Everyone is good at something

[Teagan]

"He said what?" Teagan's jaw dropped. "Better than the Internet?" That was a kinda big claim there, wasn't it? She understood how books were infinite sources of of information dating back way beyond the birth of the computer, but all a majority of the information they contained could be found through a simple Google search. "As for his personality, I'll see if I can get him to lighten up. Consider it my personal mission. Maybe that's why Casey sent me here."

She didn't mention it to Miles, but changing the kid was already her mission. Well...the kid...the future...human kind's existance...they all fell under the same category in some odd form. At least now she could hide one goal behind another. What would it take for Art to lighten up? She had suggested a girlfriend for him, and at this point, if he really tried, it wouldn't be hard to find him one. His looks and smarts could pair him with a bunch of girls. Convincing them to look past his awkward self would be an entirely different matter. Of course, Art shot down that idea already. His loss, she supposed.

She rolled her eyes at his comment, not even gracing it with an answer. She almost commented about how much of a mess the Rook family would be in...but since he had already been adopted into the family, it wasn't actually that big of a problem. Except for Mile's family. Speaking of...she'd never heard about how he'd been dragged into the business.

"I live in Seattle, no biggie," Teagan shrugged. "You act like the West Coast means California sunshine all year long. It does actually snow and rain in my state." She paused. "What about you? Where are you from and how the heck did you wind up in Keystone?"

[Miles]

Miles sat forward, looking at Teagan. "Exactly! Someone who knows what's wrong with that statement," he exclaimed, gesticulating as well. Miles was very tech savvy, so such a claim was blasphemous in his book. Art had a lot of learning to do, there were so many functions for a computer beyond Google and playing music! So many...that was an understatement. Miles dreamed of the day that he could have a full set up in his room, but for now it consisted of his laptop from home, and the computer tower he was currently working on and modifying. "I'm holding you to that mission, just so you know," he said, hoping for the best.

Ah, right, Casey. He and his missions, Miles thought, shaking his head. He'd yet to be specifically included in a mission, aside from the one Deacon had been sent on to find him. Miles harbored a sort of dislike for Casey, who apparently knew that Miles would be in mortal danger. If he knew that, then he could have sent Deacon sooner, and the whole thing could have been avoided, he could have lived a normal life. He scoffed mentally. Wishful thinking, that was.

He looked at her with raised brows, unsure as to how to proceed, or what he could say without losing his composure. It was still a touchy subject with him, so he was quiet for a moment to choose his wording. "Casey sent Deacon on a hunting trip, I got dragged into it, and I ended up coming back with him. It was only a few towns over," he said simply, his face not betraying the emotion brimming inside of him. Yeah, Casey would definitely get a piece of his mind if they ever met the guy. It was suspicious that they hadn't, but he wasn't complaining; he was alive because of him.

[Teagan]

Teagan stared at Miles, wondering if he was kidding. "No one else agreed with you on that? What kind on insane people live in Keystone?" Really, the city wasn't that far away from modern day society. In fact, it was a major city in the state of South Dakota! Not some farm in Kansas where the newest thing in town was the drive-in theater. Internet trumped books, hands down. Like scissor stand no chance against rock. There simply wasn't room for debate on the matter.

"Please do," she nodded, thoughts dwelling to the underlying motives. Neither of the two realized they both had different meanings to the statement, but understood the importance of the task. The question for Teagan surrounded how she would accomplish the task. She supposed it meant she had to spend more time with Art. That wouldn't be too difficult of a task, seeing as they were staying at the Wesson. Or, she assumed that Portland was staying there; it would be annoying to have to go anywhere else.

Mile's silence concerned Teagan, and she gave him a sideways glance, wondering what was rolling through his mind. He might have had a story like Aiden's, which started off ugly and just got worse. Perhaps he didn't want to talk about it, and it was tragic, Teagan wouldn't push him any further. "Ah, gotcha." Simple hunting trip that Miles got pulled into. Nope. Not vague at all.

Teagan didn't want to pry about it anymore, she turned her attention back to the game. "How much longer will this take? I've been sitting all day. I need to do something." A brilliant idea crossed her mind. "Want to help me pull something?"

[Miles]

See, even she knows, Art, he thought to himself. He nodded at her response, raising his brows. "Really insane people. Dude. I met their parents, my 'grandparents,'...it was...I can't even describe it. I mean, their mom, she reads palms for crying out loud," he said, remembering how she was not only excited at the concept of a grandson, but he apparently had big plans in store for him--just vague enough to be true. "They're like hippies to the max, it's scary," he said, shuddering. Teagan hadn't gotten his reaction the first time he went, but he now knew to bring his laptop and keep it with him this time around. Last time they moved it so they could talk, and it took him two hours to find out they had stuffed it between the couch cushions so it'd 'be out of the way, but not get broken.'

As far as Miles was concerned, both of the Rooks could do with a little more normalcy. Art was so uptight, absorbed in his books and anti-social while Deacon was...could he even describe how Deacon was? Sometimes his computer or working on electronics was his safest escape from them, not that he did that often.

Miles still wasn't comfortable talking about his parents' deaths, not even with Teagan who was now the closest thing he had to a best friend. Sure, Art and Deacon knew, but that was different. Deacon had tried to stop it, Deacon knew what happened first hand, but the memory still haunted Miles, and nightmares were more than occasional, though no one knew that.

Looking on the field, and glancing at his watch, he counted the time. "Only one more quarter," he said, looking back at the restless girl. He saw the gears clicking in her mind, and decided that he too would like some fun. "Sure, what to you have in mind?"

[Teagan]

Teagan listened to Mile's description of the Rook's parents in disbelief. They were hippies who did palm-reading and the such? That explained...well, just about everything. From Art's social-awkwardness to Deacon's strange sixth sense, she supposed the parents summed up the oddities. What an interesting family that must have been to grow up in, she mused. "I'm thinking we should declare their house a no-enter zone. I doubt you'll have objections to that."

A grin spread across her face and, delighted, she scanned the field, ideas streaming through her mind at what she could pull. They could mess with the water system or the grass, but she didn't quite want to ruin a perfectly good facility. The van, as well, was out of the question. The group would need a ride back to the Wesson after the game, and trudging through mile after mile in the snow didn't sound like that great of an idea.

Her eyes drifted across each item in the room, analyzing every object for the potential prank. They paused on a water cooler at the edge of the bench. Had one of the players carried it in behind them? Since no other entity in the building could visually be detected at the moment...Teagan assumed it belonged to the team. Perhaps it was time for some payback for the lack of referring to her as 'girl'? Definitely so. Without hesitation, she reached for the messenger bag beside her, digging for a special concoction.

"Alright. Got it." She produced a small bag with white powder -very important, the color was, ensuring that it would dissolve easily- and slipped it to Miles, unnoticed by the team. "Pour that in the cooler, alright? By the time they all get over here, it should be well mixed." The contents of the bad she had offered Miles the girl had once held high hopes for. Unfortunately, a man named Deacon Rook got in the way, preventing her from seeing the results of the prank. "Aiden might've been lucky enough to get past this, but the chances of the entire team? Not likely."

[Miles]

His...grandparents...were their own story. He couldn't even begin to describe everything he had experienced there, and he just hoped that if Teagan ever did get together with Art in a more-than-friends fashion, she was spared from meeting them. Judging by their reaction at having a grandson, the news that their son had a girlfriend...no, Teagan was his friend, and he would protect her from that at all costs. He was sure that Art would agree. "No enter zone is more than fine by me."

Miles watched the game while waiting for Teagan to come up with something, making it look like they weren't plotting anything. While she worked things out in her mind, Miles decided to try his luck with an idea that popped into his head. "Hey, Teagan, do you think that you guys, I mean, you Aiden and Yuki, could teach me how to fire a gun? It's kind of important in our..." he glanced around, "hobby, and Deacon just benches me."

He took the bag, and made his way over to the cooler, standing covertly in front of it to mask the fact that he was tampering with it. Once it was in, he acted like he filled a cup and returned to the bench with Teagan, nonchalantly sitting back down. "Done and done. Anyway, you know how to shoot a gun, right? It can't be that hard," he said, returning his gaze to the game.

[Teagan]

Teagan chuckled as Miles slipped the formula into the cooler, mulling over his request. Out of all the people he asked to teach him to use a gun, her? Given, yes, he had seen her fire one with (as far as he knew) deadly precision, but the girl couldn't fathom anyone asking her to teach them about using a gun.

"I agree that you should at least be able to fire one, in case of an emergency," she shrugged upon his return. "But it's not as easy as it seems. There's this nice little thing called 'recoil'. Long story short? Not fun." Not if if got one a harsh scolding when it caused the gun to fly out of one's hands and into the bushes of doom. "I'm probably not the best person to teach you, but I can try. Just don't ask Aiden, alright? He's not...the nicest teacher."

[Casey]

Art smiled as he walked to the middle of the field. It had been a good game in his opinion. Then again his side had won and he’d swiped the ball away from a number of offenders. Some of whom he was shaking hands with now. They didn’t seem to share his opinion, not that he cared. The ones that were sour brought it on themselves, everyone else had a good time. Too bad Miles didn’t get to participate more, he wasn’t sure if the kid would be back on the field again since this was probably hi s last game. The guys loved him like the “little bro” he was but somehow he doubted Varsity would be picking up the kid for a random game.

“Thanks guys,” he said walking over to bench and picked up his towel and glasses. Art wiped his face and hair before pushing his glasses up his nose. “Sorry you didn’t get to play Teagan.”

[Miles]

"Yeah, but I bet Aiden can shoot and not miss by three feet," he muttered to himself as Art walked up to the group, while the others walked over to the cooler. They pressed the tab and filled the plastic cups that were stacked next to it, the water coming out clear and normal-looking. Miles watched as the players drank the contents, and then turned back to other two with no hint of guilt.

"Don't mention it," Miles said with a grin, watching the interactions between the two. "So who won, anyway? I wasn't really paying attention," he said. He grabbed some of the gear and headed towards the door when the rest of the team did, walking slowly to the van. "Prepare to become a popsicle, West Coaster," Miles teased Teagan as the door open.

[Teagan]

Teagan frowned as the words meant for no ears reached her own. "Hey, it's your death wish," she shrugged, brushing off the insult. At least she could hit a target with some sort of precision. The players started moving off of the field and Teagan properly ignored them, paying no attention as they each took a drink from the cooler. "Give it five minutes," she winked at Miles.

Art returned over to their chatting area. He should really keep them on and invest in contacts, Teagan mused to herself, not quite sure where the thought had originated from. "It's alright," she returned the smile and shrugged. "I figured that it would be nicer to let you all keep your pride...since I'm the visitor, anyways. It might be rude to upstage a host."

She stood up, following Miles to the door. "Popsicle? Broaden your horizons to the physical world, little friend; sunshine in Seattle is nearly a sign of the apocalypse." Playfully, she shoved him out the door. "You're holding up the line."

One of Art's teammates handed him a cup, offering congrats on the victory. "Oh, Art?" With a brief glance at Miles for confirmation, she turned back to the athlete and waved her hand across her neck. Don't drink it, she shook her head.

[Casey]

Art pointed over his shoulder to the part of the field he had been defending. He leaned over again and picked up his sweatshirt. His sweatshirt hid his slight blush as he schooled his features. While he was happy his team won he didn’t want to brag. Of course he didn’t have to worry about his ego long. Murphy had taken care of that when his glasses caught on the sweatshirt. After spending a good minute uncatching his glasses from his face he pushed them back up his nose.

He took the cup from Eric and gave a mock toast. “There is a difference between knowing a winter and knowing a Midwest winter Teagan,” he shrugged, “not calling you a wimp, you just may not be ready for the weather out here.”

He raised an eyebrow at Teagan’s signal and glanced at the cup. Silently he just poured the water in the grass. When the cup was empty he looked at her with a question in his eyes.

[Teagan]

"Thanks for the lack of faith," Teagan rolled her eyes, slightly insulted. "It's not like I didn't already walk through it once to get in here, right?" Did Art really just say he wasn't calling her a wimp? Because that's what his entire dialogue sounded like in Teagan's mind. For a brief second, she debated not warning him about the addition to the drink. No, she had to. The guy didn't deserve one of her pranks yet.

Yet. Room for addition on her lists always existed.

He returned her warning with a curious gesture, but proceeded to dump the drink in the grass anyways.Smart one. He'd live long if he followed her advice like that. "Art, I think you should drive the group back." From her pockets she revealed the set of keys she had swiped from one of the players early on.

Eric suddenly noticed the keys mid-Teagan's toss to Art. "Hey, how'd you get those?"

"You should really be more careful," she shook her head. "People never know what might happen these days." That last line she tossed out as a hint to Art and reference for Miles before winking at Eric. "Rook drives."

Because within three minutes, Art and Teagan would be the only ones qualified to drive.

[Miles]

Did Teagan really think that by living in Seattle she was prepared for sub-zero temperatures? He let her push him out the door, and he stood outside, letting the cold embrace him. Luckily, his jacket and other clothing prevented the cold from permeating him too much, and he let his breath materialize in front of him while he waited for the others. The van was only a few seconds away from the door, so when the rest of the group came out, he shook his head at Teagan.

"You don't get negative temperatures in Seattle," he told her, rolling his eyes, "it's supposed to be below zero on Christmas, too." He noticed that Art had the keys, making him wonder what exactly he had just poisoned the team with. Nonetheless, he climbed into the van once it was opened and loaded up, taking a seat in the middle rows.

And about that time, it set in. The rest of the team began feeling an uncomfortable feeling in their stomachs as gas built up. And as they started driving, the majority of the guys started burping. And they felt sick. "Art, slow down over those bumps will you?" The interior of the vehicle was continuously filled with belching, and Miles figured it must have been some sort of burping agent.

"What the heck guys?" someone else asked, immediately burping right after. Miles just smiled and kept silent, a little amused that no one noticed that he, Art and Teagan were the only ones that weren't feeling what they were feeling. "Aw man, I feel sick," Eric said. Quietly, he leaned forward to Art and whispered, "You're lucky Teagan is your friend, otherwise you'd be suffering right now," with a small laugh.

[Casey]

Art caught he keys easily but kept his eyes on Teagan. Sometimes he really didn’t trust her. He spun the keys on his finger before calmly pocketing them.

“The worst is yet to come Te,” he shrugged heading toward the door.

The rest of the team stayed behind as he walked out to get the van. That of course was after Eric finally gave up it’s location. After three fake ones. He wasn’t going to go out and brave the weather of nothing just because his friend was in a foul mood. Upon finding it he took a few seconds to get the heater running and let the engine run for a bit, no point in having it stall. He pulled up front and everyone got in, and Teagan grabbed the passenger’s seat.

Down the road someone started complaining and he couldn’t keep himself from hollering back, “I am being careful, unlike some people who just try to clear the things, I go the speed limit.”

He sent a glance to Teagan before looking at the road again. What did she do? It was a valid question but was afraid to ask. Especially when Miles popped up and told him he should be happy she was his friend. Art sent Miles a look of “Oh, I’m sure I’ll be suffering a different way”.

Halfway down the road he was getting sick of the moaning and complaining and thinking he’d have to open the windows for the smell. He’d already taken off recirculate. The guys in the back were going to drive him nuts if he didn’t figure out something, and he eventually settled on making them more miserable. If he felt more in on it, he’d feel less crazy.

“Anyone want to get something to eat?” A chorus of moans responded and he failed to repress his smile for a second before turning to Miles and Teagan, “How about you guys? Hungry?”

[Teagan]

Feigning innocence under pressure usually took a lot of effort, but she enjoyed how easy it was when the victim was completely ignorant and focused more on their upset stomachs. The car slowly warmed to more relaxing temperatures -the large number of bodies in the car sped up the process- and Teagan allowed herself a smile as she glanced briefly out the frosty window. It was a good day.

Admist the grumbles and complaints, Miles whispered something to Art, who returned the comment with a very distinct look. Teagan didn't bother asking, instead gathering her own thoughts as they returned to the Wesson. She wondered what Art's opinion was on her prank. He probably wouldn't approve of her rendering his elite soccer team into a bunch of whiners. For some reason, that thought took away a little of her excitement. Did she want him to approve of that?

She brushed the feeling off quickly. What trickster didn't want others approving of their work?

"Anyone want to get something to eat?"

Teagan's eyes darted over to Art. Had she just heard him right? No way! A small smile flickered across his face, confirming her suspicions. "How about you guys? Hungry?"

Impressed, Teagan raised an eyebrow at the boys. "Starving, actually." Another set of groans rose from the back, but her gaze locked with Art. "You know, Yuki tried to feed us on the way here, but nothing she makes is edible. Anchovies, cheese, Milk Duds, and pineapples on sourdough bread with mustard isn't really a well-balanced lunch. You understand that I had to pass." If the soccer players continued to groan as she listed off the ingredients, she couldn't imagine what their reaction would've been had she actually revealed the other five Yuki had tried to force on them.