riverview: test drive meme

[riverviewmod]

riverview test drive meme

Welcome to Riverview's first test drive meme! Feel free to dip your toes in on the test drive meme to try out your character in the setting, play out a mission, and get samples for your application at the same time!

● Reserves are currently OPEN.
● Applications open on March 1st.
● All threads on the test drive meme can count as game canon once the game is up and running.
● TDM threads do not count for Activity Check, but they do count for Activity Bonus Points.

Feel free to use the prompts below or create your own scenario. The setting is built to be flexible, so feel free to make things up as you go.

information resources
premise ● arrival ● setting ● ask a question ● navigation

prompt i: batten down the hatches

If the sky has seemed a little more yellow-green than usual for the past couple of days, there's a reason for that. Meteorologists have been warning of a particularly nasty storm blowing in from the direction of the Delta in the Southwestern part of the Abandoned City.

The Quarantine is about to be hit by a nasty typhoon, and there's a lot to be done. Whether you're helping sandbag the banks of the river, which is bound to be swollen by the storm and flooding, weatherproofing your building, or just huddling indoors for warmth and helping reassure your friends, family, or partner that everything will be okay, it's time to take action!

prompt ii: monster madness

There's been a lot of talk around the Quarantine about the various predators and monsters outside the fence, and how they've been getting steadily more active, crowding the fences, trying to leap over them, seemingly driven by some kind of mania. There have even been increasing instances of predators that normally mind their own business attacking the fences wholesale, slamming into it over and over as if they're trying to find a weakness.

The good news? The fences have been holding. So far.

The bad news? They won't be holding for much longer.

The Perimeter Guard is in a bad way, and it's all hands on deck. They've also sent out a few of the Perimeter Guard Cadets to post up flyers around the city asking for temporary help in fighting off the beasts. So pick up whatever weapon you're best with, hop onto a truck transport, and head on over to the fences to help drive off the monsters and keep the Quarantine safe.

prompt iii: hold your lover close

With a storm rolling in that's going to keep everyone indoors, that might cause power outages, and is just frankly pretty scary, a lot of the clubs, restaurants, and hotels are doing special events to keep everyone's brains occupied and flooded with endorphins.

There are flyers around the city advertising various couples activities: speed dating, dance classes, overnight pool parties, and all-expenses-paid lovers' nights in.

The catch? The great deals only count if you're a twosome. So if you don't have someone to love, hit up speed dating in the indoor courtyard of Riverview's largest mall, or grab the first person you see and take the opportunity.

prompt iv: solution

After a day or two of storm activity, things are definitely not getting better: the rain is torrential, the monsters are attacking with increased energy and decreased rest times, and the distractions are starting to wear thin. Power outages happen off and on, a very rare situation in Riverview Quarantine.

The government has put out an all-points-bulletin imploring anyone with an exploratory spirit to help.

From what government science techs can tell, the storm isn't natural - after all, even the meteorologists were saying that the pressure systems seemed extremely strange. They've managed to narrow the cause to an area in the delta where the storm seems to be originating from, and are broadcasting the general location so anyone with the guts can head out into the storm and try to find the source of it.

Any characters who decide to penetrate the jungle in search of the source will find a device in the shape of a pyramid, with glowing blue edges about a day's walk into the Abandoned City. The pyramid is a malfunctioning weather control device that is causing wild pressure fluctuations and causing the storm as well as making the animals in the jungle aggressive and erratic. Characters can destroy or deactivate the device to end the storm.

This mission can be threaded out however you would like, in groups however large you would like, and more than one team can accomplish the goal.

prompt v: wildcard/network

Whether you're looking for help with a mission or just want to get to know your fellow new arrivals, your character can make a post to the network.

Or you can choose your own adventure and do something else in the setting!

navigation

Comments

iii

[naz]

This place is beautiful to look at, Caitlin will give it that. The thing is, she's starting to worry that being here, as nice a break from everything happening in Central City as it is, means that she's not home to contribute the way she should be. Iris is going to die if they don't figure something out soon and the longer she's here, the more guilty she feels that she isn't home helping the team come up with a solid plan to prevent it. Then, of course, there's the whole inviting Julian to Team Flash and then not being there to follow up the way she ought to in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly — if it ends badly, that's on her, after all.

