I Only Swing One Way

RP Summary.
Cross and Reginald seem to run into each other a lot, and Cross seems to be trying really hard to instigate a fight, but he ends up getting a little more than he bargained for.
Initial Setting:
Square District
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Reginald can't say what kind of relationship they have
Cross ...pretty sure english has a vord for it i zhink it's acquaintances?
Reginald Are we even that? I wasn't sure.
Cross ve know one anozher... vague-ly? Gott I don't know.
Cross ve're not friends und neizher are ve enemies
<&Cross> cross lay off the booze a little you're getting slushy
Cross /zhis is my accent ugh/
Reginald Mn, hence my confusion.
Cross I though aquaintances vere like, neutral.
Reginald "I suppose so. Well, hopefully it'll stay that way."
Cross "Lucky you; my enemy quota's been met already."
<&Cross> he's not kidding at /all/
Cross "Vhy do ve keep running into each ozher?"
Reginald "Probably because we're always in the Square district?"
Cross well duh but he runs into a lotta other people who're ... fairly varied. some more homeless than others etcetc
Reginald isn't sure what's with that look on Cross's face is supposed to mean, "I don't know what you want me to say?"
Cross "Sjust veird I guess. I don't see many banditos unless zhey're in packs."
Cross shrugs. "Probably just some attention bias or somezhing." yep, half explanations
Reginald "I prefer to not travel with the Bandito 'pack', as it were." he grumbles.
Cross as long as he isn't looking for some kind of weird post-purple kinship here. Maybe Reggie's always sitting around and he just needs to stop commuting past the guy so much??
Cross - is in one of those stuck-in-thinking-mode days
Reginald totally isn't just keeping tabs on people. Nope. He's just going to drink his suspiciously green drink.
Cross drinks his not-even-remotely-disguised flask of booze then. "Cheers."
Reginald raises his eyebrows at the flask, but not in a way that suggests he's surprised to see it. "Are you ever sober?"
Cross "Are you vegan?" he ignores the question.
Reginald "That's an unusual question. What makes you think that? And no, I'm not vegan."
Cross shrugs
Reginald "Just because?"
Cross "You asked a really rhetorical one, I figured i'd get creative." of /course/ he's always drinking, he's got an addictive problem and quitting is hard as hell okay.
Cross "Haff you looked at zhe theme zhey have? Come on, all our style's born out of zhe friggin prohibition era, 20's to 50's. Everybody drank zhen it seems"
Reginald "Although I'm aware, I suppose I just don't see the appeal."
Cross "Obviously, you've never had to forget anyzhing in a hurry." U_U he says so matter-of-factly it's probably not true of himself.
Reginald rolls his eyes, "You just keep telling yourself that, Cross."
Cross "Hey, I'm an alcoholic. Do I need excuses? No. But sometimes zhey're true. So really - vhy zhe bandito coloured lattes?" he knows damn well what green tea is but calling it banditocolored is funnier to him
Reginald raises an eyebrow at him. "I'm on a diet." he replies plainly, but in such a way that it's difficult to tell if he's being honest or not.
Cross sincerely and overtly doubts you need to lose any weight there, Reginald. "Too tall?"
Reginald gives him this look as if to silently ask 'Seriously?'. "No, Cross."Cross smirks for a half second, then deadpans. Haha, yes.Reginald "Be grateful I don't actually skate, because then I'd really tower over you."Cross "Pffblblb, ja, I'd be vorried if you fell. Might get a concussion coming in from orbit." oh my god what am I doing.
<&Cross> what /are/ you doingCross baiting for a fight??? MAYBE?
Reginald sighs and just casually shoves Cross, hopefully with enough force to knock him over but he won't be too disappointed if it doesn't.
Cross has surprisingly good balance, at least when he sees the gesture coming first. His drink sloshes inside his flask, "Hey!" he looks up, screwing the cap back on. "You trying to start somezhing??"
Reginald "What would be the point in that?" He replies, trying to play up just how utterly bored he is of the idea.
