Playing your soul's tune to my own beat.

Tristan had his arms crossed on his chest as he looked at the pumpkin, pursing his lips together. “I’ve never did carving to be honest.” He admitted but his concerns sure changed focus at Daniel’s next words, his pursed lips becoming a pout. “What? But candy is the best part! Of everything!”

Maybe his curiosity would get the best of him sometime. But so far he was enjoying the situations that he kanded himself into. “I mean, it’s a stick to channel my power…” He motioned for another dummy and once again brought the flute to his lips playing his echoing trills and then looked back at Daniel with his own mischievous expression, a silent agreement to the other male’s words.

The sheer audacity to dangle a piece of thread in front of a cat and watch as it pounced to try and catch it. That was exactly what Daniel did in that moment. He liked this one already. “I’m sure you could find plenty interesting things to say.” He mused checking the time. “I should probably go get some practice going myself. You could join me if you wanted.”

"How about we spice things up? We could always go to Ricochet and have something that hit back... Or... Well... I'm almost certain..." He trailed off moving over to the simulator panel. He meant to have Daniel join him in the balcony as he played a little, but maybe he'd end up... Getting distracted. So he might as well work up a sweaty here.

Tristan didn’t try and hold back the amused noises from his lips as he watched Dali. But this time he did move up to the male and held him by the wrists. “My red carpet persona is aways a smile away.” He said shooting Dali his widest million dollar grin while he smoothed the male’s uniform a little. “I know you got all that brainy vibe about you Dali, but try not to overthink too much. Enjoy the night, you know?” He commented gently picking the male’s mask from his hand and putting it in place so he could turn Dalton to face the mirror. “Intel is the one they’re here for. And since we don’t do PR often like this… Intel can be whatever you want him to be. Sure, people like a more charismatic character but… There’s nothing keeping you from taking the quiet and edgy approach either.”

Stepping back, he reached for his Venetian mask and put it on then casually messing his hair just to get that ‘just rolled out of bed’ effect. “Your deadpan speech got a charm of it’s own.” He added squaring his own shoulders and smoothing his vest. “Now I’m ready. Lead the way, Intel.”

“okay, i’ll take that as a compliment. brainy is better than awkward, and i appreciate your sparing my feelings.” dali moved along easily at tristan’s manipulations, and tried to leech some of the easy comfort from the other hero. tried to emulate his casualness until he believed it himself. he took tristan’s advice and applied the logic as a salve over his nerves. and by the end, he did believe it a little.

clearing his throat, dali said okay and thanks before opening the door and swinging out, not giving himself the chance to see the crowd first. calmly, he held out a hand to help tristan out of the car, and didn’t let it shake. 

“Take your time…” He began softly, an amused hum falling from his lips as he was tugged to his own bed, sitting comfortably next to Ryder while his lips twisted upwards in small smirk. Feeling daring enough, as soon as he was (far too easily for his taste considering he was slightly taller than the blond) hoisted and placed on the broader man’s lap, he took one of Ryder’s hands and rested it on top of the patch of skin showing from his pants. “I know how to keep my focus in check, Cap. I hope you can do the same.” He teased, his voice now a whisper as he tilted his head slightly downwards, never breaking the eye contact.

Now… The way Ryder still conducted his train of thought, made Tristan feel… Slightly vulnerable (super strength not being counted as a motive/factor) so, he shifted in Ryder’s lap just enough to straddle the male. One inch lower and the blond’s hands would be right on the first square of exposed skin. “Here’s the thing… I don’t plan on just surviving either. I do plan to thrive. And I don’t plan on doing blindly following. I trust that we’re both mature enough to know when to disagree as well.” He would not try and damage Ryder’s authority, but he wouldn’t take it lightly to be reprimanded in front of a crowd. Greenish hazel eyes locked against blue ones, their noses merely an inch from touching and still… One daring hand traveled upwards, underneath the fabric of Ryder’s shirt, until it found a nipple, trailing it slowly.

Staring up at Tristan due to his height, Ryder let his hand be moved from the hero’s waist to the skin showing from the other’s uniform. His own thumb traced small circles along the other’s thigh, keeping his eyes fixated on the other’s. “I suppose I can keep it in check as well. Although if I struggle with it, I suppose I can always come to you to help teach me how to stay focused. Since you know how to do it so well,” he murmured lowly. He waited as the other man straddled him and adjusted his seating position so that both of them were comfortable. That was what Ryder wanted, anyways. All the heroes to feel comfortable and at ease.