So all of the things that are being offered up to keep their minds off the oncoming storm are thoughtful, but they're helping Caitlin pull her focus away from her own sense of guilt more than the storm. However bad that storm is going to be, she's been through a lot of things that could prepare her for the worst. She's not worried about the storm.

The problem is that she can't even do most of those things because she's single — single feels less depressing than being widowed, even though she absolutely is — so when she sees a familiar face, a wave of relief rushes over her. This doesn't have to be romantic, right? They can pretend.

Caitlin makes her way over and clears her throat, tucking her hair behind one hear and she offers him a smile when he looks over at her. "Dr. Palmer? Hi, I didn't realize you were here, too. It's good to see you again," she greets warmly.

[keepitup]

When he catches sight of her, Ray has to blink an extra time just to make sure he's seeing correctly. Caitlin? His lips part easily into a wide grin as he turns to her completely.

"Dr. Snow, it's so good to see you. I just arrived a few days ago ... and I seem to have brought Star City's weather with me," he says, huffing out a laugh.

"Is there ... anyone else that you know here?" he asks, as casually as possible. Because if Cisco or Barry or anyone else is here too, she's probably got this pretend date thing covered, and he doesn't want to impose.

[naz]

"Me too," she admits. It feels like forever because she's drowning in guilt, but in reality, it really hasn't been more than three or four days. Long enough to need a distraction, anyway. It's been a short while since the Dominators and seeing the Legends, but it's still nice to know that she isn't completely forgettable. All things considered, she had pretty minimal contact with Dr. Palmer; Cisco mostly helped him out with his suit the first time they'd met and then he'd been working with Teams Arrow and Flash, plus Supergirl last time. Caitlin usually spends her time with Felicity in these instances.

So, she would've been understanding, if not a little hurt, if he hadn't remembered her name. Because he does, she beams back when she continues, "don't feel too bad. I'm willing to bet you're not the only person who 'brought' bad weather with you," she finishes, looking and sounding amused at the idea.

Caitlin shakes her head in response to his question. If he's trying to be casual, it's working, because she hasn't noticed anything uncomfortable about it. "Oh...uh, no. I don't think so, anyway. I haven't seen anyone yet, until now you." she asks, her eyes shifting slightly away from his face to look around the general vicinity, looking for any of the other Legends or Felicity. They're not still together, she knows that much, but she hadn't gotten the impression that it was a really terrible breakup or anything, either. Then again, she and Felicity aren't that close. Maybe it was. Her eyes move back to Ray's face. "What about you?"

[keepitup]

"Oh, no," he says, eyes widening to stress the point, "I haven't seen anyone. Honestly-" he starts again, this time with a slightly embarrassed laugh, "-given what they told me about how people get here, I didn't think anyone I knew would ... be here."

That feeling of being displaced, or in Ray's case, a little more like useless — well, it had stung. Apparently, it'd hurt him enough to catch the portal's attention, and if he was really being honest here, Ray doesn't mind it. He doesn't even want to go back, not if he can make a real difference here. And with the company safely in Felicity's hands, there's nothing left for him to worry about.

But anyways, Caitlin's answer just now opens up a lot of possibilities, and since Ray's never been a shy person, so he takes a breath and just asks.

"Hey- these fliers everywhere-" He pulls one off the billboard he was just reading, and flips the page towards her and holds it up in front of his chest. "Any chance you'd be interested in doing some of these things with me? Purely platonic," he assures her, "but I promise, I can be very good company."

[naz]

There's something so...animated about Ray and Caitlin finds herself wondering absently whether that's part of what drew Felicity to him; he's like the anti-Oliver or something. None of her business. Never mind. His comment has her taking in a sharp, deep breath and she nods. "Yeah..." she replies, slowly drawing out the word almost to stall. "...I thought about that, too. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew, either." She's been feeling a little useless herself, lately. Okay, she staved off Iris's death with Killer Frost's powers, but she almost lost herself and Julian had to reel her back in. The only time she's been really useful in a way that no one else on the team could've been and she couldn't even keep herself under control to do it right without help. That thought must've been the reason she'd been brought here.

A part of her wants to ask what happened to make Ray feel that way, but then she would be opening the door for him to ask her the same question. So...she'd rather not.

