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Show Me The Way; 5/23 evening (Doug/Topaz)
Topic Started: Jul 7 2013, 04:02 PM (745 Views)
Cypher
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Topaz pressed in against him as his fingers stroked over her bare back, and Doug let out a soft moan, his hand exerting slightly more pressure to encourage more of the same. How long had it been since he'd even done this? He couldn't remember, which likely said more than enough on the subject. But it wasn't as if he'd had much in the way of opportunities, and...

He hadn't sought any, either, he realized with sudden clarity. His "crush" on Joelle had been a convenient excuse, his list of reasons why that was impossible had been more of the same. Given all the valid reasons for not pursuing a relationship with Jo, he didn't have to confront the fact that he had, as Illyana had pointed out at least once since her return, "turned into a computerized hermit." But he'd been comfortable there. Safe. Unrejected.

In other words, he'd been an idiot.

Pulling back, he laughed a little, both at himself and at Topaz's determination to shut down his brain, and assured her she'd definitely done the latter. There was no doubt in what little of his mind was functioning about that. The bigger question was, did she have any idea how to reinitialize it, should it turn out he actually needed it?

Still smiling, she looked as if she were giving the question serious consideration and tilted her head. "I suppose that depends on how soon you need it to be working again," she answered, stretching up and brushing her lips over his jaw. His breath caught, a soft moan escaping as he exhaled slowly. "If you need it immediately, I could go back to the party and leave you in peace."

Did he? He should probably get back to work - there were a few million things he wanted to verify before tomorrow's mission, tests he should run. On the other hand...

"I think I'll live without it a while longer," he assured her, his voice a little breathless as his eyes met hers, fingers playing over her bare skin to the top of her skirt. Smiling, and hoping he didn't appear anywhere near as nervous as he was, he asked, "Did you want to sit down, or..." He shook his head, smile tilting crookedly, took a breath and exhaled slowly. "Sorry, I think my verbal interface program's experiencing problems, too."

Which summed it up pretty well, he thought. Somehow, he couldn't think of a way in any language he knew to ask if she'd want to without sounding like a dork.
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Perhaps it was a little wicked of her, but she could hardly be blamed Topaz was sure. Doug was too close, the urge to kiss him a little too tempting.

So she could hardly feel back about his apparent lack of brain function, even if she supposed she should.

Nor could she help teasing him just a little again, lips brushing over his jaw, the soft skin just under his ear. Especially when it made him moan that way, quiet and perhaps a little breathless. She could, if he wanted, make her way back down to the party if he needed things working again immediately. Even if the dark haired girl thought it would be a shame to cut things so short.

It had been so long since she'd even considered this sort of thing and, despite his protests of brain malfunction, Doug didn't seem to be really objecting. He did, in fact, seemed to be a willing participant.

"I think I'll live without it a while longer," he assured her voice taking on a breathless quality that was very appealing and hardly discouraging, as his fingers played over her bare skin, enticing her closer. He was warm against her and her hands moved to stroke over his shoulder as her lips moved lower, placing another soft kiss on his neck. "Did you want to sit down, or..." He shook his head, smile tilting crookedly, took a breath and exhaled slowly. "Sorry, I think my verbal interface program's experiencing problems, too."

Raising her head and pulling back enough to look at him, Topaz smiled, hands moving down, palms skimming over his chest through his shirt. Was she making him nervous? She hoped not, though her own pulse was quickening, certainly.

"You seem to be making perfect sense to me," she assured him, head cocking to the side again slightly as her hands reached his waist. "And yes, I think I'd like to sit." Taking a step back, she took his hand, giving it a gentle tug.

Then, she took another step back, and another, and another until the edge of the bed bumped lightly against her calves. Dropping down to the edge of the mattress, she gave his hand another gentle tug as she smiled up at him.

"This seems comfortable," she told him, hoping she really wasn't being far too forward. Though if his brain was as incoherent as he claimed, then perhaps he wouldn't mind regardless.
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Cypher
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Topaz pulled back a little, and Doug wondered for a brief moment if he'd said or done something wrong. She was still smiling, though, looking up at him as her hands skimmed over his chest, leaving his skin tingling and him feeling more than a little breathless and dizzy.

