Conversations: Intimate (IC)

[Lone Star]

"I managed to take down that necromancer last month with Nick and Cobalt Templar. That was a pretty intense battle, but we managed to cut off the spectral flow at the source. Now it's just regular business, you know. Occasional bumps in the night, living nightmares, all that jazz." He smiled and looked up at her. "It's almost getting to be routine. Not quite boring, mind you. Working with magic is rarely, if ever, boring. It's usually pretty busy, but that's just the nature of the city." He blinked, and put a hand to his forehead. "Gawd, it'll be good to get away."

[Raveled]

Jessica smiled at Blake's description of a 'routine day.' "I've no idea what a spectral flow is," she admitted, "or what its source may look like, but I'm glad you did so well, sweetie." She took his hand, pulling it away from his forehead and interlacing her fingers with his, squeezing tightly. "I'm so proud of you. Most of my enemies I can explain with a graph or a dip in a textbook, but the things you deal with are real dawn-of-time evil stuff."

She giggled suddenly, ducking her head and looking at Blake shyly. "I'm sorry. I just keep thinking about this vacation. European road-trip, just you and me! It'll be the greatest thing ever, I just know it."

[Lone Star]

Blake kissed her hard on her cheek. "Why on earth would you be sorry, baby? It'll be a lot of fun! I guess we'll have to rent a car when we get down there. Or, I could possibly set up a summoning circle to bring your Explorer with us!" He squeezed her fingers and giggled a little. "That is, if you can't science it over there. Some sort of...complex portal system. That'd be pretty cool, too."

Blake suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her face to his. "I love you, by the way." He slowly moved his hand through her hair and enveloped her in a passionate smooch.

[Raveled]

Jessica grinned at Blake's suggestion. "I think a magic portal might void the warranty. Although some kind of pocket-dimensional luggage would be interesting. Have a whole wardrobe in your carry-on! Never worry about airline weight limits again." She paused a moment, then added in a more subdued, thoughtful voice, "But I don't think the TSA would like it if every passenger was using untested dimensional technology on every flight."

She gave herself a shake and came back to the situation at hand. "No. We'll rent. Something sporty, maybe a convertible. C'mon, you wanna miss the chance to go down the Autobahn in a muscle car." She reached out for her glass and took a swallow of water. "Besides, I've been thinking out turning the Explorer in. The lease is coming due, and truthfully it's a bit bigger than I need."

[Lone Star]

Blake choked on his drink at the mention of the infamous German highway, having to steady himself on the table. After taking a moment to compose himself, he grinned at her. "I don't know about the Autobahn, but I do trust you with my life, Jessica." he said with a sly wink. "A sports car would be pretty rockin', though. If you're interesting...maybe I could even soup up the engine a bit. I've been looking into technomancy!"

He squeezed her hand. "Maybe we should leave our whole superhero identities in Freedom City. I mean, you should bring your armor, and I'll bring my gadgets, but let's try not to make any guest appearances in Europe, eh? I just think if we're going to have a vacation, it should really be away from our heroic lives as well."

[Raveled]

Jessica touched her titanium wristwatch briefly. "The armor never goes away," she said flatly, "but yes. If this is going to be a vacation, let it be a vacation from everything. Besides, I believe superheroes are a lot less common in Europe than they are in North America. It should be easy enough to just be Blake and Jessica for a little while."

She paused and drew a breath to say something else, but at that moment their server arrived with their food. Jessica inhaled the aromatic steam coming off her chicken as she unfolded her napkin and set it in her lap. She almost reminded Blake that the proper thing to do would be to sit on the other side of the table, but decided against it. After all, it was quite nice to sit next to each other, knee to knee.

[Lone Star]

Blake gave her knee a gentle squeeze, and took a deep breath. The smell of delicious steak made his mouth curl into a smile. "Thanks for lunch, by the way. And you're right...a vacation means a vacation away from what we do here. I really haven't taken any vacation time from paranormal investigations." He smoothed back his hair, then cut his burger neatly in half and took a bite. He smiled as he chewed the savory meat, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Damn, this is yummy."