Her eyebrows lift with interest when he starts to change the subject and she smiles, cheeks coloring a little as her nose wrinkles with sheepishness. "Confession: I actually came over here because I was going to ask you the same thing," she admits, catching her bottom lip between her teeth for a second before smiling apologetically. "I would love that, is what I'm trying to say. That sounds perfect. Did you have one in mind? I was thinking that the overnight pool party and the dance lessons sounded like fun, but I'm flexible," she offers.

[keepitup]

Haha, anti-Oliver. If only Caitlin knew how anti-Oliver he'd been at the beginning. But they'd worked that out, he thinks, even if it was after some ... admittedly amateur attempts on Ray's part to apprehend him.

He wonders too, about her, and what led her to get transported here from Central City. The last he saw the team, they'd worked so well together ... and when it comes to hero stuff, Ray's always loved team-ups more than flying solo. Even if that had been the opposite to how he likes to run companies, until he met Felicity. But that's- Ray knows that's over now. She'd never really been his to begin with, even if he loved her.

When he hears her confession, Ray's open-mouthed grin is back, and he pins the paper back onto the board.

"Well in that case, I... definitely wanted to go to the dance lessons. Maybe we can get dinner after, so we can be all fueled up for the overnight pool party. What do you think?"

The pool party hadn't been something he thought Caitlin would be interested in, so it surprises him a little, but Ray is more than happy to roll with it. Because when it comes down to it, he knows he doesn't know her that well. They'd only worked together once, and even then, most of his work was with Cisco.

[naz]

The way he grins back at her is a relief because it makes her feel a lot better about the confession that she'd approached him specifically for the purpose of finding someone familiar to drag along to these events.

While a pool party is something she wouldn't ever really be all that interested in back in Central City, neither are dance lessons, but she isn't in Central City and if she only lets herself stay in the comfort zone, she'll never stop thinking about Central City, either, which would make this whole attempt to distract herself completely moot. So sure. Pool party with Felicity Smoak's ex-boyfriend. Why not?

"That sounds perfect," she replies with a warm smile. "I was looking at some of the restaurants but I haven't actually been to any of them yet...are there any you've been to that you can recommend or want to avoid...or should we just wing it?" she asks, eyebrows lifted with curiosity. Then, she thinks better of that question. If she's going to try to stick to things she wouldn't normally do in Central City, then making plans ahead too meticulously is out. "Actually, let's just wing it," she says before he can answer. "Dancing, dinner, swimming. Makes for an interesting purely platonic endeavor," she laughs. Because it kind of sounds like a date. ...there's no kind of. It sounds like a date, but she supposes that's the whole point of the things; she and Ray are just circumventing that whole angle, that's all. "Should we go now?"

[keepitup]

Ray can't help but notice the way she relaxes a little when he grins. It smooths his smile into something a little gentler and less goofy, because he's not here to make anyone feel nervous. He got plenty of experience doing that while he built Palmer Tech, and look where that got him: displaced on a planet in an alternate universe. Not that that was bad, but Ray just wants Caitlin to feel comfortable tonight, as much as possible. After all, step one to pretending like you're a couple is to not seem tense.

He's actually contemplating which restaurants he's actually been too — there had been that one on the first night — when she changes her mind, and Ray is more than happy to agree. "Winging it sounds fantastic. Though, honestly, if you're planning on staying here, I'd love someone to explore the neighborhood with. While I do find eating alone to be awfully under appreciated, I'd much rather try things out. With a friend." He adds that last part on as an addendum, but it's not less genuine.

"Aaaand what? Pfssht. Purely platonic," he repeats playfully. "And you know, we'll just have to pretend the whole time like we're dating. I can't imagine that'd be terribly difficult."

He doesn't mean to imply anything specific besides what his last sentence literally means: that it doesn't take a lot of skill to pretend like you're dating someone. But reasonably speaking, it's also possible to interpret it as him saying that he could easily see them being together.

And since they're going on such a fantastic non-date together, Ray takes a step towards her, pivots and holds up an arm for her to take. "Let's." It only takes him a few steps though, to start talking again. "I think it'd be fun if we came up with some kind of backstory. Like ... how did we first meet? What's your favorite food? How many years have we been together? Hmm ... I feel like three months is a good answer to that last one."

