Full Circle (IC)

[Gizmo]

It only took a beat for Trevor to realize why Erin might not be enthused by the novelty of empty stretches of space with no sign of another human being, but he silently cursed himself for his thoughtlessness all the same. As such, he was careful as he replied, "If you want to. Have to talk to him eventually. Doesn't have to be tonight." It bothered the young man that the two people who mattered most to him in the world made a habit of avoiding each other, but it wasn't his decision to make.

[Electra]

"Now's as good a time as any, right?" Erin said with a bit of forced lightness. "I mean, I was kind of hoping it could be during some crisis where I wasn't totally falling apart and could make a better impression, but It's kind of dumb to just wait around hoping that'll happen. I can just say hi, and I like your grandson, and..." She hesitated. "I don't know exactly what to say," she admitted. "I've never had a real boyfriend before, I've never had to do any of this before. But the longer I wait, the more nervous it's going to make me, and that just makes it worse."

[Gizmo]

Trevor opened his mouth behind his motorcycle helmet to argue against Erin's offhand mention of 'totally falling apart', but closed it again instead. When he reopened it, the young man told her, "Can keep it short, if you like. Not known for our extended conversation skills." The air rushing past them robbed the dry observation of much of its subtle humour, but it still resonated through his chest and back. With night having fallen in earnest, they sped from one pool of light from a street lamp to another.

[Electra]

Erin laughed, some of the nervousness easing. "Men of few words," she agreed. "I wondered where you got that from. We'll see how it goes." In the dark, running silent, the cycle was all but invisible as they covered the last long, winding blocks to the Hunter Mansion and turned into the driveway. Wealth was a pretty good cover for a secret hero identity, Erin decided, plenty of space and no close neighbors meant a lot more room to maneuver. They pulled into the garage and dismounted, Trevor unstrapping the picnic hamper while Erin took the time to try and smooth out her tousled hair. "Where do you think he'll be at this hour?"

[Gizmo]

Setting aside the covered basket to be dealt with later, Trevor took a few moments to see to the Night Cycle before leading the way into the mansion itself. "Probably the library," he decided in response to Erin's question, walking unhurriedly through the corridor toward the spacious foyer and the rooms beyond. "Should still be up. Just get used to late nights eventually." For all that the young man had taken over the mantle, Travis Hunter had never truly stopped being Midnight.

[Electra]

Erin took off her jacket as they walked, and set the Night Bear down on a convenient end table. It didn't seem like the best way to come across as a strong and capable woman would be by taking a teddy bear into the library with her. As they approached the door, Erin put her hand in Trevor's for just a moment and squeezed his fingers, then pulled away to stand on her own. It was a bit lowering to feel so nervous, but Trevor's grandpa was the closest either of them had to a real parental figure, and that made him even more important.

[Gizmo]

Trevor squeezed Erin's fingers back and shot her a quick, sidelong glance. He didn't think she really had anything to worry about, but he knew that she was walking into a situation she wasn't comfortable with largely for his sake, and appreciated it. Stepping though the double doors to the library, he led the way into the spacious room with a high, domed ceiling, past the first row of stacks. Travis was sitting in an armchair in one corner next to a lamp, a heavy book spread open in his lap and a steam cup of tea on the small table next to him.

Despite his age, the elderly hero's senses remained acute, but he waited for politeness' sake until Trevor cleared his throat lightly to look up at the teenagers. "Ah, Trevor," he greeted in a friendly if familiarly subdued tone before giving Erin a shallow, cordial nod. "And Miss White. Good evening."

[Electra]

Erin looked over to Trevor, but it seemed like it was up to her to return the conversational serve. "Good evening," she replied after only a moment of hesitation, nodding in return because she wasn't really sure what else to do. "It's, ah, nice to see you again. Trevor and I were just out for a late dinner. And we thought, we thought we'd stop in and say hello, just for a minute. I hope we're not interrupting you or anything." It looked like a comfortable sort of scene, the sort she could pretty much imagine Trevor settling into in another fifty years, actually.

[Gizmo]

"Not at all," Travis assured the much younger woman with a small shake of his head, closing the book and setting it aside next to his tea. "Nothing in here I haven't read and reread. Just revisiting." He gestured to hardwood chairs spaced around a long table nearby in the center of the room. "Good to see you again," he told Erin as they young couple took a seat, bluntly adding, "I seem to make you uncomfortable."

Sighing quietly, Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let your skills as a host atrophy," he observed flatly. There had been a time when the Hunter Estate was quite the spot for soirees of all kinds, but those days were long since past.

"Ah," Travis intoned with a slight tilt of his head, gesturing to the beverage beside him. "Of course. Tea?"

[Electra]

Erin shot Trevor a somewhat helpless glance, and for a moment wished keenly that Alex or Mark or another of their more socially effective teammates were there. She was much more comfortable fading into the background of a conversation until her opinion or expertise was needed. Neither she nor Trevor were exactly paragons of social grace, though he had a lot more training and experience than she did. "No thank you," she said to the offer of tea, sitting down on the edge of the wooden chair.

She thought about ignoring the blunt comment about being uncomfortable, but that wasn't really her style, and she figured he'd probably just bring it up again anyway. Old people got away with a lot of stuff like that. "You don't make me uncomfortable, exactly," she began uncomfortably. "I really admire everything you've done, all the stuff you accomplished when you were on the Liberty League. You're like a living legend."

[Gizmo]

"That would explain nervousness up to a point," Travis assessed, not bothering to agree or disagree with Erin's compliment, "assuming one ignored now much you and your classmates have accomplished in your own short careers. Sitting like you expect an attack."

"Why would she feel attacked? Not as if you're interrogating her," Trevor cut in flatly with something in his voice that almost approached heat. The young man's pale features were set with muted annoyance, and his own posture shifted as if he was about to get up to leave.

His grandfather regarded him silently for a beat without reaction, then finally nodded. "Point made. May I call you Erin?" he asked abruptly.

[Electra]

"Yes, that's fine," Erin said, beginning to wish she'd taken some tea if only to have something to do with her hands. She folded them together in her lap to stop them from fidgeting, and forced herself not to look over at Trevor again before answering the old man. "This is the way I sit most of the time, so you shouldn't, um, feel insulted or anything. You never know when something might happen." Truthfully, Erin had gotten a little better in the past year about that kind of behavior, but old habits died hard, especially when the stress ratcheted up. She made a concentrated effort to scoot far back enough in her seat that her shoulders touched the wood.

What would Mark do in this situation? she asked herself. For all that the question was potentially fraught, Mark was undeniably talented at making friends, and he spent a lot of time around heroes. He would get Midnight to talk about his adventures, obviously. "Um, Trevor has shown me a lot of the vehicles down in your garage. I guess you must have used a lot of them when you were fighting crime?"

[Gizmo]

"Insulted? Bah," Travis dismissed with a small wave of his hand. "Glad to see you're prepared. Heh. Used to insist on standing during League meetings. Drove Eagle mad." His piercing gaze unfocused for a moment before he pulled himself out of the reminiscence.

Trevor himself sat silently in his seat, looking between Erin and his grandfather with carefully hidden apprehension, wondering why of everyone there he felt so concerned. He wasn't sure if he should try to contribute more to the conversation or make an excuse to leave the pair alone for a short while.

As he fretted, Travis answered Erin's question. "Mmn, many of them. Some designed for specific occasions that never came up. Some never felt as right as the Night Cruiser."

[Electra]

Erin finally glanced over at Trevor, hoping for an out now that she'd said hello, but his face was inscrutable at the moment. No help there. But Travis had talked about cars, that was maybe a start. "I was wondering, was there only one Night Cruiser," she asked, "or did you get new ones as technology improved? Or just keep upgrading the first one?" Erin didn't think she'd seen the actual Night Cruiser yet, or at least not one that Trevor had pointed out as such. She suspected that it was a little bit like Trevor's motorcycle, with only a very select group of people allowed to handle it.

[Gizmo]

"A few over the years," Travis explained with a small, vague gesture. "Some destroyed. Explosions, crashes. One crushed between halves of a closing bridge."

"Such a waste..." Trevor muttered glumly with a muted wince. The bulk of the vehicles below in the Midnight Manor hadn't seen much or any active use; those that had rarely survived to retirement.

The corners of Travis' mouth turned upward almost imperceptibly, and he clapped one hand on his knee. "Well, sure you two had other plans than talking to an old man, tonight of all nights." Off a mildly confused look from his grandson, he told Erin, "He's been working on those permeable force field emitters all month."

