing to worry about."

It's totally fine that she's got claws that put the Lizard's to shame. It's totally fine they appear to rip out from directly between her knuckles which must totally hurt. Peter has questions but he's not going to ask about that's probably rude.

And he's trying to reassure her she didn't hurt him.

"Besides, I heal fast. Even if you did cut me a few hours from now no one would ever know." He smiles in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. Okay, a few hours for a bad cut is stretching it but again the point is to be reassuring.

Bucky Barnes | OTA

[freakymagoo]

[Thanks, he hates it here. And no, Steve still hasn't taken him anywhere nice.

But he's hanging around outside the repurposed temple, after casing the perimeter a couple of rounds and reassuring himself that this scam centre community space isn't rigged to blow or transmitting a monitoring feed somewhere with a suspicious-looking cable. Like a stray sniffing around for traps - or food - but showing absolutely zero interest to go inside even though there is actually food inside. And it's warmer. And the people are friendly. And there are (probably) no traps.

Look, at least he doesn't look like the bouncer or the imposing security detail, but. It would be a lie to say he's also showing absolutely zero interest at the people who are going inside and coming outside. He's definitely staring, and watching. But for the most part he hasn't latched onto anything 'unusual' - whatever that term means in a place that gets wracked with cosmic storms and has near-daily spectacles to offer in the nearest diffusion zones - and he's not looking to pick a fight.

He's itching to leave, but unfortunately Steve insists on BuIlDiNg ReLaTiOnShIpS or playing strip poker or whatever the hell is going on inside. He could possibly be tempted by hot food entering his No Fun Allowed zone though. Maybe. If it smells like melted cheese. Or deep fried. Or deep fried and melted cheese.]

[stupidbutgood]

[ Peter might qualify as something unusual. The socializing was fun but he's still feeling a little weird about sharing his powers so openly. He goes outside for a breath of fresh air.

His intention was to climb up the side of the building and perch somewhere high up where he could be alone with his thoughts but as he prepares to climb, hands pressed against the wall, one foot raised he realizes there's just a dude... lurking. ]

Uh, hey. [ He waves awkwardly. ] You lost or something?

[freakymagoo]

No I'm trapped. [Said dryly. Don't think that Bucky hasn't noticed it looks like this kid just came from inside the building but looks like he's about to scale it and pull some Ocean's Eleven level shit. He's most definitely glaring, but it's debatable whether that's a scowl or if that's just his resting happy face.]

The front door lock behind you? [Obviously not, but clearly Bucky's not going to just let him start climbing. Even if half the people here can maybe fly or read minds or whatever.]

[pse]

[ Charles had offered Kimiko the opportunity to bring someone with her to this, but it was quickly, if gently, declined. This is the last possible event she'd want to bring a date to, even if she had anyone who could (or would) fill that role. So she's alone, sidling awkwardly through the crowd with one eye on the exit and the other eye trying not to parse out potential threats. It doesn't feel altogether very kind, treating Charles's effort at inclusion like recon carried out in the heart of Vought Tower — she is what her world made her, yes, but she tries to tamp down on it.

Bucky looks about as out of place as she feels, so she invites herself into his No Fun Zone bubble with two paper cups of hot (and likely terrible) coffee. One is held out for him.

The glance she gives him isn't a smile, necessarily, but it could hardly be called cold. Sup, as the kids say. ]

[freakymagoo]

[Sadly, Bucky wasn't so lucky, and Steve did think to bring him along. Even though this isn't a date. Or at least, he didn't think so. Steve didn't exactly call it a date. And, you know. Bucky has no idea what they are, so. Anyway, their dates are supposed to have deep fried and/or melted cheese so the absence of them means no date. Right?

He didn't expect to see her here. Of course she said she was back in town, but maybe a part of him had assumed it wouldn't be so easy to run into familiar faces given the size of the city. Maybe unconsciously he thought that, like the other ladies he associates with Walker, she wouldn't have had a reason to be here, but it would make sense. Almost everyone they know can do something hardly anyone else can, and coincidentally have been fucked over by somebody who's tried to use them to push their own agenda.]

