Antonio & Jarek "Rogue"'s Apt

"Girlfriend," Tony insisted, happy to be able to call her his own. Still, he chuckled and nuzzled her cheek as he stepped over to the chair and sat down, trying to worm her legs out from around him. "C'mon, I'm not the only one here," he tapped her nose, shaking his head.

Rogue seemed to stiffen up even more, nearly falling out of his place as he did some weird, almost backwards spider crawl away from him. "J-J-J.... Ja- Jare- Jarek A-Ack- A- Ackerman." He clarified, stumbling over the name several times before it finally fell properly from his lips. It still came out fairly muffled because of the mask, but the amount of heat, the deep red flush of his face made it all the more forgivable. At the same time, his chakras were lighting along his body, the vivid ethereal glow of his ever-shifting soul.

Justice tried not to giggle in response, nuzzling against his cheek. Xir eyes flitted up as Nik moved to the fridge, and xe smiled gently. "Top shelf, back left. Jazz told me." Still, xe seemed to be blushing, despite the strangely calm and confident tone xe had used.

Beyril blushed, pushing her hair off her brow. She used her thumb I wash some of the dirt from her face off of his, "I feel like pig-pen. Ruining all your stuff with my dirt." She laughed, "So Sav told me you were going to get drunk and dance with me, hmm?" She teased.

Melody's interest in the boy grew as his life started flash weirdly. His was focused at various points, and the one at his throat was going crazy. Wait, No. She corrected herself, Not Life. Soul. His Soul. She continued to lean toward him, moving herself around the couch, and her head took on her typical curious tilt. "Jarek? That is an odd name. And your soul. It is being weird. At your throat." She moved her hand to hers and started to open and close her fingers. "It is flashing."

Johnathan returned the slight nuzzle, but left his interaction at that. Leave the awkward couple stuff to Beyril and Tony who, as it turned out, were not letting that role down. Instead, he focused his attention on the new elephant in the room, as his partners roommate was unintentionally cornering Rogue. He had to hand it to Aurora, he thought her description would be way off in the usual Aurora fashion, but it was pretty spot on. Still, the interaction was bringing a small smile to his face, and he whispered into Justice's ear. "Think we should help?"

"That woman is a goddess." Nik muttered, pulling out of the bottles. He pulled out the top and took a decent swing. "Ah, it burns so good." He said, coming back to the action in time to see Melody probably overstep her boundaries. Nik felt a plethora of emotions. He wanted to help Rogue out, but he didn't really know the man and didn't want to overstep his own boundaries. However, an idea came to mind that would let him help the man out and still remain within is own social limits. "Hey, Melody! Come on over here and try this. You look like someone who hasn't tried some good Danish akvavik!" He called out, hoping the girl's natural curiosity would draw her away.

"Oh, did she, now?" The amusement in his eyes only increased. "You do know that I just become a bigger pervert, right?" A laugh followed but his attention was quickly drawn to the goings on around them, and a concerned frown planted itself on his face.

Justice followed his gaze, folding xir tongue and biting it tenderly in xir mouth. "Rogue, are you alri-"

The instant xe spoke, his form seemed to disappear, a gust of wind sounding from where he was to straight around the couch and just about at the entry to the kitchen. He reappered, standing and panting, at the tail-end of the sound, the flickering slowly dying down at his throat, though his soul was alternating between the other, faded chakras.

"....or you can, what'd he call it, Tone?" Justice was staring over at him in surprise; Rogue rarely used any of his abilities, especially since he hadn't paired up or practiced enough to take on any missions.

"Flash-step. Or Jump. I'm not sure which." Tony's frown had lessened some, his hand settling with toying with Beyril's messy hair as he watched on.

Beyril shrugged, "I'm not going to complain. Is... Rogue okay?"

Melody froze as Jarek vanished from where he was standing, and she realized that she must have done something. She was the only one to have interacted with him in any extended way. Glancing around, she realized that everyone had their eyes on her, and she immediately sat down where Jarek had been. Melody started a small prayer for luck, rubbing her necklace as she thought the words.

The whoosh of air as Rogue vanished answered Johnathan, and he instead searched for a way to try and dissolve the tension. He stood upright, walked passed Melody as she went to go sit down, and headed into the kitchen. He gave Rogue a brief pat on his shoulder as he walked passed and went to grab some of the prepared dishes. "Hey Nik was it? might need to offer that to everyone." He really wasn't too sure of where he was going with this, but food usually is a good distraction.

Nik moved quickly, stepping in front of Rogue so the man was behind him and Nik could act as a buffer between Rogue and Melody. He had reacted more on instinct rather than emotion. Rogue was distressed, and his only response to distress was to protect. He was glad that his fascination with the man wasn't know by anybody so they could chop this up to just Nik's fighting instincts. Nik was sure that the girl had meant no harm, but she definitely has pushed past Rogue's threshold. He quickly replied to John with a lighthearted, "This is my bottle. There is another in the fridge for you all." However, he quickly lowered his voice and turned his head to the side a bit and glancing over so he was looking at Rogue, but his body was still facing forward. "Are you going to be alright?" He asked, making sure his voice sounded warm and genuine. The very last thing he wanted to do was set the man off on another flash-step.