"You seem to be making perfect sense to me," she promised, her head tilting again as her hands headed lower, eliciting a soft moan he couldn't quite hold in and causing him to tense expectantly. "And yes, I think I'd like to sit." She dropped her hands from his waist and took a step back, and he reluctantly dropped his from her back and took her hand, laughing softly as she gave it a tug and began backing up towards the bed.

He came along willingly, unable to quite believe what was happening and welcoming that since he also seemed incapable of overanalyzing it. With a dazed smile on his face, he leaned down to kiss her slowly as she sat down on the edge of the mattress, the fingers of his free hand tracing lightly over her shoulder and down her arm. "Can I sit, too?" he teased softly, grinning a little. "I'm feeling kind of lightheaded."

Actually, "kind of" was probably the understatement of the year. It was okay, though. He was definitely in favor of lightheadedness.
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There was nothing he was saying or doing that wasn't making sense. At least not to her as he moaned softly and she let her hands wander gently over his chest and abdomen. Though Topaz admitted the idea of sitting - with him, not back in the restrictive little office chair - had definite appeal.

So she took his hand and led him over, smiling a little at the look on his face. He seemed, well...it was difficult to put her finger on it by just the expression alone, but despite her habitual attempts at blocking out thoughts and emotions, she still caught faint snatches of his. A slightly dizzy feeling, perhaps. Maybe a little amusement. Faint wisps of thoughts that she didn't let herself look at too closely.

As she sat down on the bed, he leaned in, kissing her slowly and her own thoughts became a bit dazed, then. Pleasantly soft and foggy as his fingers traced over her shoulder, lightly down her arm. It made her shiver, slightly goosebumps raising in their wake.

"Can I sit, too?" he teased softly, grinning a little. "I'm feeling kind of lightheaded." Her own laugh was very soft and she patted the mattress next to her.

"I definitely recommend it, then. It's a very comfortable place to sit." There was something else there, too. Stronger. Strong enough to filter through her shields again, though as tired as she was that wouldn't be all that difficult right now.

Nervousness. Was it his, or her own perhaps? It was a little difficult to tell, and Topaz wouldn't discount that it was coming from herself. As she'd said, it had been a while since she'd done anything like this and it was sometimes difficult to tall nervousness from anticipation. Especially in this case, where they seemed almost one and the same.

"Are you worried?" she asked softly, reaching for his hand again and stroking her fingers over his palm, giving him a slightly concerned look. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be pushy, or to make you nervous."

She hoped she wasn't, that it was just the normal first time concerns, when you were contemplating a new partner. Again, though, it was very tempting to peek, but...well, that seemed a little rude, especially when she should likely just ask. But she really did like him and she'd rather not do anything to make him think she was prying.
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Cypher
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Was he supposed to sit? Or urge her back onto the bed, or...

He wasn't sure. Couldn't seem to translate her body language into anything resembling coherence, though he suspected that had more to do with the way his own heartbeat seemed to be drowning out any mental processes than any fault of hers. Finally, he bit the bullet (he needed to look up the origin of that saying sometime, and made a mental note that was immediately lost) and just asked.

She laughed softly and patted the bed next to her in response. Not, thankfully, as if she were mocking him, but as if she found the question amusing.

He could live with that.

"I definitely recommend it, then. It's a very comfortable place to sit."

Taking that as an invitation, he sat down on the bed next to her a little nervously, trying to figure out what to do next. Take her hand? Wrap his arm around her? Life had been easier at fifteen when Roulette had just taken the lead, though the memory of what had come after put something of a damper on remembering that occasion.

Well, that and he'd had a little too much of the punch, and the memory was hazy at best. But it still left him with the uncomfortable realization that he really wasn't sure what to do next.

"Are you worried?" Topaz said softly, fingers tracing over his hand, and he turned to see her looking at him with a concerned expression. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be pushy, or to make you nervous."

"You're not," he assured her quickly, then smiled crookedly and stroked his fingers over her hand. "You're fine. I just..." he looked awkward, his smile tilting further, and shrugged his shoulders. How could he admit this without sounding completely pathetic?

