Put On Your Game Face

[Yuki]

What a stupid game. What had any individual to gain in participating in something so useless? Truth or dare? She internally scoffed. Nothing except personal information that was of no relevance. Discardable. She listened apathetically to the banter being exchanged from person to person, letting the condescending judgements flow freely. She did raise an eyebrow at Teagan's question. That was slightly intelligent, especially for the child.

...But Deacon's answer had proven uninteresting. She had expected a deeper revelation of sorts. His response had proven anticlimactic, but it did spawn a trail of thought. If someone did ask the correct questions, she thought, personal revelations could in fact prove useful. Weaknesses could be revealed, personalities explained. A better understanding. And it could provide a means for justifiable revenge, she supposed.

Deacon's voice snapped her out of her reverie. She turned towards him with a stoic look plastered on her face. "Truth," she responded dryly.

[Casey]

Deacon held his hands in front of his mouth to hide the small smile forming there. This, this was glorious. Sure he’d had a few dares prepared, ranging from embarrassing (do the Charleston with Aiden) to just plan annoying (sing “Henry the Eight I am” until the end). Truth, however, far more amusing.

He leaned forward for dramatic effect and looked her straight eyes. All the while, he was out of her general striking distance and posed to get out of the way if she lunged forward. It wasn’t going to be an earth shattering question but he expected it to have a pleasant reaction. From everyone but Yuki that was.

The part he thought solid it was the straight face as he said, “Did the alien overlords that constructed you not know about emotions or did they just hope you would learn them on your own?”

[Yuki]

Frankly, Yuki perceived Deacon as an intrusive bartender who spent way too much time goofing off and making sarcastic remarks. He wasn't any better than the rest of the lot of hunters playing the so-called game. The minute the word "truth" had left her lips, she caught the scheming glimmer in his eye, and did not like it. It was the same look Teagan had when she pulled a stunt back at the tavern. It was the you-fell-for-it look, and although Yuki had nothing to hide, she did not look forward to whatever Deacon was about to say, especially knowing his tendency to lather his actions and words in tomfoolery.

Keeping her gaze in a deadlock with his, her expression remained unmoving, bracing for any possible question that could come forth from his incongruous mind.

“Did the alien overlords that constructed you not know about emotions or did they just hope you would learn them on your own?”

...Nani? Aliens? She blinked, furrowing her eyebrows. It took Yuki a moment as she mentally repeated the question in her head for her to realize its implication, and once she linked that his question was a jab at her own personality, she unfolded her crossed arms and shot up from her chair.

"AS A MATTER OF FACT," she snapped, slamming her palms against the edge of the table, "I am 100% human! What you imply to be a failure to display emotion is in reality the success of preventing the revelation of weakness, so you can swallow your foolish remarks and keep your mouth shut." She sat back down and angrily folded her arms across her chest once again, projecting an ice cold glare at the bartender.

Yuki said nothing for a moment, allowing the anger to dissipate. It was her turn now. But what did she want to ask? She couldn't care less about the game, much less about humiliating anyone or asking personal questions. It was stupid. Even if once could gain a personal advantage, making such upfront inquiries was not nearly as enjoyable as exposing weakness indirectly.

However, she paused in thought, biting her lip, this could be used to settle some unfinished business.

Swaying her head over, she looked in the direction of her victim and gave him a vengeful glower. "Miles," she seethed. "Truth or dare?"

[Miles]

For Teagan's benefit, Miles left the webcam running after the game of Chubby Bunny had been disbanded. He swallowed the mass of marshmallows that had become a gooey mess in his mouth, and then listened as Truth or Dare was suggested. Now, Miles had never actually played a game of Truth or Dare, but he knew the basics, and he knew his reservations. But these guys couldn't be too bad with their stuff, right? They were all still mostly teenagers.

When Miles wasn't immediately picked, he drew out his iPod and placed the white earbuds in their rightful place, putting the music on loud enough so he could understand the lyrics, but low enough to hear what was happening with the game. Deacon's answer was somewhat amusing, and Miles found himself wondering about the shape shifter incident that he was talking about.

He laughed quietly at the question Deacon asked Yuki, and her answer was one of theatrics and anger. His eye flashed to the laptop and he smirked to himself when he saw the red light on the box on the screen, meaning the recording was still going. Oh, Teagan would love him for this.

And then he heard his name, and he looked up in a moment of confusion. He pulled one earbud out and let it dangle on his shirt, looking blankly at Yuki as she asked the three words he hadn't expected to be asked. "Uh..." he mumbled, clearly caught off guard and considering his embarrassment.

A dare would surely ruin him, especially with that look in Yuki's eyes, so he took the safe route. "Truth," he finally said, sitting forward with a nervous feeling in his stomach.

