Soiree or Stay In? (For Imhotep)

"Oh, honey," Drake coos as he leans forward, propping his elbow to the tabletop, and his chin in turn propped in his palm. "We're wrestlers. We grapple onto each other dressed practically in our undies. Wrestling ain't for prudes. Even for federations that aren't quite so... kink-tastic as this one." Wink!

But that cloying, playful posturing is abandoned shortly after. Domino straightens his back, chuckling, and bobs his shoulders in a shrug. "I can't blame it on the profession. It's just how I was raised. Touching makes people feel more connected, y'know? But if you think I do it too much, I'll try to behave!" As a gesture of good faith, Drake promptly jams his hands beneath the tabletop to inoffensively clasp together. No touchie.

"At any rate, you've gotta enjoy life. I wouldn't be wrestling if I didn't like it. And I'm hanging out with an adorable, pretty girl. I've got no reason to be fussy or in the dumps. 'Sides..." The teen leans towards her conspiratorially, "It's makin' you smile."

As Drake advanced both with words and body language, Mindy looked down at her hands. "I'm not a prude! Wrestling is just a different matter... it's a physical contest. Baring and touching each others' bodies is expected... it feels natural, for some reason. But in normal situations, we shouldn't try to invade people's personal spaces too much!"

But she had to admit that Drake was also partly right. She enjoyed his carefree attitude, which made her feel more at ease with herself. Not to mention that he kept showering her with such straightforward compliments... she blushed a little, her eyes turning up to direct a sheepish look at him. She placed a hand on top of his own, in a gesture of her own."You got me... alright. We're friends. Some touching is fine! But I have a condition." After gathering some confidence, she stared straight into his eyes, her tone becoming just a little bit serious. "Call me by my name. Not honey, babe or doll. Mindy. Okay?" That was the only objection she had to his demeanor; anything else he did was fine by her, as long as she could get that compromise.

"Natural for a few reasons, I'll bet," Drake teases.

Though with her hand setting over his, he adjusts it slightly to link their hands together instead of just resting atop one another. He meets her gaze unflinchingly, not shying back from her growing confidence. Rather, he seems a little energized by it. "Alright. If you insist. But to be fair, I am trying to flirt with you. You're choppin' me off at the knees, Mindy. But it's alright. I'll figure out some other way to do it."

The sentiment is concluded with an open display of that ever-present playfulness: he pokes his tongue out at her.

Mindy linked hands with Drake, locking her gaze into his amethyst eyes. As expected, she was quickly rewarded for her mettle, as Drake agreed to her wish. However, she was surprised to hear him also admit his courting intentions in such an open manner. "So honest...!"

The muscle girl giggled at the sight of his outstretched tongue. "Thank you, Drake. It's all I ask. And besides, I feel like making you say my name won't deter your flirting a lot..." Actually, Mindy was the type of girl who didn't care about cutesy nicknames at all. If anything, Drake would probably have more success in his advances by calling her name in his playful, gentle tone. Nevertheless, she didn't want him to feel like he was getting his knees chopped off or anything.

"But okay... I made a request, so now you can ask me to do something in return. It's just fair, right?" Her free hand finally stopped fidgeting with the nut and brought it to her mouth. "Ask away!"

Drake pops his tongue back into his mouth with a boyish grin, though her counter-offer earns a pause. Lips skew aside in thought as he studies her intently, considering his options. But as it turns out, he has no idea what this chick would be comfortable with. He has to play it safe with her. She's already demonstrated that she's a sensitive girl.

"That's... hrm," he says finally, still uncertain. "You'd think I would have something right off the top of my head, but y'know what? I think I'm gonna take that and keep it in my pocket. I'm gonna call that in when the time's right. Until then, I'll be happy to learn more about'cha."

As if to reassure her that he's not wavering, he gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "Where're ya from?"

As Drake studied Mindy's countenance, she simply responded with a smile, waiting for his answer patiently. Although she was curious to find out what was making him think for so long, but when he finally declared his decision she saw no reason to object. "Alright, no pressure! But you'd better use it before our next match... I'm not gonna let go of a pin just because you asked nicely, okay?" She giggled a little at her own remark.

She did not move her hand away, even as Drake closed his fingers tighter around it. "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," she answered right away. "And you?"

"L.A.," Drake responds. "I started off in a federation there."

He then lifts her captured hand to press a light kiss upon its back. "And don't you worry. For our next match, I'm gonna be the one on top." He turns his head slightly to the side to wink at her, unabashedly flirting at this point. "You might even start to like it."

His eyes flit to the table and its contents, then back to her. "Finished eating already?"

"California? I've always wanted to go there. See what it's like."

The muscle girl's mind was the suddenly distraught from the small talk, as Drake raised her hand to bring it closer to his face. She watched the whole thing as if it was in slow motion, knowing what he intended to do next but not having the guts - nor the willingness - to stop him from doing it. For Drake, it was just light peck on the back of her hand, but for Mindy his lips felt like silk and burning embers.

"...!" She turned her head to the side, suddenly feeling all the courage she had accumulated flow out of her. She didn't even have an answer for his quip. What was she supposed to say, after being kissed like some kind of princess? She blushed, trying to fish some kind of decent response from her jumbled thoughts.

Fortunately, Drake gave her an easy way out by introducing another subject, and she jumped onto it right away. "N-not yet. I need a drink." There was a mug lying on the other side of the table, a pink one sporting the image of a yellow bear. Mindy would try to slip her hand away from Drake's and lean over the table to grab it, before sitting down again and pouring milk from the carton.

Oh, how Drake loves that effect he seems to have on her! It's not an 'always' thing, but when it happens, it's just so cute! The way Mindy turns her head and averts her eyes, how her cheeks tint up all rosy-like... Drake can't help but grin.

He lets her hand slip away to pursue the girlie cup, folding his hands neatly atop one another on the table. And while she drinks, he simply jabbers on in his freespirited manner. "You should visit. You'd love my parents. But if you think I'm bad about the touching and pet-names, my dad might drive you crazy. Don't expect to ever have unmussed hair," muses he. "Did I mention he's a wrestler, too? Probably where I got it from. Goes by Chet the Chainsaw."

Mindy tried her best to not let her state of mind show, but if Drake was attentive enough he'd notice movements were faster than necessary for just opening a carton and pouring milk. Truth to be told, Drake's kiss had sent her heart racing. Even as she raised the cup to her lips, she could still recall the sensation of his lips against the back of her hand.

At least she was able to calm down a bit after a few sips went down her throat. "I'll keep that in mind, if I ever go to L.A.," she said while controlling her voice so that it didn't sound nervous. "Did you learn wrestling from him? You use some pretty advanced moves... like that modified stretch you put me in. Did your father teach you that, or did you come up with it yourself?"