There wasn’t already any shyness left in Tristan’s touch as his hand traveled along Ryder’s broad chest. And while his hands studied those muscles, his eyes moved and locked against the other’s, twinkling. “Can do, Cap.” He winked and tilted his head to the side just slightly. “I might even be in a generous enough mood as to take requests… So… If you’ve got anything specific in mind… Just so I can prepare it. I’d hate to disappoint my audience…”

Ryder’s reaction to his words were… Almost unexpected. Almost. Now there was an herculean effort within him to not crack a grin at the mere suspicion that he had indeed guessed Ryder’s costume. And it wasn’t hard, at all, to picture Ryder in a loin cloth. And he made no point in hiding it from the male the direction his mind was going. Maybe it wasn’t nice of him to do that, but he wanted to see Ryder blush a little more. “I’m really looking forward to that sight now…” Was all that he said to that. For now.

Hands rested on a very tight waist at his being pulled back, daring thumbs sneaking underneath the fabric of the shirt to trail circles right against the warm skin. “I would.” His eyes never wavered or darted away. And his voice didn’t falter or hesitate. It wouldn’t be long before people realized what his powers were and start weighting his words with a grain of salt. But he meant what he was saying to Ryder in that moment. “I’m not here to play hero, Ryder. That’s a little too optimistic and idealistic for my taste.” He said honestly, and yet, his hands never stopped moving and exploring. “But I’m a man of my word and I would follow and fight alongside with you, yeah.” He could lie, deceive, distract, deflect… But he never backed down from his promises.

Ryder grunted softly as he felt Tristan’s hands roaming over his chest, his muscles unconsciously flexing at the touch. He couldn’t help his body’s natural reaction to it, only furrowing his brows at the sensation. “I’ll keep that in mind then. I don’t have any song requests yet, but I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer when I think of one.” He moved to sit down onto the bed, only pulling Tristan along with him. The large man huffed at the other’s response, noting the grin and glimmer in the other’s eyes. He could tell that the hero was teasing him now. “Maybe I should put in a request for a uniform change. It seems like it would be too much of a distraction for you.”

“Oh, no need to be so harsh to them. The official welcoming committee is… Worth your patience.” He assured stretching his arms lazily above his head causing the sweats to slip down half an inch, hint of pubes and no underwear to be seen in the precarious balance. He was talking about Ryder obviously. Team Captain extraordinary. But no spoilers would come from him on that regard. “Meanwhile I guess I could fulfill the role so you’re not lost wandering for the eternity…” He said reaching out and shaking Cardelle’s hand. “I’m number Eleven but yeah… I tend to go by my name more often.”

A firm grip and shake and then he tilted his head to the side, expectantly. “So… What are you feeling like now? Manor tour or just get to your quarters? Nothing’s keeping us from doing both, but maybe there was a room you wanted to check, so… Wait… They did assign you to a room, right?” Maybe he should let Ryder do the touring and come pester the newbies later, when they were better acquainted with the house. But for the time being, Cardelle was stuck with him.

-

A single eyebrow raised, and his lips parted to show a glimmer of white as he smiled. “Worth my patience? Is that so?” Intriguing. Not only was there an actual welcoming committee, but one that was worth waiting around to see. Cardelle was truly looking forward to that now. Luckily his attention was already on something just as worthy, momentarily forgetting his eyes were no longer covered as they glazed down the others body, noting the key things that were and weren’t hidden under his sweats. “Consider the role yers Tristan,” he took the others hand, shook it and gave a single nod.

“Deny you? I could never.” He chuckled with ease and shook his head slowly. “I’m just offering more playing time. What fun is the hunt without the chase, after all, don’t you think, Warrior Wonder?” He asked saying Liam’s alias in such way that would sound like he was caressing the name as if he was caressing the body of the hero. “Give… Take… Exchange… Who cares about semantics?” Tristan certainly didn’t at that moment.

He didn’t wear any underwear and was definitely a leaker. Probably a dangerous combination considering how high his sex drive could go, which… Only added to the energy he spent at the gym. His cock stood to attention hard and throbbing, head shining with some precum, it’s salty taste mixing with the musky smell of his sweat. Sometimes he did a little trimming, here and there to keep things under control but he’s never seen nothing wrong with a healthy bush so that’s how he kept it, a loud moan falling from his lips as he felt Liam’s tongue once again on his skin. “Fuck… Liam…” He retorted breathlessly, using his feet to nudge at the cowboy’s bulge.

if liam wasn’t such a damn slut for sexy men with great smiles, maybe he’d have found what happened during the mission already. but instead, he was preparing himself to be ravished by the devilishly handsome brunet underneath him. considering both parties were clearly excited about satisfying each other’s desires, liam opted to cum first and search for answers later. or maybe he’ll just make tristan climax repeatedly until the bard regretted provoking warrior wonder to begin with. either choice would work. liam prided himself in having ample energy stored for multiple rounds of sex. he doubted anybody in the mansion could rival his stamina. 