[Yuki]

The confusion that washed over Miles was priceless. Yuki rather indulged in it. True, the game was stupid and childish, and she probably shouldn't have been enjoying his reaction as much as she was, but Teagan and Miles had been unbearable ever since their arrival in Keystone. The two were like siblings, always plotting, always up to no good, and it seemed to her she was often a target of choice. Not that there were many people to choose from, nor could she fathom why anyone would even dare mess with her. But the fact of the matter was clear--they did, and she could not let them get away with it.

Now with Teagan, Yuki could set her straight anytime she wanted. They practically lived and breathed each other back in Portland after being forced to spend time together on hunting trips and share living space at the tavern. But with Miles, it was different. Here was a child who, likely largely in part to Teagan, had assumed that irritating her and playing jokes on her would bear little, if any consequences. He was sadly mistaken, and Yuki was about to show him that.

A twinge of disappointment passed through her as he picked truth. She could've had a lot of fun with a dare, but she supposed asking something humiliating or endangering would have to do. She looked upwards, as if searching for a question to ask, but then the questions became dull, and they droned in her mind. Why couldn't he have picked dare? Ah, well. She would have to ask a somewhat cliche question. If he had picked dare, it would have been so much better.

She sat back in her chair, then looked straight at him. "What is something you don't want people to know about you because it's too embarrassing to admit?"

[Miles]

As the music softly played in his ear, he waited for Yuki's worst. It couldn't be that bad, right? And if it was, he'd just wait for his next turn and get her back, no problem. He tapped the screen and changed the song, letting the beat soothe his mind. Alright, this was going to be easy. Yuki couldn't do anything to degrade him any further than life had, and her outburst had been caught on his laptop--forever committed to his hard drive unless it was smashed to pieces.

He watched as she looked to the ceiling for a question. You're not going to find one up there, he thought to himself, waiting ever longer. At least it wasn't some childish dare...wait, how mature were they even going to be with their dares? The idea of truth seemed to stick out clearer in his mind now more than ever.

Just as he was about to say something to Yuki about taking her time, she spoke, and he listened carefully. So her aim was to still embarrass him. While he was a shy, nerdy kid, he was sure that whatever he said, Teagan and Deacon would hold over his head forever. The multitude of secrets bounced in his head, and he had to clearly think about his safest possible route.

Nothing was really embarrassing, save a few things. To the others, it might've looked like he was trying to find the best way out, but in his mind, he briefly flickered over memories of home, and of his parents. Fine, time to get away from that so he didn't dream about their deaths again tonight.

"I like Taylor Swift's songs," he said, shrugging. "They're catchy. Teagan, truth or dare?"

[Teagan]

During the entire exchange, Teagan leaned back in her chair, smirking with satisfaction at how the the night unfolded. Extremely productive, if she did say so herself. She wondered if anything later on could come close to comparing to Yuki's dramatic outburst. She nodded to her mentor, acknowledging the brilliant move on his part. One of her long term goals in life was to learn how to manipulate people like Deacon did. Watching the master do his work thrilled her beyond belief.

Miles answer to the truth was certainly interesting, but fell short of anything decent enough to blackmail with. Of course, she had silently rooted for him to find a way out around the question.

Then again, she really wanted him to pick the dare. Not that Yuki could come up with anything near her personal level, but Teagan would have found a small level of amusement watching Miles chow down one of Yuki's "specials" that lay awaiting an unsuspecting victim in the fridge.

Her eyes flickered to attention when Miles called out her name, initiating the next round. "I ain't afraid to say what no one else has dared to say tonight." Teagan leaned forward and looked straight into Miles' eyes, as if to provoke a challenge. "Dare."

[Miles]

Darn, it would have been more interesting if she had picked truth; then he could have grilled her on her feelings for Art. Of course, she probably would have lied or dodged the question, but Miles was determined to figure this whole thing out. He hadn't known until Teagan got to Keystone, not until he saw the way that they looked at each other. But it was undeniable! Come on! Maybe if he ever got to go again, he'd pick Art and see it from his side.

No, the kid would dodge it like no tomorrow. Not even if Miles pulled the 'like-a-brother' card.

But alas, Teagan picked dare, and Miles found himself short on ideas. Sure, he knew about Yuki's cooking from Teagan's rants online, and he knew that there was....something...in the refrigerator, but to subject Teagan to something she dealt with every week? Well that was no fun.

Something else hatched in his mind, but in order for it to work right, he needed to lead up to it. "Okay, well, remember that time you messed with Yuki's manga? Oh, and the the snow earlier. You told me about the itching powder, and the toaster. You have the video of her singing at Aiden's birthday," Miles said, revealing something that Yuki might not have known.

"Oh, and that time with the hair dye," he continued. The point was to remind Yuki of all of this to add onto her already massive amount of anger. "Well, I want you to give Yuki a hug, as an apology," Miles finally said. If he were in Teagan's place, there was no way he'd do it because Yuki would most likely be ready to snap him in half by now, what with all the reminders.

[Yuki]

Taylor Swift? That American country trash? Yuki couldn't even pretend to laugh at that, because disgust immediately sprawled across her face. She almost wished she hadn't asked the question. Suppressing a shudder, she sank back into the dullness of the game when Miles addressed Teagan. She was somewhat surprised to hear Teagan take the challenge of a dare instead of truth, but didn't think much of it.

Until Miles started to speak, that is. That kid had a tombstone with his name on it in the graveyard of her mind. Why was he bringing all this up? Was this to provoke her? Because if it was, it was definitely working. She didn't even know if she was getting more angry with him for talking about it, or with Teagan because she had instigated it in the first place.

...What video at Aiden's birthday party?! Yuki's eyes narrowed as she tried to recollect that night (which wasn't a night she liked to remember). It mostly consisted of unpleasant memories, so everything previous to the intense events of that night were fuzzy. She did remember his party...but what video was he--

...Oh, THAT video.

She shot Teagan a glare with eyes set to kill. And then, Miles mentioned the unspeakable, the actual dare: for Teagan to give her a hug, as an apology.

Hell. No.

"Step within two feet of me and I will not hesitate to paralyze every fiber of your being," she hissed at the girl.

[Teagan]

She remained calm and collected as Miles took a moment to ponder what he could dare Teagan to do. Her hands clasped together, the only way to prevent her from impatiently tapping her fingers on the table. The teen herself was curious as to what her friend would come up with. While he had a long way to go to even hope to reach Teagan's status, perhaps the boy had picked up a tip or two along their journeys this week.

To her surprise, instead of coming straight out with the dare, he started talking about other...not so public conversations they had shared over the past couple of months.

More specifically, he recited a list of her well-known pranks, some of which never quite went over well with the entire faction and were best forgotten. And with good reason; Yuki's tension increased tenfold.

"What of it?" At the mention of the video, the elder girl sent her a cold stare. If only Teagan wasn't sitting right next to her and could hide behind something to avoid its full impact.

"Well, I want you to give Yuki a hug, as an apology."

Teagan's hands went colder than ice as the full weight of Miles' dare hit her. Hard. And the implications thereof. "Miles," she chuckled confidently, "Surely you know I've already apologized for my actions. But that won't stop me from completing the dare." It took all of her strength not to let her voice waver and reveal her sudden lack of confidence. Crap crap crap! Miles would pick the one thing that would provide physical injury. No one touched Yuki and got away with it. Not even in combat training!

And then Yuki's blatant refusal to comply with the dare didn't help the situation. Teagan gritted her teeth inside her mouth, reluctantly turning to look at the foreigner. How on earth was she supposed to hug Yuki without dying? Her mind raced through all the possibilities, none returning with any chance of survival. But she had to find a way! She was Teagan Cassidy, for crying aloud! Dares fazed her like a shoe to a sock (aka: they didn't). If she didn't complete this, her record would be tarnished, along with her pride and good name!

No. She was going to die in Keystone.

Unless....there was one thing she could do. It technically fit the rules and perhaps she could convince Yuki to comply? It was worth a shot...

She leaned over to the girl and whispered something deep under her breathe, as to only permit Yuki to hear. The glare she received confirmed her original suspicions: the stubborn freak wouldn't do it. "Need I remind you that my plans to ensure everyone participates in the games tonight might actually be worse than anything a hug will do? Think about it."

Teagan raised one hand in the air and shot Yuki an expectant look. And although it seemed to pain Yuki to do such a small act, she too raised her hand and gently touched Teagan. Their thumbs stretched out to embrace the other's hand before darting back to their respective owners.

"Take that, smart one," Teagan smirked at Miles. "Aiden-truth or dare?"

[Aiden]

When Aiden hadn't been picked within the first two turns, his mind began blocking out most of the game. He was registering the questions, answers, and dares, but his attention wasn't being given in full. He sort of sat back in his chair, leaning back and forth in it and trying not to topple over. No, Yuki had her memory erased by the aliens, of course. He looked back over the past six months, and the only way Yuki had changed was by becoming more harsh with Teagan and himself with her words and threats.

The next couple were a little boring, with Miles not giving anything immediately amusing. Sure, liking a music artist that was for chicks was embarrassing...but it wasn't embarrassing. This game wasn't proving to be as fun as it could be, but then again, they were all innocent teenagers, aside from himself and Deacon, and perhaps Yuki (though she would never give that information away).

