Coffee Break [IC]

[Electra]

Stesha waited around until the end of class to talk to Professor Quill one Friday evening. It had been weeks since they'd last gotten together, and she knew she owed him an explanation for why her promised invitation to dinner hadn't been forthcoming. It would've helped if she'd really known the reasons herself, but she couldn't just keep putting it off. When the rest of the students had left, she stopped fiddling with her knapsack and went up to the podium. "Hi, Quentin," she said, indicating that this was a conversation between friends, rather than a school conversation. "Are you busy this evening? We haven't gotten a chance to talk for awhile."

[Supercape]

"Why Stesha, how delightful it is to see you" exclaimed Quentin, reaching for the lapels of his tweed jacket and smiling. And delighted he was. Why, his jacket even twinkled slightly.

"Of course, of course, my dear, It would be a pleasure. What's the matter? Reverse Parallactic Differentiation troubling you... why, took me a few weeks to crack that one when I was your age, I can tell you. "

"And no, I had no particular plans tonight. There was a wine tasting event at LeGrande's wine emporium, but nothing I cant miss. "

[Electra]

"I can't offer you a wine tasting," she said with a half-smile, "but I do think I have at least one decent bottle of something in my hideaway, and maybe some cheese. I know I have some pretty good coffee. And it's nothing to do with school, actually." Unobserved from outside, it was a simple matter for her to take his hand and touch the flowers in her hair, teleporting them to another world in the blink of an eye. They stood for a moment in a meadow full of massive flowers, stretching for acres at least, each flower the size of a house or bigger. In the warm light of sunset, bees the size of semi trucks wafted through the air, buzzing contentedly as they visited the flowers.

"Project of mine," Stesha explained with a grin, "rehoming and rehabilitating some former villains. Here we go." Another quick blink took them inside Stesha's plant house. Some of the leaves in the walls were turning russet and gold with autumn, but the whole thing still looked quite sturdy. A few lamps provided light to the room, which was now further decorated with battered but comfy living room furniture and a few new appliances for the kitchen.

[Supercape]

"Well, I shall be sure to bee... have then." Chuckled Quentin. He flashed a smile at Stesha.

"Beehave...Bee...have. Never mind."

He loved the rich complexity of this world, and the tranquil calm that washed over him. If he could rent a room here, he would. Aside from the solitude it offered, it was quite simply magnificent in complexity and splendour. The smells, if nothing else. His senses (and not just the normal ones) delighted in the organic beauty that surrounded him.

Taking a seat, he crossed his legs and undid his bow tie, stuffing it into a tweed pocket. "So, what ails, you?" he asked, pleasantly.

[Electra]

"Oh, it's not really 'ailing,'" Stesha began, going to the kitchenette and rummaging around. "I did want to explain to you why I haven't invited you over like I promised. Wine or coffee?" she asked, pulling down a box of coffee filters from a leafy cupboard. She wasn't in much of a wine mood herself at the moment. "I've been trying to set things up, but things have been so busy lately. Derrick has been gone a lot, and when he's been home, there hasn't really been much time to do anything." Her shoulders slumped a little as she measured coffee into the machine. "I didn't want you to think I was shunning you or anything."

[Supercape]

"Well, I just assumed you were busy, um..." he swept an arm in a panoramic manner over the magnificent landscape "...tending the weeds, so to speak."

"Actually, I really have no idea what you do outside save the world, rescue students from bath tubs, attend lectures, and own your own planet. Although that in itself is sufficient to be impress me. "

He winked.

"Especially the bath tub bit, of course. "

He stretched his legs slightly, not bothering to get up. Relaxation was key to being a Superhero, he had decided - although he drew the line at playing golf here.

"What grape?" he asked, pondering his choice of drink.

[Electra]

"I don't have a very refined palate," Stesha admitted with a smile, "all my wines are sweet ones. I've got a young Riesling here that's supposed to be decent, a bottle of white zin, and some port that claims it's going to taste like blackberries. I've also got some cheese and crackers that I can grab, but it's cheddar and Ritz, nothing fancy. I only eat recreationally," she explained, "so I don't keep a lot on hand." She leaned against the counter while the coffee brewed. "And in my real life, I'm a florist. Which I imagine wouldn't be too hard to guess," she admitted with a laugh.

[Supercape]

"Oh Cheddar would be sterling." replied Quentin. "Taste of the home country!".

"As for drink. Whatever you fancy. Alcohol or caffeine, the choice of psychotropic is yours. "

He gazed around the unconventional architecture and its unconventional building material. "Florist eh? I would never have guessed!"

[Electra]

Stesha went the easy way and stuck with coffee, pouring two cups and reaching into a large flower to pull out a block of cheese from her refrigerator at home. In a moment, she was sitting down opposite Quentin with coffee, cheese and crackers prepared. "There we go, not quite a wine tasting, but not too bad, I hope," she said with a smile. "How has the heroing been coming?"

