2013.07.18 - Team Supreme BFFs

Running a smuggler on TOR was proving to be a challenge. These things -spawned- at an unholy rate. And as good as Doug was at anticipating the computer's programming, sometimes there was -no- real way to overcome a challenge other than to grind and level up. 
Tossing aside the controller in disgust, Doug grimaces. "Hell with it, Kitty! I need to finish moving all the experimental VR out of the Danger Room and into our computer lab. Then maybe I'll stand a chance at finishing these levels -faster- than just poking at the same missions over and over." 
The music playing on the CD boom box was playing easy-listening music, the sort that Doug -liked-. It was gratifying as heck to find that Betsy and he had similar tastes in music, and Doug taps his fingers in time, waiting impatiently for Kitty to give up. Not that she likely would... 
 
Give /up/. Never give up, never surrender! Kitty's fingers lanced across her controller, her Jedi Counselor making swift work of every foe with practiced ease. "Qyzen is /such/ a great tank. You should have brought out Corso, but noooooo. He's too farm boy for you!" Kitty teases, as the last of the spawn finally collapses, and a triumphant grin is offered to Doug. That same triumphant grin twists into a mischievous note of sarcastic humor as she Kitty idly inquires, "Want me to resurrect you?" The twinkle to her hazel eyes shows she's having a great deal of fun with this feat, the controller idly tossed to one side a she rises upwards, stretching her limbs from the long match. A faint *crack* of her back shows she's been seated a bit /too/ long, as she plants her hands there with an oomph. 
"Well, if you'd put all that stuff in the computer lab to begin with, instead of taxing the danger room's computer with it, you could have invited your mysterious girlfriends over sooner." Again, Kitty's hazel gems twinkle with delight as she turns her attention back to Doug, one hand idly gesturing towards the music being played. "Speaking of which, who gave you this mix. It's nice." 
Her steps draw towards the CD player, idly viewing the disks about it. "Lots of good ones here." She muses, gaze lingering on the titles, and any clues as to who might have owned them previous.
"In a minute, Kitty," Doug comments, stretching a bit. Keeping up with his SHIELD training and the MMA training Jocelyn had put him through sometimes meant neglecting other things... like, clearly, falling behind more than a few levels behind Kitty, and working furiously to keep up. A need to vent his frustration and then dump them so he could get back to playing was what had caused the outburst. Not that it mattered much, Kitty was used to it. 
Pausing, Doug turns to offer Kitty a stinkeye when she comments about 'mysterious girlfriends'. "Very funny. Cait's not like that... well, not..." His voice trails off, because he didn't -feel- like explaining that one again. "And that -tinker- girl, I can assure you, is more like a ... hmmm... frenemy?" Good enough word for what she kept doing - lord knows, Kitty'd heard -enough- about that ranting of how she'd kept beating him to all the parts that would have gotten him to separate the test system from the Danger Room so that he could commence testing a bit more publicly. And show off a bit, not that he'd admit to such a thing. 
"Aren't they?" Doug comments distractedly, as he shifts back temporarily to check on the TOR store. "Betsy loaned me those last night. I like her taste in music." 
 
Uh-Huh. Kitty offers, twisting her upper torso about enough to cast an impish grin towards Doug. "Is that -all- you like about Betsy? I mean, this is /Betsy Braddock/, model, gorgeous..." Kitty's eyes continue to twinkle with delight, as she collects up the CD cases and flops down next to Doug again, gazing at one, then the other. "And as far as your mysterious girlfriends.. So you keep saying." She offers, that mischievous glint still to her eyes. "Though I happen to be able to read body language, it's a trait I picked up from this old friend who died and came back to life, really. And I happen to know otherwise. Or so I'm attempting to get out of him." 
This, Kitty offers as she shifts one leg up under her on the sofa, twists her body about to eye Doug, and idly hangs the CD cases in front of him. "Now, have you -looked- at these cases in depth. You know. All of them?" Kitty's getting to something, that much she offers, though she's doing a /really/ good job of just keeping her body language moving at all times, shifting, twisting, dangling CDs in front of Doug, phased naturally though she doesn't tell him that. "Cause I think there's something you're not telling me. You sly dog you." The look on Kitty's face..? It's /unholy/. Absolutely. Unholy. There's a smug smile to her lips, hazel eyes glinting with undisguised villainy.
Taking a deep breath, willing his body language to be absolutely 'I am -so- not dignifying any of that' posture, Doug shrugs. "So...? We talked. I fixed her computer." 
Oh, Doug'd -been- getting better at making sure his body language told her exactly what it was, but the problem was, and Kitty knew it, there were involuntary tells just -like- that quiver in his voice, or the way his eyes darted rather than look directly. Like the way it'd look ever so quickly away when he repeats, "Just fixed her computer. And yeah, I can't -miss- noticing her. I've -seen- her on those magazines. She's a... well, nice person." 
"And uh, I have. They're pretty mellow mixes, why?" Well, all except the one she'd swapped cases for, that one was blank. And currently playing in the boom box. 
Of course, with Kitty's impeccable timing, the song playing ends, and a new one begins... 
 
