ic Midnight Express (IC)

[Electra]

"Well, guess I'll have to break down and get a dress after all, then," Erin joked, unstacking the pyramid of creamers and putting them back in the bowl. "Oliver's just going to have to make do with the store brand cat food for a little while. Why should he be eating better than I do, anyhow? It's weird, though, sometimes I almost think he can read labels. Well, if he doesn't like it, he can always catch his own." The brief tangent let Erin regain her equilibrium somewhat and continue more smoothly. "But yeah, going to a fancy party would be a new experience. And if any vapid heiresses try and hassle you, I can deck them. Just kidding," she added hastily.

[Gizmo]

"And have the cat angry with me?" Trevor shook his head. "Disposable income, remember? Sure I can work something." Tilting his head slightly to one side, he arched a brow. "Think I'd ask you to come and buy a new outfit? My grandfather would disown me." Being raised by Travis Hunter had given Trevor a somewhat outdated value system, it was true. Of course, the original Midnight hadn't exactly been a conventional man in his own time, so perhaps it accounted for his protege's collection of understated quirks more than anything. Regardless, he had fairly specific ideas about what it meant to be a gentleman.

[Electra]

Erin hesitated, torn between competing impulses. She didn't like being a charity case for anybody, but it was probably the case that getting appropriately dressed up for a fancy party would probably cost most of what she'd made at her side-job to date, and it wasn't like they went around giving seventeen year old kids with little documentation and no means of support credit cards. Trying to do it on her own, she'd probably just embarrass both of them.

Finally she shrugged mentally. Trevor wanted to see her in a dress, he could buy the dress. But she could get the makeup and hair stuff and the rest of what she'd need, and pay for it herself. It wasn't like she was destitute, mostly. "I'd hate to see you get disowned," she told him with a half-smile, "especially since I hope to meet your grandpa. Oliver and I will just have to owe you a favor."

[Gizmo]

Trevor waved the thought away with a brief flick of his wrist. "Even, if you keep me from getting bored and causing a scene." The lanky teen rubbed the back of his neck with a mild wince. "Traditionally, I've been on the... blunt side, comparatively." Trevor might have been excellent at keeping his cool in nearly any situation, but perhaps as a result, he wasn't always very good at realizing what might set someone else off. Sharing his honest opinion at lavish parties and social event had caused the occasional issue in the past.

[Electra]

"I'm not much for making good small talk at parties either," Erin admitted, "but we can keep our mouths shut together and get in less trouble. Shutting up and smiling hardly ever gets people in trouble, right?" She checked her watch, blinking at the time. They'd been talking a lot longer than she'd realized, and she hadn't even gotten uncomfortable about it. Weird. "We probably better start getting back," she told him, not without regret. "It's getting early."

[Gizmo]

With a quick glance at the watch on the inside of his left wrist, Trevor rose from the booth and inclined slightly from the waist. "True, and I turn back into a pumpkin at dawn," he deadpanned. Fishing a pair of neatly folded bills from a jacket pocket, he dealt with the check before moving to the front of the diner. Although he had a variety of credit cards routed through various hidden accounts for emergencies, it was hard to beat cash for sheer untraceability. Opening the door, he leaned against it to prop it open for Erin.

[Electra]

"Well, that explains why I don't see much of you during the day," Erin joked, heading out the door. "I sort of thought you were just sneaky." The sky was still very dark, but there were signs of life, the earliest commuters heading out to their cars for the drive into the city, the newspaper carriers out on their routes. "We should check the news when we get back to make sure the police took care of those robbers," she suggested. "I doubt they proved much of a problem, but you never know." She climbed back onto the pillion seat of the motorcycle and put her arms around Trevor's waist, sitting like an expert now.

[Gizmo]

The ride back to Claremont was pleasantly peaceful, as the quiet stillness of the night was left unbroken by the Night Cycle's silent engines. A brief scan of the police radio frequencies courtesy of a miniaturized device from Midnight's belt confirmed that the would-be electronics thieves had been apprehended without incident. Trevor's deft driving allowed them to slip back onto the school grounds and stow the bike away without notice before moving back toward the dormitories. The lanky young man nodded in a subdued bow. "A lovely night on the town."

[Electra]

"One to remember," Erin agreed with a smile. "And a lot more fun than hanging around with a video game. We should do it again sometime." They walked up to the common room together, to the point where they'd split up to go to their own floors. It was still empty at this hour, teenagers not exactly being known for their early-rising tendencies. Erin hesitated for just a moment, then simply said, "See you at breakfast, then?"

[Gizmo]

Trevor dipped his head. "Of course," he replied smoothly with a faint smile. Taking a few backward steps, he rounded the corner before spinning on his heel and continuing nonchalantly down the hallway. Once he'd traveled a significant distance, he burst into sudden movement, flipping through the air and landing lightly into a celebratory dance that was as much acrobatics as it was footwork. Moving to a syncopated rhythm only he could here, the lanky teen made it all the way back to his dorm with a series of leaps and slides. Arriving at the door, Trevor recomposed himself before entering, straightening his cuffs and repositioning his fedora. Even so, as he stepped inside, one corner of his mouth remained curved upward.