Damn, he was completely pathetic. "It's nothing," he promised, leaning in to brush his lips over hers. She was telepathic, right? If she really wanted to know, she'd take a peek and find out. Emma did it all the time.
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Doug sat down next to her and, again, there was that little prickle of nervousness, a tiny flutter of anticipation. But whose? So frustrating, at times, when she was tired and couldn't be certain exactly whose feelings she was feeling at the moment. Especially in moments like this.

With concerted effort, Topaz did everything she could to make certain she wasn't prying unintentionally. It wasn't something most people were fond of, even when it was an accident and she did like Doug. It would be a shame to make things more awkward than they needed to be.

Still, even with that, there was something...something that made her uneasy in a way that the sorceress couldn't account for in herself. Something she was almost certain now was outward and it brought a touch of worry with it. Was she making a fool of herself, doing something so impulsive with someone she didn't know very well? Was Doug only humoring her?

That little nagging feeling held as he sat looking at her. Brow creasing lightly, her smile faded a bit and a slight, worried frown marred her brow in it's place. Worry. Yes, that's what it felt very much like and she couldn't quite figure out why he would be. So, despite knowing it would likely make things awkward at best, she couldn't stop herself from asking. There was no point in going forward if this wasn't something Doug wanted, too.

Perhaps...well, perhaps she'd been right when she'd asked him about Vance in the bar? Perhaps he'd denied it for fear of embarrassment or perhaps it wasn't something he'd wanted to acknowledge, even to himself. People did tend to do those sorts of things when they weren't comfortable with themselves and their own feelings. It was understandable.

And even more reason to ask, to save them both a great deal more embarrassment than that one question could possibly bring. She certainly hadn't meant to be pushy, or to cause him to be nervous.

"You're not," he assured her quickly, perhaps a touch too quickly as he smiled and brushed his fingers over her hand. Turning it over, she curled her fingers lightly around his, giving him a look that she knew must seem somewhat confused. "You're fine. I just..." he looked awkward, trailing off before he finished, and Topaz felt a distinct sinking feeling in her stomach.

No, she wasn't wrong, then. Well, this was embarrassing, but nothing she couldn't live with and she could hopefully manage to excuse herself gracefully without making the situation too very much more awkward.

"It's nothing," he insisted, though she definitely wasn't inclined to believe that, not when that feeling was still there. But he leaned in and kissed her again, softly, as her fingers tightened on his. It was certainly tempting, just to enjoy that and let things run their natural course. But there was no way to close out the worry and the doubt, her own this time for certain, and she couldn't put either of them in that position.

Pulling back a little, Topaz looked up at him questioningly, small white teeth pulling at her lower lip for a moment. "Doug," she began softly, hand still holding his and other hand going to rest on his arm, "I know that it isn't nothing. I can-" breaking off, she flushed slightly, knowing that she looked a bit sheepish, "I can feel that it isn't."

Well, this wasn't very much less awkward was it? Maybe...maybe she should just look for herself? It seemed terribly rude and it wasn't something she normally did. Over the years with her teammates she'd learned to give others their privacy and let them tell her whatever they wanted or needed to on their own, but Doug seemed to be floundering and she couldn't imagine further questions would make it less so.

Though she was rather reluctant to do such a thing, it seemed simply seeing the problem for herself might be the best solution. There would still be embarrassment, but right now the Hindi girl thought perhaps it was the lesser of two evils. It was a poor excuse, really, but with it in mind she lowered her own shields, reaching out to gently to scan his surface thoughts.

Oh. Oh! Oh dear.

Eyes going slightly wide, she looked back at Doug, feeling her face color even more. That...well, she hadn't really expected that at all, and it certainly wasn't what she had expected.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she told him, feeling distinctly like an idiot at the moment, "I didn't mean...it's just that you seemed so nervous and worried and-" And babbling at him wasn't likely to make her look less like one, now would it? So she took a breath and tried again, hopefully a little more coherently, "Why didn't you tell me that's what it was? It would have been all right if you had."
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Cypher
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It was nothing.

