Invites Pt 2

Log Info

Title: Invites (Part 2)
Emitter: None
Characters: Liv, Amber, Reg, Sandra, Linus
NPCs: None
Place: The Steranko Institute, various
Time: 6/3 - 6/5/2010
Summary: More invitations to an ill-advised vacation at Liv's home. Amber and Reg, with cameos from Sandra and Linus in the second log. Pt 2/2

*6/3*

Peace and quiet reigns in the Steranko Institute after finals and the subsequent celebrations. Liv wanders into Prentiss Hall, humming along with her MP3 player … and doing the voice of whatever artist it is she's listening to under her breath. She pauses, popping out her earbuds and scanning the common room, obviously looking for someone.

Amber is lounging in the room, laid out on one of the couches. Many kids have already left for the summer, but Amber's been lingering behind. Not sure she's going back for more than a vacation. Pro Wrestling…Oprah…Deadliest Catch…Tosh.0…the Puppy Bowl marathon! "AWWWWWWW!" comes the happy innocent tone of the American Girl Scout.

Liv makes a sound somewhere between a cough and snicker and slips up to the couch, peering down at Amber. "What in the world is that?" she wonders without preamble, then takes the verbal step back to add, "Hi, Amber. How's it going?" Beat, stare. "… I think this could be potentially lethal to diabetics."

Amber looks up and smiles, "Liv, hi! Where've you been, I haven't seen you around in a while?" She looks back to the TV and points, "This is Puppy Bowl 3, and OH MY GOD," she says loudly enough to rattle the walls, "Golden Retriever puppies, sooooooo cute….It's what they show during the Super Bowl for people that don't like football. It's just cute, and…I can't…look…away…"

Liv laughs, plopping on the arm of the couch. "Why didn't I know about this? I hate football and … awww …" She mimes covering her eyes. "If I look too long, I'm going to melt." She makes a face. "Mostly buried in finals. I must have rewritten my ethics paper a half dozen times and I still wasn't satisfied with it. What did I miss?"

Amber shrugs and says, "Nothing much. Finals, a beach barbeque, lots of hanging out, and a few people running into an occassional thug. You know, the painfully usual." She doesn't look at Liv, just watches the puppies, "Find the remote, I put it down somewhere and if I keep watching, I'm going to adopt you."

"… wait, and that's supposed to be incentive for me to find the remote?" Liv asks, arching an eyebrow. "Adopt me. Please. My mother's a high-strung actress and she's on far more MILF lists than I want to think about." She cranes over, hunting around. "Yeah, I've had a few of those, too - the occasional thugs, I mean. Thanks for the fashion advice on the costume, by the way. … aha!" She tosses the remote into Amber's lap.

Amber clicks off the Puppy Bowl and sighs, "Whew, thanks, another minute and I would have been drooling kibble." She looks at Liv now, blinking to get the puppy images out of her head, "Well, I could still adopt you, if you want. That would only make /some/ people confused in this crazy world." She laughs, "So what brings you around Prentiss?"

"Again with the things I might actually want to see - maybe," Liv says, mocking a grimace. "Yeah, isn't there some law that you have to be older than the person you're adopting?" She leans back on the couch arm. "Actually was trying to find you. This is going to sound out of the blue, but this came up pretty recently and I totally understand if you've got some heroic shindig to join. You think you might want to join me and a few folks in NYC for a few days?"

Amber smiles a little and blinks. "Uhh, sure…wow, you probably don't know this about me, but I'm from New York City. I was gonna head back for a little bit of vacation, but yeah, I would love to hang with you…you and who else?"

"Huh, small world - didn't realize," Liv says with a small grin. "I'm thinking it's Alia, Sandra, and Stephanie, which probably would make you the most normal person." The humor is good-natured on all counts. "I've been dithering about asking This Boy." One can hear the capitals. She pauses, then adds, "The one thorn in this is accomodations are the Prieto residence. But my mother tends to be civil around company." An eyeroll.

Amber hmms and says, "Well, that sounds fine by me. I mean, if I need to I can always crash at the compound. Mom and Dad would so not mind, but I don't think I can have guests over myself." She grins, and says, "Ok, so Alia I know, and I've met Stephanie…I don't know Sandra, and who's 'THE BOY'?" she says almost grander.