Thanks. [He accepts the coffee with a small nod. Takes the cup in his metal hand and has no idea how hot it is until it touches his lips. His tongue flicks out over his upper lip and he gets a taste of how terrible it is as he lowers it, holding the cup lower closer to the bottom of his jacket. If she made it particularly poorly, he fully deserves it, but somehow he doubts her cup tastes much better.]

You signed up for this? [A decent number of people have made their way in since he arrived. He's admittedly mildly surprised. Of course he probably owes Charles an apology too, along with a half dozen other people. But he's reserving judgement until enough time has passed that this hasn't blown up in anyone's face.]

[americassed]

[ BuIlDiNg ReLaTiOnShIpS is nice, though, and while this is the second time he has taken Bucky in a semi-work related thing, Steve has something special planned for a holiday that he knows is coming up soon. It's not lost on the both of them that they've given each other chocolates, flowers, and a box of 9mm rounds lately.

Steve might be inside mingling and taking note of every guest's abilities and skillsets, but he's quick to notice Bucky's nowhere in sight. Look, it's not like Steve's keeping track of his best friend slash boyfriend like some obsessed lover, but Bucky's absence is usually glaring to him. Call it a bit of a trauma response when he had lost him twice already back home, and once here.

So, after politely excusing himself from the guests he had been conversing with, Steve goes outside. A smile forms on Steve's lips the moment he sees Bucky, hands inside his pockets while he approaches him. ]

There's some hot food inside. Saw a bit of mac and cheese with actual melted cheese. Haven't tried some yet so I can't vouch for it. [ This is his way of tempting Bucky to come inside without actually saying it. As soon as Steve's beside him, his smile widens. ] You alright?

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles does spend most of his time inside, but a little bird may have told him that there was someone lurking outside. This isn't a big surprise to him; he thought there had to be at least one person who would do that instead of coming in. Wandering around out there instead of coming in for one reason or another as they made a decision about whether to join everyone else.

He doesn't know who it is since he doesn't use his powers, so when he wheels out to see, he is genuinely surprised to see Bucky. Bucky made his feelings about this well-known, and as of right now, Charles is not aware that Steve brought him. A part of him is hopeful that Bucky chose of his own accord, and at the moment, he has no reason to doubt otherwise. It would make sense for someone to be worried about the safety and come check it out.

His new wheelchair made it easy now for him to carry things while getting around, so he has a cup of hot cocoa with him, and he smiles at Bucky, delighted. "Certain yet that we are in fact, safe?" That is what he assumes Bucky is doing. "Here, I brought you something hot to drink as you seem determined to stay out. It's not poisoned, I assure you." He would like to hope that this has all proven that Charles himself is no threat, nor his idea.

lune | clair obscur: expedition 33

[savante]

The dark-haired woman in her early 30s is quiet, initially content to listen and absorb information from everyone else. She seems impatient with the party games, critical of your drawing skills at Pictionary (“What is that, a werewolf?”), and eventually finds an excuse to weasel her way out of the merriment.

She’s evidently far more interested in serious one-on-one conversation: she’ll introduce herself as a mage, not a mutant, but similar principles seem to apply, and magic users were listed as welcome. She’s endlessly curious about others’ abilities, and perhaps a little blunt in asking: “Did you acquire your powers naturally, or artificially?”

At some point, someone earnestly tries to heat up some Pop-Tarts in the kitchen, and the lights in the room go out with an ominous pop! On automatic kneejerk instinct, Lune snaps her fingers, and a small palmful of fire materialises in her hand, illuminating the immediate vicinity before she can run into anyone. “Is everything alright?” she asks, mildly worried, instantly assuming the worst.

For the actual powers demonstration in the basement, she keeps it simple, a quick burst of her elemental spells like a spinning roulette: a flare of fire, a lance of ice embedded in the wall. There’s a moment where her palms crackle with additional energy, before she cuts herself off and stops, shooting a dubious look at their basement surroundings. “I don’t think a thunderstorm or earthquake would be wise, here.”

( ooc: happy to match prose or brackets! hmu @ quadrille if u wanna confab first )

check out aisle, eight tags or fewer

[pse]

[ As the socialising gets underway, Kimiko pops out from the crowd like a little hamster popping out from a pile of shredded newspaper and woodchips, and spends at least an hour glued to Lune's side. For as much as they've been spending time together recently, Kimiko has yet to explain the rules of her world; the corruption and commercialisation of superpowers, the trail of blood and misery and tragedy hidden behind propaganda, behind TV spots and closed boardroom doors. But maybe some of Kimiko's unease shows on her face, the way she surreptitiously glances toward Lune's six every couple of minutes — needlessly protective, perhaps.

