Fifth Floor Common Room, Wednesday Evening

[exspeedydotcom]

After a trip to the grocery store, Roy was ready to actually fend for himself for once, and what better to make on a chilly January day than some nice, spicy comfort food? That was right. Roy was making chili. From Oliver Queen's recipe. One teaspoon cayenne, three tablespoons chili powder, and a healthy dose of Tabasco sauce. God help the unwary.

While it simmered away on the stove, he sat down and grabbed the remote to see what was on TV. This was shaping up to be a good night, really. Chili, TV, and the entertainment value of rookies experiencing chili that tasted like fire for the first time. Yeah, he had no complaints.

And for the record: Yes, he did have functioning taste buds. His sanity...well, that was more questionable.

((Open!))

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"...so why? No. Don't wanna know." Dinah made little waving and flailing motions, turning brighter pink as Jaime blushed. "Um. I may not be the only person who got that message..." She remembered that much from last year.

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime was going to explain that it had all been a mix-up, but...

...

"What?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah looked way rueful. "I had messages go to a couple different people, when this happened last year. And the same thing happened to other people. Sorry?" Poor, poor Jaime.

[weldedtomyspine]

...

"I'm going to go hide under my bed now, I think."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"No, nooo, c'mon," Dinah cajoled him, reaching out, then dancing a cracker packet over to him. "It's not that bad! Really. Arthur killed his answering machine last year over the messages he was getting. It could be so much worse!"

[weldedtomyspine]

"How could it be worse than leaving a panicked message about cybersex on who knows how many peoples' phones?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"...it could be a panicked message about real sex on who knows how many people's phones?" That probably wasn't helpful. Dinah took another bite of chili to cover. "Traci could have heard it?" Helpful, or not?

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime blinked. Then he groaned and held out his bowl of chili. "Can you hold onto this while I find something to smash my head against?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah took it, but protested, "Maybe that didn't happen! Don't panic. Really! I mean, I left a message on Roy's machine that we're both erasing from our memory banks, seriously, you're fine. No one here will hold it against you."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Traci is one of the most powerful magic practitioners in the world!" Jaime wailed over-dramatically. "Who knows what she'll do to me?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"And who knows if she even got it!" Dinah protested. "Silly boy. I'm going to keep your chili if you don't chill out."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime thought about that for a moment.

"Well... she probably would have already turned me into a slime mold by now..."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"There you go." Dinah handed him his bowl back, and snickered. "Honestly, Jaime. This is what makes teasing you so fun." Bright smile of glee for that.

[weldedtomyspine]

"Hey, that's just mean!" Jaime accused, trying to hide his grin.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Poster," she said, pointing her spoon at him. "You totally, totally deserve it." Dinah grinned again, and took another sip of milk. "So aside from not entering the growing field of internet porn--" and see, she managed to almost not blush on that, "--what else have you been up to?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Hey, if you don't want the poster, I'm sure I can find some other Dinah who would appreciate it."

"And not much, really. Just doing the class thing. Tinkering some in my spare time..."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Noooo. Mine!" Dinah insisted. "And ooo? On what?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Then quit picking on me," he pouted.

"And nothing major, just playing around with some stuff."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I'm not picking on you," Dinah denied, in full avoidance of facts. She grinned. "Did you ever get a chance to play with that new toy?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Are too!" Jaime countered oh-so-maturely.

"And like I'd tell a big meanie like you."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Awww, Jaime." Fake-eyelash-bat, real pout. "But it's only because I like you. You're tough, you can take it!"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Oh, so you like me, do you?" Jaime smirked, careful to bury that little flicker of curiosity that wanted to ask 'do you like me, or do you like like me?'. Because that little flicker was an idiot and always managed to get him into trouble.

"Tough? I'm totally not! Remember how easily you beat me up back when we first met at Fight Club?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Dinah said airily. Very airily. Because the whole Jak thing still hurt, and she always kind of... liked, Jaime. But now was so not a time to say that, wow. Because she had no idea what would be behind her saying it if she did.

"Well, okay, so I beat you, but I didn't beat you up! You totally walked away from that okay?" After some very awkward falling and such. Ahem. Yes, the pink is heat from the chili.

[weldedtomyspine]

"But I think this conclusively proves my total lack of toughness!"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Then we have to toughen you up, by taunting you more," Dinah offered, swiveling on her chair with a bright smile. Yes, she just moved the ground of the argument.