"If she gets too odious, sure," Liv says with a wry smile. "I don't think there will be any problem. I just … didn't want to be alone, hmm?" Her expression is rueful. "Really? She's here in Prentiss. Keeps to herself, but she's sweet. With one hell of a sense of honor. Think you'd like her." And then even more sheepishly, "Well, you've met him, actually. It's Reg."

Amber shakes her head and says, "I think I've talked to him once. But yeah, I don't really know him either. Sooooo…" She leans in with a smile, and says, "What's the deal? Is he your possible wanna to be boyfriend?" She smiles brightly, looking for the good gossip from the source.

Liv laughs. "Well, I suppose this will be a bonding experience or something … either that, or all five of you will go away hating each other. And be peeved at me for setting it up." She rubs at her face, the flush not quite hidden behind the hand. "Yeah … he is. Well, I mean, I'm not sure, he could just be humoring me …" She clears her throat. "You got anything you particular want to see in the city?"

Amber smiles and says innocently and cheerfully, "I'm already mad at you!" as if stating a fact. Then she giggles a little and says, "I should be the one asking you that. I mean, I've helped my parents save it a few times." She winks and says, "I mean, if you guys all want to go see a show on Broadway or hit some of the more secluded heights, I know where to go, who to call and set it up. Sooooooo…" she says, resting her head on her hands, "What do you mean, humoring you?"

"Augh, don't say that!" Liv says, making a face. "Well, I frankly don't have much interest in Broadway, but if the others do, it would be awesome if you could set that up. For anything else, let me think about it." She waggles a hand, looking vaguely embarrassed. "Well, that is … we went out, right? What if he just did because he didn't want to hurt my feelings? Oh, bah, never mind."

Amber hmms, and says, "Well, so…wait, did you only go out once?" SHe tilts her head and says, "If he hasn't asked, have you? I mean…maybe he's shy." She tilts her head and smiles, "But you like him, right? So you know, just go for it and ask him out again. You know, you really have a tough exterior. But I think I've seen enough Dr. Phil to know you really want him to like you back.”

"Just the once," Liv admits, "and it went really well - until the end, and that wasn't anyone's fault." Her face scrunches up. "It was an act of courage to ask him the first time! And I nearly got struck by a bolt of lightning." She chuckles. "It's just, like, everything you see and read, the guy is supposed to make the moves or the girl seems pushy or desperate. But maybe you're right." A wry smile, and she teases, "So that's the secret to your wisdom, Dr. Phil?"

Amber duhs, "Have you watched that show? Ok, the guy's not exactly the most interesting person in the world, but you can actually get a little education in psych. Really easy to pick up on stuff if your looking for a way to take out criminals, like a pop psych profile. Dad's great at it. Mom and I…well, we let our fists do the thinking for us most of the time." She grins and giggles. "So tell me why New York and not LA this time around? Your mom on a job?"

"I will defeat you with the power of psychology?" Liv wonders, laughing. "Does that really work? I've seen how you can fluster someone with the right words at the right time, but …" She waggles a hand. "New York - and the stage - were her first home. She considers the city home-base and the LA house her working pad." She snorts. "I got used to the back and forth. She'd never leave me. Never." There's a little hiss and crackle in her voice; then it settles out again. "I think she *is* negotiating on a movie being shot out of New York right now, though. The producers are balking at her requests for daily human sacrifices." Her tone is utterly deadpan.

Amber hmms and says, "You know…I don't think I'll be seeing many more movies now." She laughs a bit, and sighs, "So…she wants to keep an eye on you. But she might be working while we're there…soooooo…we could have a lot of fun in the city. You know it, and I know it. We could have a blast with stuff to do, so you won't have to worry about her and…if you wanted to, you know…show Reg around…I know where to take the others," smiling slyly.

"Why not? I have it on good authority they never sacrifice puppies," Liv says, mock-solemn. "Well, it's not like she's been able to keep an eye on me for months, so I doubt she'll hover over me - us - and we should have plenty of space to hare off and paint the town red, or at least a sickly pink." A grin. "The only thing I ask is that we don't get arrested, huh?" But then she colors. "Well … maybe."

