xp_logs | Kurt, Meggan, And Wade, Saturday Evening (Reply)

After being unexpectedly asked out by someone in Salem Center the afternoon before, Meggan has her very first date ever. Once the date arrives at the mansion, a protective Wade and Kurt make sure to well and truly terrify the boy into being on his absolute best behavior with her.

Wade hummed a little song to himself as he exited his suite, deciding that breaking into full-out song would be a bad idea, since Amanda had compared his singing to radiation poison. The thought made him chuckle, interrupting the gasoline-on-gravel-esque quality of his humming. Turning, he glanced down the hall and caught sight of Kurt walking toward him carrying the unmistakable shape of a target. "Hey," the mercenary called, tipping his head to the side. "What's up with the target?"

"This?" Kurt said with a grin that showed teeth. "This is in the way of an object lesson. My little sister has a date."

"Little sister? The littlest one?" Wade blinked for a second, then held up one finger and turned back to his door. "Hang on, I've got a card table and some chairs." It was the work of but a moment to grab the table, the chairs, Bea's case, and his knife maintenance kit. "C'mon, we can set up shop in the front hall," he said, giving Kurt a toothy smile in return.

"Exactly what I was thinking", Kurt told him, reaching over to liberate one of the chairs so Wade wasn't carrying it all himself. "I was not at all a bad knife-thrower, back in the circus."

"I'm not bad, myself," Wade said, heading downstairs with purpose now. He'd been a little hungry before, but putting the fear of God - or, y'know, protective males - into some kid who might otherwise get some iffy ideas in his head? That was far more important - and entertaining - than eating. Besides, he could probably order some pizza for them or something while they waited for the kid to bring Meggan back. "And Bea could use a good cleaning, y'know?"

"It can never hurt a gun to clean it well", Kurt agreed seriously, though there was a wicked spark in his eyes. "It is only fair for the young man to understand proper etiquette."

"My thoughts exactly," Wade said, nodding amiably as they headed for the elevator. Usually, he'd hit up the stairs, but he didn't feel like tripping and inconveniencing himself with a broken leg or something trying to maneuver through the stairwell with the table and the chair. Hitting the button with his elbow, he quirked a brow and waited for the bell to ding. "I mean, etiquette's an important part of... dates. And things."

"Especially for young girls for whom this is their very first date", Kurt said with a nod in return. "It cannot be put off forever, but I mean to make sure she enjoys it."

"It's admirable, really," Wade said, stepping into the elevator and waiting for Kurt to get in before hitting the button for the first floor. "Y'know, ensuring her enjoyment and such." And it was really only fair to warn the boy, wasn't it? They were being sporting, even.

"As the closest she has to a father, I see it as my duty." He grinned. "And as I do not mean to harm him without cause, I do not see why we should not have some fun."

"That's good enough for me," Wade said, letting Kurt go through first once the doors opened. They got to the front hall and Wade set up his part of things, making the sure table and chairs were a suitable distance from the target Kurt was working on, both within line of sight of the door.

Kurt did glance once or twice at what Wade was doing as he set up the alignment of his target. Distance was one thing to be aware of, but so was orientation. It wouldn't do to miss the board, as unlikely as that was, and hit an innocent person. Therefore, the board was close enough to the wall to make passing behind it difficult, and not too close to any large amount of empty space.

Wade looked over at the target somewhat critically, then decided that drawing big, red heart over the center wouldn't necessarily enhance it. Settling in one of the chairs, he opened his knife kit and Bea's case, double checked to make sure she was completely unloaded, and then started pulling knives out of their hiding places on his person. Not all of them, of course, but a few. Selma came off his belt and two of his throwing knives came out of his wrist sheaths. "Looks good, Sefton."

"I thought so." He smiled. "The young man should be arriving in about fifteen minutes, and we are ready for him, so... shall we just wait, or have a little competition?"

"Competition?" Wade grinned. "I'm up for a friendly contest. And since it was your suggestion, you get first throw." The mercenary bowed from the waist with a little flourish of his wrist just for fun.

Kurt chuckled and opened his own case, displaying throwing knives that had clearly been made for display as much as function. "My father gave me these and began teaching me to use them when I was thirteen. I am quite fond of them", he said casually as he weighed up his first throw.

"Bought mine myself," Wade said, smiling down at his own knives. "How old are you, Sefton? Just so I know what kind of experience I'm going up again."

"I will be 35 this year", he answered. "I was raised in a circus - as a loved child, not as a freak", he clarified quickly. "Which does not mean my talents went to waste."

