This Is How We Roll

[Anonymous]

Well, so far Eli was striking out at this party. He had danced with a few other candidates, but none of them seemed interested in anything more than dancing. Which was all well and good, but Eli was a social creature. He wanted conversation, at least a bit of one.

And his one attempt so far had ended with a failed attempt at teaching a gracie to drink. Kid was probably back in his room, puking his guts up. Eli had moved from beer to some amazingly strong, yet wonderfully sweet punch. Whatever it was, he liked it.

His strange eyes scanned along the crowd, then settled on a wallflower by the door. A blond too, Eli always had a thing for blonds. Must be that exotic thing. He liked pale skin, blond hair and dark eyes and this kid had two of three. Weaving closer, he got a look at his legs. He wasn’t just sitting. That must make him Val.

Everyone had heard about Val and the sledgehammer. The story had ran through the ATC like wildfire. Eli had been kinnda impressed about the whole thing really. That had to really suck.

He arrived next to the blond and grinned, “Hey! It’s a party! Parties are for dancing! Come dance with me!”

[Rhi-Rhi]

Sitting near the door, Val sipped his punch and watched the other dancers on the floor. The only reason he was here was because Finaa had made him come, as he had been unable to deal with the crushed, disappointed look that crossed her face when he said he had no intention of attending. So here he was, a papier-mâché mask covering half of his face as he waited by the door for her to arrive and rescue him from this awkward situation.

Wasn’t like he could join the crowd out on the floor.

But it wasn’t Finaa that found him first.

Twisting to look up at the other boy, he fixed him with a flat look. Go dance with him?

“Oh yeah. I’ll get right on that,” he said, rolling his eyes.



“Excellent!” Eli was well aware the kid was being sarcastic, but a yes was a yes as far as he was concerned! He moved behind Val, and without waiting for him to react, grabbed onto the handles of the wheelchair and pushed him onto the dance floor.

They got a few odd looks, but the candidate didn’t care. Looks had never bothered him. Moving to the front of Val, Eli began dancing with the wheelchair bound kid. It really wasn’t that different than what half the candidates were doing, that awkward sway in front of someone and move your arms a bit.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Val only had time to get out a startled, "Uhwha?" before he was being rolled out onto the dance floor. What? Did he not understand sarcasm?! Obviously not, because then the kid was dancing in front of him and Val could only stare up at him owlishly, blinking slowly. For a few seconds he was speechless.

Finally, he found his voice. "I...uh...I was being sarcastic," he said, unable to decide if the boy just hadn't caught that, or if he had and was just making fun of him.

[Anonymous]

"Yeah, I know. But this way, I get to dance with you." Eli grinned, still dancing in front of Val, having fun, "Gotta say, you must be able to do some cool shit with that chair. You should like, get a battering ram or something and charge down the hallways. That would be sweet!"

Few things in life every really set Eli back much.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Val stared blankly at Eli, like he was observing some strange new species doing some sort of weird mating dance and spewing nonsense. "What?"

Battering ram? Of all the stupid--wait. Val had just rested his hands on the handrim of his chair, ready to back off and get away from this idiot, when the concept took root in his brain. He saw himself, battering ram propped in his chair, wheeling down the hall and mowing down all those annoying kids he loathed, like Romeo.

On second thought...

Val fixed Eli with a sly look. "How would you make one?"

[Anonymous]

The dancing didn't stop, Eli still making himself the center of attention with his cheesy dancing. Well, not center, but a number of people were looking over. His features twisted into an expression of thought, "Well, that would depend on what I was able to snag. But, um, probably like a broom or somethin' for the handle. Then get some duct tape and uh...like....some of those vests in gym. Gotta be careful stealin' those man, or you'll get in trouble. Then, um, wrap like sheets or cloth over that like a cover. And, well, that might work. But man! That would be so sweet!"

He grinned at Val, "And I bet the pity sex that chair scores you is amazing!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

So it was possible, because all those supplies would be readily available around here. It didn't sound too difficult, either; just a lot of taping...

"Interesting," he said after a pause, mulling it over, then looked up and added quickly, "Not that I'd do something like that. I was just curious as to how you'd make it work. But that sounds very...doable." And kind of fun--not that he was interested in something so childish and stupid, of course!

But it was getting kind of hard to keep a straight face as the kid kept dancing like an idiot, and he wasn't sure whether he was supposed to laugh or not. He cleared his throat, lips twitching, but what Eli said next took his attention off that conundrum.

"What?" Maybe he hadn't heard him right over the music and stuff.

[Anonymous]

"You wouldn't? Why not? It would be sweet man! Get a friend to push you so you can get up speed and just cause chaos, ya know?" Eli, obviously, had no problem looking stupid. If it was fun, it was fun!

"Pity sex man! I bet you are wallowing in it! Hot guy, injured by a big, mean Pilot? How can you not be beating people off with sticks?" If he had been in Val's place, he would have been all over using the wheel chair bit to score.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Val snorted. "I bet that'd get you so busted, a candidate doing something like that," he said, though the image, at least, was great. "I can't imagine the stiffs liking that." And while back home he hadn't been one for playing by the rules, here? The consequences would probably be more than just a slap on the wrist.

