Cool Air [IC]

[Electra]

Erin nodded at that. "Even if they were teaching you things, they were still keeping you locked up and running you through the maze. I only had to do that for a few months and it sucked." She paused long enough to watch the batter, whistling approvingly as he hit a nice double into right field. "What do you think about Claremont? They still do the same thing, sort of. Is it better here?"

[angrydurf]

Mike shrugged non-comitally, "I some ways yes in others no." He replied.

He paused to think how to explain the dual joy and terror of being in the general population after institute. It wasn't that the institute was nice but you became accustomed and there was a kind of security in that. Finally he let out sigh, "We didn't really see other students there, I mean occasionally they woudl group us up for one thing or another bt always very structured, there wasn't any downtime with other kids really." He explained. Once he said it out loud it sounded alot worse than it was in a way. He smiled and spoke, "I know it sounds pretty horrible, but it also felt safe in a way ya know? Like if you weren't exposed to anyone else you couldn't hurt them."

It really came to the crux of his fears being out and about that if he lost control just for a moment someone could get baddly hurt even killed, Erin lived with that everyday to more so in a way since she had the instinct to strike out too but that just made it easier to talk about.

[Electra]

Erin thought about that for a minute, then nodded again. "Yeah, I understand that. I used to get really stressed out just by seeing people moving around out of the corners of my eyes. I just wasn't used to it anymore. I ended up watching TV and looking out the window for hours and hours, just trying to get my head around that much moving. It's nice to be out, but sometimes you wonder if it's really safe. Maybe being quarantined is lonely and boring, but you're not gonna take anybody's head off if they surprise you. Why did they let you and Alex hang out together?" Maybe it wasn't appropriate dating conversation, but she was curious, and the conversation had been going okay so far.

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded a little sadly at Erins troubles adjusting before replying, "Well it wasn't a twenty four hour facility we mostly went during normal school hours. My mom was friends with Mrs. Albright so we knew eachother from before. I think they couldn't really forbid it, the program was semi-voluentary." He shrugged, "I suppose we could have socialized out of school with other kids fromt he program but we hardly ever really interacted with them, at the institute so there wasn't a point."

He also had his suspicions, from an acidently overheard rant of his mothers, that the other parents in the neighbor hood had been warned away from him and Alex but that seemed a little dark for hte convorsation, "I think there might have been clearance issues or something with bringing other kids fromt he neighborhood around but it never really came up."

"I know we had to do a ton of planning and get clearance to go on vacation an even then we weren't allowed to leave the country." He explained, "We went to visit my grandparents once and awhile but it was always such a hassle that we weren't able to do it often."

[Electra]

"Sounds "semi" voluntary, or maybe less," she agreed with a grimace. "At least Claremont will let you go on summer vacation, or leave the planet, without even needing a permission slip." Suddenly she was up out of her seat, plastered against the front of the dugout in the blink of an eye. "Hey! That was a ball by a mile! Are you blind?" she shouted to the computer generated umpire. "No wonder they start fighting in three innings," she grumbled.

[angrydurf]

"Well if my reasearch is correct," Mike said in an absurd basso impresion of Alex, "A key element of the sport is disagreement with the umpire." He smiled as Erin returned to her seat.

"So," He said questioningly, "You played? Before I mean." He didn't want to press about her past but it seemed a safe enough subject.

[Electra]

"Yeah, girls' softball in junior high, then Little League before that," she told him, sitting down but still glaring at the umpire. "I quit after eighth because the coach was a jerk, but it didn't matter, there weren't any more games after that anyway. It was rainy, and that delayed the start of the season," she told him, as though that explained everything. "But I was pretty good, not scholarship material or anything, but good enough. Some friends and I thought about trying out for basketball, but you had to practice every day all through the winter, and that sounded really boring." She snorted. "If I could see me now, right?" she joked.

Erin looked over at the scoreboard and grimaced. "We're a little weak in the bottom of the lineup," she told Mike dryly. "Looks like we'll be back in the outfield soon."

[angrydurf]

Mike was confused how the delay of the season would stop the games, but it didn't seem like anything to dwell on, if she wanted to talk about it she would.

"Looks that way." He said trying to be cheerful, "but we're pretty solid on the fielding so it should be ok." It was nice to use thier powers in a non-combat scenario for once.

Punctuating his point a strike out brought them back to the field again, "Three quick strikeouts right." He said to Erin with a smile as he headed for the outfield.