"So... twenty-two years of knife throwing experience," Wade said, nodding. "Fair enough." They were technically supposed to be about the same age. "Shall we?"

"We shall." He turned without a second thought and threw the knife in his hand straight at the target.

"Nice," Wade said, nodding appreciatively before turning his attention to the target and snapping his hand forward to throw his own knife.

"As was yours", Kurt observed, studying the two knives shuddering side by side in the bullseye. "Where did you learn?"

"Here, there," Wade said. "Mostly in the military." Which was true, actually. They just hadn't helped him hone his skills, as it were.

Kurt considered this, then nodded. "I suppose it would be a useful thing to know in that line of work. And the practice would help to pass the downtime."

"Exactly so," Wade grinned. "How do we decide who wins our competition?"

"A few more tries, and if they all turn out like that, perhaps we should call it a draw and buy each other a drink at a later date", he suggested. "After all, we would not want to be sitting idly when we should be demonstrating our skills to Meggan's young friend."

Wade nodded. "Deal. I'll order some pizza once we've impressed upon him the importance of that etiquette we were discussing earlier, then maybe you could go get your sword and you can take care of that while I clean Bea."

"That I can do", he said cheerfully. "And if he is so much as five minutes late bringing Meggan home, we will have to think of another demonstration to show him the error of his ways." Or frighten the life out of him, either would do.

"Excellent. I'm assuming you want mushrooms again," Wade said, flipping his throwing knife up into the air and catching it by the hilt as he reached for his phone. He put the cell on the table, then balanced the tip of his knife on the end of his one finger.

"Always mushrooms", Kurt confirmed, watching this display of skill with vague admiration. He always appreciated unashamed talent.

"Gotcha," Wade said, twisting is free hand a little so another throwing knife could drop into his palm. Balancing that one on the finger next to the first made him grin. Steady hands were very, very important for so many reasons. "Why mushrooms so much?"

"They taste good", he said with a shrug. "I have always liked them. Especially hand gathered."

"They cook them this way in Spain," Wade said, scooping both knives off his fingertips with his free hand. "Just a little olive oil, minced garlic. Saute them a bit - delicious. Not that I could cook them that way myself, of course. I'd probably set the whole thing on fire." He grinned, opening his mouth to say something else just as someone knocked at the door. Glancing down at his watch, Wade raised his eyebrows. "He's early. Good sign or bad, do you think?"

Kurt glanced at the door. "I would say overall good. It certainly shows more respect than being late... on the other hand, perhaps a little more eagerness than I am comfortable with. We should let him in."

"Yes, sir," Wade said, still holding his knives in his free hand as he walked up to the front door. Opening it, he quirked an eyebrow and said, "Hey, kid."

"Er... hi?" The kid was of average height with brown hair and he didn't look like he knew how to handle himself in a fight, but appearances could be deceiving.

There was a significant pause before Wade raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can I help you?" He shifted one of the two knives he held in his hand so he could slide it back into its sheath, then raised the other so he could balance it once more on the end of his finger.

The kid stared for a moment, eyes moving between Wade and the knife. "I ah... I'm here to pick up Meggan?"

"Are you?" Wade wanted to be sure, since that had sounded like a question.

"Yes?" The boy still didn't seem quite certain.

"Hello", Kurt said, slipping forward to Wade's side. "I am Meggan's brother, and this is her self-defense teacher. She will be down shortly, but first we would like to talk to you."

"O-okay," the kid said, now looking from the knife to Kurt to Wade and back again like he wasn't entirely sure what he got himself into but he was hoping he could make a quick exit.

"Come in, come in," Wade said, stepping back while keeping his eyes on the boy. He didn't drop the knife. "You have a name?"

"Michael?"

Wade quirked his head to the side, frowning a little. "You keep answering my questions with uncertain intonations. What's your last name?"

Michael cleared his throat as he stepped inside. "Morse."

"Do come in, Michael Morse", Kurt said with a smile that was neither reassuring nor intended to be, as Wade closed the door behind the boy. "Now. Where will you be taking my sister tonight?"

"To see the six o'clock showing of Cowboys and Aliens," Michael answered, making sure he didn't raise his voice at the end of the sentence.

"It's four. What are you planning on doing until six, Michael?" Wade turned slightly to make sure no one had come into the front hall while he'd answered the door and that, as they'd moved back toward the card table, he'd gotten within range of their target. Flipping the knife off his finger, he caught it and threw it at the target, hitting the bullseye next to the previous two thrown knives.