Honestly, that was probably true. He'd been doing fine thus far, hadn't he? It seemed as if he had, considering that they'd found themselves in this position at all. If he just stopped worry about it and let things happen as they would, everything would likely be fine. Hell, he was almost certain that the security protocols he and Kitty had uploaded earlier that morning even had the T-O virus under control, considering he hadn't noticed any random breakthroughs earlier when he'd showered before the party, so even that should be safe enough. He just needed to stop thinking.

With that in mind, he leaned in and kissed her again, trying to will away the lingering conviction that somehow, he was going to screw this up.

A conviction that, sadly, jumped straight to the forefront once again as Topaz pulled back, eyeing him questioningly as her teeth pulled at her lip. His forehead furrowed a little, wondering what he'd done to cause her apprehensions, but she didn't leave him waiting long.

"Doug," she began softly, hand still holding his and other hand going to rest on his arm, "I know that it isn't nothing. I can-" breaking off, she flushed slightly, knowing that she looked a bit sheepish, "I can feel that it isn't."

She could...oh. Doug blushed a little, his eyes dropping from hers. Not telepathy, then, that would tell her outright what the problem was, but empathy. Yes, he supposed that would be confusing. More than likely, his apprehensions were screaming loud enough to be felt by empaths in New Jersey, let alone in the same room. Knowing he shouldn't be scared wasn't likely enough to make any notable difference in how he felt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said suddenly, and he lifted his eyes to look at her, saw the surprised expession on her face. What...? "I didn't mean...it's just that you seemed so nervous and worried and-" she paused for a moment, allowing his brain a chance to catch up, but took a breath and continued before he could manage to ask what it was she was sorry for.

"Why didn't you tell me that's what it was? It would have been all right if you had."

What? He felt his face warm more as he realized what must've happened, and offered a wry, sheepish smile. "I didn't want to sound pathetic?" he admitted, shrugging his shoulders, his smile tilting as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Besides, it's not as if I've never done anything. It's just been a really long time."

Partially, he would be quick to say under normal circumstances, because he'd been legitimately busy. Partially because, with the exception of Tabby who no one in their right mind would approach with any kind of proposition, none of his teammates had ever expressed any genuine interest. Mostly, though...

Well, hiding out in the computer lab, attempting to become indispensable, didn't exactly create many opportunities.
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No, it wasn't nothing. As much as she'd liked to have believed him, Topaz knew better and her conscience wouldn't allow her to simply ignore it and take the words at face value.

Pulling back reluctantly, she gave him a questioning look, immediately feeling sorry for the apprehension she saw on his face and sensed from him. But that wasn't all that she sensed. No, and it was that other that gave her the solid conviction that this wasn't nothing. As much as she regretted the embarrassment that inevitably brought him, the sorceress couldn't allow herself to let this go farther without some understanding of what was bothering him.

He blushed brighter and Topaz felt a tinge more guilt for perhaps prying where she shouldn't have. Her powers were, without a doubt, an invasion of privacy, but she hadn't done it deliberately. Not at first, at least. It was just so strong that she couldn't stop herself from following up, trying to puzzle out what it was coming from.

Doug's eyes dropped from hers and she sighed softly in renewed regret. This was very awkward and she wasn't entirely certain what to do or how to fix it. Or how to get him to tell her what seemed to be bothering him. Perhaps she'd managed to make a horrible, mucked-up mess of it all, and the only thing she could think to do, in the absence of any ideas from Doug himself, would make it worse. But she supposed not so much worse than the nerves and embarrassment and reluctance she was feeling from him already.

And so she did something she rarely allowed herself to do, and even less seldom wanted to do. Topaz used one of her own gifts to seek the answer herself, scanning the surface thoughts that were practically leaping out at her when she eased her shields.

Almost immediately, she was filled with embarrassment of her own, as well as surprise. Oh. Well, that did explain it, but now she was stuttering awkwardly in her own right, unable to string her words together properly to even apologize for the newest invasion of his privacy.

Should she excuse herself? Would that be easier for him? Certainly, she didn't want to push him into something he didn't want or wasn't ready for.

