Fifth Floor Common Room, Wednesday night

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce had barely walked into the common room before a pie went whizzing past his head and splattered against the wall. Following the path of travel back to the source, he saw reason to duck as another pie was winged over his head. As he dove to the side, he caught a quick look at the culprit standing on the kitchen counter.

It looked like a leprechaun standing next to a tray filled with pies. But it was a little too green-skinned and its teeth were a little too pointy. Apparently a gremlin was celebrating some unholy combination of Pi Day and Saint Patrick's Day the only way it knew how: with slapstick comedy.

And that was fine as far as Bruce was concerned. A leprechaun meant potential magical powers he didn't understand and a legendary ability to flee capture. A gremlin could be defeated with ease.

As the next pie made its way toward his head, Bruce waited, then dodged, got a hand on the back of the pie plate so he could change its direction, and flung it back at the gremlin in one smooth motion. The pie hit the gremlin just as it was about to throw another one (in fact, it was about 14% of the way through its throwing motion). The gremlin stumbled back blindly, backed into a pot, fell into it, and then the suddenly potted gremlin fell off the counter. Bruce walked over casually, grabbed the pot's lid, and secured it to seal the gremlin in for the time being.

After inspecting a tray with several remaining unthrown pies, Bruce decided that they were free of gremlin venom. So carried the tray over by the couches for people to share. He wasn't sure if it was the gremlin who made them, or if the gremlin stole them, but Bruce had to admit that they tasted pretty good.

[OOC: I'm starting to realize that Bruce has a long history of battling individual gremlins. I need to do something with this.

Anyway, CR is open. There is pie. And a gremlin in a pot in the kitchen.]

Comments

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara needed out of her room, and like she ever actually went to her own floor's common room.

Cara looked at Bruce, then at the pies, then the wall, then back at Bruce. "Do I even want to know?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce met that look with a very deeply serious one and answered, "Probably not. But I wouldn't go by the kitchen. There's a gremlin trapped in a pot in there."

That probably didn't help any confusion at all, no. As a reward for not being confused, Bruce took another bite of the piece of pie he had taken from one of the unthrown desserts.

[wrongkindofsith]

It didn't answer the how, but it at least answered the why. "Do I look like there's any danger of me going into the kitchen?"

Especially not after this weekend.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"You could always want something to drink," Bruce suggested. "Or a non-pastry snack."

[wrongkindofsith]

"I could always tell you to get them for me." She really sounded like she thought that would work. Yep.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure I'd do that when told," Bruce said. "I certainly wouldn't laugh at your obvious joke."

[wrongkindofsith]

Well, she'd thought it was funny. "What about my subtle ones?"

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I don't know if you've noticed, but i don't laugh at a lot of jokes," Bruce mentioned.

[wrongkindofsith]

"Neither do I," Cara pointed out. "Doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humour."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I never claimed that you didn't," Bruce said. "I've seen you turn into things into innuendo to think something like that."

[wrongkindofsith]

"That's completely different," Cara said. "Not to say it isn't fun." Especially when it worked.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"You're not suggesting that every innuendo you make is serious, are you?" Bruce asked.

If she was, then Bruce would have to wonder when exactly her mind wasn't in the gutter.

[wrongkindofsith]

If she paused to consider it, she'd prefer to think of it as possessing a healthy libido.

"Depends on what you mean by serious," she said, shrugging. "It's usually supposed to get some reaction." Though what the intended reaction was varied.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"A specific reaction, or just any reaction?" Bruce asked.

He was curious.

[wrongkindofsith]

Luckily for Bruce's curiousity, Cara was in a talkative mood tonight. "Varies," she admitted. "Sometimes there's a purpose, sometimes I just want to see what happens." Sometimes it was just so blatantly obvious she couldn't help herself.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Seems reasonable," Bruce said. "But now I have to ask, what usually happens? Do most people start trying to cut you off at the pass before you can make the jokes like I do, or do they get flustered?"

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara's smirk should be all the answer needed. "Of course sometimes they actually join the fun." Not that she was trying to imply Bruce was a killjoy...no, wait, she totally was. At least Richard just let it roll off his back.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"That's overrated. And much less fun for me," Bruce said.

Being a killjoy was a blast in its own way.

[wrongkindofsith]

For him maybe.

"Continually being cut off isn't much fun for me." It was a completely different word begging with 'F'.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"It's the risk you run when you depend on wordplay," Bruce noted.

[wrongkindofsith]

"I do not depend on wordplay." Seriously, Bruce should know that.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"In terms of innuendo," Bruce pointed out.

[wrongkindofsith]

"Even then," Cara protested. "It's just more flexible than other forms, and you know I like being flexible." Yeah, that last bit was just to be smart.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"That was still wordplay. It's just wordplay you set up yourself," Bruce noted.

[wrongkindofsith]

"That's because if you don't want the wordplay, I doubt you'd appreciate a physical example," Cara pointed out. Not that she wasn't perfectly prepared to give one if he pushed her.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"You'd be right about that," Bruce said.

[wrongkindofsith]

Killjoy. Especially, since it just made her want to poke at him more.

"Your loss."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Maybe, but I can live with that," Bruce said.

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara was not tempted to throw anything at him. At all. "No maybes, definitely a loss."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce had already caught and redirected a pie in midair tonight. It was a bad night to throw things at him.

"If you say so," Bruce said. "I'll still survive."

[wrongkindofsith]

Pfft, like Bruce was the only one who could do that?

"You realise how dangerous a challenge that could be," she teased.

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

Susan came into the room, took one look at the pies, and then looked to Bruce.

She was sure he'd provide an explanation.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"A gremlin decided to celebrate a couple holidays in the weirdest way possible," Bruce said, reading that look.

"Want any pie? There's plenty to share."

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"Pie from gremlins?" she repeated. "There have been better ideas."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Would it help if I said it was not only good, but nothing strange has happened to me from eating it?" Bruce asked.

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"How long has it been?" Susan asked.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Long enough that I'd already be acting strange if there was any gremlin venom in the pie," Bruce said.

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"I might have a bite," she conceded. Not that she was entirely sure gremlin venom would work on her. A lot of things didn't, apparently.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

Bruce passed over a plate and a fork. "You know, that's dangerous phrasing considering there is a gremlin in the room." He gestured toward the pot that moved on the counter slightly every now and then.

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it should know better," Susan said very seriously, not even looking over at the pot as she took the plate and fork.

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Do you have experiences with the gremlins?" Bruce asked. "Because from what I've seen, they don't learn very well from their mistakes."

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I've never even seen one."

But everything had a self-preservation instinct, didn't it?

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Bruce asked. "Out of curiosity, are your expectations that it should be afraid of you based on reputation or natural intimidation?"

[inaskinnyway.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't say I have a reputation," said Susan, "but I expect it to understand that if it tried anything, it would be the last thing it ever did. That's all."

[willbethenight.livejournal.com]

"I have to say, I can appreciate that kind of confidence," Bruce said.

And it meant he was probably going to give this gremlin a note telling it to spread word that Susan was to be avoided. He didn't want any gremlins getting slaughtered, after all.