Postgame Analysis

[Electra]

Erin chuckled, even if it seemed a little halfhearted. "You actually asked what you were supposed to do while you're at the movies on a date? Don't you ever watch TV?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or was that just what you wanted to have happen? Pretty good move, if it was. I hear you should make sure to go to a movie that's been out a few weeks, so the theatre's not very crowded."

[alderwitch]

"But everyone knows that television isn't an accurate representation of reality," Alex protested slightly, "I mean, I guess you could make out and stuff but that seems like an awful lot to spend to not watch a movie. Why not just hang out on a couch? We're going to see Harry Potter."

[Electra]

Erin shrugged. "It's just what you do. Why do you go to see a movie if the point of a date is to go be with a guy? If you're not making out, all you're doing is sitting next to each other and not looking at each other. Harry Potter should be a good one though, it's been out for a couple of weeks. Anyway, even if TV isn't exactly like real life, you've seen it and he's seen it, and it's a set of expectations that you both have there in your minds, like a script. You don't have to follow it, but there's no reason to pretend like it's not there."

[alderwitch]

"Hmmm..." Alex said thoughtfully, processing that as she did everything else, "Well I did kinda guess that was going to happen. We'll see what happens. I'm sure Mark will be a good guy and not push my whole comfort level thing and if the kiss was anything to go by, I'm sure more kissing will be fun."

[Electra]

"You'll have a good time. Just be happy and don't overthink it." Erin moved her car around the final bend in the track. "He's a nice guy, and he's pretty good at the television reality game. Just don't think to yourself how silly doing things like going to the movies on a date is, and kiss him in the dark. Then you can come back and tell me how it worked out."

[alderwitch]

"That's hard for me. The not overthinking part. I don't really ever get my brain to stop going." Alex admitted as she pushed the car around to follow Erin's. She had full load of peg-children in the purple car but she'd spent a lot of money on school for them. "Of course I'll come back and tell you how it all worked out if you wanna know. As long as you wanna know. I mean, I don't want you to feel like you gotta listen to me babble about my first boyfriend."

[Electra]

"No, I like to hear about it," Erin told her. "I haven't got time for TV anymore, but listening to real life drama is better. And if you can't talk to your roommate about these things, who can you talk to, right?" She spun the wheel and nudged her car into the life judgment lane. "This is the only part of the game I hate, having to try and count everything out. You want to call it a draw, say we split the mansion into two giant condos and everybody lives there?"

[alderwitch]

"Sure! There's no point to playing things that aren't fun. I've got no burning desire to roll around in my piles of fake money." Alex grinned and then stiffled a little yawn. "'Sides, there's way too much room in a mansion for just one family anyway. It's better to be comfily cluttered than lonely in a big house my mom always says."

[Electra]

Erin unceremoniously yanked Mark and his peg family out of the car and tossed them into the box, then began sorting her money back into the plastic tray. "Makes sense, I don't know why anyone would need four living rooms anyway. Having an indoor pool or tennis court or whatever would be cool, though." She looked up at the clock. "It's getting pretty late. I probably better get moving so I can hit the gym before midnight." She smiled a little. "Mark and I are training together tomorrow afternoon. I'll try to make sure nothing beats him up too badly, for your sake."

[alderwitch]

Alex gave her a sleepy smile, having finished with putting her half of the game away and settled into that loosely cross-legged sitting position that she assumed for her nightly meditations. "You guys will do awesome, I'm sure. With his luck and your skill, I bet it'll be a piece of cake. Have a good time at the gym, Erin. Thanks for playing the game with me."

[Electra]

"It was fun. I'm glad you had a good time on the date. I'd have felt really bad if it had gone wrong after I said you ought to do it," Erin admitted with a smile. She put the lid on the box, then slid into her practice uniform and put her clothes in her duffel bag to wash. "I probably won't be back tonight, so I'll see you at breakfast. Night!" She picked up her water bottle and her bag of textbooks and headed out, leaving Alex to her meditations.