IC CONTACT | Mask or Menace

[animated]

"Hey, you've reached Charlie Maxwell. Leave me a message. Or just text me. I might get back to you faster that way."

Comments

[nostalgiabomb]

Obvious? Maybe. Wise? Probably not.

[ He gives Charlie a once over, smirking all the while. ]

I dunno, man. You seem pretty straitlaced, and I'm not exactly the kinda guy you bring home to Mom and Pops. What're you lookin' for, here?

[animated]

This- [ he motions to his... all of him ] -is a carefully cultivated image. I'm going to be around for another... hundred and fifty years or so. I don't want to give people a reason to look twice.

Also, who says I want to bring you home to mom and pops?

[nostalgiabomb]

Oh? Then what exactly am I bringing you home for, Maxwell?

[animated]

Well, I guess that's entirely up to you, isn't it?

[nostalgiabomb]

I'm only usin' you for the wholesome image, tell you the truth. Once this night is over? I'm gonna go out trollin' for some hot little number in skintight leather, covered in piercings.

[animated]

Just what kind of wholesome image are you hoping to project? [ he glances around the bar ] And to whom, for that matter?

[nostalgiabomb]

The kids at the house. Makes me look less intimidating if I show up with someone as guy-next-door as you.

[animated]

Ah. So anything beyond coming over to watch a movie is probably out of the question.

[nostalgiabomb]

Beyond? Sorry, what exactly is there beyond movie watching? Reenactment? More movies?

Kinda lost here, buddy.

[animated]

I was thinking a game of Scrabble.

But you know how crazy those can get, so maybe not.

[nostalgiabomb]

Almost as heated as Monopoly. Man, the fallout from snatching Park Place out from under someone.

[animated]

Monopoly has been known to ruin friendships.

I think the last time I played, Kara set the board on fire.

[nostalgiabomb]

... Your friend must be really serious about gettin' those railroads.

[animated]

Ah, more than anything, I think she was bored. Her boyfriend is a strategist and I'm a puzzle solver and we each take approximately a hundred years on each turn. I don't blame her for incinerating the thing, really.

[nostalgiabomb]

Ah. No wonder she got pissed, then.

Sounds almost as frustrating as how you're dancin' around what, exactly, you're looking for here.

[animated]

Hm? I have no idea what you're talking about.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He leans back in his seat. ]

Alright, then, if that's how you wanna play it.

[animated]

[ For the moment, he lets it drop, leaning his elbows on the bar and casting a glance at Peter ] Can I ask why you agreed to this?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter shrugs a shoulder. ]

You're a cool guy. I don't usually do the wine 'n' dine thing, but I figured a dinner and a drink with you wouldn't kill me.

[animated]

Aw. That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter turns sideways in his seat, elbow resting on the counter top. Like a switch has been flipped, he drops the flirty eyebrow quirks and teasing smiles. ]

One of the things you're gonna have to learn about me, Maxwell, is I've got no interest in romance or anything serious. If you wanna just have a fun night? Cool. But if you're expectin' somethin' more, here, we're gonna have to call it a night.

[animated]

First of all, I was joking.

Second of all, a fun night is all I'm after, here. Just because I asked you on a date doesn't mean I want to date you, you know?

[nostalgiabomb]

[ Peter arches an eyebrow at him. ]

Some seriously mixed signals, there, dude.

[animated]

Sorry. I'll try to be more straightforward in the future.

[nostalgiabomb]

Please do. I'm a very literal-minded person.