Cross "Gott, you're like a cat." Cross goes to drink again before stopping the motion. He just corked this thing damnit. "If you're gonna shove me, /go/ for it."
Reginald "If I didn't know better Cross, I'd say you're the one trying to start something, but I'm certain you're too clever for that." The sarcasm is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Cross "Okay, if you're aiming fur hard-to-get, you're right on zhe money." he'd /love/ to see what this guy does in a fight, if only because he looks the 'fighting type' about as much as the average butterfly looks into olympic diving.
Reginald isn't going to be the one to be throwing any more punches. Shoves, fine, but he's not completely stupid. "Hard to get? Are you courting me now, Cross?"
Cross "No, but I should congratulate you on your excellent training in putting up vith my shit. Usually people just punch me after zhat point." he's still baiting for a punch, he really is. The more he makes it look like baiting the less it's gonna happen but eh.
Reginald gives him a wry, almost condescending smile, "I'm a Bandito, I put up with a lot of 'shit'. Yours isn't any different from anyone else's."
Cross nods as if satisfied with the reply, "Not bad, very pro-equality vhen it comes to shit I suppose." hah.
Reginald scoffs in that usual dismissive tone he uses, "I suppose so."
Cross yeah, sure, that glance says. Suuure.
Reginald "Are you sure you're not just trying to court me, because I'd hate to disappoint you, but I don't swing that way." Get it, play on words, because he's a swing dancer ha, inwardly he's scolding himself for the pun. Might tell it to someone else later.
Cross "Hahhhh..." wow he really hopes that's your pokerface and not honest confusion masked as a pokerface. "No thanks. I'd need a shtepladder just to dance vith you it'd be embarrassing fur everybody." Especially you, nodoubt!
Reginald smirks, amused by Cross's reaction, "Mn, as long as I lead I could still throw you around with little effort."
Cross points, shaking his index, a sly squint taking hold, "See, now I'm not so sure zhis /isn't/ courting after all."
Reginald "I do still enjoy dancing, Cross, even with the likes of you."
Cross "Oh /really?/" he's laughing in surprise. He wonders if this had more to do with pride than showing any sort of kindness. He extends that same hand. "Show me."
Reginald looks as though he's genuinely considering it. Finally he seems to come to terms with the idea, clasping Cross's hand with a very firm grip. "If you insist."Cross well, it isn't a dance /fight/ ...per se. He's confident enough in his ability to get by when he really shouldn't. Confident enough considering he doesn't even know this man's style - preferred mafia though, so Cross had a fairly good idea of what to expect. "Lead on."
<&Cross> cross dont use your seductive voiceCross zhat vas more 'challenge accepted'<&Cross> same voice bro<Reginald> you're gonna skeeve him out Cross, then what? Oh wait...mission accomplished<&Cross> HUEHUEHUECross not /too/ skeevy - okay just enough to probably bother reginald
Reginald 's lip curls in just the hint of a sneer, but restrains himself. Cross was a shorter partner than what he's used to, but he can manage. At first he just tests Cross out, seeing how well he'll take to him leading. If Cross was ex Mafia too, then he had to know how to do lindy, and if he didn't, then he will be even more sorely disappointed.
Cross Not as well as someone dedicated to the style, but considering some of the outright scummy dance moves (which really just means orange) he managed even while under Mafia's roof, is ...oh yeah. Okay, following, not leading. It does take him a moment to make the mental switch, but once he's back into the groove of things. Ohyes. He can lindy. His tap roots are showing but it all borrows from...the same thing at some point anyway.Cross not even a word during this.
Reginald can certainly see the influence of tap in Cross's steps, but he's hardly a purist like some of his former Mafia steppers were. At least Cross is following in the way he expects, so he doesn't mind pushing the other man into a few more complicated steps. His look is very intense, like he's doing a lot more concentrating than he's letting on.
Cross is having a fucking riot dancing like this - he doesn't do partner dances often, and certainly not with the other taking the man's role. Well. Traditionally. He grins as wildly as he dances- Ohhh he'd just love if somebody oldschool saw this and got upset. Nobody really cares anymore though.
