ic Like Riding a Bike (IC)

[Electra]

"Thanks," Erin smiled a little as she studied the quiet nighttime streets below them. HAX was nearby, so close that Erin could be there in a few seconds if she ran, but she was off work this evening. Steve or any of the others would text her if there were any trouble, and tonight it looked like most of the criminals were content to stay in the air conditioning and ride out the heat wave. The large almost-pyramid of Archetech gleamed with lights a half-mile away, a monument to hubris as far as Erin was concerned. But it was quiet tonight as well. "We really did grow up, didn't we?" she asked meditatively. "Look at us, responsible jobs, salaries, taxes, huge binders full of wedding stuff. Who'da thunk it?" She snorted. "Half the time I still feel like a screwed-up sixteen year old who barely knows what's going on, I'm just getting better at not showing it." 

[alderwitch]

"That's all that getting older really is - covering up that you don't really know what you're doing," Alex confirmed with a small smile. She stretched then, uncoiling and letting her hands rise up above her head until her back cracked as if to punctuate the 'getting older' statement. "I mean - you know I try not to eavesdrop but somethings telegraph. Worry telegraphs. Uncertainty telegraphs. Everyone mostly tries to get through life with the vague hope that they will not screw things up too badly along the way."

Alex let her hands drop back to her lap again, smoothing out the sparkling edges of her ridiculous sweater. "Besides... the wedding should just be fun. I'm just here to help! Honestly, I have people these days. If you decided you just wanted to point out a couple of pictures that looked good, we could make it happen. Whenever you're ready and that can really take as long as you and Trevor want to."

She paused and then grinned, "Though I wouldn't recommend taking as long as Mike and I have from personal experience. Eventually everyone starts to worry that things have gone horribly awry. The looks I get from Mike's mom when I stop by."

[Electra]

"Mike's mom gives everybody that look," Erin assured her. "I remember the time she came to eat lunch on campus and I was having like a hamburger and fries or something like that. You could tell she was was just sitting there waiting for me to keel over right at the table. She was like literally mournful about it. I felt like I ought to tell her about some of the stuff I ate back in the day, and if that didn't kill me, nothing would. But it seemed kind of inappropriate for the table." She chuckled softly. "You should take however much time you need to, just make sure you're both on board with what you're doing and where you're going. It's a lot easier that way. Which means I should probably take my own advice and try to pin Trevor down over a date. Maybe in the spring." 

[alderwitch]

"That was during her vegan kick," Alex said with a laugh at the memory, her eyes sparkling with good natured mirth, "Mike and Mr. Harris were so dismayed during that one. I swear, Mike was never so grateful for the cafeteria food as when his mom is on her nutritional kicks."

Still chuckling, Alex nodded her head in agreement with Erin's assessment, "Fortunately, you and Trevor are much more likely to be on the same page about it. Spring's a good time. The risk of rain is higher but the flowers are all so pretty and honestly, we probably no someone who could ensure good weather for your wedding day. We have a remarkably resourceful group of friends and acquaintances. Honestly, with Mark in the wedding party, nothing would dare go wrong."

She swung her legs free then, scuffing her sneakers one after the other against the stone along the side of the building, the tapping faintly rhythmic, "I'm on board, I'm just waiting for Mike to get there. He has many strong thoughts and feelings on things. Like sex." Alex scrunched her nose and then shrugged, "But I don't want to pressure him because that would be super gross so I don't. He'll get there and its not like there aren't other things you can do together."

[Electra]

"Nothing would go wrong, or everything would go wrong," Erin pointed out. "Nina was really surprised the first time I took her out on patrol to realize how quiet the city tends to be when you're not out with Mark and looking for trouble. I don't think his powers are designed to let him get bored." She shook her head when Alex mentioned the whole sex thing. She'd been wondering, and suspected that Alex would know she'd been wondering, but some things were better volunteered than asked. "Is he still hung up on the idea of hurting you by accident, or is it something else now?" she asked with faint exasperation. "Cause if it's that, he needs to get back into therapy or something. It's been years now since you came into your forcefield power stuff, you'd think he'd get used to the idea. Even if you have to be careful sometimes, that doesn't mean it's not a lot of fun." 

[alderwitch]

"But if everything went wrong, it would all work out in the end," Alex pointed out with a teasing smile, "And he won't be bored at your wedding. If nothing else, he'll be dancing and toasting and I'm sure we can keep him engaged enough to not wish for an attack to liven things up."

