Rhea burst in to Terrence Knight's rec room, a huge, beaming smile on her face. In one hand she held a plain brown paper bag, of the sort Terrence had seen all too often before.
"Terr! Guess wha--"
"No," Terrence interjected, raising a hand. "I don't know what it is, but, no."
Rhea pouted. "You haven't even given me a chance this time."
"I'm safer that way."
Rhea pouted some more. Terr glared. The pouting changed to a quivering lip and big, sad eyes. Terr threw his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, okay! I give!" Grumbling, he threw himself down on the couch as Rhea's sad face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She jumped over the back of the couch to land next to him, curling her long legs under her and plopping the bag on his lap. He eyed it with much the same expression as he would give a ticking time bomb.
"Open it, silly," Rhea chided, laughing and nudging him with her shoulder.
Terr used one finger to gently open the bag, peering down inside. His eyebrows rose and he fished out... a pair of boxer shorts? He turned and focused the raised eyebrows on Rhea.
"Well, you haven't changed your mind about the toys -- you're still... okay, don't glare at me like that." Rhea giggled. "So, this is the next best thing." She reached out and plucked the black fabric from Terr's grasp. "It's silk, of course, but there's an impervium microweave for added strength and the manager down at Second Skin says they can include a whole bunch of optional extras, just like they do for the high-end super-suits -- like my tights. See here?" She pointed at a discreet yellow-and-black trefoil on the label, which Terr noted had a circle-slash through it. "I had them make this one special. Watch!"
She draped the boxers over her hand, bit her lip, and flared with bright green energy. The only part of her not glowing, in fact, was the hand wearing the boxers. Terrence was very good at judging power output based solely on visual cues at this point, and he estimated Rhea was using about half-strength. He nodded approvingly. "That's pretty good."
Rhea grinned and wiggled her fingers, allowing one of them to slip through the front flap of the boxers. Terr laughed as the glowing digit appeared.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Rhea smiled. She wiggled her protruding finger some more and batted her eyelashes at Terr suggestively.
"Hey, Rhea?"
"Hmm?"
"My place isn't hardened like Lisa's is."
Rhea's eyes widened and the glow cut off like a switch had been thrown. "Oops."
"Good thing all my anime is on DVD," he chuckled.
"So... what do you think?" Rhea eyed him anxiously.
Terr sat back, his brow creased. He'd been meaning to ask this for a long time, but he was always getting... distracted. "Rhea... why do you want me to put my name on this stuff so badly? Do you need the money or something?"
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? The last time I checked my accounts I got scared and told the accountant to start finding ways to give most of my income away. The cartoon and the ShoulderPets and Mr. Whiskers' book signings and... the last thing I need is more money, Terr."
"Well, then... why?"
Rhea sighed and sat back. Terr -- ever conscious of the important details -- noted with some disappointment that she was no longer as... perky... as she'd been a moment before. He wondered briefly if Rhea realized how much of her mood showed on her... features. Especially in those tights.
He twitched and reminded himself that this was serious and tried to pay attention.
"It's fun," Rhea said at last. She didn't turn her head to look at him, focusing instead on the great stone fireplace that would have dominated the room if the entertainment center -- flat-screen, stereo, unidentifiable blue-glowing electronics -- wasn't already filling that role. "It's a lot of fun. It gives me something to do besides tackling Lisa and you, and... and when I think about how lucky I am, I want to share that. I'm not making much sense, I know." She turned and laid a hand on Terr's knee. "You're a great guy, Terr... if you really want me to stop, I will."
Terr scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well... you don't have to stop... I'm just not the public type, y'know?"
Rhea's grin returned. "That's what I'm trying to fix, silly! She leaned forward and traced delicate fingers up his chest. "If you've got it, flaunt it, right?"
"R-Rhea!"
She giggled and stood, stretching until her back popped and taking a few steps towards the fireplace before turning. "So, can I tell them we're good to go on this one?"
Terrence glowered, but his heart wasn't in it. Boxers and briefs -- men's clothing -- wasn't as bad as... some of the things Rhea had suggested before. "Oh, all right," he grumbled. "I suppose."
"Great!" Rhea bounced over and bent down to give him a quick hug. "I'll tell them right now. They should be able to get a line on the shelves in two weeks. I'll get Lisa to negotiate your cut, unless you want to? I'm sure they'd love to meet you personally..."
Terr blushed and waved his hands. "No! No, uh, that's okay, Lisa can do it...."
Rhea laughed again and headed for the door. "Oh, by the way, Terr," her voice rang back as she passed through the portal. "Come up with some places you want to use as the backdrop for your photo shoot, would you? It's best if you're comfortable for those. Trust me on that. Eden, maybe? There's some nice waterfalls there..."
The door clicked shut.
Terr whimpered. "P-photo s-sh-shoot?"