Reginald doesn't want to let on how much fun he's having too. It makes keeping his vibe under control a little tricky, because damn, he really wants to just let go and have some real fun. Still, he promised Cross he'd make good on his 'threat' of being able to throw Cross around a little. Just hopefully Cross will recognize his queues so he won't be too off guard when he finds himself practically being thrown over Reginald's shoulder.
Cross has quite honestly been in weirder positions than over another man's shoulder. He's not anticipating the moves too soon before they're happening, but he's enjoying it far too damn much
Reginald is surprised that Cross managed to land alright. Hell, it looks like he is really having fun. For a split second he forgets that he's trying to keep his vibe to himself and there is a flourish that is a little more...glittery than he means it to be, though he's quick to get it under control again.
Cross definitely would have sprained an ankle on the landing if not for his own vibe, but let's play that off like it never happened, because it seems nobody's noticed. "Scheisse," he manages, only because THIS DANCE IS A LOT OF WORK
Reginald would normally have decided by now that Cross could certainly handle /his/ style of dance, but he wanted to at least scare Cross a little. After all, what was the fun in leading if you couldn't throw your weight around? After a rather harmless rock step, his grip around Cross's waist tightens and with a few deft movements, he's able to swing the other man around all too easily, using the momentum to eventually get him into a rather graceful dip.<Reginald> http://youtu.be/qrfsVxdlPRI?t=50s if you're curious
Cross really is light, too - "Wh-" it's not even a word. His vibe tenses protectively, he catches on the split-hair of a second after that. The world whirls so fast his glasses end up hanging from his hair by an arm, now it's a blurry Reginald keeping his head from hitting cobblestone. He gasps something suspiciously laugh-like. vibe and adrenaline - he can't tell which - buzz in his head. "Marry me."
Reginald lets out a sincere laugh, finally helping Cross out of the position he'd gotten him into. God, that was fun, and Cross took it very well. Better than he expected that he would on top of it all. "I'd break your heart, I'll have to turn you down."
Cross gently placed back the right way up like a dainty little prize, he's just so buzzed for a moment. Something about the phrase heartbreak stirrs in his chest and coaxes out a proper cackle "Hey, I can see vhy you don't fight, dancing like zhat. /damn/." Okay, he's kind of impressed. Still wouldn't call Reginald a friend, but he'll respect those moves.
Reginald "Mn, I try to not let myself devolve into physically fighting, but sometimes it happens." He's perfectly aware that Cross was there for his rather pointless fight with Frankie.Cross devolve, wow. This guy is like a university course on Mafia speech code. Cross offers a hand to Reginald. "Hey. Zhat vas good." he saw you glitter you vibe-hiding six foot shrew.<&Cross>  /smile?<&Cross> cross needs to either booze more and all of the weird insults<&Cross> or sober the hell up, this is getting weird
Reginald smiles, and again, not his usual "I'm smiling to humour you" smile, an honest one. "A pleasure. It's not often I get to show off a little." he replies giving Cross a firm handshake.
Cross I'm sure you /loved/ showing off, he thinks, but all the same it /was/ damn fun. And informative! "Heheh. I should be going, zhough. Hey ah. Don't mention zhis to your ladyfriend, ja? Vouldn't vant my bad rep rubbing off or anyzhing. Yes he would
Reginald snorts dismissively, "We're not friends, I'm at best an annoyance." Still, he's willing to let Cross leave, he has all this vibe built up now that he wants to play with. "If..uh, you ever want to practice, I don't mind doing it. If you're interested."
Cross holds his hand to the edge of his glasses, quirking an eyebrow. "I'll consider it."<&Cross> cross are you hitting on himCross no, just implying i might be.
Reginald will take that as a strong maybe, and seems pleased by it. "Alright then. Thanks for letting me throw you around a little, it was fun."
Cross "Please, haha. ...tschuess." Cross is a magnet for all sorts of bullshit, especially his own. Hmmm. now he wants to understand what this guy's vibe is if things ever /do/ go sour
Category:RP
Category:Reginald
Category:Cross