All the Hindi girl could really do was assure him it would have been all right if he'd just told her. It was hardly anything to be embarrassed about or ashamed of.

Unfortunately, that only made his face continue to redden as a wry, somewhat sheepish smile curved his lips. "I didn't want to sound pathetic?" he admitted, shrugging his shoulders, his smile tilting as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Besides, it's not as if I've never done anything. It's just been a really long time."

Squeezing his hand again gently, she nodded her understanding, doing her very best to reassure him with her expression as well as her words. "For me, too," she told him, though from what she'd seen, she'd done more than he had, but for any of that, it had been quite a while, regardless. "It really is all right and it's not pathetic in the least."

Smiling gently, she tilted her head to catch his eyes. What to say, she wasn't certain either, but she felt the need to say something more. Doug was nice and kind and she regretted the awkwardness of the situation, and his distress, a great deal. "What do you want, Doug?" Topaz asked quietly, smile still soft. "If you're uncomfortable with this, we can simply talk, or go back and walk on the deck, or even go back to the party if you'd like. I won't be upset."
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Cypher
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Pathetic. It was the perfect word to describe him, despite his unwillingness for Topaz to perceive him that way. Twenty-one years old, and the sum total of his experience amounted to a couple of dates before he'd even joined the New Mutants, fooling around with Roulette when he was sixteen, and two or three drunken makeout sessions with strippers when Johnny'd dragged him upstairs. Oh, and a series of crushes that had ended with some version of "Oh Doug, we're such good friends..."

Final analysis? Definitely pathetic, though possibly not as pathetic as Vance. He had an excuse for some of it, at least, though he wasn't sure from Topaz's reaction if she'd picked up on that or not. In any case, it wasn't lack of interest, so much as lack of opportunity. And what little opportunity he'd had?

Well, barring the strippers, it had been a long time back.

She squeezed his hand gently, nodding, and gave him a reassuring look he couldn't bring himself to entirely doubt. "For me, too," she said. "It really is all right and it's not pathetic in the least."

He let out a soft snort - half amusement, half acknowledgement that she was being too kind in her analysis, but met her eyes as she tilted her head. "What do you want, Doug?" Topaz asked quietly, smile still soft. "If you're uncomfortable with this, we can simply talk, or go back and walk on the deck, or even go back to the party if you'd like. I won't be upset."

What did he want...?

He turned towards her a little, with a crooked smile that held more than a little regret. "What I want probably isn't the question," he admitted, reaching up to stroke a tendril of hair back from her face. What he wanted, more than almost anything, was to go back to what they were doing, to let it take its natural course. But wanting didn't quiet the anxious voice in the back of his mind reminding him of the reasons that wasn't a good idea, or make the situation resolve itself. He shrugged a little, dropping his eyes from hers, and started to let his hand fall before thinking better of it and holding it up as illustration.

"Have you ever heard of the transmode virus?" he asked, forcing his eyes back to hers and smiling wryly as he let the circuitry flow slowly up his fingers from his palm. "I contracted it about five years back from Warlock - an alien teammate," he added as explanation in case she'd never come into contact with him, which wouldn't surprise him given his friend's current residence in Genosha. "So," he continued, eyes sad as he shrugged, "the question isn't what I want. It's can I keep it under control enough to not infect you in the process?"

Unfortunately, given that Warlock's species didn't reproduce sexually? He didn't have anything even resembling an answer. Nor was he at all sure he could keep the virus in check so that it wouldn't transfer any other way, especially considering his track record this week so far. Gloria and Kitty were both right about that, at least - random outbreaks weren't a good sign.
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Sadly, Doug seemed less than convinced. Apparently,she wasn't being as reassuring as she might've hoped. Still, it didn't change the truth of the matter in the least.

Even if he felt a degree of shame and embarrassment about the situation, she didn't see it, or him, as pathetic in the least.

His soft snort only reinforced that she was doing a rather poor job of this and so perhaps it would be best to change tactics a bit. Perhaps it would be easier for both of them for him to simply tell her what he wanted, what he preferred. Assure him that, if it was simply to sit and talk or resume their walk on the deck, or even to go back down to the party, she wouldn't be upset with him. Or think any less of him.

