By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity

[the_death_card]

While Jack knows it's good for him, doing a lot to stretch how far his magic will go before he's exhausted, playing with the door trick is also fun. He's been picking locks for so long now that it's almost boring, especially when his actual magic has progressed to the point that, increasingly frequently, doors will unlock themselves before he even knows they were locked to begin with.

Using the Eye's network is something different. It's a constantly moving lock that, if he hits a slightly different pin in a slightly different way, will open a door to somewhere completely different. He's already found a dozen different places across the United States and a half-dozen more outside of it that have all led to some fascinating afternoons. Every time he finds somewhere new, he thinks to ask Jacob or Max or Andrew for a list of connected places, but so far, he's forgotten to actually do it. Finding them randomly is more fun anyway.

Things have mostly calmed down around the suite, now. He knows most of them have returned to their normal sleeping habits, helped along by their brand new connection. That's still new and something he's getting used to, but like someone said, it feels like a natural next step after the year they spent living on top of each other and how close they've all become since then. It is still something they're all figuring out, though, which means that they're still taking it easy on rehearsals. Normally, that's not something he would mind, but today, it's lead to some restlessness that he knows no jog or trip downstairs to the gym will do anything to help.

When he catches himself rereading the same paragraph in his book for the third time in a row, he groans and levers himself into a sit, setting his book to the side and leaning down to grab his boots where he kicked them off earlier. There's an inquisitive ping at the back of his mind that he brushes off as he stands and grabs his jacket, heading out of his room and toward the stairs.

"I'm going out for a while," he calls to the suite at large on his way downstairs. "I've got my phone."

Merritt doesn't look up from behind his book but he does wave a hand at Jack in acknowledgement, and there's an accepting nudge from someone through the connection. Jack flips a wave back at Merritt as he slips out of the suite, closing the door behind him and heading for the elevator. He pauses once he gets there to run his thumb over his middle and index fingers, calling up a spark and touching it to the keyhole set between the standard call buttons. He can immediately feel the pins that make up the Eye's network, and he drifts over a few of them before settling on one. He nudges it into place with his magic and then pulls his hand away and hits the down button to call the elevator. It comes almost immediately, and Jack steps inside, hitting a button at random and leaning back against the wall to watch the numbers drop - and then stands straight again when it slows to a stop with the usual quiet ding.

For everywhere he's been so far, what he finds is entirely unexpected. If he didn't know better, if he hadn't already seen the Peninsula's lobby dozens of times, he would think something had gone wrong with the magic and he had just been taken downstairs. Ahead of him is another hotel lobby, and he stops just outside the elevator, trying to figure out where he is. Just ahead of him is a small desk bearing a stylized sun - and when he looks at it for more than a moment, the paint seems to shimmer, revealing an equally stylized eye set into the paint. The desk is attended by a dark-haired woman in a blue shirt with a name badge pinned to it, and she looks up at him after a moment, smiling immediately. "Good afternoon, Mister Wilder. Checking in?"

"Uh..." Jack begins intelligently, and her smile turns a little less polished and a little more truly amused as she stands up, smoothing her shirt out automatically.

"Or did you just happen by?"

"That one," Jack returns, a little relieved, and she laughs.

"You aren't the first," she assures him, "but welcome to the Sun Veil Resort. We're located on the Yucatan Peninsula with access to the amenities of Cancun with our own specific brand of privacy for our members and their guests." It's clearly a standard speech, but Jack gets well enough what she's saying - or, rather, very carefully not saying.

"You mean this is for the Eye."

"Of course," she returns before her smile fades into something more solicitous. "Would you like a tour? We do have open rooms at the moment, and I'm sure you and the other Horsemen would enjoy a visit."

Even if this isn't where Jack intended to end up, Jack doesn't even need to think about it before he nods. "Yeah, that'd be great." Saying they would all use a vacation and change of scenery after everything that's been going on is puttting it really mildly.

"Give me just a moment, then," she returns with another smile. She turns her attention back to her desk, hits a few keys on her ocmputer, sets a small bell on the desk, and then rounds it, gesturing for him to accompany her. "Right this way."

Comments

[the_lovers]

"Wow, okay."