[naz]

Okay...Caitlin had noticed a long time ago that Ray is an attractive man. She'd have to be blind not to and, if she remembers right, she complimented Felicity on her taste the first time she met Ray. But all of that aside, she can still see what her acquaintance had seen in him. Ray is genuinely a nice guy. She can see the way that his grin softens when he can tell that she's relaxed. His enthusiasm is almost contagious. Most of all, he seems genuinely interested in spending time with her as a friend and, to Caitlin, that translates to not feeling obligated, but still feeling inclined to keep her company in a new place, something which Caitlin can't even try to deny is a really big relief. Going it alone had seemed kind of scary, if she's being entirely honest with herself. This? This is much better.

One thing she does not allow herself to do is read into his comment about how easy it will probably be to pretend that they're dating. He probably doesn't mean anything by it, anyway, so overanalyzing it is just asking to make something that could be a lot of fun into a night full of awkward pauses and unwitting mixed signal interpretation. Nobody needs that. It does, though, make her laugh a little. "We've totally got this," she assures him in a mock serious tone that the little smirk on her face absolutely betrays.

She laughs again, in good nature, when he pivots and offers his arm before happily looping her own through his, her head held high with a genuine smile on her face. Okay, whatever this ends up being, she's pretty sure fun is going to be at the top of her list of descriptors. Already, she can tell Ray is going to be incredibly easy to spend time with. Maybe he's onto something with the ease with which he seems to think they can fake this, after all.

"Ohhh," she says thoughtfully, giving a thoughtful facial shrug. "Okay, we're just going all out, then. You should probably know that the last time I tried to roleplay, Cisco and I nearly got ourselves killed, but this will be decidedly easier, so just kind of bear with me here," she says, only half-joking. "Best to keep the backstory close enough to reality that it's easy to keep straight, so...we met through a mutual friend," she offers lightly. "Favorite food...hmmm, I'm really partial to Big Belly Burger but that doesn't sound very classy..." She pauses. "Three months or three years? Don't confuse me, now," she points out. "I could go for either. Favorite food...let's just go with Thai. It's classier than fast-food, but still accurate. What about yours? Do we live together back home? Or haven't we crossed that bridge just yet?"

[keepitup]

For a man who built his empire on technology, Ray is an abnormally social person. Sure, he can get lost in his work and go days without seeing a soul and not realize it, but truth be told, it's because he hasn't found someone who could really keep up. Felicity had come the closest — she was definitely a better programmer than he was — but if tinkering with atomic reduction was something more people did, Ray wouldn't mind doing it with others instead of alone.

That love of people though, it's what drives him to do what he does. Phones, smart wearables, his nanotech. Everything Ray makes he does to try to make the world a better place, an easier place, a safer place. Wasn't that why he'd poured so much of himself into Star City? Because he refused to believe that it wasn't a city worth saving?

In the day-to-day though, that fondness translates into his expressiveness. Ray doesn't hide a lot. He likes being honest with people and he likes to wear his heart on his sleeve. Which can also make him a little easy to read — unlike a certain moody individual.

"Hold on, killed? You're gonna have to tell me that story during dinner." That's all Ray interjects, as Caitlin starts answering his questions one by one. But he can't help but smile when she mentions the burger chain.

"You know ... I think you should keep Big Belly Burger. Now hear me out. I know Thai is classier, I agree. But. There's just something so ... authentic about someone's favorite food being a fast food chain. Because why would anyone even say that unless it was true?"

And ha, right, he'd said years and then offered months. He's getting ahead of himself, or was it behind himself in this case?

"Three months," he says again. "That way, if we don't know something about each other, we can blame it on the fact that the romance is so new." As Ray talks, he's always gesturing with his other hand — pointing or waving or using it to emphasize points. "Which ... I guess means we're still living in separate apartments. But-" He raises a finger. "There's always a toothbrush for you at my place."

Ray knew going into this that making up their story would be fun, but not this fun.

"And my favorite food? Wow, um. Anything Asian. Sushi, Korean BBQ, god, a greasy egg roll on a Saturday night?" He rolls his eyes like that thought is the best thing to have ever graced his mind.

[naz]

Caitlin's eyebrows lift a little and she nods solemnly. "Will do. It's kind of a long story, so..." her voice trails off. It isn't actually that long of a story except that it doesn't make sense as a stand alone; she'll have to explain about Killer Frost and Reverb and Earth 2 and all of that, as well.