Amber blinks and says, "Ummm well, no…no I don't think I want to have any involvement in getting people arrested in any way." She smirks, "I do have a little rep in that town. So maybe I'll at least keep you honest." Chuckling she adds, "You're hopefully kidding about this movie stuff, right?"

"It's just I've heard stories about some of the parties in the city," Liv says, waving it off. "And hey, I'm trying to stay in line here." Her eyes widen, mock hurt … then she chuckles. "Oh, yes, of course. I mean, I can't guarantee that some movies aren't fueled by dark rituals, but if they are, I don't know anything about it."

Amber chuckles a bit about the movies…but might get mom and dad to look into some production companies just in case. She smiles though, and says, "Look, Liv, you've been doing great here. I know what you told me, and it sounds like you're supposed to be one thing…but I think that you're really showing how much of a person you are and how you can truly be what you want to be. You're doing great, and it'll be awesome to hang out with you in New York."

Liv ducks her head, looking a little embarrassed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she says - genuine, not sarcastic. "I'm trying. If I were totally confident, I wouldn't need a buffer of having friends there - but then we wouldn't have the chance to hang out, so hopefully it comes out to the better." A broader smile. "Really glad you could do it. I uh, probably should slip out, though …"

Amber nods and says, "Yeah, sure, and listen. I'm your friend, right? These people are your friends. You ever need to let out steam, punch a guy or just talk, c'mon by." She smiles brightly, "I like to help." She truly is a girl scout, or she takes her role very seriously. "Go, I have puppies in my head demanding I watch their show."

"I'm so physically weak I bet if I punched someone, I'd actually make them better," Liv mock-grouses. The smile skews. "I'll remember that - honest. It's been okay, you know? This place is … better than I'd hoped. And the same goes for you, minus the punching. You can't be shiny all the time." She slides off the couch arm and says, "All right, I'm off, but I don't want to hear that your dormmates had to pry you away from the puppies with a titanium crowbar …"

*6/5*

Liv slips into the student center, a woman on a mission … but not one so important, apparently, that she can't stop to purchase herself a fruit smoothie. She leans against the counter, sipping it as she scans the place for familiar faces. Her left leg is casually kicked up. One sign she's made progress since coming here: she's not currently trying to hide the anklet. Of course, the second she realizes it's showing, it may be a different story.

Of course it might. A figure comes into the student center, footsteps moving towards the counter. Reg leans upon it, and says to the young woman behind it, "Hey. Can I get some coffee. Milk and sugar, yeah," he tells her with a smile.

Liv half-turns, flashing Reg a shy smile. "Hi," she says, "you're just the person I wanted to see. Got a minute?" She eyes the coffee being prepared and amends, "Or planning to pull an all-nighter for a family issue?"

"Nah, I just like coffee," Reg says to Liv. "Frankly, doesn't really do anything for me that way, one way or another." He takes a slow sip, turning to watch her curiously. "What do you need?" He asks, gesturing to the seat beside him.

Liv settles down, crossing her legs casually … and that's when she notices the anklet. She flushes and bends forward to conceal it with the skirt edge, though it's hardly as if Reg is unaware of it. "That must be a pain. Some of the kids around here swear by it for cramming." She sips her smoothie, looking down. "What are you doing for the first week of summer break?"

"Not sure," He says. "I guess just go home, see what's up with dad. Not sure, though. Why d'you ask?" He wonders. He doesn't comment on her smoothing the skirt over the anklet.

"I hope you don't think this is forward or anything," Liv says, "but I'm being forced to go home for a little while -" interesting choice of words, that "- and I've asked a few people to come with me. Figured I'd turn it into a proper vacation. Would you maybe want to join me? Us?"

"Oh! Who'd you invite?" The young man asks curiously, glancing oer at Liv. He takes another sip from his coffee, stretching languidly. Then, another sip again.

"Uh, I've asked Stephanie - I'm not sure if you've met Stephanie? - and Alia. Sandra. Amber." A beat, and Liv admits, "I guess partly I think Amber will drive my mother nuts." She considers that again. "So I suppose I can't blame you if you don't want to be stuck with a passel of girls, but …"

"Oh, they're cool," Reg says. "Sure. I'll come. Have to ask my dad for permission, but that's okay," he says. "I doubt he'll have anything untoward to say. Mom, on the other hand…" He trails off. And chuckles. "But I can arrange it, I'm sure."