The pity sex bit, however, had his interest. He blinked, head tilting, a skeptical expression creasing his brow. "Hmm. I guess I hadn't thought of that. You really think people would go for that?"

[Anonymous]

"Well, yeah, probably. But man it would be fun. And, I mean, not all the punishments are leg smashes. Most of them are like, losing rec time or extra drills and stuff." He wasn't really sure if he should bring that up or not, but he didn't want the poor kid thinking if he put a toe out of line, the world would come crashing down on him.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I totally would." Eli laughed, still dancing like a dork and not really minding the spectacle he was making of himself, "And I bet you can find plenty of girls you can impress. Just gotta sell it right. Tragic hero man. Everything is how you look at it. Find the bright side!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Val shrugged uncomfortably. The rational part of his brain knew that. He'd seen other candidates get in trouble for various things and they didn't get their limbs crunched. Logic told him that what had happened to him was uncommon. But...

"I guess I just don't want to risk it," he said, crossing his arms. How was he to know when something would earn him a slap on the wrist versus a snap of the wrist? He just didn't want to do anything that could get him in even more trouble--or that could send the message that he didn't want to be here, didn't want to be a Pilot.

"But anyway, yeah, tragic hero, huh?" His lips quirked into a grin, still watching Eli dance. "So I stuck it to the man and got dragged down fighting? Stood up for the right thing and went down a martyr, bruised and beaten but not defeated? That sorta angle?"

[Anonymous]

"Yeah! People will be begging to take their panties off for ya! We've all seen how scary Pilots can be and yer all heroic and stuff." Eli gave Val a large, white smile and reached over, tugging at a strand of his hair, "And blonds are totally hot man."

[Rhi-Rhi]

...That was a good point.

Not all of the candidates had been present during the incident so it wasn't like they all had to know why he'd been crippled. Which meant he could potentially play up the tragic hero angle. Hm...looking up at Eli, he decided then that he liked the kid. He was pretty smart, had some good insight and good ideas. And anything that got people taking off their panties for him was fantastic in his book.

He gave a light laugh when Eli tugged his hair, the sound genuine and--gods. Come to think of it, he hadn't really felt like this since coming to the ATC. Sure the kid was kind of out there, sure he'd kind of baffled him at first, but...he was also pretty fun.

Grinning up at Eli, he relaxed a little. "You know, I kind of like you," he said, head tilted. "I'll have to keep you around. I don't know where you get this stuff, but I wanna tap it."

[Anonymous]

Eli gave Val a large, cheesy wink, "Dude, you can tap me anytime." Ruffling Val's hair, Eli went back to swaying with the music. No point in being on the dance floor if they weren't gonna dance, "Well, I like you too. I'm glad I got to get you to laugh. You have an amazing smile. Totally hot!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Val snorted and rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. Regardless of his own thoughts as to his appearance, the compliment was still flattering. "Think so, huh?"

He paused for a moment, watching Eli dance--like an idiot, but he seemed to be having fun, and Val had to admit he secretly envied his lack of inhibition--he propped his elbow on the arm of the wheelchair and leaned his chin on his hand. "So...since you're the idea guy, how do you think one would dance in, say, a wheelchair?"

[Anonymous]

"Aaaaall about the arms. And, I mean, you can wiggle the chair if ya want, but personally, just wave those arms like ya just don't care!" With a bright smile, Eli proceeded to start making dorky and somewhat spastic arm motions to show Val how to do it.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Eli looked like an idiot.

Val stared as he waved his arms like a spaz and felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment. Honestly, he didn't know how Eli did it--how he didn't seem to care what others thought of him. Val had been taught growing up that appearances mattered. Hell, as the son of a wealthy and powerful man destined to inherit the business, reputation mattered.

...But embarrassing as it was, it looked kind of fun. And Eli's energy was infectious.

"...Oh, hell," Val muttered under his breath, then tentatively lifted his arms and tried to copy Eli, feeling like a moron that didn't know what he was doing. Why not? He'd already been thoroughly humiliated. Might as well humiliate himself in a way that was at least...dorky. "Uh, like this?"

[Anonymous]

"Whatever feels right man. Feel that sweet music." To make matters worse, Eli was now doing some silly hip motions as well, exaggerated thrusts, "If it makes you feel better, we can go do shots until you feel that liquid courage kick in."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Shots?" Val froze, arms still lifted. "Hell yes. I can get on board that."

And part of him was also curious as to how bad Eli's dancing would get when he was drunk if it was this bad with him sober.

[Anonymous]

"I will warn you, I'm only just holding back from kissing you sober, so when I start drinking, I'll probably try to make out with you. That okay?" Eli tilted his head curious. He liked Val, thought he was hot. But he didn't really want to push too far or make him uncomfortable and asking seemed the best way to find out.