Cool Air [IC]

[Electra]

"It's nice that she cares," Erin agreed. "And if food is that important, she probably really likes working at one of those organic places. There are a lot of places like that in Seattle, much more than around here, I think. It's probably just a west coast thing. We used to go to the Pike's Place Market, the place where they throw the fish around, on the weekends and buy all kinds of fresh food. What's her current thing?"

[angrydurf]

Mike listened with intrest as she talked about her home town. "That must've been neat." He said, "I suppose it is a more west coast kinda thing, never been out of state myself."

He rolled his eyes as he thought about his mothers latest fad. "Some kinda whole grain low gluten thing, supposed to prevent alzhiemers or something. Mrs. Renynolds was one of her oldest customers and just had to move into a home cus of it and it freaked my mom out something feirce." He explained.

[Electra]

"Wouldn't your mom be really young to be getting Alzheimer's?" Erin asked. She didn't exactly know what gluten was or how one cut it out of the diet, but whole grains were generally not too good. "I guess even with a diet like that, though, you can still get a hamburger. How does the food at school compare?" She pulled a napkin out of the dispenser, folded it neatly next to her, and then absently began shredding it, her only real sign of discomfort at the moment.

[angrydurf]

Mike shrugged in response, "Yea, she is, I don't get it myself to be honest." he replied.

The Waitress came with their shakes and a platter heaped high with assorted deep fried food. Mike thanked the waitress and took a long sip from the thick shake.

"The school food seems pretty good I guess, I mean its a little bland at times but pretty good. My mom tries hard so even the more out there diets didn't taste bad exactly." He gestured at the platter, "they just lacked a degree of being deep fried." He smiled and took a fried mozarella stick from the platter. "Feel free." He said indicating the platter, "Fried is the fifth food group you know." He knew Erin didn't eat much in general but was never sure how much of that was lack of appetite and how much was not wanting to impose.

[Electra]

Erin took an onion ring and dipped the edge of it in her milkshake before tasting it. "It's very good, "she agreed. "The school bakes too much of what should be fried. But there's always lots of food, and lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. I guess it's sort of like with your mom, healthy, but still okay." She smiled a little. "It's a lot better than I remember the cafeteria at my high school being. Maybe I'm just less picky than I used to be."

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded, "I dunno all the T.V. shows make out cafeteria food to be awful and the stuff at school isn't bad. Might be the private school thing though." he said with a shrug.

"We always brown bagged it before now so I don't really have much to compare it too." Mike added, and tentitively tried the Milkshake dip, from the expression on his face clearly not to his taste. "Hmm," He murmured, "Must be an aquired taste."

[Electra]

She laughed, the expression softening her whole face for a minute. "Guess so. I've always done it that way, probably because my dad did it. It's good, but if you do it wrong, your milkshake winds up full of crumbs. This is a good milkshake, too." She dunked the rest of the onion ring and ate it, thinking of something else to talk about. "How do you like your classes so far?"

[angrydurf]

Mike let out a heavy sigh, "Classes aren't really my area of expertise." He said with an exangerated grimmace, "But I guess its thier place to bore us to tears right? Thats how you know you're learning."

He paused and brightend, "But Dark Stars," He paused thoughtfully for a moment, "Mr. Dark Star? Anyway, His class was amazing." Mike leaned in and continued in a low whisper, "He took us into Space!" it had clearly been the highlight of the year so far for Mike.

[Electra]

Erin's eyes widened. "He took you to space?" she asked, forgetting the plate of food for the moment. "The whole class? How did that work?" Though most of her friends were in that class, her advisor had told her it "wasn't a good fit" for her this year. She wasn't sure if that meant she wasn't doing well enough in science, or something else, but hadn't asked. "All we did in physics was watch a video of people bouncing around on a giant trampoline," she said with a bit of envy.

[angrydurf]

Mike tried to tone back his exuberance but it showed through none the less as he spoke, "Well he's able to project some kind of field that protects and carries us with him. So he took us out to show us first hand the different parts of the solar system."

Mike smiled, "You should see if they'll let you transfer, if I can handle it I'm sure you'll do fine." he said confidently. "I mean theres no way I woudl normally remember or probably even care what the Oort cloud is but he certainly makes it interesting."

[Electra]

"My advisor specifically steered me away, so probably not," Erin said with a shrug. "The last thing I need is another term full of tutoring sessions. But if I get onto the League, I'll get up into space eventually. What's it like up there? Does it really feel like falling all the time? Could you see the Great Wall?" She picked up a chicken finger and ate it while she listened.

[angrydurf]

Mike shrugged non-commitally he thought it was worth a try but wasn't gonna push. He grinned when she asked what it was like, "It kinda is but its different at the same time, its like you're falling in all directions at once kinda I guess." He tried to explain it but it was tough for him, used to flight since birth, to explain without the obvious comparison.

[Electra]

"Hard to imagine," Erin decided. "Sometimes I feel weightless for just a quick second at the top of a leap, but that's it. You think the Freedom League does summer internship programs? It'd be kind of cool to spend a summer up on a space station, even if you were just making copies and doing computer stuff." She took a drink of her milkshake, looking around with less tactical purpose and more simple interest. "This place is nice," she decided. "It's quiet."