They were getting somewhere. He wasn’t one to fish for scraps but since Daniel seemed so in control of his expression, every crack and reaction feed back to Tristan’s own amusement. “If you’ve ever need someone to test that out… I’d be happy to help.” He said simply after he was done with his tune. “I also take requests… If the guy catches my eye…” A wink and a smirk, followed by a shrug. “Longer than I like to admit, actually…”

“How about you? Any more tricks you might be hiding under your… Breastplate?” There was no denying the appreciation in his eyes directed at the other’s appearance. And general vibe. Daniel sure had a song of his own soul and Tristan now found himself curious if he could learn how to play it.

          the edge of his lip twitched with amusement… and maybe opportunity. “i might have to take you up on that, sometime,” he said, dead eyes shifting briefly between TRISTAN and the flute he held. “more to training than just swinging a big stick around, right?” although he couldn’t quite imagine catching anyone’s eye for long. his face was passable, but the rest of him? considerably less so. not many good tricks up his sleeve.

Routine was something that grounded him while also allowing him to act like he didn’t have a single care in the world. And that routine included eating lots of sweets and burning them off with whatever activity happened to hold his attention at the time. Be it working out at the gym, yoga… Or anything else that might generate content for his OF. The choice of the day had been yoga and despite of what many might think, it was indeed possible to work up a sweat. So, there he was, hair damp with sweat, tank top thrown over his shoulder while his sweats hanged low on his hips, skin glistering as he made his way to his room just to pick up clothes, but the wrong turn took him to a different destination. That also led him to find a new and unfamiliar face.

“Aw, the welcoming committee didn’t show up to the reception? Damn, they’re losing their touch.” He said casually tilting his head to the side and studying the other openly and appreciatively. The glasses added a nice touch to the overall effect and Tristan would bet it was on purpose. “Sorry to inform, the map has to be bought. It’s not a courtesy. They want you to get lost in the manor and never leave.” Tristan shrugged but the playful smirk was gracing his lips. “Name’s Tristan.”

-

Maybe not the welcoming committee he was expecting, but a decent one at that, and covered eyes could freely glance at the others body, only highlighted by the sheen of sweat that seemed to cover it. Interestin’. At least they seemed somewhat humorous, and not in an obnoxious or irritating way, thus far at least. The cigarette between his fingers placed back on his lips and he took another slow drag. “Well, they gonna need ta get their touch back asap or I’m gonna be very disappoin’ed.”

He huffed, finally removing his sunglasses, pushing them up to the top of his head, short blonde locks getting caught behind them, hands immediately going deep into his pockets as he approached the stranger. “So I gotta learn this place the ol’ fashioned way if I don’t pay for a map? Damn, they really are tryin’ ta keep us here eh.” A playful smirk to match the other hero stretched across Card’s lips behind the steady line of smoke and he gave the man a simple nod, hand extending forth from his pocket. “Tristan, nice. Cardelle. Or Sixteen. Whichever one we’re supposed to go by.”

This one’s poker face game was definitely in check. “Not a stabber… Just a player. Unless you’re into knives but we don’t judge in this manor.” He commented with a shrug and wetted his lips just to gather his thoughts and decide what he would play. But there was no thinking too much. Just play his currently favorite song. “I think I do…” He mused bringing the flute to his lips and playing, as well as unveiling his powers. Much like he had planned to do once he reached the balcony.

“It’s a shame… Some people are missing out then…” He commented and although he still studied the other, his expression eased into amusement, although appreciation was still there.

“Same as yours it would seem. Not as big… But I like to think I know how to use mine well.” Did he want to show off or did he just want to keep studying the other? Nothing kept him from doing both… But an unprompted riff… Would probably make him look like a dbag. He just kept the grin instead.

Only a blink huh? Interesting…

He should stop looking at people like he was up to no good or like he was undressing them in his mind… Or a mix of both. Someday he wouldn’t manage to talk his way out and then what? But there was no need to entertain that trail of thought now. “Spent longer practicing…” He commented matter of factly, toying with his flute for a few moments.

“It was quite interesting.” The comment was made with a slight tilt of his head to the side as he still studied the male in front of him. “Very nice on the eye… On several levels.”

          it wasn’t entirely necessary for TRISTAN to speak for him to get his answer. the way he was looking ( continued to look ) alone said more than words ever could. a curious situation for him. it had been a long, long time since anyone had looked at him like that. it had been longer since he knew what to make of it. “nice on the eyes, huh?” he asked, brow shooting up. “been a while since i heard something like that.”

          pausing, DANIEL gestured toward the flute his company held. “what’s that for, then? background music?”