"Well I don't know if Big Belly Burger is my favorite..." she objects gently and thoughtfully, considering. It's definitely up there, she'll give it that. "How about if we settle for 'it depends on my mood' but it's one of the two," she suggests. Truthfully, she supposes she's never really put that much thought into it. These days, eating is just a thing she does to sustain life. It's hard to enjoy the simple things when you feel like you're drowning in the complicated ones. But with that in mind, Caitlin tells herself she needs to make sure that she's not doing that tonight. She'll make for pretty awful company if she loses herself in the depths of her own mind, after all, and he's being nice enough to escort her to these couple-y things even though most of them don't seem very couple-y just looking at them on a flier.

She grins a little to herself as they walk arm in arm and Ray goes on explaining his take on their fictional backstory. He's gesturing with his hands and being animated again and okay...that's adorable. "Awww. Thanks, Ray," she coos playfully when he makes mention that there is, of course, a toothbrush for her at his place. "You have a toothbrush at my place, too. And, you don't know it yet because I'm worried it'll scare you away, but I've also cleared a drawer in my dresser for you. But I'll mention it eventually. I'm working up to it," she elaborates with a smirk.

Making up a fake dating history with this man should not be as amusing as it is. Honestly, a part of her kind of doesn't care what they do tonight, because this playful exchange is enough fun to distract her without anything else.

"Oh, okay you want me to keep Big Belly Burger but you get to be classy with Sushi," she teases. "That's fair," she adds with a playful sarcasm as they start to approach the venue. Caitlin notices a couple giving one another a kiss at the door just before the doorman lets them in and her amusement drops. That's a coincidence, right? Because they're a real couple and they just happened to show one another affection before the doorman could actually get the door open, right?

Looking back up at Ray and convincing herself of that because...making up stories is fun but actual physical affection could make this awkward and messy, potentially, and she decides to push forward the conversation, ignoring what she's just seen because it probably doesn't matter, right? "What's our favorite date night? Go out or stay in, for a start?"

[keepitup]

"You know you're right. Depends on your mood sounds perfect. 'Cause now that I think about it, no one has to have one favorite food. At the end of the day-" Ray tilts his head from side to side, weighing the thought. "-that can be pretty limiting, when the world has so much good food to offer."

He gasps, melodramatically, when she mentions he has a dresser drawer at her place, but then just laughs when she winks. Honestly, they're having so much fun, and making each other laugh to a degree that any doorman should automatically be letting them into couples events.

Ray sees the couple too, but his mind doesn't go where Caitlin's does. He doesn't know why, but he's not at all worried about this. Maybe it's his privilege, but he doesn't expect anyone to bother them tonight.

"Ohhh date night ... hmmm ..." This time, Ray does incorporate the little bits of information he's learned about Caitlin when he visited Central City into his answer. "How about, I like to go out, but you like to stay in, so to compromise ... we rotate? Friday nights we always stay in. Maybe watch a movie, or cuddle underneath one of those um ... haha oh right, snuggies. Do they make those for two people?" It's a fleeting question, and Ray moves past it as quickly as it came to him. "But either on Saturday or Sunday night, we always go out. Always to a nice restaurant because I insist that you deserve the best."

[naz]

Caitlin smiles at that. She tends to agree; people don't just have one favorite anything. It's never that simple. She laughs a little at the way he bobs his head while considering. "See? I totally agree!"

Weirdly, Caitlin finds herself thinking, a little sadly, that she's kind of been missing out by not having Ray as a part of her life. He'd make a good friend; he's smart enough to keep up with her, he's funny… Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a friendship that'll last them beyond this place.

The gasp has her laughing again. "I can't help it, Ray, it was love at first sight, but that terrifies men. Any self-aware female knows that," she says with feigned defensiveness. Then, her tone lightens into something more lofty and nonchalant. "Besides, I'm waiting for the right moment to present itself. That matters, you know." Another tight smirk, like she's trying to hide it, creeps over her lips and she has to press them together to keep from laughing again.

Since Ray seems unaffected, or maybe oblivious, to the kissing couple being let in, Caitlin decides to ignore it and feign ignorance too. Maybe she's getting stressed over nothing, anyway. That's probably it. They can cross that bridge when they get to it, if they get to it. Instead, she focuses on Ray's decision about their fictional date nights and a quiet, endeared aww! escapes her. It's funny, but that's how she and Ronnie used to do things. She's more of a homebody than he had been. And, apparently, than fictional-boyfriend-Ray is.