As for the second question, Alex gave a small shake of her head, "No. No. He trusts himself these days and he trusts me. Besides, I have been very, very thorough in my suggestions for things we could try that would be minimal risk until I thought he might actually burst into flame." Alex was downright gleeful with the memory. Sure, she wasn't going to pressure him but that didn't mean she was above finding the combination of arousal and embarrassment hilarious. "No, it's a thing that he's gotten into his head from my dad. He wants to be respectful and all of that, and his dad is a little - you know - not so much religious as old fashioned at least with that. And, I get it. It doesn't matter to me but it matters to him. I told him I don't think anything we can do together is anything but respectful, you know?"

[Electra]

"Man, I don't even understand how the two of you haven't just exploded by now," Erin said bluntly. Probably a little too bluntly, but this was Alex and prevaricating for the sake of politeness was next to pointless anyway. "I'd probably have dragged Trevor off to Vegas a couple years ago if we were in that same situation. But I get where he's coming from, I had to deal with my issues about that too. It's hard when you want to have a life but you don't want to disappoint your parents. Even still, once you're in your twenties, I'm not sure how much say your parents should have in your sex life. Gets weird." 

[alderwitch]

"Well, it helps that Mike agrees that anything we do, you know, telepathically is fine," Alex offered with a grin, not at all put off by Erin's plain speaking. "And its not like we just stick to hand holding and milkshakes either but, it's not the same. Personally, I wouldn't mind eloping to Vegas. As long as I get to wear the dress and there's cake and dancing, the rest of it can all be whatever. I'll agree in front of Elvis to love, honor and cherish."

Alex laughed and relaxed backwards, dropping her palms behind to balance her weight on the roof edge. "Though, to be honest, at this point I could mobilize a grand wedding in probably under a day with not too much of a headache for any involved. It could be one of those youtube flash mobs. Oooh. We could do choreographed dancing at your wedding! Like Thriller!"

[Electra]

"No!" Erin yelped, nearly overbalancing from her perch in her sudden zeal. "No dancing, no choreographed dancing anyway! And especially not that one. I hate that one." There would've been a time when even suggesting the idea of zombies near Erin would've been met with icy silence at best, but she liked to think she'd improved some on that along with everything else. People here were lucky that they could be so cavalier about a threat they'd never truly had to face, and she shouldn't blame them for that good fortune. But even so, she hated Thriller just because of all the times Dr. Marquez had made her watch it in therapy, along with every other piece of zombie-related media he could get his dirty little mitts on. "Maybe we could do a choreographed dance, but just Trevor and me, like a swing thing. Is that too weird or showoffy? I've seen videos of stuff like that online." 

[alderwitch]

Alex winced and waved her hands to dismiss the idea, "Oh, sorry. Bad choice of example," Alex apologized quickly, her nose scrunched up. She really was out of habit of moderating her suggestions, partially because Erin was so much better and partially because the zombies in an old 80s video were worlds away from the memories she'd gleaned from Erin's habit. She well knew that was not the case for her friend. "Or better, that 'Think I'm Going to Marry You', one. But sure, no flash mobs."

Alex gave a small shake of her head at the question, "No, people expect a first dance usually from the married couple and I think a choreographed dance is more engaging to watch than people just swaying together. If you're going to go traditional wedding dress, you might want a second more 'you' thing to wear for the reception as while I'm sure that you can have a dress made you can fight bad guys in, you might prefer to enjoy the party in something different."

She swung her feet once more, before offering, "One of the ideas I had for your wedding was like a '40s style thing. I mean, I know that Trevor has a certain fondness for the aesthetic but it could also be a bit of an homage to Travis that's, you know, makes seem like he's there in spirit. Its in one of the binders."

[Electra]

"The dress I'm just leaving up to Frank," Erin said with a wave of her hand. "We've come to an agreement over the years on how much of my chest and shoulder's he's allowed to show, and beyond that I don't get a lot of input." She laughed. "After handling the Midnights, I think he just likes being able to use light colors once in awhile. But the forties thing might be kind of cool. Without, like, the racism and go-back-to-the-kitchen and dying of polio and all that crap. I dunno, I'm not really good at designs. Hey, wanna make a pass by the airport? Last flights of the night will be coming in soon, and it's dead around here." 

[alderwitch]

"Without the racism, and the polio and the war and all that. More a nod to the clothing, dancing and not like 'hey, let's recreate this time period'," Alex agreed with a light laugh and shoved off of the roof to once again catch the air. She gave Erin's knee a light tap of her fingers, "Sure, lets buzz the airport. Race you!"

With that invitation hanging in the air, Alex gave a little kick of her feet and began heading towards the airport without waiting for a response since chances were good that Erin would probably win. Alex didn't have anything like Mike's mach 10 flight, she normally drifted along like the super-hero version of a cheerful VW Bug instead. Like most things, though, Alex was good natured enough to just enjoy the exercise even if she was almost certain to lose. "Loser buys the midnight snack!"