[Electra]

"That's the plan." She took the mound again and managed two outs before another batter hit off her, this one a regular-looking but obviously very brave member of the yellow team who managed to hit the ball just past third base for a single. A little rattled, Erin tried to vary up her pitching and wound up beaning the next batter. That would've been very bad, except some sort of invisible shield deflected the ball, sending it ricocheting almost all the way back out to the mound. The next batter, a guy about eight feet tall who made the bat look like a souvenir, caught the ball with the center of his back and sent it into a high pop fly over the infield. Three blue team players rushed to catch it.

[angrydurf]

Mike winced as his three teammates charged toward one another, even if they were just simulacrums. Avoiding the tangle the blue short stop managed to grab the ball on the first bounce and sent it whizing towards third almost in time to get the vital third out but just short.

That left it at two outs and bases loaded Mike called in to Erin, "Come on one more strike you can do this."

In a way the fielding time was nice artificial breaks in the conversation may not work well for most dates but as far as Mike was concerned a little breather gave just enough time to regroup.

The next batter was a slim fellow with a cocky sneer as he took to the plate. Erin managed to get a strike off him on the first pitch but on the second he fired back with a powerfull hit flying straight at her head!

[Electra]

Once upon a time, Erin had had pretty well-honed ducking reflexes, but those days were long gone now. Shooting up her ungloved right hand, she caught the ball inches from her face and winged it to third. "That was rude!" she yelled to the batter.

"It was an accident!" he sneered back, "just like beaning the batter!" The exchange resulted in some catcalls between the audience members as well. The crowd seemed to be getting a little restless. Shaking her stinging hand, Erin headed back to the dugout with Mike and the others.

"Guess they're trying to build up to the fight," she murmured to Mike as they took their seats again. "Maybe you should give pitching a try next inning. You've got a good arm."

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded, "Might be fun to try but I don't think I'll be varrying it up much if I do," He said with a half smile, "But nothing beats a fast enough fastball right?"

Mike paused for a minute before picking up the conversation from their last at bat, "So," He asked, "If you don't mind me asking. Was it hard to adjust to getting powers all of a sudden? Mark and Eddie and all them seem to think it's just awesome right off the bat, I always wonder what it would be like to be normal."

[Electra]

Erin narrowed her eyes, looking over at him. Given how close Alex and Mike were, and how much Alex liked to talk about Mike, she'd sort of assumed that Alex had shared some privileged information about her with Mike in return. But maybe not, or maybe he was just sort of dense. That sort of made it awkward to talk about. It really wasn't even very pleasant to think about, but for once she tried to refrain from biting someone's head off over it. "Being normal was better," she told him. "They were useful, but after awhile, I'd have given them up if I could. I'd have died like everybody else, but whatever, you know?" She jerked her shoulders in an abrupt shrug. "I like it here because at least I can do something useful with them, as soon as I finish figuring them out."

[angrydurf]

Mike looked nervous at the examination she gave him. 'What did I say? Would have died with everyone else? She must've been there when whatever got her parents happened.' He thought to himself he was curious about what had gone so wrong in her past but wasn't one to press uncomfortable issues.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up something bad." he replied shifting uncomfortably, "For what its worth I'm glad you got them, I think we're all better off having known you." It was the simple truth, Erin in her own infuriating way had opened the door to him seriously thinking about what his powers meant.

He didn't want to pry any further if she didn't want to share so he avioded more talk of her past, "So what do you think you want to do with it after graduation?" He asked, He knew Mark was in it for the long haul but he didn't know if this was the kind of life the rest fo them could live as adults. I mean keeping up in school was one thing trying to hold down a job while moonlighting as a hero? That seemed almost impossible.

[Electra]

"It's okay, she said, equally uncomfortably. "I, ah, don't know what all Alex told you already. It's just not something I usually talk about. It depresses me, then it depresses everybody around me." She tugged on her baseball cap, then gratefully took the offered change of subject. "I guess I'll probably join the Freedom League, if I can get on. See some of the world outside America, do full-time hero stuff and disaster relief. I haven't really got a lot of other skills unless I want to start my own truckless moving company. What about you?"

[angrydurf]

Mike was clearly glad he hadn't totally blown it, "Well if you do need to sometime, I'm already depressed all the shrinks say, so no worries there." He said with a self depricating smile before moving on.