[angrydurf]

Mike nodded, "They might, Mark probably knows."

He glanced around as well following her gaze, "Yea its nice to get out of the noise of the city every now and then. The noises of the city just like resonate in my head sometimes." He shook his head as if clearing the noise now.

Mike looked over to Erin once more, "So how are your classes going?"

[Electra]

"They're okay," she told him. "The first couple of weeks are mostly review anyway, so it's not bad. I didn't realize quite how much everyone coming back from the summer would already have their groups of friends set up, but it's just like any school, I guess. Kind of weird having so many people around all the time. I guess I don't like any of the classes so far, but I don't hate any of them either. Think we're going to keep up with group training during the year?"

[angrydurf]

"I imagine so," Mike said between bites, "At least if Mark gets his way and we keep up on the heroing gig during the year." well to be more specific Mark had said they'd show the Next Gen what real heroes could do but that woudl pretty much require continueing thier training.

"I suppose you're right about the cliques, but thats part of school right?" he asked rhetorically, "anyway we have a pretty solid group even if some of them are a little high strung." He added thinking of Eddie and Chris.

[Electra]

"Yeah, it's not like we don't have friends," Erin agreed, "but I'd kind of been hoping to meet more of the girls. Most of the people who came in this summer were guys, except me and Alex, and then Zoe. It's still pretty early in the year, though," she figured. She took a drink of her milkshake, studying him. "What do you think of Zoe so far?" she asked suddenly.

[angrydurf]

Mike sighed uncertainly, "I dunno what to think about Zoe." he glanced around as he tried to put his confusion into words.

"I mean I get that she's been through a rough spot, and its real fresh so she doesn't want to talk about it." He explained, "I mean its been years and I still don't like talking about the mess in my past, but I can't shake the feeling that she's holding back something important."

The big teen shrugged, "I dunno I guess it'll come out when its time." He said with a shrug, "I think it might be the mental connection thing. It makes her seem closer than she really is ya know? And I guess I just want her to trust us is all."

[Electra]

Erin nodded thoughtfully. "Alex has some ideas about her. It's sort of hard to know what to think. I guess she's definitely keeping busy, I haven't seen very much of her since she arrived. What about that other new guy?" she asked. "I saw there was a new student came in just ahead of everyone else coming back, but I haven't done more than see him in the hallways. Things have been pretty busy. Have you met him?"

[angrydurf]

"I'm sure she does." Mike said with a chuckle. After all Alex always did.

He paused trying to think of who Erin was talking about then nodded as he remembered, "That must be JJ," He said finally, "Or Boomer. Yea he's alright a little too happy to show off his powers but less of a spaz than Eddie."

Not that that was saying much. "He talked to Mark about joining Young Freedom but I don't think anythings come of it."

[Electra]

"That would make a big team even bigger," Erin said a little dubiously. "It's hard to feel like I'm getting to work with everybody even the way it is. But I guess Mark's sort of the one who deals with all that stuff. He's the only one who's got experience with any of this superheroing stuff, anyway." She selected another onion ring from the plate. "Have you told your folks about the stuff with Young Freedom? What do they think?"

[angrydurf]

Mike of course had. It hadn't even occured to him not to and it showed on his face as he replied, "Yea they know the basics, not who anyone else but Alex is of course."

"They saw the whole baseball thing and my mom was pretty worried, but not like I'd get hurt," He paused with a shrug and added as an aside, "I guess having an invulnerable son cuts into those worries some."

Mike weighed his words for a little bit before continueing, "Moms just want to know I'm doing it for the right reasons. She used to be real worried that the government would try and use us, Me and Alex and the others, as weapons or something."

Mike shrugged his broad shoulders as if that explained it all as well as he understood at least, "My dad just said he was proud of me for doing the right thing. Dads kinda closed mouth, hard to get a read on, but I don't think he's upset probably just worried like mom."

[Electra]

She nodded again, taking an onion ring and tearing it into stringy little pieces as she talked. "You could promise your mom that no matter what, you will always be kind to dairy cows," she joked halfheartedly. "They're probably both really proud, even if your mom is too worried to think about it right now." Her voice was undeniably wistful before she turned the topic of conversation yet again. "Are you going to get a costume?"

[angrydurf]

Mike laughed a deep robust laugh at that, "I suppose I could." He replied. It might just make her feel better about it all too.

Mike looked away nervously, "I dunno, I mean I guess thats the thing to do right? What about you?" He said hoping to change the subject before she realized he was already working on it.

[Electra]

"Nah," Erin replied, wiping her fingers on her napkin. "I don't really see the point. I don't need one for armor, and I'm not looking to get famous, and nobody's going to connect me with any civilian identity." Plus she couldn't afford normal clothes, let alone a costume, but there was no reason to dwell on that. "I figure a costume is just more work, so that if you get into a fight, you have to worry about having it with you, changing into it, all that stuff. Costumes are cooler on TV than in real life."