"Ah..." Michael's mouth had gone dry. "Dinner. I was going to take her to dinner. At a Chinese restaurant. Near the theatre. In Westchester."

"A public place", Kurt noted. "Good answer. What time do you intend to bring her home?"

"Nine?" He couldn't help the fact that it sounded like a question this time. He really couldn't.

Wade quirked an eyebrow at Kurt. He sincerely doubted the movie was more than two hours and it wasn't like they were driving into the city, which would have taken an hour.

"Nine." That was a flat statement. "Let me break this down. Two hours for dinner... well, I suppose I can believe that, with a proper sit-down meal and three courses. Two hours for the film. And what, Michael, would you have in mind for the remaining hour?"

"There's a chocolate place - factory, thing - next to the theatre, they have really good candied apples," Michael said, looking from Wade to Kurt and back again. "I thought I'd see if she wanted anything from there. They have fudge and chocolate covered marshmallows and stuff, too, but the apples... I could... not take her there... if you'd rather?"

"And they are open so late in the evening?" Kurt asked calmly, then glanced at Wade. "What do you think? Shall we allow him the benefit of the doubt?"

Wade was still considering Kurt's question when Michael said, "They close at nine!"

Finally, the mercenary nodded. "I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt. I mean, you'll be able to find him if anything untoward happens. And Amanda can get the city to keep tabs on him, right?"

"This is true", Kurt agreed, then smiled at the boy. This time it was more genuinely friendly. "I am a teleporter, you see, Michael, and I know where you will be. Amanda is Meggan's very protective older sister, she could probably make New York eat you if she wanted to, and she is better at intimidation than we are. So you will do nothing whatsoever that Meggan would not like, yes? And you may take her to this candy factory, but you will be back here no later than nine."

"Yes, sir," Michael said, a little paler now than he had been when he first entered - and that was saying something.

"Good kid," Wade said, nodding.

“What are you two doing to my date?” Meggan asked them with a playful grin as she rounded the corner, and entered the room. Taking in the bullseye and the look and feeling that was just coming off of Michael in waves, it seemed that the answer to the question was going to be frighten him out of his mind. She had overheard Kurt’s comment about New York eating Michael alive, too, but was more exasperated and amused they were going to all the trouble than annoyed.

"Doing to him, little sister?" Kurt asked innocently. "We have not laid a finger on him. We were just having a chat."

“Right,” Meggan said, obviously trying not to laugh. Not wanting to put Michael on the spot at all, she decided to whisper. She looked at Wade next, leaning over to ask mischievously, “What kind? Was it…a scary, nerve destroying chat?” She was thinking yes to that, mixed in with regular nerves, to induce a ‘will never, ever upset you’ kind of thing. “Or a happy chat about what Michael’s favorite type of sweet was? I think I know.”

"He likes candied apples," Wade said, expression innocent. "A lot, apparently."

"And he hopes that you will too", Kurt put in. "Do you like candied apples, Meggan? If not, apparently they have fudge and other things as well."

That innocent look didn’t fool her one bit. If they had scared him into being extremely polite, she was pleased and very, very amused. “Oh, yes, I love them. He hoped right.” They had been delicious the one time she had tried them. But she also loved fudge, so she’d have to see if they could make one with a special layer of fudge over the candied apple. If they couldn’t, she could always try to find it somewhere else. That would be a huge point in Michael’s favor, even if he might be too nervous to appreciate that. “So he says it won’t be too late for it? He won’t be risking some sort of doom from one of you?”

"Doom?" Wade asked, eyes wide. "Doom is such a strong word..."

"We have decided that just this once, there will be no doom", Kurt said airily. "Unless, of course, you come home late or upset - and we will be waiting. If that happens, all bets are off."

“Good, that’s very good. Thank you for no doom. We won’t be late, we shouldn’t be,” Meggan promised with a smile. She glanced at Michael, hoping he would reassure them of that. There was time for everything, right? If it looked close to the time while they were getting candied apples, they could always buy and leave quickly.

"Right, we are definitely, definitely not going to be late. At all," Michael said, shifting so he was a little closer to the door. "Uh... wanna go, Meggan?"

Right. Leaving now. Just before she reached Michael at the door, Meggan realized she had forgotten something very important. She turned back, rushing over to give Wade a quick hug, and Kurt a kiss on the cheek. “Okay! Ready now,” she beamed as she returned to Michael's side.