Dexter winced at Mateo's snipe, realizing his folly and feeling second hand embarrassment for Mateo. He had been there at one point in his life, too. The threat fell flat, even if it was weighty. The Pig probably hit like a bus compared to the average strike but, well, Dexter doubted he'd have the speed to actually hit him, let alone catch him. Sure, he might not be able to take the guy in a fight but Dexter had never really been one to instigate to begin with. Everyone in this town that was his age had their aces, and if he was being honest while he might be the fastest kid in town he wasn't going to be outrunning anyone's heat vision at close range.

Dexter's mom had always gotten onto him about that. He was always a little bit stronger than most people in town due to the increased muscle and bone density that supported the forces he put his body through, but compared to someone who could throw you with their [i]mind[/i] or something? He could think ten times faster than they could, but they could still think faster than he could move. [i]"Just be nice to people. We've lost enough in this house. Please don't let me lose you too."[/i]

Dexter didnt understand the confidence people like Titus or Mateo or [i]Henry[/i] had in their abilities to go toe to toe with other Children of Lee with the gusto they did. The first two seemed to be a lot more aggressive about it, but Titus could bounce back from almost anything. At least he had an excuse to be ballsy. Mateo was the smallest of the three aforementioned giants and would probably be flattened by either. Henry had been much more reserved about his strength until recently- holding back the golem had been something that he'd have thought only Titus could've done until recently. All this was for naught though, because both had been served up a cold harsh reality. Sometimes the CoL's had abilities one couldn't fist fight and win. Titus and Henry had been almost enveloped and all their might meant nothing until they were saved.

Maybe that's what Mateo was doing right now- being just like Henry and Titus or any other brute in town being faced with a situation they couldn't muscle out of: Flail. Sitting there with what looked like a piss stain, in a puddle of yellow liquid, caught with his pants basically down. Maybe Dexter should take his own advice and not try to think of everything as something to be solved with muscle.

"You alright?" Dexter said, his voice as genuine as it could be. He knew Mateo was as likely to try and punch him as he was to accept his help up. He side eyed a few of the onlookers, who seemed to make themselves scarce under his gaze, and nonchalantly poured some of his own drink onto the generalized area of his own pants. Dexter was no Chad, but he had some sway, and what were they going to do? Make fun of the dude with half a family for being nice? Dexter took a step forward and offered Mateo his hand to help him up. "It's just lemonade, hey?" he offered. [hr]

Henry sort of craned his neck back like a bird reacting to something unpleasant at Titus' reaction as he stomped off, and from somewhere within the house he heard the boom of the man's frustrated voice. Elle brought him out of it, though. He'd have to remember to talk to Titus later about it. That probably stung a little bit.

He drifted his gaze back down to Elle, who had just tossed the ball and missed- and it occurred to Henry that he hadn't heard her rules for the game yet, and that for him to drink every time he [i]missed[/i] rather than every time the opponent sank a cup meant that he was going to be in for a long game. He was bad at Beer pong, not for lack of dexterity for his size. But simply because of his size. He knelt down to pick up the ball- this tiny thing between his index and thumb claw, and realized that he had only managed to sink two cups last time he played because he was a giant trying to aim a pebble. Henry looked up at Elle and set the ball down on the table. He held his finger out in a 'one moment' motion, and stepped away to the kitchen area. There were several coolers available with various lite beers in each so he grabbed the closest. There seemed to be some sort of commotion in the kitchen and it looked like War Pig and that Dexter kid had wet themselves- but that was just how it went sometimes at a party. He was a man on a mission.

With one hand he palmed the cooler like a basketball, and strode away and back to the ping pong table. People made way for the drake on his way back, and he set it down in a surprisingly ginger way. He flicked the lid open with a claw and selected a Coors from the container. His movements must have attracted some attention, because he heard a cheer or two from the small crowd around him as soon as he stood back to full height. Henry leaned back and pointed to the crowd, following his ear to that kid Chris and Letitia. He brought his hand back to beat his chest once and with his other hand's index and thumb claw, pierced the Coors can in the hull and where the container was supposed to open, and placed his mouth expertly around the opening in the hull as he shotgunned the comparatively comedically tiny beer to a chorus of hoots and hollers. Henry crushed the can effortlessly in his hand and knelt down to retrieve two one (placing the crushed can neatly by the cooler for later collection). He underhand tossed the one into the crowd to Chris, winked, and placed his own unopened beer on the table.

[b]"Gotta keep it fair!"[/b] he bellowed, swiping the ball off the table and putting his offhand over his eyes as if he was going to blind shoot it. He feinted, fake tossing the ball, and then split his fingers so he could see through them- very obviously trying to get a laugh out of Elle and give a good show to the onlookers. This time he tossed it. It was a little wobbly, and woefully under powered as he had misjudged how much strength he'd need to toss it without risking turning it into a missile, but it bounced and seemed to be in line to land in the bitch cup if Elle didn't swat it away. With his previous throw to sunk cup ratio, he was starting off hot!