Finally, he heard his name, and he directed his new, refocused gaze on Teagan. Truth or dare? Who did she think he was?! Such an easy question, deserving of an immediate answer. "Dare," he said with a smug smirk, ready for what she had to throw at him.

[Teagan]

A wide grin broke out over Teagan's face as Aiden spewed out her favorite word: Dare. He received cool points for being the only other person in the group so far to choose it. Wimpy little Miles and Yuki over there couldn't handle the pressure! No wonder Aiden had been picked to be the faction leader.

She eyed him thoughtfully, wondering what havoc she could wreak in less then two minutes. Something with his car, but that was reserved for punishment if he tried to leave the game for any reason. Making him eat one of Yuki's meal blindfolded might've been an amusing sight, but as Miles had realized earlier, extremely redundant.

Perhaps she could organize a small amount of revenge while issuing the dare.

"Alright," Teagan's eyes lit up. "I dare you to serenade Yuki with one of Miles' favorite Taylor Swift songs.. The entire thing- using only your voice and dance moved."Though, if you want, Miles can sing with you as he records it."

Was it the best dare? Not by a longshot. But would it be funny? Hell yes; to her and thousands of viewers after she posted the footage online at the end of the night.

[Aiden]

Teagan could do her worst, and Aiden would still follow through with it (so long as it wasn't physically harmful, of course). He sat forward in his chair, elbows on the table, waiting for her meager dare to come up. What could she possibly do to embarrass him? He was older, wiser, more experienced, and far more mature. Deacon, maybe, could throw something at him that might be challenging, but Teagan? As if.

It took her a second, but when she finally issued her demand, Aiden looked at her blankly. "Teagan? What do I listen to in the car? Rock. What do I listen to at the tavern? Rock. What type of music does the tavern play for its customers? Rock. I don't know any of her songs, and even if you play it I won't be able to memorize it the first time. Sorry," he said, being honest. He didn't concern himself with preteen fads.

"Got to remedy this one, Teagan," Aiden said, waiting for her response. He was sure that Yuki would be thankful that the limelight would be off of her for a little longer, since everything seemed to be revolving around her tonight.

[Teagan]

Teagan raised an eyebrow to Aiden's response. Surely the faction-leader was creative enough to get around that little issue. Disappointing, it was, that he gave up so easily. The least he could have done was ask Miles to sing. Then, the look on all three of their faces would've been priceless.

Of course, Teagan had a back up dare ready. To be honest, it was actually the prank she had designed for Aiden, should for any reason he decided to leave the game. But it would suit her purposes well for now; she could always threaten tampering with his vehicle should anything go wrong.

"One second," Teagan pushed her chair back and ran out of the room, only to return a few moments later with a large bowl of clear liquid. She set it on the table in front of Aiden, letting the slime-like mix settle as she took her seat. A sly grin slid on her face.

"I dare you to stick your hand in that, without me telling you what it is, or what it does."

[Aiden]

Having known Teagan for six months now, he knew that her pranks and concoctions were harmless most of the time--sure, discomfort and irritation might be a product of her design, but there was never any physical harm...unless Yuki flipped out. As Teagan disappeared, Aiden knew that she was well prepared, although she had been the first to know about game night in order to prepare adequate punishments for anyone who chose not to play, so it was also sort of expected.

When she came back with a dish big enough for his arm to fit in, full of slime on top of that, he wasn't fazed. He hadn't expected that in particular, and as he stared at it, he knew that nothing too bad could come from it, and it'd be gone by morning. And hey, it was better than singing, right? Not to mention it got Miles out of dancing.

Without a word, he pulled the bowl towards him, pulled up his sleeve, and dipped his hand in. He lowered his arm up to the halfway point between his hand and elbow, and then pulled it out. "Easy, come on Teagan," Aiden said, a little disappointed. What, was he supposed to feel grossed out by it? He could take blood and guts splattering onto him, so slime was nothing.

He sat back, and pushed the bowl away. Now he could bring the fun. Who to pick? His eyes went around the table, analyzing every face and what he could do. Miles? Nah, he didn't know the kid well enough. Deacon? He'd find a way out of it, the jerk. Yuki had been the center of everything for the past few turns, which left himself, Teagan, and Art. And Art hadn't gone yet.

And it was the perfect opportunity to mess with Art and follow up on something that had messed with him before when they had been around each other.

Oh yes. This was about to get interesting, because either way, there would be blood rushing to his face. A cocky smirk spread on his face.

"Art, truth or da--Teagan? Why is my arm turning blue?" Aiden asked, catching a glimpse of his arm which had, in fact, turned a nice shade of blue, and it looked like it was getting closer to navy every second. "You're cool," he added, his face going blank. "This isn't gone by tomorrow morning when I shower, I'm calling Lori and telling her to rent out your room. Anyway, what'll it be Arty-my-boy?"