"We make Netflix and Chill so dull and adorable," she observes with a grin as they near the end of the line to enter the restaurant. "...do you really treat woman like that? Because that's really sweet, Ray…" she tells him with a fond smile. If this is what Felicity gave up, Oliver must be incredible...

The line is moving pretty smoothly and as they get closer and she's noticed a second couple kissing at the door, Caitlin takes Ray's hand, lacing her fingers through his. That's not a friend thing to do, right? It should totally count as proof if that's what's happening here. She's entirely too uncomfortable with lying when it isn't a life or death situation, as it turns out.

"So what did you want to do for dinner after this?" she asks, a little louder than probably necessary, in the hopes of being overheard by the doorman, just in case. Extra effort to really sell it doesn't hurt, after all.

[keepitup]

"Love at first sight huh?" he says, chuckling. "Well that needs to be a story on it's own. One that I probably don't even know yet because you haven't told me about the drawer." No really, he's having way too much fun. "We met through a mutual friend so ... when did we first see each other? Blind date? Noooo, I like your rule that the closer to reality we are, the more believable it is." He thinks for a moment, and then turns back to Caitlin with a smile. "Work. A mutual friend knew both of us from work. She brought me to your lab because I wanted some help on a project, and once we started working together ... the rest was history."

As for her question on whether or not he actually treats women like that, Ray can't help but grin and give her a slightly curious look. For all the goofy fun they've had tonight, when he answers this time, Ray is incredibly sincere. "If I love someone ... she'll know. It's not just about insisting on giving her the best of everything." There's a tinge of sadness that starts to seep in as he talks. "Sometimes ... no, all the time, it's about putting her first. Even if it doesn't work out for you in the end."

He hadn't meant to bring that up — to bring Felicity up in that way — but there's also a finality to the way he says it. Ray knows he'll always love her. He isn't someone who can just take love back after he's given it out. But at the same time, there's no question in his mind that it's over. It's not even that she picked Oliver over him, he thinks. It's that she loved Oliver all along.

And wow that is not where Ray plans on taking them tonight, but then Caitlin laces her fingers through his and it makes him glance towards her for a second — but she's not looking at him, she's looking up the line, and yeah, Ray sees it too. The kissing. But again, he thinks, we're standing in line with a bunch of actual couples. Clearly they just happen to be very affectionate people.

" Well sweetie," he responds, almost just as loudly in response when he realizes what's she's trying to do here, "Let's just walk around until we see something we like. Maybe this place has a Thai restaurant."

He's already incorporating her favorite foods into normal conversation, not that it's particularly difficult, given she'd just told him. But still.

By the time they're two couples away from the door, for some reason, they still can't hear whatever the doorman is saying before he lets people in. But sure enough, the kissing doesn't seem to stop. And before they know it, they're at the front. The bouncer — at least Ray thinks it's the bouncer — welcomes them and asks if they're here for the special couples deal they're having tonight.

"Yes! We are indeed! A couple, that is. Here to learn to dance. ... How much is the cover?"

[naz]

"When I tell you about the drawer, I'll tell you about the love at first sight," she promises playfully. Caitlin realizes that even if they never get to do the "couples" activities for some reason, just talking to Ray and building out this fake relationship with him is amusing enough to occupy her mind and is distracting her just as effectively. That's the whole point of this, anyway, isn't it? Granted, as far as the activities go, they're meant to distract people from the oncoming storm, but for Caitlin, it's about distracting her from her own guilt and the fact that she's here at all. Ray's doing a wonderful job of that all on his own.

His response to her question sounds as sincere as he looks when he gives it and Caitlin gives him a sad and sympathetic smile. He's talking about Felicity, she can tell, but all Caitlin can think about is how she and Ronnie never really did that for one another. They never put one another first; work always came first, then each other, then themselves. Of course, one could argue that both times Ronnie had died — the time she'd thought him dead and the time he'd actually been killed — he'd died trying to protect Central City and as Caitlin was in Central City, he'd put his life on the line for hers. When one is grieving, they tend not to see things with that rosy a glow, or maybe Caitlin is just strange like that. Instead, she sees it as having been left behind, not for an unworthy cause or anything, but all the same. Sometimes feelings aren't rational. That's how she sleeps at night; telling herself that she doesn't have to connection rationality to emotion. It doesn't always work that way.

"You sound like a Disney prince," she blurts out and as soon as she hears the words come out of her own mouth, she laughs, cheeks coloring as she shakes her head and tucks her hair behind her ears. "Sorry. That's really sweet, Ray. Seriously. They should make more men like you," she adds with more sincerity.