[Supercape]

"Oh, not so bad, Stesha, not so bad. " He cracked his knuckles. "Not, strictly speaking, so awfully good either, of course. " He got to his feet and started pacing. "I just don't get it, I mean, I have a huge cape, I can explode atoms with a click of my fingers..."

And so he did, clicking his fingers, and giving a purple flash of light in the room.

"...and yet. And yet... I guess I may not have the psychology of a hero. Plagued by self doubt. Should I do this, should I do that. What's the right thing to do. Etcetera Etcetera. I seem to pontificate rather than act. I'm not a man of action. "

He sighed, realising he was rambling.

"I suppose doubting is better than absolute certainty. "

[Electra]

"Doubt comes with the territory," Stesha told him simply. "You're always going to wonder if you're doing the exactly right thing, or if you could be doing more with your powers, or even if what you're doing is even really helping, given all the bad things that happen in the world." She selected a cracker and a piece of cheese. "When you start thinking you're always right, I think that's the first step towards becoming a villain, because you stop double-checking yourself."

She took a bite, then a thoughtful sip of coffee. "The heroing part does get easier," she added. "After the first few times, you start getting a feel for situations, if you understand what I mean, and sort of an instinct for what needs to be done. Part of it is simply getting practice in using your powers that way."

[Supercape]

"Excessive doubt though? I doubt the level of doubt I have. " He chuckled. Then sighed. "I suppose I can still laugh about it. That's a good sign too. Humour is an adult defence mechanism, as Freud said. "

He stopped pacing around, realising he was getting into a bit of a frenzy. "Too much C02, anxiety. Deep breaths. Blow it off."

He took a cracker and savoured the cheddar. "Splendid", he murmured. "Straight out of Sedgemoor!"

He took back his seat and started to relax. "No point getting worked up about it. Doing something is most likely better than doing nothing, paralysed by neurosis. And how about yourself? how's life treating you?"

[Electra]

Stesha frowned into her coffee. "Oh, ups and downs, you know how it goes," she told him, trying to keep her tone relatively light. "My fiance has been gone almost full time for a couple of months now, I'm starting to feel like he's deployed instead of doing hero work. It's hard trying to plan the wedding when he's not around. And my two best friends have both just started new things in their lives and aren't available much these days either.

"But I'm keeping busy," she told him, putting on a smile, "and it isn't as though there isn't plenty to do! If we could just get a break from this oppressive heat, I have so many plans for work with autumn foliage!"

[Supercape]

"So where is your fiance, and... who is he? if you don't mind me asking. The lucky chap!" he winked. Stesha was far to young for him, of course, but he was a playful chap at heart. And besides, he always found being a bit fruity actually helped defuse things - is Stesha had any sense, she would realise he had no amorous intent.

"Do you still speak? is he missing in action? I would have thought with your floral transport system you could pretty much keep in contact with him as and when you wanted?"

[Electra]

"I can only travel on Earth, and to other versions of Earth," Stesha admitted. "Once he gets off the planet, I can't follow him anymore. He's off somewhere on the other side of the galaxy, helping this one star empire fend off another maurauding star empire. Some alien species don't get as many superheroes as humans do, so he likes to help out. But sometimes he bites off more than he can chew, I think." She sighed. "His name is Derrick, but if you've heard of him, you probably know his code name, Dark Star."

[Supercape]

"Extraordinary!" exclaimed Quentin. "The other side of the galaxy! Star empires! It's quite extraordinary!"

Looking from one horizon to another, with plant life stuffed into every nook and cranny, he couldn't help but comment. "And, um... you can only travel to Earth... so this... is, what... another version of Earth? Primeval? Same time? It does feel like it has the same gravity."

He took another cracker.

"And the same cheese."

[Electra]

"Well, the cheese is from Prime," she told him, "I pulled it out of my fridge five minutes ago. But there are all kinds of different versions of Earth." She went to the window and rolled up the translucent leaf shade, to reveal the sheet of plastic that served as a pane. "This particular Earth was a sad specimen, some kind of ecological disaster a long time meant the whole thing was pretty shriveled up. I've been working on rehabbing the place, a few acres at a time. It's a good way to stretch out my abilities." She smiled back at him. "Like I said, practice is important."

[Supercape]

"So it's not just a jungle?" replied Quentin "What's the rest? some sort of post apocalyptic desert? No - don't tell me. I'd rather not spoil the illusion to be honest. I much prefer this view."

And the view was magnificent. A panoramic picture of perfect beauty.

"To be honest, I don't understand why you just don't just decamp here. How do you face city life after this serenity and solitude? how do you go back? I can understand how being a florist appeals to you. But does it compare to this?"

[Electra]

Stesha laughed. "I love it here as a retreat, don't get me wrong. It's quiet and safe and beautiful. But I also like things like running water I don't have to pump into a tank, and television, and grocery stores. And maybe I'm a city girl at heart, because after a few days here, it starts seeming too quiet, and lonely. There aren't many animals here, after whatever happened, so there's not even much in the way of birdsong or animal noises." She used a tieback to hold the window open, stepping aside so Quentin could look out.