[Raveled]

The pair of teenagers ate and talked, and if the food wasn't the best they didn't notice. Two young people in love and sitting knee-to-knee could miss an awful lot, after all. For all of their fooling around, they still finished their meals before the actors took to the stage again, so they were able to pay and slip out of the restaurant without much hassle. Outside of the place, Jessica slipped a hand around Blake's arm and strode slowly through the parking lot, heading towards her car. "That was a really nice meal. And... I'm glad we got a chance to talk. About everything." She glanced at her car and the driver door unlocked and popped open for her. "Hey, follow me on your bike, okay? I've got something I want to show you."

[Lone Star]

Blake grinned as she popped the door open with a look. "That's so cool. And sure thing, baby." After a quick kiss on her cheek, he made his way over to his motorcycle. He could almost feel the blush on his face. It was difficult being at work without having Jessica around as often as when they first started dating, but he hoped their vacation would really give them a chance to connect once again. Blake popped the helmet on his head and adjusted the chin strap. He scooted down, and ignited the powerful engine of the bike, which roared into life. Turning it around, he slowly moved it behind Jessica's Explorer, and gave her a thumbs-up, and a wide smile.

[Raveled]

Jessica pulled out of the parking lot, making sure that Blake's motorcycle could keep up with her in the evening traffic. Interestingly, she didn't turn towards Lantern Hill or towards either of the state highways that could've taken them towards the Lab. She didn't even head towards Southside and Blake's own home. Instead she led him into the city center, to the corner of Liberty and 40th Street. There she pulled into an underground parking structure and stuck her arm out the window to motion Blake to follow her.

She parked her car in a reserved spot and hopped out, hurrying towards the elevator. She fished out a special key and inserted it in a keyhole at the bottom of the elevator's control panel, waiting until Blake was on-board the car before she turned it. Once she did, the elevator doors whispered shut and the car started traveling up, moving perceptibly faster than Blake was used to. Faster than Jessica was used to, evidently, because she stumbled and braced herself against the wall. "So," she said, smiling wryly, "you know the place I live in now? The garden apartment my parents own in Lantern Hill?"

[Lone Star]

Blake followed her on his motorcycle, the wind blowing against his helmet. He gripped the handles tightly as he turned with her into the parking complex. He followed her, the bike's engine puttering as he walked it to the parking spot. He locked his helmet inside the bike's storage container, and made his way over to the elevator. He was surprised by the sheer speed of the elevator, and his heart started racing. He gripped her hand and steadied himself against the wall. "Yeah? Where are we now?"

[Raveled]

Jessica blushed as she continued. "Well, I was thinking that I'm graduating college, and I'm even turning eighteen in a couple of months. I could do with my own place, you know? So I looked around for awhile and, well, I put some money down on an apartment." As if on cue the elevator slowed and the door opened almost silently. "This apartment, actually," she clarified, pulling Blake out of the car.

Blake could see that the apartment took up an entire floor of the building; the floor stretched wall-to-wall, giving a panoramic view of downtown Freedom City through four glass walls. A steel and wood staircase spiraled counter-clockwise up the elevator shaft, disappearing into the ceiling; instead of going up there though, Jessica moved to one of the glass walls and unlocked a pair of French doors. Those opened out to a concrete balcony that ringed the entire building. Jessica leaned against the edge and looked back at Blake. She threw her arms wide and called back in, "Isn't it great? I don't have I my stuff moved in yet, but I love it already!" She was smiled and tilted her head back, laughing happily stories above the city.

[Lone Star]

Blake's eyes widened as he tried to take in the whole apartment at once. "Ooooh my God." were the only words that could possibly start to describe how he felt. He took a few steps in, and with every step, the room seemed to widen around him. He saw he walk outside to the balcony, and he quickly ran after her. He was greeted with a dazzling view of the city, and he gasped in wonder.