The fact that he's throwing around her mention of a favorite food in the conversation they're trying to be overheard having is not lost on her and Caitlin gives him a little grin caught somewhere between endeared and amused. "Oh, I hope so," she says and that's genuine. Now that she's been talking about it, she's kind of in the mood for Thai.

The two of them reach the doorman and Caitlin smiles as he addresses them, leaning her head onto Ray's arm a little. Ray's answered the question asked and she's just trying to sell it. Admittedly, Ray's awkward response is probably a little kink in the hose, but that's okay as long as she looks super comfortable with him, right? Holding his hand, leaning on his arm, looking like she actually belongs there...that'll do it.

"For the couple's special, give her a kiss," says the doorman in response to Ray's question. "Regular cover is ten and two drinks."

In spite of the fact that she's heard the whole of what the man says, for whatever reason Caitlin's mind fixates on the "ten and two drinks" and she wonders ten what? reflexively, because she's just now realized that she doesn't know a whole lot, if anything, about the currency here. It takes a few seconds for her mind to catch up and the surprise registers on her face when it does: he wants them to show their affection to get in. If they were a real couple, they wouldn't think twice, but Caitlin is a terrible liar, so she hesitates, looking up at Ray to silently ask whether they ought to just go somewhere else or if they should just give one another a quick kiss and then move on like it never happened, or what he wants to do.

And then Caitlin realizes that she's the one who approached him and it's not really fair to ask him to make that call. So she clears her throat and smiles — a little awkwardly, but it's there all the same — moving her free hand up to the back of Ray's neck, a sign that she means to draw him down without actually doing so. "That's easy enough," she says, although admittedly she's perhaps trying to convince herself and Ray more than the doorman. Her chin tilts up because Ray is a little taller than she is and he can probably see an ounce of reluctance hiding behind her eyes that betrays the smile she gives him which she hopes is equal parts reassuring and apologetic. If they're going to pretend to be a couple, how hard can it be to share a quick peck, anyway, really?

[keepitup]

Funny enough, it's not the first time Ray's been called a Disney Prince. But it is the first time that it's happened to him directly, and he looks shocked for a moment before he breaks into a laugh.

"Do I? I do kinda have the right hairstyle ... but," he says, "not all Disney princes are that great, so I hope you think I sound like one of the better ones." But his smile softens. There's just something so genuine about the way Caitlin compliments him that he can't only deflect. He wants to show gratitude. "Thank you, Caitlin."

As for his answer to the bouncer — haha, well, Ray does and doesn't know the extent of how awkward he sounded right then, but luckily Caitlin is doing a wonderful job of showing physical affection. The way their fingers are curled around each other. The way she leans her head against his shoulder. She's selling it so well that just for a second, Ray forgets that they aren't actually dating.

Which, of course they aren't. He knows that.

But if they do one day, they're going to have to come back and thank this bouncer. Because give her a kiss is followed shortly by that's easy enough, and soon Ray is looking over at Caitlin, trying to gauge how far they both are willing to go for a free dance lesson, before he feels her hand near the back of his neck and Ray ...

Ray isn't the best at these situations. Or maybe he is the best, and everyone else who's a little less impulsive just don't know what they're missing out on. It's probably the former. Because if he were to really think this through, they should probably just go somewhere else. They'd agreed to do this as friends for a reason, even if Ray only knows his own. And yet ... he's been having so much fun with Caitlin tonight that all of the stories they've been weaving might as well be true.

She really is kind and smart and funny. And at some point, when his big brown eyes are searching her face for just a hint of what she'd like to do, he sees that smile, remembers her touch, and Ray's eyes flicker down to her lips. Slipping his free hand around her waist, he looks at her one more time, as if to check that she hasn't changed her mind, before he fully leans down to kiss her.

It's not a quick peck. It's slow and steady and soft, and when they finally break apart from each other, Ray can't help but linger as he opens his eyes. Caitlin really is a beautiful woman.

But finally, after a few seconds of just looking at her, he pulls back, straightens up, and only glances at the doorman before escorting Caitlin inside. The bouncer doesn't say another word.

[naz]

"Totally one of the good ones," she reassures him with a laugh. He does look the part, he's right about that. She'd mostly meant figuratively with the romantic aspect of what he'd said, though.