"He'll be fine." Tony said, watching the interactions with a more than mild level of amusement. Nuzzling her gently, he nodded towards the hallway. "There's clothes and such in the back bedroom closet. Go get yourself washed up, bello." He lifted her a bit, setting her in front of him and tapping her nose.

Rogue's eyes met his, the swirling depths seeming both impartial and analytical as he stared back, though there was a clear rise of heat in his face. "I'll be... fine." He said, shrugging as his eyes slowly lowered to stare at his feet. Absently, it seemed, we reached over the counter to pull a can from the bar, seeming to merely flick it open before taking a drink.

Justice snickered, watching the exchange and relaxing. Xe looked over at Melody, smiling softly and watching, curious. The meister didn't say a word until the other one had finished, waiting patiently.

Beyril blushed, kissing Tony's cheek, "Don't get too drunk without me." She teased, heading back to his room while she worked to get her hair down.

Johnathan gave Nik a quick nod, showing that he had heard what the man had said. He reached about and gathered up a few more supplies in his arms, somehow managing to carry plates, cups, the second bottle, and the tray of hor d'oevres all at once. He exited the Kitchen, barely dodging Beyril as she headed to the spare room, and set the various items and trays down on small table in the common area. Grabbing some of the bruschetta, he sat back in his spot and started to snack.

Melody, on the otherhand, remained silent. She continued to rub her necklace and her lips were moving slightly as she mouthed the prayer. When she finished, she felt calmer and relieved, as if it had taken a weight off of her shoulders. And it very well may have. She looked over at the blonde girl she was sitting next to, and gave her a sheepish grin. "Hello.. I don't think we were introduced yet. My name's Melody."

Nik saw Rogue take a drink from the beer and crinkled his nose a bit. "Don't drink that nasty American stuff. It tastes like piss water. You, right now, need a shot of this." Nik said, moving over to grab a shot glass from one of the cabinets. He tipped his bottle of akvavik over and poured a shot and slid it over to Rogue. "You will thank me later. It's like a cross between vodka and tequilla. Trust me, it's good." Nik told the man before putting the bottle back to his lips and drinking several more mouthfuls.

Rogue spun the can around in his hand, revealing the Japanese label and the image of a plum on it. "I don't drink beer." He said simply, though he eyed the shot in a nervous, unsure manner. As if on instinct, his eyes darted to Tony's, and the man laughed as he shrugged and waved his hand at him.

"Your move, bucko." Even still, he stood and headed over to the assortment of drinks they had,, grabbing himself a beer bottle and popping the cap off with a bottle opener on his key ring.

Justice offered a somewhat crocked smile, offering a hand out to shake hers. "Justice Abbey. Angel Scythe meister and John's roommate." Xe shrugged, the smile evening out. "Aurora's roommie, right?"

The sound of the water being turned on came from Tony's bathroom as Beyril hopped in the shower, soon followed by a shout of surprise as a few of the bottles of shampoo hit the floor. "Toooonyyyyyy!" she called, sounding a bit frightened, towel clutched around her body.

Melody took the offered hand and returned the handshake, happy that this conversation was not degrading nearly as badly as it was with Jarek. "Ball meister. and Yes, Aurora is my roommate." She looked over at Johnathan, who had put his arm around Justice and continued to snack on the bruschetta, and gestured for Justice to lean close to her. When Justice was an appropriate distance, Melody whispered in 'her' ear. "I think he likes you. As, uhhh, more than a friend." Melody was slightly red as she told the 'gossip' but she had a slight twist at her mouth.

You haven't tried the right beer yet then, my friend. Try some good German-made beer. Goes down like silk with no aftertaste." Nik said, setting down his bottle on the counter. He had already downed a good forth of it, but he only felt a light swimming feeling. It would pass in a few minutes, then he could continue. He almost felt like his old self, but there was still a twinge of sadness. He didn't let him affect him, though. He took another swig before looking and Rogue and said, "So, Rogue, that's a pretty interesting name, but I don't think that's that name you were given."

Tony very nearly dropped the bottle as soon as he heard the call from his room. He darted off to figure out what in the world Beyril needed, blushing instantly when he saw her. "Uhhhhhh, Bey...?"

Justice smirked, amused, shrugging as xe leaned against John a bit, "Does he? I hadn't noticed."

Rogue eyed it more, setting his can down and quickly throwing the shot back. He blinked a couple times, letting the alcohol rush through him. He blinked a couple of times, holding his tongue between his teeth, the very tip sticking out, while he contemplated the flavor.

Beyril pointed at the running shower, oblivious to her near-bare body and the partially healed gashes covering her shoulders, back, upper arms and legs, "There's a spider in your shower..." she whimpered.