"Babe, this is absolutely breathtaking." His knuckles turned white as he gripped the balcony rail for dear life, afraid that if he loosened his grip, he'd go flying and become a pancake at the bottom of the fall. He turned to her and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "So, uh." Blake said nervously. "Want a roommate?"

[Raveled]

Jessica hugged Blake suddenly, her heart beating faster. Part of it was showing off her new digs to her boyfriend, part of it was the height and the dizzying view, but part of it was Blake's offer. She kissed him gently, leaning against him and watching his face from a very close distance as she talked. "I, um. I was actually going to suggest that you move some of your clothes in. I mean, we've been dating for awhile now and since I have my own place, I... I'd like you over more often, you know?" She blushed, and fought the urge to glance away. She didn't want to miss Blake's response.

[Lone Star]

Blake wrapped his arms around her and suddenly pulled her into a passionate kiss. One hand went to her hair and stroked it gently, and the other went to her back. Beneath his warm kiss, Blake smiled. When he broke the kiss, his face was flushed with happiness and excitement. "Jessica, I'd be more than happy to! That is, supposing you don't mind paying more of the rent...I don't earn a whole ton working paranormal stuff. I was having trouble keeping that place, anyway." He kissed her again, and gave her a peck on her neck. "May I do something for you?"

[Raveled]

Jessica wasn't expecting the ardent embrace, but except for a moment's surprised reaction she didn't resist. The affection she felt for Blake rose up within her and for a time she simply enjoyed the closeness and the novelty of her new space, but eventually Blake pulled away and she was forced to focus her attention on what was happening in the here-and-now. She licked her lips and smiled at Blake, brushing her hand through his hair. "Honey, you don't have to worry about paying for this place. I'm going to take care of that. Money may end up tight for a month or two, but I'll do it -- on my own." Jessica wasn't a forceful woman by nature and it was easy to see her as a push over, but Blake has learned a little bit about what made her tick in the months they'd been together, and right now his intuition was warning him not to push the issue.

At Blake's offer, she smiled slyly and put a hand on his chest. "Blake, I told you. There's no furniture here yet. So unless your plan is something that can be done on the floor--" She cut herself off and buried her face against Blake's chest, blushing fiercely. "Oh, god. I can't believe you let me say that."

[Lone Star]

Blake smiled back, putting a hand on her shoulder. He slowly walked her inside, making sure to close the glass sliding door behind them. "Even better than that, baby." He started rummaging through his pockets, his hands examining every inch of his jacket. "I need a material component to do this...oh hell." He started to look more frantically, then sighed with relief and pulled his hand out of his pocket. In his hands was a tiny seed.

"I love you, Jessica." He concentrated for a moment, his expression becoming stoic as he focused his mystic power. Within moments, the seed became a small green sprout, and blossomed into a gorgeous flower- more beautiful than anything that could be produced by nature. A dozen roses of brilliant colors grew up from his palm, their vines reaching towards the floor. Holding the flower in his hand, he kissed her sweetly on her lips.

[Raveled]

Jessica's eyes grew wide at the magic. "Oh my god, Blake, that's amazing!" She returned the kiss briefly, then knelt to examine the still-growing plant. She cupped one of the dangling roots and giggled at the sensation of it writhing around on her palm, watching it intently as the tip of the vine broke in two and each one found a different path out of her grip. Raising her gaze slightly, she lifted the flower petals and watched them grow before her eyes. After a minute or so she stood up and kissed Blake again, slower and more intently. When she broke off she was frowning slightly, though. "It's so beautiful, but I don't have anywhere to put it. What are we going to do with it?"

[Lone Star]

Blake scratched the back of his head. "Uh, gimme a sec." He hastily waved his hand, and the vines began to shrink back into themselves. The flowers unblossomed, uncreating themselves and within a minute, it had shrunk into one brilliant, multi-colored flower. "Is that easier to work with?" he said with a smile. "I'm still getting the hang of those sorts of spells. Now, what were you doing a moment ago?" He grasped the back of her hair with his open hand and kissed her lovingly, his lips caressing hers with passion.