Perhaps the hidden danger in this charade is just how easy it is to get lost in. He's handsome, incredibly smart, and successful, but moreover, he's just…good and, quite frankly, after Jay, Caitlin could use something good in her love life. That's not what this is, of course; a love life. It's two professional acquaintances who haven't probably got any local currency on them wanting to sneak into free dance lessons because why not? How hard can a little kiss be? How detrimental to a budding friendship could it possibly be? She'd do this with Cisco, so why not Ray? It's not a big deal.

Giving an almost imperceptible nod when she sees the way he's looking at her, like he's searching for one last confirmation that this is fine, Caitlin mentally prepares herself to immediately roll this off her shoulders so they can laugh it off once they get inside. She tries not to dissociate the sensation of the hand pulling her closer with the fact that it's Ray doing it, because to do so would be to forget that this is nothing more than an act. She's knows herself too well.

What Caitlin expects to proceed the subtle nod she gives...is not what Caitlin gets. A tiny, barely audible and very succinct hum of surprise escapes against his lips and the hand on the back of his neck curls a little tighter, fingers moving into the hair at the nape of his neck. If he's going to sell it like this then she can match. And when they break, she's glad she's not the only one who finds herself lingering a few seconds too long, lips kiss-swollen and parted in a silent "whoa…" as her eyes finally flutter open again just in time for Ray to pull back and straighten up before escorting her in.

Caitlin opens her mouth to speak when they're safely inside, but she closes it again when she realizes she's not really sure what to say.

Don't make it weird, Caitlin. Don't make it weird. It's not weird, this is totally fine. Nothing to see here, not a big deal, don't make it—

"Wow…" she blurts out and, immediately realizing that she is, in fact, about to make it weird, her eyes widen and she scrambles to backpedal. "I mean, wow, I can't believe that actually worked. Go us," she says, holding up a hand for a high five for a seconds before realizing that's so awkward. The hand drops to her side again and she steps to the side to put a little bit of space between them again as she clears her throat. "See? We can totally sell it to get into all these things; we're fine. What kind of dance do you think they'll be teaching?"

[keepitup]

It's a good thing for both of them maybe, that nothing is said for a few moments. While Caitlin is front of him and can't see his expression, Ray smiles faintly to himself, but he also scrunches his eyebrows in a mix of surprise and confusion. He wonders if he went too far, not just for her sake but for his own, but then he remembers the way her fingers curled against his neck and how she'd kissed him back ... and he's not so sure anymore.

And, well, Ray's always had too many feelings for his own good.

He laughs though, when he sees her hold up her hand for a high five, because it's adorable, and for Ray, it's the perfect thing to re-break the ice.

"I just want to make sure. Was that-" He takes a step closer to her as he asks, one hand in his pocket now as the other gestures out from his chest. "-okay? I know I probably shoulda asked, but the bouncer was right there and-" A smile pulls at his lips. There's only a hint of embarrassment. "Well it was go big or go home."

He'll answer her question about what kind of dancing in a bit. Ray just wants to clear this up first.

[naz]

Caitlin's expression shifts into something more endeared — although admittedly, that endeared expression is there only because it's beat out the apologetic one — when Ray asks whether that was okay.

The honest answer? No. Not even a little bit, but not because she's offended or put off. It wasn't okay because now all she can think about is whether or not Felicity would still want to be her friend if she found out that Caitlin was going around kissing her ex-boyfriend just to get into a dance class. She's wondering whether Cisco would flip out because he idolized Ray. She's wondering whether Julian would care...and then she's wondering why she should care if Julian would care. It's all really confusing when she lets herself think about it.

Instead of telling him any of that, because literally none of it pertains directly to the kiss itself, Caitlin gives Ray a small smile and a nod. "No, it's fine, it's...don't worry about it. We probably should've seen that request coming," she says with a soft laugh. "It's okay, Ray." A little bit of color creeps into Caitlin's cheeks and she tucks her hair behind her ears again. "You're very good at that," she adds, looking sheepishly up at him. "I mean, not that I thought you wouldn't be. Or...would. I don't..." She pauses, realizing how awkward she's sounding and gives herself a second to collect her thoughts before continuing. "It isn't like I was ever really thinking about whether or not you would be a good kisser, I meant. But that was kind of nice. It's really okay. We're okay...I mean, right? We're good?"