Johnathan nuzzled xir as she leaned into him, not paying attention to xir conversation and not bothering to start as half the 'party' wasn't in this room.

Melody realized that what she had said could be considered old news when she saw Justice smirk, and the way that Johnathan held her confirmed it. She smiled even more and gave Justice this expectant look. "Can you tell me more?" She was more excited than she seemed. Girly gossip wasn't the most prominent aspect of her old life, and it was made worse by the fact that she new everyone in her village.

Nik couldn't help but laugh slightly at Rogue's face. It was freaking adorable, but he wouldn't say that out loud. He knew better. However, his mind hit a wall right after that thought flew through his head. He hadn't dated or anything since Svenja died. Sure, he had had sex since her death, but, and he'll be the first to say it, it was just to try and make the loneliness go away, and it had not worked at all. He hadn't really looked at other people since her death. For the longest time, he thought that doing so would have just insulted her memory, but he knew better now. She would have been the first to tell him to try and move on and be happy. Looking at Rogue making that strange yet cute face, and taking note of his ability to think that without so much pain gave him hope. He knew that he probably couldn't deal with a relationship right now, but he wanted to at least see if he could finally see other peoples attractiveness again, to flirt, and to finally be.....whole, like before. "Did I lie?" Nik asked, wanting to know what he thought. Truth be told, akvavik was a bit of an acquired taste, but Nik had been hooked after one shot, anything was possible. He put a smile on his face to disguise all the heavy thoughts he was thinking. He was still at a party, after all.

Tony's face flushed even further, though he started laughing as well. Shaking his head, he went over and grabbed some toiletpaper, picking the spider up and squishing it in the process before flushing it down the toilet. An amused grin was on his face as he looked at her, shaking his head slowly. "Do you need anything, fenices?"

Justice smirked just slightly but shook xir head, pressing a finger to xir lips and laughing. "How about we show you the wonderful world of gaming?" There was deviance there, as well as excitement. Rogue seemed to perk up a bit more where he was standing, his ears, slightly and near unnoticeable, twitching upward.

The assassin pulled his tongue back in his mouth, lifting his mask again, if only for the time being. A slight shrug followed, "I wouldn't call it a favored. Somewhere between pleasant and acquired. I don't mind it." His eyes danced just the slightest bitm a clear sign of the smile his mask hid.

Beyril blushed, grabbing his shirt front aggressively and pulling his lips down to hers, unabashedly and passionately kissing him. She didn't let their lips part, demanding everything from him. Her breath escaped her and she hugged him to her as she kissed him, absentmindedly letting go of the towel without thinking of her nakedness beneath. She had missed kissing him during her recovery. She was mostly healed, save for very few small lines dotting sparsely, but to kiss him, really kiss him, was something she hadn't been able to do since the night of her accident before she had headed to work, and she'd be damned if she didn't make up for lost time.

Johnathan took the not so subtle hint from Justice and went to go set up the t.v. with whatever system xe had decided to grab from their collection. He found that xe had grabbed the Xbox and the Gamecube, and started with the Nintendo system, as those games tended to be more user friendly. Melody was almost bouncing from excitement, and she started to list off various games she knew how to play. "OOh Ooh, I know how to play shadow tag. Or hide&seek! Or we could do Cowboys and Indians, though we don't have any sheep skulls. And it is too early for the Yule cat to visit." It had been awhile since she got to play any of the listed games, as most people her age had been well into their apprenticeships and lost almost all free time, but she still knew them all and would gladly play with her new friends. "Maybe you can teach me an american one?"

"Very spot on. I am impressed. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but I was hooked at shot one. Maybe we should hold off on another, though. They get you drunk quick if you don't know how to handle them." Nik said to Rogue. He could tell that the man was smiling from the smile in his eyes. His father had taught him all of the little tricks to reading emotions on people since he himself was a clinical psychologist. He considered it one of his better skills. "So, ninja, what styles do you use to fight? I, myself, am a master of tai chi, Chen style." Nik said, hoping to hear more about that man and figured that martial arts would be a good way to go since he dressed like a ninja.

He stiffened up instantly at the contact, face flushing as he tensed. His hand remained at his sides as he struggle not to touch her, eyes closing from instinct and an intense need to preserve her modesty even as he kissed her back. The overall situation alone was compromising, and he was fighting hard to keep from from taking advantage of it, of her.

Justice smirked, xir eyebrow raised all the while that Melody spoke. "I tend to forget that you aren't used to technology. We're going to teach you video games. Has anyone shown you a computer or television yet?"

The assassin shrugged in response, seeming to hide his eyes, now, though the spark in them was beyond evident. "I know several." He thought for a moment, closing his eyes tapping a finger against his can as he named off each, "Yoseikan budo, Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, ninjitsu," he shrugged at that one, as though it were obvious, and in fact, it was, "shito-ryu..." He shrugged, "I also meditate, as, ah," his face began to heat up, and the slightest, split-second pulse of the light blue chakra at his throat appeared a single time, "you can imagine..."