Turning a little more to face her, his smile was a bit crooked, holding perhaps a touch of something like remorse. "What I want probably isn't the question," he admitted, reaching up to stroke a tendril of hair back from her face and she smiled in return, though admittedly the smile held a note of confusion. If that wasn't the question at hand, she wasn't certain what it would be.

Whatever it was, it had Doug dropping his eyes as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug, but still holding up one hand. "Have you ever heard of the transmode virus?" he asked, forcing his eyes back to hers and smiling wryly and she'd only begun to shake her head, brow furrowed slightly, when she stopped, staring as circuitry of some sort began to weave itself around his fingers. What? "I contracted it about five years back from Warlock - an alien teammate," he added as explanation and she nodded rather absently, watching the golden pattern of electronics in both confusion and fascination. "So," he continued, eyes sad as he shrugged, "the question isn't what I want. It's can I keep it under control enough to not infect you in the process?"

Again, Topaz nodded, tilting her head a little as she pondered that all, tried to process it, eyes still on the odd golden circuity. "So you're...infected with computers?" No, that wasn't exactly correct, was it? Shaking her head and still a bit perplexed, the sorceress looked back at him. "But you're usually able to control it, aren't you?"

It seemed that way, since she'd never have known it was there if he hadn't told her, and she'd certainly never heard anyone mention this 'infection' before.

With an apologetic smile, she laid her hand gently on his leg. "I'm sorry, as I said I'm not very good with these things, but...there has to be some way to deal with this." As there was to deal with most things. "If you can control it usually, can you also tell when you're about to lose control of it? Do you notice at all?"
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The confused expression on Topaz's face yielded to one of surprise as he loosed his hold on the TO virus just a little, let the circuitry wind its way up his hand and around his fingers. It did look sort of impressive, he had to admit, and he grinned just a little as he shrugged, remembering the first time he'd seen Warlock infect something. He'd been fascinated, too, despite the urgency of the situation at the time. All that circuitry...

Unfortunately, being infected himself had turned out to have a few drawbacks, hence the current problem. If he couldn't control it, and infected her?

Well, he had the program from Douglock that would allegedly remove the infection completely, but he still wasn't comfortable with the possibility. He'd managed (if just barely, in Sam's case) to avoid infecting and draining anyone over the years. He wasn't about to start now.

"So you're...infected with computers?" she asked, and he paused for a moment, considering that, then nodded. Close enough, anyway. "But you're usually able to control it, aren't you?"

"Usually," he acknowledged, then shrugged a little and admitted, "Not always." And not very well, recently, which...well, he was seriously regretting just now, especially considering it was no one's fault but his own.

She smiled a little, looking apologetic, and rested her hand on his leg. "I'm sorry, as I said I'm not very good with these things, but...there has to be some way to deal with this. If you can control it usually, can you also tell when you're about to lose control of it? Do you notice at all?"

Doug sighed, brushing the fingers of his non-circuited hand over hers. "Sometimes. Not lately," he admitted. "I've been using it too much, which seems to cause random outbreaks. Kitty and I did some work on it earlier today, trying to put a sort of firewall in place, but I'm not entirely sure how effective it was. Besides," he added with a crooked smile, "I don't seem to be thinking all that well when you're around, remember? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice if the roof caved in."

As for dealing with it? He had the solution for that at his fingertips, almost literally. The only problem was, he couldn't bring himself to actually use it.
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Goodness, but she felt rather idiotic that she couldn't seem to understand all this better. It wasn't Doug's fault, but her own. She was certain Sil or Conrad would've understood it, or almost anyone else. But for herself, Topaz wasn't exactly certain what it all meant, in a practical sense.

The best she could manage was that Doug Ramsey was somehow...infected with computers.

Surprisingly, he nodded at that after a moment, so the sorceress supposed she was at least close enough to not be entirely considered an imbecile. She was more certain that she was likely barely inside that line.

With that in mind, she moved to the next point that seemed relatively clear to her. That being that Doug seemed to be saying he could usually control this computer circuitry virus he was infected by.

"Usually," he acknowledged, then shrugged a little and admitted, "Not always."