"What, you wouldn't have come if I'd asked the wrong friends?" Liv asks wryly, quirking a brow. "Yeah, well, to be honest … I didn't want to be alone in that big house with *my* mother, so I know sort of where you're coming from." She smiles, then, looking relieved. "It'd be great if you could, though."

Reg tilts his head to the side. He appraises Liv a moment. "why do you not want to be around your mother?" He asks curiously. "I mean, there's gotta be a reason, right?"

"I've already told you things have been strained since the arrest," Liv says, making a face. "But my mother is … I'm not what she wants me to be, and she's a very strong personality. Sometimes I'm not sure I can find my center when she's around - and she thinks this whole hero thing is a pointless phase." She hesitates visibly before adding, "She thinks powers like mine are similar to having wealth or a gift for numbers. They're to be used for personal advancement."

"Personal advancement isn't wrong. But it shouldn't be the only thing one should do," he says with a slight shake of his head. "If that's what your mother thinks, I can see why you'd be a little uncomfortable, anyway…"

"I know that - or at least, I think I know that," Liv amends wryly. "Yeah, she's … like I said, she's very certain of her view of the world and it's … intimidating." She rubs at the back of her neck.

"Eh. You have to be sure yourself." Reg says with a shrug. "If you're not, then that sort of thing can really bother you. Be sure of who you are up here." He taps his head. "And in here," he taps his heart. "And things will be all right."

Liv and Reg are seated near the snacks counter, conversing - he has coffee, she has a smoothie. "Well, that's the thing," she says. "I'm not. And it's not something I can just turn on like a lightswitch, you know? Maybe it comes of the fact that I'm just a reflection of someone else, but …" She shrugs. "Anyhow, you'll be doing me a big favor and hopefully we'll have a decent time of it, so …"

Reg shakes his head slowly, "You aren't 'just a reflection'. Is a child a reflection of the parents because they came from them? You are your own person. Never think of yourself like that," Reg says firmly.

Slipping into the Student Center comes Sandra - and she looks like one of the walking dead. The last several weeks, the poor girl has been cramming and studying and in and out with tutors (especially Math) preparing for the last of her finals. And now that they are all done - she looks beat.
It is, therefore, no suprise that the young woman doesn't even spot Liv and Reg as she makes her way to the snack counter and starts meandering her way through line. A smoothie for herself, and the last of the carrot cake cupcakes, before the young woman is paying for her purchase and meandering towards a seat in a trance-like stupor.

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Liv says. "It's not a co-mingling of genetic material …" she trails off, spotting Sandra out of the corner of her eye, and truth be told a bit eager for the potential of an interruption. She bounces up in her chair, waving. "Sandra! Come join us! … just don't run into any chairs on your way over."

"Hello, Sandra," Reg says to the young woman with a nod of his head, "How're you?" His lips quirk into a smile before he glances over at Liv. "I don't think it is, at the heart. It's a different method but same result, I'd say."

"Running into a chair would only do damage to the chair, why would I want to harm school property?" asks Sandra, with a weak smile for Liv as she walks over - perhaps it was a joke? Blue eyes then slide over to Reg and the blonde young wman gives a polite-enough nod, before eyeing the chair next to Liv for a moment. "I do not wish to interrupt conversation," she notes, letting her hand rest on the back of the chair, but not pulling it out just yet.

"Yes, well … I could think of several differences, but that's not something to darken a pleasant conversation with." Liv grimaces briefly over the smoothie, then reverts to a faint, if automatic, smile. She allows a small laugh in case that was a joke, then shakes her head. "No, not interrupting. I was just filling him in on the New York trip. He's in."

"I think those are just details. But…I could be biased." His voice is dry, before he glances over towards Sandra again, "How goes the studying?" He asks the young woman, taking another sip from his coffee.

"What is the saying … the Dust is in the Details?" asks Sandra curiously, before shrugging. "Every circumstance is different, so really, I should not be commenting at all, not knowing the topic at hand." Then Sandra pauses, looking at the chair again, before pulling it out, her blue eyes darting to Reg, then to Liv, before she looks to her smoothie. "Is he?" she asks in regards to the New York trip. "Interesting," is noted, before Sandra offers up her best effort of a shrug. "It is done. That is all that matters to me right now."

