Janelle gave the tab a skeptical once over and Max notices the cute way her brow furrowed when she focused on it. She seemed satisfied that he wasn't using any smoke and mirrors before beginning to guess at his mutation.

"Have you been reading my mind this whole time?

He let out a laugh and leaned in slightly as well.

"Nope. Your thoughts are safe here. No mind reading, no magnetism, no telekinesis." He said shaking his head slightly.

He tapped the can with his free hand and it began to float up as well. He used his other hand to obscure it from the view of the nearest table.

"How about a bet?" He said mischievously, "I'll count that as one guess. I'll give you two more. If you can't guess what my power is you have to let me take you out on a date. Deal?"

Max wasn't known for his luck with girls. He had confidence most of the time but somehow pretty women had a tendency to make him act a fool. His last date had ended with the girl he was with politely leaving him at the mansion gate and then not returning the few calls he had made after. Not one to cry over spilled milk Max had accepted the fact, but this kind of thing was not his Forte.

He felt the nerves that he had surpassed starting to bounce around inside him. This was a bit forward, even for him.

Janelle hadn't really thought that Max was reading her mind. As he assured her of the fact though, Janelle's features relaxed into the slight smile she had worn before.

Max tapped the soda can and it began to float as well. He hid it with his other hand and Janelle made note, he was shy about his powers...more shy than she was at least. Why about other things...not so much. A guessing game, with a date as a wager? Janelle gave the Jasper Kane cafe another positive mark. This lunch had been terrible for her productivity, but who cared about freshman English when there were more diverting pursuits to follow.

Two more guesses. Janelle wasn't one to throw a game simply because the penalty was every bit as interesting as the prize for winning.

Well. There was the obvious, "Hmmmm. Guess one. You can fly, or make other things fly. That begs the question of whether or not you can fly while you make other things fly."

It was a fair guess, and it made sense. She waited to see how she had done.

Max smirked as Janelle seemingly took the deal. She was guessing at least, which meant she was at least willing to gamble the possibility of going out with him. He silently laughed as he realized they had not set any terms if she won, so he had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

She completed her guess and Max placed a finger to his lip in contemplation.

"Hmmm bit vague," He replied before looking off to the side, "judges?"

He made a noise like a buzzer and smiled at Janelle. He reached out his hand under the can and chuckled slightly.

"Close, but I can get you on the technicality that my power doesn't let me or other things "fly" per say." He said using his hands for air quotes.

He gave a snap of his fingers and the can fell into his open hand.

"Things just fall with style. That's one guess down one to go. What else you got" He said playfully.

This game was almost too fun.

A snap of the fingers and the can fell into Max's outstretched hand.

He was giving her clues, wasn't he? Didn't he want to win? It was a funny thought and the redhead couldn't contain the small bubble of mirth that bubbled up inside her.

Back to the clues.

Couldn't make things fly...per se.

Things simply fell with style.

They also rose. Air currents? There had been no wind...what else made things rise?

No, what else made things fall. She had been looking at things wrong the whole time. Janelle had a sneaking suspicion she had the mystery sorted out.

"Gravity." she said softly, a slow grin spreading across her features.

"You really shouldn't give so many clues if you want to win a game. What's my prize?"

Gravity

Max gave a nod of his head, conceding defeat.

"Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner." He said with a laugh.


"You really shouldn't give so many clues if you want to win a game. What's my prize?"

"Ahh but see I didn't want to win," He said raising a hand," if I won you would have to go out with me, it be an obligation. This way your prize is....choice. I still want to take you out, but now I'll know you actually want to go if you say yes."

Usually the wheels of his brain would spin in place, but for once they seemed to have found some traction. He hadn't thought of what he just said until he said it, but somehow he had turned a defeat into a potential victory. He his his pride and kept focused on the red head before him. It was always the red heads that got to him.

"So the real question is what do you say." He said, scooping up the floating soda can tab and leaning back in his chair.

Well, hadn't this conversation become a roller coaster of emotions? He'd wagered a date if he won, then said he didn't want to win, then finished up with a ball thrown into Janelle's court.

Choice was her prize, and it looked like there would be no easy way out for someone who had insisted on winning the game. If she wanted to have the date, she was going to have to actually say yes.

Janelle didn't consider herself an accomplished flirt, Max's skills were obviously vastly superior to her own. However, in the grand scheme of things this had been a very successful lunch. The least she could do was give it a whirl.

Janelle leaned back, body language significantly more relaxed than she really felt. It wouldn't do to seem TOO eager, right?

"I'd love to." she said with a grin.

Whoops, so much for not seeming too eager.

A triumphant smile spread across Max's face. Somehow he had succeeded, a fact that would perplex him for the rest of the day. She seemed relaxed but genuinely excited and Max's heart did a little flutter in response.

"Perfect. Which I suppose leaves the last questions of when are you free and what time should I pick you up?" He said.

He needed a nice evening with good company. His life had spiraled into a busy haze lately. The club had kept his nights filled with work, Haven activity was becoming larger and he was trying to get more involved, and he had a detective working the case of his own murder to plan with. Yeah a little break from the tension would be nice.

His brain went into planning mode, trying to come up with good date activities.

"I gotta say. I like this place." He said with a cheeky wink as he looked around the resturant.

When was she free and what time should he pick her up? Like free today? She wasn't dressed for a date...that hadn't been the goal when she'd left the mansion this morning.

Janelle looked at her watch and the computer in front of her, then back up at Max. To be honest, there wasn't much to do besides ask for clarification on the subject.

"Are you talking about today? If so, I'm done with classes at five. Otherwise...well, it's the same every day. Done at five." How to say the next part without sounding like a loser...there wasn't any way. "I don't have any plans for the next few days." . Her social calendar had been woefully empty lately.

Max commented that he liked this place and Janelle nodded, "Definitely much more interesting than all the other drinking halls I've wandered into." .

.well, it's the same every day. Done at five."

Max let out a small chuckle.

"I wasn't thinking quite so soon. I have to work tonight anyway." He said.

"I don't have any plans for the next few days."

Max knew the feeling, though in a slightly different light. Between scheduling his road trip home to try to get some answers on his death and keeping up with his shifts at the club having a personal life seemed to be more and more of a challenge.

"I'm off Friday, how does that sound? Pick you up at 8?" He said.

Whew. There would be time to prepare.

Janelle was exceptionally relieved at this development and was sure it showed on her face and in her relieved smile.

"Friday at 9 sounds great. You know where the Mansion is? I can meet you at the front gates"