(inspired by a bit of semi-RP in channel last night... Rhea's slowly wearing him down.
)
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
"Terr! Guess wha--"
"No," Terrence interjected, raising a hand. "I don't know what it is, but, no."
Rhea pouted. "You haven't even given me a chance this time."
"I'm safer that way."
Rhea pouted some more. Terr glared. The pouting changed to a quivering lip and big, sad eyes. Terr threw his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, okay! I give!" Grumbling, he threw himself down on the couch as Rhea's sad face vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She jumped over the back of the couch to land next to him, curling her long legs under her and plopping the bag on his lap. He eyed it with much the same expression as he would give a ticking time bomb.
"Open it, silly," Rhea chided, laughing and nudging him with her shoulder.
Terr used one finger to gently open the bag, peering down inside. His eyebrows rose and he fished out... a pair of boxer shorts? He turned and focused the raised eyebrows on Rhea.
"Well, you haven't changed your mind about the toys -- you're still... okay, don't glare at me like that." Rhea giggled. "So, this is the next best thing." She reached out and plucked the black fabric from Terr's grasp. "It's silk, of course, but there's an impervium microweave for added strength and the manager down at Second Skin says they can include a whole bunch of optional extras, just like they do for the high-end super-suits -- like my tights. See here?" She pointed at a discreet yellow-and-black trefoil on the label, which Terr noted had a circle-slash through it. "I had them make this one special. Watch!"
She draped the boxers over her hand, bit her lip, and flared with bright green energy. The only part of her not glowing, in fact, was the hand wearing the boxers. Terrence was very good at judging power output based solely on visual cues at this point, and he estimated Rhea was using about half-strength. He nodded approvingly. "That's pretty good."
Rhea grinned and wiggled her fingers, allowing one of them to slip through the front flap of the boxers. Terr laughed as the glowing digit appeared.
"Pretty cool, huh?" Rhea smiled. She wiggled her protruding finger some more and batted her eyelashes at Terr suggestively.
"Hey, Rhea?"
"Hmm?"
"My place isn't hardened like Lisa's is."
Rhea's eyes widened and the glow cut off like a switch had been thrown. "Oops."
"Good thing all my anime is on DVD," he chuckled.
"So... what do you think?" Rhea eyed him anxiously.
Terr sat back, his brow creased. He'd been meaning to ask this for a long time, but he was always getting... distracted. "Rhea... why do you want me to put my name on this stuff so badly? Do you need the money or something?"
Rhea rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? The last time I checked my accounts I got scared and told the accountant to start finding ways to give most of my income away. The cartoon and the ShoulderPets and Mr. Whiskers' book signings and... the last thing I need is more money, Terr."
"Well, then... why?"
Rhea sighed and sat back. Terr -- ever conscious of the important details -- noted with some disappointment that she was no longer as... perky... as she'd been a moment before. He wondered briefly if Rhea realized how much of her mood showed on her... features. Especially in those tights.
He twitched and reminded himself that this was serious and tried to pay attention.
"It's fun," Rhea said at last. She didn't turn her head to look at him, focusing instead on the great stone fireplace that would have dominated the room if the entertainment center -- flat-screen, stereo, unidentifiable blue-glowing electronics -- wasn't already filling that role. "It's a lot of fun. It gives me something to do besides tackling Lisa and you, and... and when I think about how lucky I am, I want to share that. I'm not making much sense, I know." She turned and laid a hand on Terr's knee. "You're a great guy, Terr... if you really want me to stop, I will."
Terr scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well... you don't have to stop... I'm just not the public type, y'know?"
Rhea's grin returned. "That's what I'm trying to fix, silly! She leaned forward and traced delicate fingers up his chest. "If you've got it, flaunt it, right?"
"R-Rhea!"
She giggled and stood, stretching until her back popped and taking a few steps towards the fireplace before turning. "So, can I tell them we're good to go on this one?"
Terrence glowered, but his heart wasn't in it. Boxers and briefs -- men's clothing -- wasn't as bad as... some of the things Rhea had suggested before. "Oh, all right," he grumbled. "I suppose."
"Great!" Rhea bounced over and bent down to give him a quick hug. "I'll tell them right now. They should be able to get a line on the shelves in two weeks. I'll get Lisa to negotiate your cut, unless you want to? I'm sure they'd love to meet you personally..."
Terr blushed and waved his hands. "No! No, uh, that's okay, Lisa can do it...."
Rhea laughed again and headed for the door. "Oh, by the way, Terr," her voice rang back as she passed through the portal. "Come up with some places you want to use as the backdrop for your photo shoot, would you? It's best if you're comfortable for those. Trust me on that. Eden, maybe? There's some nice waterfalls there..."
The door clicked shut.
Terr whimpered. "P-photo s-sh-shoot?"
(inspired by a bit of semi-RP in channel last night... Rhea's slowly wearing him down.
)--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs