ic Goodbye to Blueberry Pie

[TheRedGuy]

Aníbal conceded Raina's points with a shrug and a nod. Fire and air were a potent mixture, but a highly volatile one. They could feed each other, or cancel each other out, depending on the conditions. When she turned the discussion back to his transgressions against good taste, he listened intently, his outward expression giving little clue as to what was happening on the inside. Her final question made him shake his head and give a rueful chuckle. He picked up a clean paper napkin from the side of his tray, pulled out a pen from his inside coat pocket and idly scribbled something on it. It appeared like he was doodling, to uncomfortably dodge the question for a few moments.

"No. They probably would have, if I ever did it. My friends would be suitably impressed, and a lot of girls would swallow their pride and overlook it, but no.", he finally spoke up, pocketing the pen and folding the napkin into the shape of an airplane, "Who wants to impress a bunch of spotty teenage boys, anyway?". He completed the design, a rather neat dart shape that didn't look like it would remain airborne for long under normal circumstances.

"I had quite a reputation at my school. Most of it...", he continued, and sent the paper plane flying off his palm with a sharp exhalation, "Pure wind. You know how it goes. People have nothing better to do so they circulate stories. One girl changed schools, there was a rumor she did it because I knocked her up. I barely even knew her. But you know... Tall, handsome, rich - he must be getting some, no? People make assumptions. Especially if they're assholes. They think everyone is like them, or just hiding it really well." The airplane circled above them, clearly being moved around by Aníbal's powers. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Not ten minutes ago you saw me waddling in a silk quinceañera dress. I was just trying to see how you handle yourself when someone tries to get a rise out of you. You know, keep things fair and level, see if you'll play along and poke fun at me. But sometimes jokes don't land...", he said apologetically, "I wasn't serious about any of it, but that doesn't matter. I've gone and upset you, and I hate that. Maybe they're right. Maybe I am an asshole." The paper plane zoomed by between them and flew past the bottle of hot sauce, upside down, like it was piloted by a miniature Tom Cruise. It ascended again, and continued circling the nearby tables. Aníbal's gaze followed its movements for a few moments before turning back to Raina.

"I used to fly kites when I was a little boy. Found out they fly highest when you fly them against the wind.", he said, "I always liked that. Things going best through difficulties." The paper plane once again ended up above their desk, making a perfect loop before slowly descending and falling into Raina's lap. Unfolded, it would reveal a drawing of a stick figure (labeled "yo") with an ":o" expression, wreathed in tongues of flame, and the word "Perdóname" written with a flourish.

"Paper burns easily. And you don't get into detention for burning a napkin.", he remarked with a smile, his amber eyes fixed on Raina, "So... Will this kite fly high or hit the ground?".

[Electra]

Raina unfolded the napkin with the very tips of her fingers, raising an eyebrow at his little drawing. "I'm not your social experiment," she told him flatly. "You don't get to test me to see how I react. I have enough trust issues already without you pulling a Mini-Mr-Archer on me. If you want to know more about me, then act like yourself and not like some rich asshole I wouldn't give the time of day to. You were nice to me back in the simulator, I hope that's more you than whatever you've been doing, cause otherwise I'm wasting my time." She folded the napkin down very small and set it on her tray, but for the moment it remained unsinged. 

[TheRedGuy]

As Raina coldly upbraided him for treating her like a guinea pig in some weird social experiment, he said nothing, even though he wanted to. You don't argue with someone after you offend them, or make excuses for it. He wanted to make fun of himself and tired old stereotypes about feisty Latin lovers, get her to shoot down his buffoonishly affected displays of machismo with a few choice sarcastic put-downs, but it didn't go as intended. Her mention of Archer and the tests they had gone through earlier was a stark reminder of one of the reasons it all went wrong. Prodding someone so soon after the stresses of the exercises was unwise. Besides, he was being too forward with someone he barely knew. The US may be a land of glad-handing, go-getting extroverts, but people were colder up north, less relaxed even with good friends, let alone relative strangers. He leaned back, put his palm on the side of his neck and rubbed the spot where a holographic needle had earlier jabbed itself into his skin. It was tingling unpleasantly, reminding him of his failure in the test. How did Archer put it? Constant vigilance... Keeping a clear head when around beautiful girls (or, for that matter, beautiful boys) was a lesson he had yet to master. He remembered the day his powers manifested, the feeling of absolute helplessness that overtook him when the parachute failed and the ground came closer and closer. This felt a lot like it. Let's see you get out of this one, flyboy...

