Electra Posted March 15, 2013 Posted March 15, 2013 Gina stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, battling the urge to just spin on her heel and retreat to the cocooning safety of her basement and its welcoming LED warmth. She hadn't meant to say as much as she'd said, a typical hazard when her brain could go so much faster than her mouth. Sometimes the two streams just got disconnected. Ultimately, though, she couldn't just leave him standing there reaching out to nothing, so she extended her own hand long enough to brush his fingertips with her own, like a very halfhearted high-five. "You and Sharl are kind of weird," she pointed out with a ghost of a smile on her face. "But when I did go out, nobody paid much of any attention to me, which was... not too bad, I guess." She jerked her shoulders in an uneasy shrug. "Just don't get kidnapped again anytime soon, okay?"
Avenger Assembled Posted March 16, 2013 Author Posted March 16, 2013 Steve couldn't make that promise, of course, nor for that matter could he promise her they wouldn't both die the next day. So instead he said, "I pledge to be more careful about cosmic artificial intelligences," which was certainly true enough for that. "Even now that I know you have the strength to handle it." He smiled a little, then added, "I have to go to work. My double's negligence continues to have lasting consequences at HAX. But Mara will soon find the data thieves, and she will assist the authorities in punishing them for their transgressives. I will come back tonight," he said guilelessly. "If you will let me, I would like to try preparing a meal of fajitas for you."
Electra Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 It occurred to Gina that Steve had been staying over a lot more nights recently than he hadn't, to the point where she was almost starting to get used to seeing him in the morning. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. In the immediate aftermath of the Curator's plot, she'd needed him there where she could keep an eye on him, and where he could chase away the imaginary bogeymen that stress and panic dreamt up in her overstimulated brain. Things seemed to be back to normal now, and maybe it was the right time to start nudging him back to a safer distance... but she found herself oddly resistant. It wasn't really hurting anything to have him around, maybe just for a couple more nights. "Fajitas sounds good," she told him. "Don't forget to pick up some tortilla shells after work."
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