Lips pursed thoughtfully, Topaz nodded, adding that bit to the sense she was trying to make of this. She really was very bad at understanding the technical things, but at least she could understand the reluctance if this really was some sort of 'virus'. He was afraid of accidentally passing it along. That, at leas, made sense to her.

But if he could normally control it, didn't it also mean that he'd likely notice when he was about to lose control of it? In her head, that seemed to follow, but that didn't necessarily mean it was that way in reality.

With a sigh, Doug pushed his fingers through his hair. "Sometimes. Not lately," he admitted. "I've been using it too much, which seems to cause random outbreaks. Kitty and I did some work on it earlier today, trying to put a sort of firewall in place, but I'm not entirely sure how effective it was. Besides," he added with a crooked smile, "I don't seem to be thinking all that well when you're around, remember? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice if the roof caved in."

He really was nice, and very sweet, and Topaz could feel her face coloring a bit as she smiled back at him. "That's very flattering," she told him, then sighed and added, "but I don't suppose it's very helpful for the situation, is it?"

Pausing another moment, she turned it all over in her head again, looking over at him. "So, are we at an impasse? Or would...well, would condoms work?" Though there was another option, as well, perhaps. Call it a reinforcement of the more traditional precautions. If he was interested and trusted her.

"I could probably reinforce things with a spell, perhaps, she added thoughtfully. "It wouldn't work to cast it directly on the circuitry, but I may be able to circumvent that if I cast it on the two of us."

Or, if he didn't feel that would work, it was hardly the end of the world. She'd be content to simply spend time with him if he'd like.
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It would've been nice if he could predict a TO breakout, or if, at least, he knew when one was forthcoming. There were times when he could, in fact - where he had a sense of the circuitry sending out new tendrils, gradually converting flesh and blood to its mechanical counterpart.

Unfortunately, Kitty and Gloria had both been right about one thing - he was dangerously overextended, with random patches of circuitry appearing and disappearing at skin level. Given both that and the unlikelihood he'd be thinking at all...no. He couldn't promise that he'd notice until it was too late.

Topaz blushed when he pointed that out, making him even more aware of just how much he wished there was some simple solution to the problem. She really was beautiful, but more importantly, he liked the way she seemed to understand what he was saying, even when he knew he wasn't finding the proper words to explain it. How she seemed to face everything with a calm optimism that not only were solutions possible, but it was only a matter of time before they'd find one. He wasn't sure he'd ever possessed that kind of certainty, but he liked it, anyway.

She was smiling at him now, he realized, her face still warm from the admission that she had a detrimental effect on his ability to process thoughts into anything resembling coherence. "That's very flattering," she told him, then sighed and added, "but I don't suppose it's very helpful for the situation, is it?"

"Not especially," he admitted with a sigh, fingers still tracing patterns on the back of her hand. If he'd ever been tempted to make use of Douglock's program and simply wipe the virus out once and for all it was now, but he couldn't. Not with so much hanging on the mission tomorrow. After that...well, after that, he promised himself, he'd find a way to manage without it.

She was thinking too, he realized, and finally turned to look at him once more. "So, are we at an impasse? Or would...well, would condoms work?" He smiled just a little, wryly, and shook his head. He'd thought of that, but no. It wasn't as if he could predict where an outbreak would occur, so while a condom might protect her from anything that might have worked its way into his genitals (and that was a thought he didn't much like to consider, even at the best of times), it wouldn't keep the virus from spreading from a surface outbreak.

"I could probably reinforce things with a spell, perhaps, she added thoughtfully. "It wouldn't work to cast it directly on the circuitry, but I may be able to circumvent that if I cast it on the two of us."

That...was an option he'd never considered, and he looked up with surprise. "What kind of spell?" he asked, intrigued. "I mean," he clarified, hoping she wouldn't think he was insinuating she'd use dark magic, "What would it do?"

Depending on that...well, Warlock had been as susceptible to magic as anyone else had, with the possibly exception of some of the Enchantress's doings in Asgard. It stood to reason he would be, too.
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Topaz
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Magical Sacrificial Lamb
Kitchen Sink - Admin
It was nice to think she could distract him so easily and it made her smile, and blush a little along with that. But only for a moment, since distraction, in this case, wasn't likely a desirable thing however flattering it might be.