While that's largely inaudible as Daniel mutters into one of the dresser drawers, already having found the time to unpack, that travels back through the connection clearly enough. As does the fact that while his jitters have been fading bit by bit with the back and forth, they ratchet up sharply again when Daniel seems to find whatever it is he's looking for. He palms it on reflex, whatever it is disappearing before Merritt can get a good look at it, but it turns out to be a moot point anyway, as he pads back over to him, he produces whatever it is just as quickly.

There's a familiarly shaped box in his hand and, unsurprisingly, when he cracks it open, a ring.

"So, uh."

[the_hermit]

Merritt just smirks at him, the expression also somehow audible through the connection.

He's starting to think he might need to get a read on Daniel, to figure out what's got him this worked up when they really are just out here to relax - and then Daniel comes back, and that box answers all the questions.

For a moment, he just looks at it - and then, slightly belatedly, puts a hand to his chest and gasps, "Daniel, I don't know what to say."

There's something a little bright behind his eyes despite the fact that he's continuing to yank Daniel's chain. He's already so happy about this development.

[the_lovers]

"You -- " Daniel starts, stops as he realizes that Merritt's still screwing with him. He narrows his eyes, frowning, and snaps the ring box back closed. He's not as mad as he's pretending to be, but, "Okay, you get that this is a serious situation, right?"

[the_hermit]

Merritt does get that it's a serious situation, yes, and he sobers (metaphorically) a little in response to that look, dropping his hand from his chest, his voice returning to normal. "Yes, Daniel, I understand that it's a serious situation. I also know you are freaking out about it way more than you actually need to." He pauses a beat. "And not just because I have known you for longer than fifteen seconds and know you freak out about everything."

[the_lovers]

Daniel rolls his eyes.

"What if she says no?" That's an option and definitely something to freak out about, he thinks. "What if she doesn't like the ring? Or, I don't know, I go to get down on one knee and I suddenly burst into flames or something?" The moment being ruined somehow is also a valid concern, if only in his head. "What if I'm making a mistake?" What if he should cut and run like he did before, the first time they split up.

What if.

[the_hermit]

"Or," Merritt begins, taking a step toward him. He telegraphs his movements, not wanting to startle Daniel but wanting to keep him from vibrating himself into little pieces. Carefully, he sets his hands on his shoulders, looking down at him.

"What if she says yes, she loves the ring, you don't burst into flames, and you two live happily ever after?"

Merritt gives him a gentle shake before he lets go.

"All bullshit aside, Danny, you are not who you were the first time you two split up. You're not gonna fuck it up."

[the_lovers]

Surprisingly, Daniel doesn't flinch. He does, however, exhale a breath of a laugh as Merritt steps back, the sound entirely humorless. "Funny, I thought you knew me."

And how much of a fuck up he can be.

A long pause follows, and then slowly, candidly, Daniel admits, "You know, I've been sitting on this for awhile, now. I kind of -- I bought the ring on a whim." A beat. "Well, sort of. What qualifies as a whim for me, anyway." He put a lot of thought into the perfect ring, but actually committing to looking in the first place? That was the impulse decision. "Anyway, I just -- I thought that this might be the right time. I mean, this is how normal people do things, right? Ring in the champagne at a quiet restaurant while you're on vacation a world away?"

[the_hermit]

It's Merritt's turn to lineface at Daniel because he doesn't actually need to be a mentalist at all to pick up Daniel's self-loathing, and Merritt is, as established, a very good mentalist.

He's also past the point of giving him shit, just watching him as he answers. "But we're not normal," he reminds him - and he means that in a good way. "It doesn't have to be a whole Thing, Danny. And I know you need everything to be a big thing, but. Henley loves you. Take her to dinner, sure, but don't do all that cheesy shit. Get dinner, go down to the beach at sunset. You'll know your moment."

[the_lovers]

"Think she'd be impressed by some sleight of hand?" Daniel asks wryly, producing a plastic flower from possibly literally nowhere. It disappears just as quickly, along with whatever thin smile Daniel managed to conjure up there for a second. "Seriously, though. I'll ... figure it out."

The beach at sunset does sound pretty good.

[the_hermit]

"Real flowers might be better. And I know you will," Merritt returns simply, seriously, sincerely.

As much shit as he gives Daniel, as much as he teases Henley that she could be doing better, if he actually had a problem with the other man, there wouldn't be any joking about it. He knows the two of them care about each other, he knows how much closer they are now than when he first met them, he knows how much Daniel has grown while he's known him. To say he is on board with them getting engaged would be to put it extremely mildly.