Those intense, hazel eyes narrow upon Doug, as Kitty offers a pout - that is filled with disappointment. The cases are idly placed upon the coffee table, as she shifts her posture again, turning on the sofa to face Doug fully, arms crossed over her chest with undisguised suspicion. It's written in every aspect of her form, from her idly quirked brows, one higher than the other, to her mouth twisted to one side, "A nice person? And you fixed her computer..!? What it's not like she doesn't have a ... " And then, Kitty's face begins to form a sort of surprised 'Oh' sound as a fairly familiar tune begins to play. It's an upbeat sound with a heavy thumping rhythm, along with very distinct sounds of a woman's almost.. moaning in the background. As Toni Braxton's deep, melodious voice begins to play a song that.. that..
Kitty's mouth drops open into a fairly wide 'O', as her eyes follow suit, one hand idly lifting upwards to rub the back of her neck in a nervous manner, and even for as long as she's known Doug, /that/ particular song still sends her cheeks to flush upwards especially at the obvious hidden meaning that the beautiful Betsy Braddock /must/ have placed in there for just such an occasion.
As the flush fades, Kitty's once again gained her composure, and the song STILL plays in the background as her eyes level upon Doug, and she doesn't NEED to say anything, no, that song is doing a fairly good job. No. She doesn't need to say a word, she just -looks- at Doug, and that look speaks more volumes than anything Kitty might be able to say. 
It wasn't like Doug -listened- to Toni Braxton that often, so the song starts out with the blond barely batting an eye. "She doesn't have a -what-?" Doug asks, urging Kitty to finish the sentence. 
But as 'You're Making Me High' keeps on playing, Doug's flush expands from cheeks to... it was practically his entire face glowing, was it? 
The gaze is avoided with a look at something else. Well, several something else, as Doug darts his eyes here and there, looking for an exit, before he lowers his head, palming his face. No, this situation... this required a double-facepalm. 
He wasn't going to even -say- anything. But the body language? That should tell Kitty everything - slumped shoulders, flush, and a certain resignation about him. 
It's not until the song finishes playing, every exucrating moment of it, before Doug even dares to peek between his fingers turned enemy. And likely, just not peeking again after that, waiting for the inevitable... 
 
Watching Doug with every action that he takes, every motion that he makes. Hah. Kitty's gaze levels there, remains there, and the suspicion begins to fade, as does her gloating expression of triumph. No. Kitty's a -nice- person, and she can just /tell/ that this song surprised Doug as much as it might have surprised /Kitty/. He really didn't realize that the gorgeous Ms. Braddock might have a bit of a crush upon the naive Mr. Ramsey. Might. Or she could just be playing with him too. It's difficult to tell, and really, Kitty has -little- experience with such matters, herself. So. She lets Doug off the hook.
Instead of any form of continued teasing, any form of insulting words, Kitty just grins at Doug with a wide smile, and twinkling hazel eyes. "Well, if it matters at all." She states rising from the sofa to plant her hand upon Doug's shoulders. "You could do worse, my friend. She's gorgeous, smart, talented, everything I've heard about her is good, better, and best." 
And with that, Kitty moves towards the player, idly shutting it off with a graceful click of her finger tips over the 'stop', there to cast a look once more at the disks. "Must have been the one that wasn't marked." She muses, before turning back to Doug, hands now planted on her hips. "And when you want to -talk-, Dougie. Actually -talk-, you know I'm always there for you." And the earnest expression to her eyes, speaks again - more volume than anything else the brunette might vocalize.
For a moment, the young blond keeps his face covered, before glancing back up, and then sighing. "You haven't met Caitlin, Kitty. But ... well... wow. Betsy -scares- me a bit. It's easy with Cait, but -her-...?" He stands up, moving over to peer at the CD. "It's like playing with fire. It's pretty, it's dangerous..." Eyes shifts towards Kitty, and Doug actually laughs a bit at himself. "But you know, it's kinda -fun-. Like... wow. Fireworks? Or it could be a case of total -arson-." 
And Doug had always been rather taken with the notion of doing -exciting- heroic things at times, but he'd learned to live within himself. But -that-... 
"I don't know, Kitty," the young man says, both hands going through his hair. Yes, it seemed everything about Betsy Braddock required two hands to help Doug think...
 