"Trust me, it's a lot more than details. And it's Devil." Liv doesn't seem inclined to elaborate. "Interesting? I was thinking us girls could gang up on him and force him to get a makeover," she says, joking in an attempt to lighten the mood. "And hey, you've survived your first finals here. It has to be all downhill from this point, right?"

The expression on Reg's face is wry, as he looks towards Sandra, before glancing over at Liv. "Good luck," is all he says. "I don't get ganged up on," he says with a touch of humor.

"Well, at least that clears the air on if you are a Spartan or not," drawls Sandra, perhaps another attempt at humor, or just a bad comment to make. It is ever so difficult to tell at times. "Liv, let's be kind to him, mmm? He does wear a skirt into battle. That takes some … mmmm… what is the word… Hutzpah? I always slaughter Yiddish. And as I have heard some around campus say - he still has his man-card so that makes him doubley male."

Liv laughs, a vaguely startled sound. "Yeah, that's right. If he were Spartan, he would have leapt at the chance to have someone beautify him … before rushing into battle, of course." She holds up a hand, mock-defensively. "I am kind to him. Though if he's doubly male, wouldn't that …" Liv stops. Liv blushes. Liv can't continue that particular line of thought. Abort, reset. "It does take guts, I suppose. Or chutzpah, if you prefer." Turning back to Reg, "I promise we won't go too girly on you, seriously." Is that something she *can* promise?

"I'd actually say the Spartans weren't ganged up on, actually." A pause. "After all, they held the line." He shrugs a shoulder, adding, "And the garment is typical. I wouldn't call pretty much any of the hoplites anything nasty. Things go out of fashion. Did you know that originally, long hair was masculine?" His lips quirk. "Things change."

"Things change when there is a diaspora or an exchange of ideas and fashion from one culture to another much faster than in isolation," Sandra offers with a shrug, then she slurps on her smoothie a bit more. Turning, the blond peers at Liv, "When are we leaving again? I had it written down, but have lost the note. I really -MUST- get a message home for some useful items such as a wrist domo, a communications array, and what have you."

"So I'm masculine?" Liv wonders idly, tossing her head a bit to let the hair fall to one side. "Of course, then there was the time when being rotund and globular was beautiful." She makes a face. "And with the word diaspora, we drift dangerously close to the direction of exams …" The three are sitting near the snack counter, chatting. "Eighth, Tuesday - uh, I don't think everyone's getting in at the same time. What's a wrist domo?"

"That's how it works. And she's right. It represented the fact you were wealthy enough to afford such food," Reg says with a shrug. He adds to Liv, "I think like a phone?" He guesses, before saying, "Why can't you call your folks?" to Sandra, voice curious.

THe blonde blinks and peers at Liv for a moment, before ducking her head slightly, cheeks starting to pinken. "I will explain it later. And I have difficulty with … electronics," she offers, wriggling her fingers so that water starts to form in a ball there, before dispersing it back through the air. Blue eyes study her cupcake a moment, before a hand swipes at it, then her other swipes at her drink. "I am more drained that I realized. I really should go, I suppose."

Linus treats the act of purchasing food like some sort of surgical operation. Of course, when you're Linus, you have to. If someone were to ask him, he'd state that he's surprised at how quickly the ritual became routine to him. Glancing around to make sure the line is either empty, or that nobody is too close to him on either side. Insisting food be placed on the counter and never handed to him. Insisting on sliding his meal card across the counter, rather than handing it to the cashier. One never knows. The Student Center staff could have powers. That would be bad. He steps towards the tables.

"You rest well," Reg tells Sandra with a polite smile, nodding. "And yeah, will." He says on the tail end to Liv's words. He hasn't met Linus before, so simply nods to the young man. "Hi there," he says to him. He takes another sip from his coffee cup, then casually tosses it to the trash.

Liv twirls the straw of her smoothie absently. "Oh, speaking of diet, you don't have any weird restrictions, do you?" she wonders of Reg. "Hey, Linus," she says. "Fine. Starting to decompress enough from exams I'm actually looking forward to summer classes. You?" She lets the pair exchange introductions.