Eventually, she ends up seated cross-legged on a table. A stolen bowl of chips is between the two of them and they're making short work of it. Bits of conversation filter in above their awareness, and there's the occasional thump from the basement below.

Casually, she signs — ]

You look like you're thinking really hard.

[ You know, as usual. ]

[stupidbutgood]

"Uh, I was bit by a genetically modified spider and its venom transformed me on a genetic level?" Peter says in response to the extremely blunt question on how he got his powers. "So I guess that's artificial?"

Peter wasn't born with his powers, after all. He figures that's what she means by natural. He will not argue that his powers are natural because they come from a natural creature and not a chemical. He will not be pedantic because genetics are natural.

He will not be a sarcastic jerk because he's still not exactly comfortable talking about his abilities. He's trying to make friends!

"It's not magic or anything. I mean that's pretty cool." He gestures to her. "And being a mage is awesome."

erik lehnsherr — xmcu — ota

[heavymetals]

FOOD DELIVERY FIX

[ While not being at the centre of the activity for today, Erik is at least looking in a decently good mood, and like he's actually enjoying his time here today. Let's call it some tentative optimism. Most of the work in putting this together has come from Charles, aided by Scott and Logan, as well as Storm before she left. What little Erik may have done was mostly in aiding Charles with any smaller tasks.

That's precisely what he does when the food delivery fails them, slipping out of the gathering for just long enough to pick up some food elsewhere. It's not much in short notice, but at least he manages some snacks and finger foods, which will be unceremoniously served in their plastic containers and paper boxes. He's unpacking one of the bags, and when someone else approaches to offer help, he'll nod to the other bag on the table, with sweet snacks rather than savory. ] You can open those.

POWER DEMONSTRATION

[ Now, rather than just chatting up random strangers and overall socializing the "normal" way, this is much more Erik's comfort zone. The basement being darker and less welcoming doesn't seem to bother him much. He walks around the area watching everyone else, curious about anyone who's comfortable enough to show off their abilities.

Perhaps someone's just into it enough that they accidentally send some piece of metal flying (a can, a knife??), and Erik has to lift a hand just in time to stop it dead in the air. Or maybe he's the one showing off some skills, lifting several items around himself and combining them into one larger piece, melding the metal together, then separating them once more with little more than a thought.

One option or the other, though, whoever's there now has his attention, and he turns to them, still holding whatever items in his grasp. ] We can always make this a little more interesting.

WILDCARD

[ Erik will be just about anywhere during the meeting, so feel free to grab any of the other prompts and hit me up with them! ]

Food Delivery Fix

[stupidbutgood]

On it!

[ Aunt May would skin him alive if she found out he went to a party and didn't offer to help in some way. The chances of her finding out about this experience are so incredibly slim he probably shouldn't worry about it but it feels wrong to leave the guy who went to get snacks on his own to set them up on his own too. ]

Thanks for making the run. [ Peter pops open the first container and carefully makes space on the table to fit it. ] Really nice of you. And if there's like a, I don't know, help pay for the gas for going to get them or like next time snack fund let me know.

[ Because it's a community center and there's got to be some way for Peter to chip in funds for it, right? That's got to be a thing. Yet another thing Aunt May would insist on because of good manners. ]

Power demo

[freakymagoo]

[After Steve dragged him not-kicking and not-screaming indoors, Bucky first hit up the mac and cheese, at least having enough decency to not eat the whole tray himself, and then went to find a dark corner to lurk in.

He's mostly sitting around waiting for Steve to decide when to leave when he finds himself in the basement watching projectiles fly around trying not to lose another limb.

He's already straightened up from where he was slouching and would have caught the knife flying towards his head just fine with his gloved vibranium hand, but luckily, Charles's boyfriend whom Bucky hasn't actually properly met yet intercepted on his behalf. His gaze shifts from the hovering knife to the hand to the face back to the hand and then to the knife.]

...it's plenty interesting already. [Don't threaten him with a good time.]