SITUATION POST: JULY 21, 2013 (APHRODISIA)

[greekchorus]

[Today, a single rose has been placed at the feet of the statue of Aphrodite in accordance with the laws for celebrating Aphrodisia.

When you ate your breakfast this morning, you might have noticed it was delicious, even better than usual. Maybe the nymphs and harpies took extra care, or maybe there was a little Love Potion No. 9 in it.

Who knows?

OOC INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT CAN BE FOUND HERE.]

Comments

[commandertoolbelt]

[ If he's honest, Leo's a little disappointed at that, but Festus has spoken. Growled. Snarled. Whatever. So he climbs back up the dragon's neck and gets to work reconnecting those wires, stealing glances at Natalie every now and then (don't blame him; it's the spell that won't let him focus). He loses track of time while he works, but eventually he gets the last one working. A quick check of the hose he replaces last week shows no more leakages, so Leo shoves his tools into the belt and makes his way down, Festus making satisfied noises at him. Leo rolls his eyes and pats the dragon's leg. ]

Just the control disk left. You'll be ready to fly again in no time, buddy.

[clearasil]

[ Well, of course she keeps watching him from afar, though she tries to keep her attention elsewhere, playing with her new weapon, or gingerly picking up things here and there. Once in a while, she'll levitate a few things to tidy up a mess but other than that, she has got it bad for him and it's painfully obvious after a few kisses. ]

When can we go for a spin?

[commandertoolbelt]

I told Pi-- uh, the bird next week. I need to program the new control disk first.

[ Glad he caught that one. It would be so awkward, falling in love with Piper, especially after she gave him that warning. That he... failed to heed already. ]

You know, you didn't have to stay if you were bored.

[clearasil]

I'm not bored.

[ It is true that she does like to watch him work. In the meantime, she will perch herself atop a free work table, practicing making things disappear momentarily. Hey, might as well use this time to work until she can possibly kiss him again. ]

We, uh, should eat lunch soon. I almost forgot to eat again.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo doesn't feel like going back into camp, though, and he's got the tools here, so... ]

How do you feel about hamburgers?

[clearasil]

[ She is always eager to hide away from the crowd for long periods at a time and definitely follows his way of thinking. ]

I'm always down for hamburgers. You got something in your toolbelt?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo grins, clearing off a table and pulling some cooking supplies from one of the storage crates. It takes some digging to get to the actual food, but he does manage to find it in one of his tool belt pockets. ]

You can always find burgers in a workshop!

[ Got the skillet, got the burgers. Time to cook! Good thing Leo's not shy about the fire thing anymore, at least with Natalie. ]

[clearasil]

You learn something new every day.

[ Natalie's still sitting on the table next to him, and she scoots over to edge, closer to him. Watching him simply produce fire is awesome and she doesn't have to be cursed to realized that.

Here, however, she is suddenly aware that he's actually comfortable enough with her that he can do this openly. It's a good feeling. ]

Where's your Kiss the Chef apron?

[commandertoolbelt]

[ He flips a burger and looks over at her with a sly smile. ]

I don't need one of those to get a kiss.

[clearasil]

Someone's kind of full of it today.

[ She rolls her eyes, but the wide smile remains on her face. Because, yeah, she'd kiss him either way, apron or not. Though maybe not right now for the sake of their lunch. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

No, you just never noticed before today.

[ He laughs and flips the other one. Man, the food smells good. It permeates the bunker, making Leo realize just how hungry he is. Now if they would just hurry up and cook... ]

[clearasil]

[ Natalie pretends to hold a microphone up to her face, softening and steadying her voice to sound like a golf announcer. ]

And at this table, we have Leo Valdez, part time chef, full time mechanic. It's important to admire his form, watch how he flips the burgers one by one. Such artistry involved. If you were here, folks, you could smell the beef.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Well, if you want to play that game...

Leo flips the near-done burger into the air and does a quick, 360-degree turn to catch it and drop it back on the skillet, spinning the spatula in his hand when he's done. They've still got the buns left, though, so he summons a little fire at his fingertips to toast them lightly. That done, he makes a show of flipping the burgers onto the buns before looking back at Natalie with a smirk. How's that for artistry? ]

[clearasil]

And now he's showing off for me, folks, if only you could be here to have seen that spin. He's burning - no, lightly toasting the bread with his own fingers. How does Mr. Valdez make that look so attractive? The world may never know.

[ She laughs out loud this time, throwing her head back and resting on her hands, crossing her ankles and swinging her feet. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Leo snickers and pulls out the plates - a little dusty, but it's nothing a quick wipe with a clean rag won't fix - and offers her one. ]

Sorry, I don't have fries in my tool belt.

[clearasil]

I guess I'll forgive you for that.

[ Natalie takes the plate from him. With all that's happened, it's a wonder that she's managed to have almost all her meals on time in recent weeks. ]

Thanks for lunch, by the way.

[commandertoolbelt]

[ Given what happened with breakfast this morning, Leo's inclined to skip a few more. ]

No problemo. Holing up here sounded like a good idea, better than being all lovestruck in public.

[ Piper would never let him live it down. Besides, he may act overconfident about it, but he's still really nervous about this whole thing. Natalie's his friend, and here he's been staring at her, flirting with her, kissing her... But it's hard to tell what's him and what isn't.

Nope. Stop right there. We are not going there right now, Valdez. He takes a generous bite of his hamburger as a distraction. ]

[clearasil]

[ The plate sits on her lap and Natalie hunches over to keep the crumbs and drippings in one spot. She licks her lips after chewing and uses the heel of her hand to brush some hair out of her face. ]

I think everyone will be too distracted by their own crushes by dinnertime, so we might we safe then. Though, um. I definitely don't mind holing up in here with you.

[ Better than getting in major trouble for being caught by themselves in someone's cabin. ]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ It is really unfair of her to do that... that licking thing, so Leo turns away before he's staring for too long, leaning against one of the other work tables to eat. ]

Good, 'cause I like having you here. Festus does, too.

[ Even if watching him work can't be all that interesting. ]