xp_logs | Prom: Forge and "Erin"

Angelo told Forge about half the team being affected by the accidental gender switch. He conveniently forgot to mention the Snow Valley employees at the retreat. Wackiness ensues.

Checking his reflection in a window and adjusting his tie, Forge ran a quick hand through his hair before walking into the ballroom that Marie had arranged for the prom. Having spent the last week in various government offices, meetings, seminars, and airports, he was more than ready to unwind.

As he walked into the ballroom, the sonic assault of music hit him like a wall of force. Which could have been literal, as he recognized the DJ behind the turntables as Snow Valley's receptionist, Mark. "Well, they certainly kept it all in the family," he quipped, glancing around. Quite a few folks he didn't recognize - probably new students or alumni, he figured. Since he himself fit into the last category, he figured he might as well network a little.

Or, he thought as he saw the blonde in the little black dress, maybe put 'networking' on the back burner for a night. Squaring his shoulders, he walked up to stand next to the unfamiliar girl.

"So," he began, voice slightly raised to be heard over the music, "am I going to be lucky enough to see a new pretty face on a regular basis, or am I going to have to take all I can get tonight? Hi, I'm John," he said, extending a hand.

Doug's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Forge's greeting. The inventor had been gone all week, and it was obvious that he'd been busy and not kept up on events at the mansion. He smiled slightly, and decided to play along for a while. He hadn't been hit on at Silver because of seeing Mark there, and he was feeling a little mischievous to boot. "Erin," he said in reply, giving Forge's proferred hand a shake.

"Charmed," Forge nodded and smiled. "So what brings you to this little soiree? Alumni, new staff... you couldn't be a student, no..." Trying his best to keep his eyes off of 'Erin's chest, Forge forced himself to keep his gaze decidedly north of the plunging... yowza, I sincerely hope she's not a student with a rack like that...

"My eyes are up here, John," Doug chided gently, with a slightly mischievous smile. "I'm in college, so I'll probably be doing some tutoring and stuff," he continued. Keep the lie close to the truth. And to be honest, it was kind of interesting and fun. He'd never really been hit on as a guy.

"Really?" Forge picked up a drink from a nearby table and sipped at it in the lull between songs. "What's your field?"

Time to give poor Forge a clue, Doug decided. "Computer science," he said with a wider grin. "And I might pick up a minor in a foreign language. I was thinking maybe French," he added coyly, carefully watching Forge's face.

"Comp sci and languages, huh?" Forge arched an eyebrow. "That's an odd combination. You ought to talk... to..."

Connection.

Slowly, Forge set his drink down and covered his reddening face with one hand. "Douglas Ramsey," he droned, "you are an absolute bastard."

A laugh pealed out like high pitched chimes from Doug, and he clutched at his sides. "I think the proper descriptor right now would be 'bitch', Forge," he corrected unrepentantly. "God, I so had you going there."

Recovering his composure, Forge stood up straight, although at a subtly larger and less cozy distance from the gender-swapped linguist. "I spend a week in Canada, and everyone's chromosomes play hide-and-seek. Dammit, Angelo told me that half the team got nailed with whatever caused this. Must have missed the mention of you Snow Valley schlubs getting caught up in the mess. So, uh..." Forge unabashedly glanced down slightly. "Damn. Okay, this is weird, but you've got one hell of a rack, man."

Doug rolled his eyes. "Angie and I got dragged along by Sofia for whatever crazy-ass reason she got in her head." He shifted his shoulders slightly. "And you think that's weird, try walking around with them for a week."

"I'll pass. This is why I don't do team-building exercises. Or team-anything, for that matter." Forge said with a smirk, looking around the floor. He caught sight of a redheaded young man in a tuxedo talking with some of the other folks and nodded. "So, Angie too, eh? How's that working out for you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Doug wiggled his eyebrows and sidled back into Forge's personal space. If he was going to stare at Doug's breasts, then he could stand some embarrassment in return.

Forge cleared his throat and eased back slightly, then relaxed. "You know," he said with a sideways glance at the other folks milling about as another song started, "If you're going to move that close, we might as well dance."

Doug grabbed Forge's hand and dragged him toward the floor with a grin. "You're on, tin man."