"Weird restrictions?" A shake of his head, "Nope. Nothing like that. I admit, I'm something of a carnivore, though," He advises Liv. "Love meat. Don't really like vegetable dishes." He looks over towards Linus, "Reg. Nice to meet ya." He offers a hand to the young man. Hey. He doesn't know about Linus' thing…

Linus stares down at the offered hand as if it is five fingered death. His eyes cross at this terrible thing which has been pointed at him. He actually pushes his chair away from it, though he's been through this routine enough to not freak out anymore. He simply knows what he Must Not Do (TM). "Hi, Reg. Yyyyou don't wanna touch me. That's usually bad for the environment."

"I know," Liv says with a hint of wry humor. "But okay, I'll pass that along." She blinks at Linus' reaction, though she knows enough to not really be surprised. "You … might be okay, actually," she offers in a cautious tone.

"Oh?" His expression curious, Reg lets his hand slip back. "Why is that, if I can ask?" He wonders to the other fellow, before glancing at Liv. "Might be okay?"

Linus peers between the two, "Oh. UH… well, I duplicate the powers of anyone I touch. Though if you don't actually have powers, that's generally okay. Problem is that if I get them, I generally just -use- them." He lowers his voice. "Dangerous."

Liv leans back, allowing Reg to explain for himself - it seems rude otherwise. "He poked a drumstick through me," she observes, not quite apropos of the conversation. "How has that been going?" she asks Linus then, a little leery.

"Ah. Does that work for magical items as well, or just inherent powers? If the latter, you don't really have much to worry about. My own abilities, outside … " He pulls a pen from a pocket. A pen?! "… is in the realm of defense. It's hard to hurt me. That's about it, really."

"Oh, uh. It's going okay, I guess." Linus smiles lamely at Liv, "My twin brother just showed up on campus. He seems to be the opposite. He turns people's powers off. Turned Jonathan back into a guy. I didn't even -know- he was a guy. So, uh, if you see someone who looks like me, only kind of a jock.. that's not me. Otherwise, doing alright. I can deal with Jerry, now. I was hovering across campus earlier, actually." He peers towards Reg, "I have no idea. I guess it couldn't hurt to try. I've never touched anything magical before, as far as I know. Wait, is that…" He casts him a dubious look. "You have a magic pen?"

"Yeah, Jonathan is a guy," Liv says with the absentmindedness of one of those accepted facts-of-life. "You have a twin brother? What's it like to have family on campus?" Her brow flicks up, an ironic quirk to it - given her own family, she isn't prone to assuming the best. "Please, for the love of everything, all the 'mightier than the sword' jokes have already been made."

"No. I have a magic…" He takes a step back, and the pen turns briefly into a long spear with a rather wicked-looking blade. Before it turns back into a pen. "Makes carrying it around a lot easier." He looks at Liv, "Well, it'd have to be mightier than a spear, but yeah.

Linus swallows, "I, uh… I want to go home. Let's put it that way. Adrian, my brother, is sort of, uh… well, getting away from him was sort of the highlight of the institute for me. Then they decided to test him because being a twin, well, you know. Probably never would've found out he was a neo if they hadn't found me. Not exactly a high profile power. Doubt he knew, either." Eyes widen at the pen that becomes a spear and then back again. "Wow. And I thought collapsable cups were pretty neat. Can I?" He reaches his hand over.

"Sure, you can." He reaches out the pen so Linus can touch it. Reg adds, "Just be careful if something does happen," he observes. "It's, uh, pretty deadly." Suddenly, Linus grows a spear out of his forehead! He is Spear Man!

"That starts to get into the realm of the off-color," Liv counters drily, albiet with a hint of pink in her cheeks. She leans back a bit as Linus asks to hold the device, apparently a little leery of what it might do. She grimaces, shaking her head. "I'm sorry to hear that. Best revenge you can get is keep doing what you're doing, though." And in trying to sound both confident and personally knowledgeable - yes to the latter, no to the former - she falters. "I think."

Linus reaches over and makes contact with the spear. Nothing happens. "Huh. Okay. I guess that answers that question. Not that this is a science or anything." He peers up towards the ceiling and twists his head to one side, "Actually, it probably is. But it's not a science to me. So I guess that doesn't matter. OK." He offers his hand to shake.