"Not especially," he admitted with a sigh, fingertips brushing over her hand, and Topaz nodded. Well then, that left her a little unsure on where they stood. Would conventional things like condoms be of any use at all? Were they at some sort of stalemate?

It wasn't as though they had to and she hoped that Doug knew that but it was quite the puzzle and she couldn't help searching for a solution. For more reasons than just the puzzle itself, though the shake of his head and the wry smile that the blonde man was giving her didn't seem to indicate conventional methods would be of much use.

Not surprising, the sorceress supposed, given that what they were dealing with was anything that could hardly be called conventional.

Good thing that she was quite unconventional in her own right and that she had a great deal of extra-conventional aids at her proverbial fingertips. So if normal precautions wouldn't do, perhaps some abnormal ones would. A moment's thought had her turning automatically to magic as a possible solution. Casting a spell on this techno-organic virus itself likely wouldn't do, but perhaps she might work around that by casting something on the two of them instead.

Yes. Yes, that just might work.

With an expression of surprise, Doug looked up at her again. "What kind of spell?" he asked, intrigued. "I mean," he clarified, hoping she wouldn't think he was insinuating she'd use dark magic, "What would it do?"

Another moment's thought and the Hindi girl smiled over at him. "Think of it as a sort of protection spell. Like...a barrier," she continued after a slight pause as she searched for the correct word, or the closest that she could find. "Not one you would see or feel, but one that would provide enough separation that it should intercept an outbreak of this TO virus if it occurred without you knowing."

Would that make sense to him at all? It seemed simple in her own head, but then magic was what she was most used to, while he was used to things made of code and wires and circuitry and they were very different.

"Think of it as an invisible, magical bodysuit," Topaz added with a slight grin before her expression became thoughtful again. "I could also cast it so that it would give you some sort of warning if your virus did start to become unruly," she added, the thought occurring to her suddenly, "if that would help at all?"
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Cypher
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Can translate all 25 languages of silent brooding
Freedom Fighters - Admin
A spell. It really wasn't a surprise to him that he'd never considered the possibility of somehow controlling the TO virus through magic - it wasn't as if there was a plethora of magic users around, and he generally didn't considering them when it came to solutions, let alone ones for problems involving a virus that was by its very nature technological in origin. On the other hand, technological solutions had thus far been only partially successful. Maybe magic could succeed at containment where programming had thus far failed.

Topaz smiled over at him, obviously in her element as he asked her what the proposed spell would do. "Think of it as a sort of protection spell. Like...a barrier," she continued after a slight pause. "Not one you would see or feel, but one that would provide enough separation that it should intercept an outbreak of this TO virus if it occurred without you knowing."

"Like a firewall," he replied hesitantly after a moment's consideration. An external one, which was something he really couldn't deploy himself. The theory seemed sound, though, and combined with the more conventional method she'd proposed earlier...

It could work. The realization struck him, almost like a physical blow, and he nodded distractedly as Topaz compared the spell to an invisible, magical bodysuit. He...they...

Oh god. He was definitely going to have to thank Rogue for being an interfering, meddling matchmaker. Later. Right now, as he sat looking at the amazingly beautiful girl he'd been too stunned to talk to an hour earlier, Rogue wasn't the one he was thinking about, at all.

...also cast it so that it would give you some sort of warning if your virus did start to become unruly," Topaz was saying as he managed enough coherence to tune back in, smiling apologetically in case she'd noticed his lapse. "if that would help at all?"

"Probably not a bad idea," he admitted with a crooked smile. Hopefully it wouldn't be needed, but he didn't suppose that additional protection could possibly be a bad thing. Still, she'd mentioned being tired earlier, and he doubted either spell was as simple as materializing and de-materializing pillows. "Are you sure you've got the energy to spare?" he asked with concern, his eyes studying her face. "If not, I should notice before things get too far out of hand."

And if they did, her bodysuit thing should contain it long enough for him to either get control or to get well out of the way, one or the other. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
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