"And I love my job, too," she added. "Both of them, the florist work, and the hero work. Not only can I save the day, I can make the most important day of someone's life more beautiful for them." Stesha picked up her coffee. "It's hard to describe the feeling when you hand a bride the perfect bouquet that you made just for her, and her face lights up. Makes it all worth it." Looking over at him, she asked, "Would you give up teaching if another opportunity came along?"

[Supercape]

"It depends on the oppurtunitym" he replied. "I like teaching, because I like using my brain. I like learning. Its sociable, by and large. Its not without its irritations. Academics can be brutal. Well, like Liebniz, you remember him. Would stab you in the back to get a publication or academic accoladem"

"Not literally stab you in the back."

He paused.

"Probably not literally stab you in the back, anyway."

Changing the subject, he turned to lighter matters "So, tell me, how does a super hero wedding work? Are you doing your own flowers? And how are you having that wonderful hair?"

[Electra]

Stesha's face fell for a moment, for all she was quick to put a smile back on. "I'm not really sure," she admitted ruefully, "that's been part of the problem. "My friends are heroes too, and they're supposed to be my bridesmaids, but with them unavailable and Derrick gone, I haven't really had anyone to consult. Phantom's wedding reception was just awful, but it's because her husband has so many enemies, you had to expect one to try and ruin things." She shrugged. "I'm hoping that by having the wedding in Chicago instead of Freedom City, we'll avoid that. But I haven't even sent out the invitations yet, and it's only two months away. I'm a little worried that my co-guest of honor won't be in attendance."

[Supercape]

"I am probably making a stupid suggestion" said Quentin, almost sheepishly. He stood up and swept his arm over the horizon.

"Is there any reason you aren't having it here? Safe? Beautiful? Appropriate?"

"I suppose there is" he continued, "but it would be spectacular here. I don't know all in the ins and outs of weddings, I concede, but this place looks poetic enough for me. Practicalities be damned when it comes to these things. Of course, I don't know about any religious component to the wedding you need or require. Or Derrick's views on the matter. Or transportation to and from here. Or how to serve canapes and spritzers in this environment. "

"But at least you would be away from press photographers and Sinister Simian Supervillians!"

[Electra]

"It doesn't matter where we have it if the groom doesn't show up!" Stesha snapped suddenly, then colored. "I'm sorry, Quentin, I don't know where that came from. I guess I've been under a little more stress than I realized."

She walked away from the window, sitting back down on the sofa with her crackers and cheese. "I've already booked the church I grew up with, back in my hometown. All my family and their families and all our friends will be coming. Most of them don't know about our second jobs, so having the ceremony out of the dimension would be out of the question. And this place has seasons that are a lot like Prime, and we're right over Freedom City here. A Thanksgiving wedding would be too cold." She cracked half a smile. "It would give me an excuse to go down and start beautifying the subtropics, I suppose."

[Supercape]

Quentin came up behind Stesha and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Stesha" he apologised "I'm not really the marrying kind myself. I've had my romances but I'm too much of a doddering old fart to understand marriage."

He was being honest. Open. No other way to be in these circumstances.

"But your wedding does sound lovely. And I understand how scared you are. Scared, and alone. "

He went to the window, or what passed for one. "You know, Stesha. A marriage is about a life together. A lifetime. Thats a longtime for anybody. For some superheroes, thats an extremely long time, or in a few cases, a shorter time, tragically. In any case, it's a lot longer than the day of a wedding. If you are truly married to Derrick, don't worry about the wedding. The wedding happens in your heart, not in a church, not for your family, or your friends, or in your hometown."

He looked once again at the scenery "or even in a planet you grew."

"You feel for him. That's the part of the wedding that really matters. The when, the how, the what. That's just..."

"...well. That's just the cheese on the cracker!"

He bit into another wedge of cheddar with a friendly smile on his face, and a few crumbs of cheese on his jacket.

[Electra]

"You're right, I know," Stesha said with a rueful smile, "and if something came up on our wedding day, some massive disaster or something, that would be one thing. But part of being together for a lifetime, and for the two of us, that could mean a really long time, is being there for the other person when it counts. I'm starting to wonder if he's ready for that. Something's telling me that maybe I should postpone the wedding until I can be sure. I love him, but I don't want to make a mistake about this. We've only been together for a year, which seems like forever, but really isn't that long..."

As she listened to herself talk, Stesha realized she was venting all over the poor guy she'd only met a few weeks ago, stuff he couldn't possibly be interested or want to get involved in. She needed to make some new girl friends, maybe friends who weren't heroes. She missed Taylor and Moira badly, but what could any of them do, when they were so busy? Stesha shook her head. "Anyway, it's all going to work out sooner or later, I'm sure. Would you like a tour of what I've done around here so far? It's almost dark, but we've got a few minutes of light left."