"Cool," Reg says. He shakes the other man's hand, his grip firm. To Liv, he adds, as he pockets the pen with his other hand, "She's right, you know. Best to go your own way, rather than worry about the stuff, y'know?" With contact, Linus will suddenly gain lots of immunity! He won't age! He can run marginally fast! And he'll become impervious to damage, up to his Toughness!

Liv watches warily over her smoothie, but seems unsurprised when there are no explosions, either from the weapon or from the subsequent handshake. "I'd suggest trying to put a steak-knife through your hand," she says, "but that might be a bad idea."

Linus blinks when he makes physical contact, "I thought you didn't have any… oh. Wow. I… you know, that actually feels pretty good. There really isn't anything to…" He looks at his arms. "What did I just… " He's confused, of course. Why wouldn't he be? "You're right, too. But when you meet him, you'll understand. He's kinda, you know, like the anti-me. We're in stereo, except his channel got all the volume. OK. What just happened? I don't feel right. I feel better. But I don't have that 'extra nerve endings' feeling." He eyes Liv, "Really?" And then reaches for a pencil from his pocket. It's just stupidly sharp. It's 'take pride in it' sharp. "Will this work? Is this really stupid?"

A shrug is given. “I dunno. Pretty much the only inherent abilities I have are all defensive. I'm really tough, hard to hurt—bullets just bounce, for instance. I don't need to breath, and so on. Never gotten sick in my life, and poisons…don't hurt me, at all." Another shrug, and Reg continues, "Probably something with disease, did you have a cold?" A brow rises, "Ah…that should work? I mean, I've had rockets bounce off me. I suppose it'd depend on how your powers work, I guess." To Liv, he chuckles, "It could be."

"As long as you have the power consistently, it should be fine," Liv hazards, tone cautious. She finishes her smoothie, shaking her head. "I get it. Not quite the same way, but I get it." Other than that, she seems to have fallen quiet, content to play spectator for now.

"Only time I've lost a power is when I wanted to or when someone else touched me." Linus peers at the other two kids and smirks, getting a glint in his eyes like he just can't help himself. "If this doesn't work, you guys are walking me to the hospital." He raises the pencil up, sets his palm on the table, and stabs himself with enough force to do serious damage to his hand with that thing. Instead, the point breaks apart. In fact, it was with such force that the pencil breaks. Linus laughs out loud. "Holy… holy shit!"

He can't help it. Reg's lips quirk, "It's even more interesting when it's a knife or sword. I wouldn't try that, though. I don't know how tough you are, and why risk it?" He observes. A glance at Liv, and he smiles, "What would you happen if you touched Liv?" He wonders.

Liv bursts out laughing. "Nice," she says. "Of course, if it had gone through and you'd faked screaming, I think I would have pounded you." She holds up her hands. "I have no idea. I learned how to deal with the incorporeality a little after I learned how to walk, so I don't even remember what the adjustment process was like. And I think I'm going to get out of here before he tackles me." She pauses. "Well, no, seriously, I have an errand to run before it gets any later."

Linus laughs some more, looking at what's left of the pencil, "I don't know either. Generally I just use anything I get. First time I touched Jerry I shot up so far into the sky the buildings looked like dots. That was kinda… scary. I guess I'd just turn into a shadow and get stuck that way until I figured out how to stop it. Probably wouldn't be dangerous, really. But I don't think I want to try that just yet." Linus adds with a nod towards Liv, "Okay. I'll see you around campus, Liv."

"Hmm.. That could be kind of scary, actually," Reg says, wrinkling his nose. A nod at Linus, and he adds, "How far did you go up?" He wonders. To Liv, he smiles, "You have a good evening. Will see you later." With this, he starts to turn back towards Linus, and his phone starts beeping. He answers it. "What? Yeah. Why?" A sigh, and he begins to stand, "Sorry, Linus, gotta go too. Was my mom."

"Far enough that I was starting to wonder how I was going to get down." Adds Linus with a smirk, "Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? I guess I'm getting that drilled out of me real fast. If I had to guess… uh, a few thousand feet. It looked a lot like when your ears start to pop when your airplane is ready to land. I'm not even kidding. that high. I-." He stops when Reg gets the phonecall and nods, waving silently towards him.

"Tell your mother I said hi," Liv quips over her shoulder, then waves to Linus on her way out.

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