That Escalated Quickly (OTA)

[st_hotflashes]

Liz was out away from the Inn around noon trying to complete a science experiment that she thought might be useful for the obstacle course she and Kitty were almost ready to start building. She had all the components laid out including benign acids and basis. She wanted to see how she could cause a spray of foam jut out as an obstacle that might need to be avoided or at least distract for a while. It was like a much more sophisticated volcano experiment but instead of 'oozing lava', her goal was for spraying foam.

She was currently on the ground writing notes about a failed attempt - doing things like this was nice to get her mind off of other things that had been taxing her mind lately. That's when she heard panting. Liz looked up, expecting, maybe, to see Dante, but what she saw made her freeze. There was a wolf a few yards away. In her peripherals, she could see three more. Liz knew enough about wolves that she figured there had to be a few more behind her, since they hunt in packs. She started to do quick calculations on how fast they probably were and how fast she was not and then what chemicals she had with her that might be good distractions...

(ooc: Anyone who has a pup itching to use their powers or feel useful, feel free to come help Liz out. There is 6 or 7 wolves depending on your needs [a typical wolf pack size])

Comments

[st_hotflashes]

Liz slowly bent down and then stood back up holding two beakers. Nothing like trying science in the middle of being terrified, right?

One of the ones still awake did not seem to like the fact that some of the pack was down for the count and growled, advancing on them. Liz hoped she'd have enough strength to throw the liquids and have it reach. . She sucked in a breath and threw the liquids at them. They mixed in mid-air and hit the wolf in the face, foam forming over its eyes and snout a little like foam shaving cream coming out of the spout. Liz frowned despite the wolf seeming to stop and retreat a bit, confused. "Sorry!"

[st_eampunk]

"Don't be sorry, it's them or us right now." Molly said as she got next to Liz. "I'm going to veil us. They won't be able to see or hear us, it's like an invisibility spell." With just a thought, Molly veiled them and she knew from being on the inside of a veil it looked like you were looking at the world through white shimmering lights.

One of the remaining wolves began to inch closer and Molly reached out to hold on to Liz's arm to let her know it was all right. The wolf snuffled at their feet but only for a moment before it turned away.

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Liz tensed and couldn't seem to breathe, even when Molly took her arm. It was only when the wolf seemed to walk away and the blinded one somehow managed to retreat as well did Liz actually exhale. "...Thank you." And then she looked around. "Where... are we?"

[st_eampunk]

"In a magical veil." Molly said. "I'll keep us hidden until we're out of sight and smell of the wolves. Do you need to grab anything else before we go?" She looked at Liz, "and great improvise by the way, with the foam."

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She blushed a little. "Thank you. I, um. I guess I have practice with thinking fast from back home." A comment that amused her more than it should, maybe, but it was also truthful. "I should probably bring back the chemicals... can I grab them?" There was a small box to put them all in so it wouldn't necessarily be cumbersome.

[st_eampunk]

"Sure, get whatever you need. They won't bother us and I can make the veil bigger and not just around us." Molly would be careful not to get the wolves in it because that would defeat the purpose.

"What were you working on before you were joined by the wolves?"

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Liz started to gather the appropriate material and deposit them into the box. It was a pretty easy task. "I'm - I'm trying to figure out the best formula to create as sticky foam substance to use in a project Kitty and I are working on. It's messy so I thought doing it out here made the most sense."

[st_eampunk]

"Well here or by the water where you can wash off if it explodes on you unexpectedly." Molly said with a laugh, "or that would just be my luck if I was doing something with foam."

[st_hotflashes]

"That's good thinking." Liz smiled. "I was trying not to disturb people. I'd probably be annoyed if I wanted to go swimming and there was some girl on the beach making a mess."

The materials were collect, Liz lifted the box with a smile.

[st_eampunk]

"Nah, there's plenty of room at the beach, but I can see why you'd pick out here." Molly admitted with a motion for Liz to step close to her. "Just stick close until we're away from the wolves." It wasn't that she needed to stay close to Molly, but she was pretty sure Liz would feel better walking close to her as they passed the confused wolves.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz most definitely stayed close to Molly as they headed back to the inn. Her eyes remained mostly on the wolves as if they might give some sign of seeing them and attacking. Wolves were, in reality, quite beautiful, but also quite terrifying.

"My friend Maria would be so excited to meet people who could do magic. She's really into all that sort of supernatural stuff."

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"Most teenage girls are." Molly shot her a quick grin, "I was even before I could do magic. I had the biggest crush on a wizard detective, he ended up being my mentor." And her crush was still there, probably would be forever.

