"Oh, good, you're enjoying this?" He says, but his tone is cocky, interested. His smile is lop-sided.
Until the knife is thrown, and Midnighter reaches for it on instinct, reflexes good enough to catch it midair, but-- No. It disappears immediately.
Midnighter sighs, and resists the urge to pop open the controller and rewire it. We'll play it the girl's way, first. He moves the control sticks, and the couch zooms closer. Moves them in the other direction, and they zoom back. He presses the X and the girl jumps back, throws her knife-- instinctively, Midnighter hits the O. They dodge.
"It's set up like some fighting game, I think. I'm not an expert on this either, it's just innate." He taps his head-- the computer-- with one hand while the girl throws another knife-- she seems to have an endless supply-- and Midnighter hits dodge on instinct. "If we can get close enough, you wanna try your fancy tricks again?"
"Solving a problem using nothing but our wits? I can't see what there is to not like." John returns the smile, just as interested. Sure, he likely couldn't do this on his own, but with Midnighter here the girl is nothing more than a supernatural annoyance. Granted, one that got the heart rate up in between the total blackness and the knife throwing, but that only heightened the experience.
John's body shifts as the sofa dodges and the jostling makes it difficult to concentrate on maintaining his enchantment. That would require more focus the next time around. The allotted time for the spell runs out and the yellow light blinks out of the air. No matter. They can try again. Infinite lives or something, right?
"Let's give it another go then." He gives Midnighter's bicep a squeeze in both encouragement and for his own benefit. Hands move into incantation position and John readies himself to release the binding into the air as soon as necessary.
But first he needs to watch for yet another knife hurled their way.
A knife Midnighter catches again, one-handed. He grunts as it disappears, and focuses on the stupid game controller. "Gonna try something new."
He hits a few buttons, and the sofa moves in a wide arc, buoying around the girl. She's a child, in the end, looking up with something that might be confusion at their oblong orbit. "Try'n get at her while she's distracted."
This is a game with its own internal logic. John's not sure how long his magic will last here, or how potent it will be. Best work with what they both have as best as he understands it.
As the couch arcs back and forth John notes the timing of the movements, and once it gets close to the girl he quickly claps his hands together before snapping them apart. The circle reappears, lassoing the girl inside it and holding her still.
Instantly the girl freezes, a look of terror on her face at the unexpected turn of events. The game menu flashes in pale blue light between Midnighter and the girl.
The controller is immediately shoved off John's lap as if it were on fire. He doesn't need or want that thing. As it clatters to the ground John looks to Midnighter in distaste. Voodoo bullshit really.
The Latin incantation that he's uttered hundreds of times previously to send a soul from this realm to the next falls easily and automatically from his lips. John isn't even certain if this is the correct course of action, but why not follow instinct at this point?
In a slow trail upward the girl floats toward the ceiling and then disappears entirely. Light enters the room once more, but the couch has moved further away from the television.
That... worked? That worked. Oh, nice. He was not actually expecting it to work. He was once told that magic is less art than science, and takes a finely tuned mind to properly hone its abilities.
And John is... fun. He's fun.
"You could thank me with body language?" Another grin.
"You may be even more forward than I am, a true feat." It's not a bad thing, which John makes known by leaning against Midnighter's side and looking up. John is of a respectable height, but Midnighter still seems to absolutely dwarf him.
John lifts his arm alongside his torso, extending an index finger backward to poke Midnighter playfully against the chest. "Though you could do with being a little closer."
"Seems like I gotta be, to get some fucking attention, here. Fry a sea monster for you, help you get rid of a demon. What's a guy gotta do? You're the most expensive cheap date I've ever had."
With John's arms around him, it's easy to lean back, lying down until John is sprawled out atop him. It's a nice view.
"Need I remind you that I was the one who did the actual frying? Unless you're hiding something in your fingers that I don't know about."
John ignores the rest of the complaint, instead grabbing one of Midnighter's hands in his own and turning it over in his hands as if inspecting for tiny hidden flamethrowers. Once he's thoroughly certain that there's nothing hidden in M's hand, yet still not quite satisfied, he moves on to the arm to likewise inspect it through touch.
Midnighter rolls his eyes, but he's still grinning. "Feeling dramatic, huh?" He's at a good vantage point to reach over and run his knuckles down the length of John's jaw, feeling the stubble there.
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Until the knife is thrown, and Midnighter reaches for it on instinct, reflexes good enough to catch it midair, but-- No. It disappears immediately.
Midnighter sighs, and resists the urge to pop open the controller and rewire it. We'll play it the girl's way, first. He moves the control sticks, and the couch zooms closer. Moves them in the other direction, and they zoom back. He presses the X and the girl jumps back, throws her knife-- instinctively, Midnighter hits the O. They dodge.
"It's set up like some fighting game, I think. I'm not an expert on this either, it's just innate." He taps his head-- the computer-- with one hand while the girl throws another knife-- she seems to have an endless supply-- and Midnighter hits dodge on instinct. "If we can get close enough, you wanna try your fancy tricks again?"
no subject
John's body shifts as the sofa dodges and the jostling makes it difficult to concentrate on maintaining his enchantment. That would require more focus the next time around. The allotted time for the spell runs out and the yellow light blinks out of the air. No matter. They can try again. Infinite lives or something, right?
"Let's give it another go then." He gives Midnighter's bicep a squeeze in both encouragement and for his own benefit. Hands move into incantation position and John readies himself to release the binding into the air as soon as necessary.
But first he needs to watch for yet another knife hurled their way.
no subject
He hits a few buttons, and the sofa moves in a wide arc, buoying around the girl. She's a child, in the end, looking up with something that might be confusion at their oblong orbit. "Try'n get at her while she's distracted."
no subject
As the couch arcs back and forth John notes the timing of the movements, and once it gets close to the girl he quickly claps his hands together before snapping them apart. The circle reappears, lassoing the girl inside it and holding her still.
Instantly the girl freezes, a look of terror on her face at the unexpected turn of events. The game menu flashes in pale blue light between Midnighter and the girl.
YES NO
It's Midnighter's choice.
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Looking to John, "now do some voodoo bullshit and free her soul or whatever." Teamwork!
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The Latin incantation that he's uttered hundreds of times previously to send a soul from this realm to the next falls easily and automatically from his lips. John isn't even certain if this is the correct course of action, but why not follow instinct at this point?
In a slow trail upward the girl floats toward the ceiling and then disappears entirely. Light enters the room once more, but the couch has moved further away from the television.
"I suppose you're going to expect a thank you."
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And John is... fun. He's fun.
"You could thank me with body language?" Another grin.
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John lifts his arm alongside his torso, extending an index finger backward to poke Midnighter playfully against the chest. "Though you could do with being a little closer."
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With John's arms around him, it's easy to lean back, lying down until John is sprawled out atop him. It's a nice view.
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John ignores the rest of the complaint, instead grabbing one of Midnighter's hands in his own and turning it over in his hands as if inspecting for tiny hidden flamethrowers. Once he's thoroughly certain that there's nothing hidden in M's hand, yet still not quite satisfied, he moves on to the arm to likewise inspect it through touch.
no subject