He shrugged as he thought about her question, "I dunno really. I never really thought about heroing full time. Really I hadn't even thougth it was possible." he paused, "But it'd be hard to hold down a job and moonlight so I guess that makes sense. I dunno I'm not good for much other than heavy lifting either." He finished with a small laugh.

[Electra]

"I guess some people can do both, but I don't see why anybody would," Erin replied, leaning forward as another batter managed to get on base, by the skin of his teeth. The leering batter who'd nearly clocked her was pitching this round, and throwing some pretty wild stuff. "If you can be a hero and do that for a living, what else could you be doing that would be more important? Maybe we got our powers by accident or mistake, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be using them like they're there for a reason." She hissed out a breath as yet another batter struck out. "Okay, two out and two on. You're up, good luck."

[angrydurf]

"I suppose so," Mike said with a nod, "Well we got a couple years to figure it out right." He added with a smile as he pulled himself out of the dugout.

He aproached the plate bat in hand and watched as the cocky pitcher wound up and sent the ball screaming downfield and right into Mikes side. The field protecting the batter seemed to have malfunctioned though is it was accidental was arguable as their catcher snickered. Luckily Mike was uneffected by the hit and with a scowl took his walk though it did get them a man on base.

[Electra]

Erin and the other blue players were quick to express their disapproval of these very unsportmanlike tactics, along with the blue-supporting side of the crowd. The umpire just shrugged, though, even as the yellow players howled with laughter. The situation didn't get any better when the hapless second batter went up to bat and got hit with three quick strikes in succession, ending the inning with loaded bases. Both sides of the crowd were on their feet and yelling now, mostly at each other, but some for the umpire as well. "Rowdy crowd," Erin said with a grimace as she met up with Mike near second base. "You wanna try pitching this time?"

[angrydurf]

Mike Shrugged, "I'll give it a shot." He said and stepped up to the mound. It wasn't untill he was there and facing the first batter that he realized he had no idea what the signs were. Not that it mattered considering that all he'd really manage was a fastball and that a bit wild.

He fired off his first pitch and it screamed across the plate with a crack like a bullwhip as it broke the sound barrier. The Next four weren't so on target and he walked the first hitter, and not intentionally. Maybe this wasn't so hot an idea after all.

Mike managed to get two strike outs and two more walks loading the bases for them over the next four hitters. One of thier better hitters was back up when Mike locked in and threw two perfect fast balls for two more strikes one more and they were back at bat withotu givign up a run.

The final pitch flew straight and fast but the batter had gotten the measure of Mike and managed a perfect line drive towards first base where Erin had taken up her old position.

[Electra]

The yellow crowd was up on its feet and screaming as the ball shot across the field. Erin took a few quick steps back and dove for the ball, tumbling across the grass a couple of times before coming up with it in her hand. "OUT!" the umpire called. Now the blue stands were on their feet as well, cheering while the yellow team booed. From the field, it was hard to tell who started it, but suddenly the two sides of the stands were bleeding into each other, yelling, swearing, and hitting. Erin hurried to the mound, still holding the ball. "Guess the description meant "very top of the fourth. Want to try and break it up? We could fool with the simulation and see if we can turn the fight off."

[angrydurf]

Mike grinned, "Well like I said earlier my prospects are pretty much hero or heavy lifting, advanced combat simulator programming isn't really one of my skills." he looked to Erin questioningly. "But if we do break it up I have an idea I've been meaning to try out."

Mike extended one hand, "See I think I can get you there without much effort on your part." He said as he waited for her decision.

[Electra]

Erin looked from Mike to the crowd and back again. Unarmed civilian fights weren't necessarily her cup of tea, but she'd learned a few tricks over the summer. And hey, he seemed pretty relaxed, and they were doing an activity together, and it wasn't totally and irretrievably awkward. Not too bad. She took his hand. "Okay, what have you got in mind?"

[angrydurf]

He held her hand tightly, "Well I figure what better surprise attack than you suddenly flying at them." He shrugged it was a simple plan but he felt it had a certain elegance to it. His other hand went tentitively to her waist, "You can handle the landing I figure, maybe even pulloff one of those surprise flip things you do."

He took her weight in his hands easily and asked, "Ready?"

[Electra]

Erin took a deep breath, angling her head to look back at him as he picked her up. Maybe if this were just training and the word "date" had never even come up, she wouldn't have the weird fluttering sensation in her stomach from having his hands on her. It was just an exercise, it didn't mean anything more than that. Even so, she had to swallow quickly before she said "Okay, ready when you are."