"You're right. You're not an experiment. Look, Raina...I can't tell you how to spend your time, or whether or not you're wasting it...", he replied after a thoughtful pause. "That's your call, no? All I can say is, I enjoy your company. A lot. I've only just met you, but I can tell you're smart, sophisticated, funny, very talented and intriguingly dangerous, and I'd like to get to know you better. No tricks, no stupid jokes, no tests, nothing. Just hang out together, see how we get on, and work from there."

He sighed and continued with a look of genuine contrition. "I'm sorry. I offended you, and I'd very much appreciate the chance to make amends for it, if you're willing to offer me one."

He glanced down at the folded remains of the paper airplane and then back at Raina, awaiting a response.

[Electra]

Raina was silent for a moment, studying Anibal's face as though trying to read the truth in his words. She must've seen whatever it was she wanted to see, because she unbent enough to uncross her arms and give him a faint smile. "Hanging out sounds like a good plan," she told him. "I'd have hated to miss the chance to see Freedom City landmarks with you. And I'd like to get to know you a little better." She ate the very last crumbs of her pie, and palmed the folded napkin as she set down her fork, slipping it subtly into her pocket. 

[TheRedGuy]

Aníbal awaited Raina's reply with the muted tension of a death row convict about to be executed, steeling himself for the possibility of rejection, which was just as likely as the opposite outcome. When Raina's posture softened, he somehow managed to stifle a deep sigh of relief, and bit his lip to avoid grinning like an idiot. She could probably notice his eyes were once again gleaming with life. After she replied, he coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat, a tentative smile returning to his lips. His thoughts returned to the day his powers manifested, and the mixture of fear and exhilaration that raged inside him when he and his instructor stopped in mid-air, and the realisation that he was flying slowly sank in. This felt a little bit like that. As if he was plummeting towards the ground, but managed to miraculously pull up seconds before impact. 

"Thank you for the second chance.", he replied, doing his best to maintain his poise. On the inside, his heart was pounding with excitement. He discretely wiped his palms on the legs of his jeans and turned around to glance back at the cafeteria, which was slowly filling up with students. The line of occupied tables was moving closer and closer towards their spot. He turned to Raina again.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the city with you too. It's going to be a lot of fun. At the very least, more fun than we've had today.", he continued. His pulse slowed down and he relaxed a bit, leaning back in his chair as his tentative smile grew into a more natural cheerful grin. The cellphone in his coat pocket gave a melodious bleep, signaling a text message had arrived. Whatever it was, Aníbal decided, it could wait a bit.

"I'll do everything I can not to disappoint you again. Word of honor.", he added, the final pledge accompanied with a hand placed over his heart and a look of utmost sincerity.  

Edited October 16, 2015 by TheRedGuy

[Electra]

"Dentist visits are more fun than what we did today," Raina pointed out, but the good humor was creeping back into her voice.  "The girls and I have plans for this Friday night, but assuming I'm not in detention forever after that, how about we go out Saturday afternoon? I think the weather's supposed to be not-horrible. We can fly in, skip the traffic and cab fare, maybe give other people something to look at while we're at it." She piled her dishes neatly on her tray, ready to carry over to the cleaning racks, and looked at him expectantly for an answer. 

[TheRedGuy]

"Sounds like a plan.", Aníbal replied cheerily. "You don't have to worry about cab fare, though. Papa's assigned me a private chauffeur on the company payroll, in case I need to go anywhere the 'normal' way. But yeah, I suppose flying there would be more fun." Raina seemed ready to bring their rather unusually intense little rendezvous to an end, and he was prepared to end it there too. After the rollercoaster of emotions that preceded this moment, there was precious little left to say. He pulled out the pen once more and jotted down his phone number and e-mail on the last remaining clean napkin on his tray.

"Here... I'm sure I'll see you around school in the coming days, but in case you need anything...", he offered her the napkin with a gentle smile, "Just call or text."

He rearranged the dishes on his tray to ensure it was balanced enough to carry and glanced towards the racks.

"Shall we?", he asked, grabbing the sides of the tray, ready to follow Raina's lead and deposit the empty tray.