Listening to Doug, Kitty really, honestly, has absolutely -no- clue what he's talking about. She can only fathom it, sparks? Well. When her and Pete get together, there's always a few sparks, a mutual attraction but little else. Both of them are too different, and frankly, Kitty considers Pete about as attainable as the moon. So. And as far as heroics go? Well, Kitty's life -is- adventure. So, again, she can only wonder at Doug's meaning, and try to comprehend it, which as compassionate as Kitty is - she can gain some manner of understanding there. 
So, Kitty plants both hands behind her, hefts herself up onto the table, letting her legs dangle down as she listens to Doug, and offers him a grin. "Boring isn't any fun." She states, a bob of her head showing she understands. "You want the fireworks, and play with words. You want to try and second guess what she's going to do next, and play with that, like poking a camp fire with a stick, you never quite know when the sparks will ignite something else." 
Really. Kitty's winging it, as she continues, gaze twinkling. "So go with what you're going to have fun with, Dougie. Just.." And Kitty's expression fades some, as her eyes turn on Doug with a compassionate gaze of someone who's experienced at least some measure of disappointment before. "Try not to get burned. Or.. if you do, there is tons of ice-cream in the freezer that I'm more than willing to share with you."
Now Doug glances at Kitty. "Or poke too hard, and watch it explode in your face." Still, the young man grins as he drapes an arm around Kitty, reaching to pull her in so that he can poke her nose. "You know, I think I'll see what happens. Though..." He eyes the CD with that song. "I don't know. I've -seen- you get all googly-eyed - if I ever get to the point where I need -lots- of ice cream like that, it'd be a kinder mercy if you'd just feed me to the Sarlaaac pit." 
After a brief moment of contemplating the digestive acids of the Star Wars pit monster, Doug adds, arm still locked around his best friend. "Kitty? You know I didn't fix her computer, did you?" 
 
Wrinkling her nose upwards at the poke, Kitty loops one arm about Doug in kind, "I had my suspicions, Dougie." Is her response. "Someone as talented and /rich/ as that? She'd have an army of electrical engineers to help her with her computer. Or she'd do it herself, too I bet." As Kitty hops down, she does offer a quiet. "Hey, Dougie, just don't string two girls along though. It isn't nice to the other one." And the serious tone of her voice is sincere, she's sure Doug -wouldn't- be that sort, but Kitty wouldn't be Kitty if she didn't think of the other one too. After all, with all of Kitty's mooning over Alistaire, all it got her was a fairly broken heart. 
"Now." Kitty states as she begins to head towards the Danger Room. "Lets go get that virtual reality stuff and set it up in the computer lab. Plus, I can see what hardware you've got and start upgrading it better."
"I know," Doug sighs. "I just... can't read -either of them-. Though I guess I know where -she- stands." Ruffling the other girl's hair affectionately, Doug grins. "Like I know where you stand. You're the best, Kitty."
And then he lets go, and starts trailing her to the Danger Room. "And while we're talking about the VR parts, I've got to introduce you to Harper. Man, she's got -me- over a barrel with all the parts she's gotten... think you can negotiate with -her-? I mean, all these languages translation, and I still can't -figure- women out that well, not when all the -emotions- get in the way. It was a lot -easier- dancing with Betsy than trying to... ... ... nevermind! Tron light-cycles, Kitty, time to make -those- work!" 
Category:Log