[Electra]

Erin lost no time in seizing the opportunity, rising and giving Travis a polite smile. "It was nice to get a chance to talk to you," she said. "I hope you ah, enjoy the rest of your evening." Travis' words were a reminder that she really needed to think of some nice belated present or something, but she'd think about that later. Tomorrow, maybe. "Um, there's some fruit and sandwiches and cake and stuff left in the picnic hamper if you want anything," she added, thinking about the manor's generally bare cupboards, then immediately felt stupid. Travis Hunter was totally rich, he surely had whatever food he wanted around somewhere, probably in a kitchen she hadn't even seen yet. He didn't want their leftovers. Saying anything more would probably just make things worse, so she headed for the door as quickly as pride would allow, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

[Gizmo]

Trevor rose quickly from his seat with as much smooth composure as he could manage and moved to follow after his retreating girlfriend, but was stopped in his tracks as Travis stood more slowly from his own chair. "Erin. One moment." Without waiting for the young woman to turn around, the elderly hero spoke in a calm, soft voice underwritten in controlled, steely strength. "I am very, very proud of my grandson, for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is his excellent judgment of character. Hmm?" The elder Hunter raised one eyebrow slightly, leaving Trevor to shrug bemusedly behind him as a small smile threatened to make its presence known on his face.

[Electra]

Erin turned at the door, hesitating for a minute and scratching her neck as she absorbed what Travis was saying. Finally she smiled, and if it was still a little embarrassed, it was more genuine than the other smiles she'd mustered up during the conversation. "Thanks," she said softly, recognizing the compliment for what it was. "You do have a very remarkable grandson," she agreed. "He tells me he learned everything from you." That seemed a safe enough compliment to pay, and it was true. She glanced over to Trevor.

[Gizmo]

"Hmn, well, but not everything I know, eh?" Travis noted with a stern look in Trevor's direction as the young man stepped around him and made his way after Erin. If she hadn't already been familiar with a not dissimilar deadpan, she might not have realized that the elder Hunter was joking.

"Have learned a trick or two on my own," the current Midnight countered dryly, pausing at the doorway to slip his hand into Erin's and give it a small squeeze.

Sitting back down in his armchair with a soft grunt, Travis waved them off as he retrieved his book. "Kids today, whippersnappers, off my lawn, so on."

[Electra]

Erin needed no further urging to make herself scarce, holding onto Trevor's hand as they escaped down the hallway and back towards the wing of the mansion she was more familiar with. Though she still had dregs of adrenaline in her system, the knots of tension in her stomach had come undone enough for her to smile at Trevor as she retrieved the Night Bear from its hiding place. "Well... I guess it went okay?" she hazarded. "I mean, it wasn't awful and I didn't make much of a fool of myself. I can see where your grandpa got the reputation for making criminals confess without even saying anything."

[Gizmo]

Releasing Erin's hand so that he could place his arm loosely around her waist, Trevor gave her a small smile. "Is a good trick. He definitely likes you," he continued, giving his girlfriend a significant look. "Practically tried to explain himself. Rare. Besides, what is there not to like?" At the last sentence a mild touch of amusement crept into his voice before he pulled the auburn haired girl a little closer and leaned down to kiss her, squishing the plush bear between them for a moment. "Want something to drink from the kitchen?" he asked as they slowly passed by that room.

[Electra]

Erin kissed him back, the pleasure and relief of a challenge overcome lending extra enthusiasm to her response. Maybe it was still a little weird to think of his grandpa knowing about what they were doing in the house, but she thought she could live with that. At least they weren't tiptoeing around even running into him anymore, and that was kinda cool. And she hadn't screwed things up, which was really good, and now Trevor was right here to kiss, and that was really especially good. "I think I'm all right," she told him, keeping one arm cinched around his waist as she nudged their steps in the direction of his room. "We can always sneak out later and finish off the cake."

[Gizmo]

Trevor blinked once as he smoothly adjusted his course. He been concerned that the evening's mood had been irrecoverable, but he was glad that Erin was evidently pleased with the way the brief conversation with his grandfather had gone. With a small grin, he allowed her to pull his waist closer as a faint sound accompanied a spreading, onyx colour that quickly enveloped his skin. "Good plan," he agreed, leaning down to kiss her again as they continued down the hallway, heavier this time and deep enough that he had to use his free hand to feel for the wall to avoid running into it.

[Electra]

There were times when being able to navigate without looking was handy, and not all of them involved combat, Erin nudged the door to his room open with her hip, then dropped the bear down onto his dresser where it would be safe and out of the way. "If I forgot to say it earlier," she murmured, breaking off the kiss long enough for him to catch his breath, "thanks for tonight. It was... well, it's been really great so far," she amended with a smile. "I love the way you always think of everything."

[Gizmo]

Pausing for a moment to meet Erin's brown eyes with his own mutated vision, glossy black and crimson orbs set in dusty jet toned features, Trevor brushed her auburn hair back with one hand while he kept the other wrapped around her waist. "Glad. You're very easy to think about," he explained with a small smile before leaning down to plant a line of brief kisses down the length of her neck. Lifting his head again, he murmured, "Seemed like a good opportunity to show you how much you mean to me."