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She ducked her head a little, smiling. "Is it weird, having a mentor you had a crush on?"

[st_eampunk]

"No." Molly was honest about it. "The only time it got really weird was when I threw myself at him naked and he turned me down." That was mildly put. You get through that, nothing else is awkward or weird with a crush. "That was awkward for a good month."

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Liz blushed this time, deep and red. "That, um, that definitely sounds embarrassing." She laughed. It was that sort of soft, nervous laugh on an exhale you did when you could definitely picture it happening to yourself. "I don't know if I would have been able to face him again if it were me."

[st_eampunk]

Molly winked when she looked at Liz, "it helped that I knew that every time he saw me, he'd see me naked. It made it just as awkward for him, maybe more since he was friends with my dad."

It really helped to soothe her pride that she'd felt what he had and known that he had been both embarrassed and attracted.

[st_hotflashes]

She ducked her head, her cheeks still red. "Do they do that a lot? Guys, I mean. Picture you naked after they've seen you naked." She meant the universal 'you' not necessarily Molly herself.

[st_eampunk]

"Hell yes. As soon as they reach puberty, they pictured naked women or men depending on the sexuality. If they've seen you, that's pretty much all they see and at the most wrong times." Molly laughed, "it's not just them though. Happens to everyone. You know the picture them in their underwear so you don't get nervous thing? Doesn't work if you've actually seen them in their underwear."

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Liz thought she could understand that. Ever since she saw Peter naked, and had been naked in front of him, she found she was more confident around him than she had been previously. "That sounds like it's really distracting..." Maybe that explained some of Kyle's actions when they were dating.. maybe.

"Does that ever go away?" Occasionally even she thought of Peter naked when she saw him.

[st_eampunk]

"Nope." Molly shook her head, "it just isn't all the time. Even now, I'll picture Sam naked. The more you're used to seeing someone naked the less you envision it all the time."

She dropped the veil since they were far enough from the wolves and they were upwind so they wouldn't smell Liz and her.

Her lips quirked, "notice I said all the time or frequently. But, the first time you have a sexual encounter, you'll think about it more than before. I don't just mean penetrating sex. I was technically a virgin until after high school. Only technically." Molly had given Harry advice on restraints when she'd been fourteen. It still made her smile to see his face when she had.

"Daydreams take over then."

[st_hotflashes]

She flushed, ducking her head again because she knew exactly what Molly meant at that moment. Liz had a lot of daydreams lately and they hadn't really done much other than what most people considered 'second base' - or at least that was Kyle's term for it.

"I guess that makes sense... that the more experience you have, the easier things get." And probably the less weird things felt, too. Sometimes things felt really weird.

[st_eampunk]

Molly nodded in agreement, "but sometimes even with a lot of experience you can feel just as nervous when you're with someone that you're vulnerable emotionally with. It can hit you unexpectedly. I was a little nervous the first time I was with Sam after I realized that I was in love with him."

She didn't go into the number of times that they'd had sex before that. "It was a little scary understanding how much it could change everything. Sam will always be my best friend and I didn't want to screw that up. Sex changes everything, but sex with real emotion changes it even more."

And it scared the shit out of her sometimes, even now.

[st_hotflashes]

Sex with real emotion - Liz couldn't even think about having sex with someone if she didn't have emotion attached to it, but she knew lots of people did. Still, Molly's words...

Liz looked to her as they drew closer to the inn. "If there's already emotions... could the change ever, um... be bad?" Like somehow sex suddenly caused a divide in what used to be a strong relationship.

[st_eampunk]

Molly paused thinking about it, giving it true consideration. “it can, but it’s more of a ripple effect. To be honest, Sam’s the first person I’ve been in love with, not counting Harry. He’s definitely the first person I’ve loved and had sex with. It’s more about how determined you are to make it work, despite all the changes. Sex can’t save a relationship and sometimes neither can love. “

She thought of Harry and Susan but also of Thomas and Justine. Both were examples of what happens with love, not always a happy ending, but sometimes it was.

“Harry and his girlfriend were on two separate paths and they had to follow them. No matter how much they loved each other, they knew they couldn’t both be together. On the other hand, two others from home are together, but they have an open relationship because it’s literally toxic to him for her to touch his skin. Two extreme examples of how love and sex can work.

[st_hotflashes]

...were on two separate paths...mo matter how much they loved each other, they knew they couldn't both be together. Molly's words hit Liz hard in the chest and she went quiet, trying not to let worry consume her suddenly. Everyone kept telling her that she and Peter couldn't be together outside of the inn and there was always a part of her who knew that, but she had hope they could find some way to stay together. Liz didn't want to lose Peter. He meant too much to her.