[the_lovers]

"Real flowers," Daniel confirms with a nod. A pause follows, a glance over his shoulder back towards the door, and then, "I could probably order those at the front desk or whatever, right? I mean, this is an Eye hotel, right? That's got to be something they do."

Otherwise, he has no idea where he's going to find said flowers.

[the_hermit]

Merritt nods, shrugging a little. "Pretty sure any hotel as high-end as the ones we stay in would be able to get you flowers, so the Eye should definitely be able to manage it."

He nods toward the phone in its spot near the bed.

No time like the present.

[the_lovers]

Daniel's eyebrows go up immediately.

"Oh, uh. We're doing this right now? Okay." Never mind the fact that he doesn't actually move for the phone, his nerves ratcheting back up again all at once.

[the_hermit]

"I mean, you don't have to ask her tonight or have them delivered today or anything, but she's not here right now. Who knows when the next time you'd get a chance that she's not around."

Never mind that he or one or the others could probably talk her into going somewhere else for a bit if he did need time to set things up.

[the_lovers]

"Oh," Daniel repeats, tension going out of him again as he breathes out the word. "Right."

A beat.

"So, you think, like, a dozen roses, or ... ?" Romance has never been his strong suit. "Or maybe I should, y'know, kind of go for something more subtle, so she doesn't think something's up?" Assuming he's giving her the flowers before dinner.

[the_hermit]

"Lilies," Merritt returns and reminds him, because he had worked that bit of trivia out of Henley at some point during their year of prep in the name of antagonizing Daniel. "Red ones."

He pauses a beat. "Though she's probably going to know something's up no matter how you start that." He pauses a beat. "Maybe see if Jacob and Alma are taking an evening to themselves one night. Not as suspicious if both the couples are going to dinner."

He'd try to reach out to Dylan now, but he doesn't want to interrupt his time with Agent Dray.

[the_lovers]

"I'll bug him when they get back," Daniel agrees with a nod. "In the meantime ... "

In the meantime, he can at least order the flowers. He can leave them for Henley, for when she gets back with Jack today, and palm one or two, to take with him when they go to dinner. They should last, regardless of when this week they do it or if Dylan and Alma are in on it, and it'll throw her off the scent. They might make her suspect something is coming, but she won't know when.

Satisfied with that idea, he heads for the phone, dialing down to the front desk. It doesn't take long before it's answered, and while there's another spike of anxiety from Daniel, he manages to swallow this one down all on his own. "Yeah, hi. Can I get, like, a dozen red lilies sent up to ... "

He glances to Merritt, expectant. Please remind him which cabana they're in again.

[the_hermit]

Merritt glances over his shoulders toward the rest of them, confirming and holding up four fingers. "It's like... Beachview or something."

It doesn't matter how nice the resort, they're always going to have cheesy names for these things.

[the_lovers]

"Four Beachview or something," Daniel repeats dutifully. A series of yeahs follow, as Daniel confirms a few things, and with a quick word of thanks, he hangs up.

He can't help but fidget with the ring box, still in hand, as he turns back to Merritt. "Okay, so that's taken care of."

[the_hermit]

"Check that one off," Merritt agrees.

"It's going to be fine, Danny," he says again. "However you play it."

[the_lovers]

"I am legitimately going to go into this with the caveat that, if she hates it, it's your fault," Daniel decides. Whether the idea that he can blame Merritt is a balm for the nerves or the start of another volley of their back and forth is, however, is anyone's guess.

He'll be okay. It'll be okay.

[the_hermit]

Merritt snorts - and then shrugs. "It's a deal. I mean, you already like blaming me anyway, so it's not like that's out of the ordinary."

Merritt is also making a mental note to see if the resort can do something magic and have champagne just show up wherever the two end up going, if Henley ends up agreeing like he knows she will. He'll make that call when Daniel's not around, though.

[the_lovers]

"You do make a nice scapegoat," he answers with a shrug, like it's not really his fault.

A pause follows, seriousness coming with the silence as he takes a moment to deconstruct his armor, and then, raking his tongue over his teeth, a gesture he's picked up from Dylan, he tells him, "Seriously, though. Thanks."

[the_hermit]

Merritt just shakes his head, looking amused, not actually flipping off, but the intention is there anyway.

He sobers as Daniel does, watching him drop the walls. His smile is small but somehow warmer, now, and he nods. "Anytime, Danny. Seriously."