acertifieduser | ○ 04: Maybe they once locked eyes.

I think you're a little too young. Listen, if you're just looking for practice dating, if that's something important to you, I'm happy to take you out sometime. The most important part of dating is feeling comfortable and experience can help with that.

Hey, cool, I'd do that. You like to talk books? I got a great big pile of new literature on the reader I got at port....

Yeah, I can talk about books. I can talk about anything you want to talk about.

Pick any book, we'll both read it, and then we can talk about it over a bottle of wine on deck if you like stars or in a common room if you prefer being comfortable. What do you say?

Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It's short enough that we can actually talk about the whole thing, it's awesome, and Richard Bach goes well with wine.

Deck's cool. I like the sky-show pretty well up there.

Good. Tomorrow night work for you?

I'll bring a picnic blanket.

Yeah, that works just fine. I'll get reading. This'll be really cool.

I'll see you then, Wanda.

Thanks, if I forgot to say it before.

[Eddie was up on deck, already relaxing. He had a blanket laid out on the deck's surface as well as another set aside in case they got cold. A small selection of food that he had acquired from the dining hall was sitting out along with a bottle of wine and two glasses, courtesy of George. The inmate himself was dressed in black slacks and a dark, red-clay colored button-down. He leaned on the railing as he waited. The girl was a bit young for him, but the gesture was innocent enough. He would give her whatever practice she needed because why not?]

[Wanda spent a regulation two hours destroying her room in search of the exact perfect outfit. Practice or not, she wanted to do this right. It was supposed to be fairly casual, a bottle of wine and booktalk up on deck, but it was her FIRST time doing this and she was desperate to get it right.]

[She arrived on time, but just slightly flustered from the flush of her cheeks. She was wearing a sheer, fluttery scarlet lace dress over a black unitard, and a pair of high-laced satin ballet flats that matched the dress. She carried her copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull in one hand.]

Oh hey...I'm not late, am I?

[Eddie straightened as soon as she arrived, offering her a wide smile. He moved forward to greet her, resting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a light kiss on the cheek if she would allow it.] "Not at all. I like being early."

[Then the man stepped back and gestured toward the blanket in a casual sort of indication of what he had planned for them.] "That dress looks amazing on you. You should wear it more often."

She smiled back a little shyly, and accepted the greeting a little stiffly--as if willing but unused to being touched. "Good, because I go a little nuts before meeting anybody new, let alone on a date." Practice date.

"Thanks. I um...I only have a few dresses but I try to go big, you know, for stuff that's important." Three shades of purple eyeshadow, check.

She went over and settled on the blanket a little artlessly, relieved to finally be here instead of preparing for "here". "So how're you doing?"

"That humility is charming. Don't lose that." He grinned at her.

Eddie moved around the blanket in a comfortable parallel to her own actions, taking a seat shortly after she had in a more casual and practiced way. "It's good. You shouldn't let people in on the secret that you're not always like this.. not at first. You look amazing and when you tell people it's you going above and beyond, you're just letting them know how anxious you can be. Pretty much everyone's anxious in an intimate setting, especially on a first date, but that's no reason to give it away. Keep them wanting more."

The man was trying to guide her without criticizing her. It was difficult in this mood, on this drug, when it all came so easily to him. They were things that his normal self couldn't have understood, though. Ideas and confidence that would blur and become lost when his mind clouded from slowed neurons again.

"I'm doing good, Wanda. George is a great warden and I feel like I'm already finding a comfortable place here. I know that I lucked out in that, to some extent. Alright.. I don't really believe in luck so much as I think people make their own fortunes, but every once in awhile, luck comes into play and I think it might have taken me under its wing for this one."

"Yeah. There's a time and a place for the queen-of-the-world attitude. Like in ritual, or when you're dealing with a real ass. Not here. Besides, you don't deserve a taste of the Scarlet Bitch."

She lowered her head a fraction and blushed when he mentioned how she'd shown a bit too much of her hand. "You're right. I guess it's just one of those nerves-make-me-talk-too-much things. But also...I know it's supposed to be part of women's mystique to hide the work we put into looking good, but sometimes it seems a little manipulative."

Eddie's quick wit and confidence reminded her of Pietro, but in a much more pleasant way. She appreciated the tip, although her first inclination was, of course, to smack her own forehead for not thinking of it herself.

"George is a sweetheart. He's also really hard to stay mad at. I think we're both lucky--I learned fast that Tony's heart is in the right place too. I'm gonna try not to make too much trouble for the guy."

"'The Scarlet Bitch?'" He just smiled at that. While she was speaking and Eddie was listening, he reached out to take hold of the bottle of wine and pull it back to him. Eddie removed the foil and then grabbed the wine opener he'd brought, beginning to screw into the cork with an ease and secondhand nature that made it easy for him to listen to her at the same time, and then to speak.

"There's nothing wrong with talking about the work you put into looking good if you do it in the right way. It's the reveal of the anxiety you want to avoid. Telling a man you spent an hour or two looking good for him shows interest and it will excite him. Telling him you were so nervous it took you an hour to decide what to wear? I guess it could depend on how you play it. A lot of guys find clumsiness and that kind of passivity attractive, but I get the impression that's not really the kind of guy you want. If you really want someone to see you on equal footing, you just need to hide that a little bit."

There was a loud 'pop' and Eddie set the corkscrew, with cork attached, down onto the blanket. Then he lifted the two glasses with his other hand, stems between his fingers, and poured them each a half a glass.

"That's really good that you got a warden you like and can trust. I think that's important. Has he been treating you well?"

"My code name back home is The Scarlet Witch. But of course the boys replace the W with a B when I get moody." She glanced at the wine bottle, a little jealous of his panache. But then again she'd only opened two bottles in her life.

"He seems to want to do the older brother thing, which is cool with me, because he's better at it than my actual brother. He was protective on me in Port and was, you know, really reliable."

She looked up into the wheeling sky. "You ever think about what you're gonna do once you get through this weird little program of theirs?"

"Code name?" Eddie couldn't help but laugh at that. It was the kind of laugh where he was enjoying the company, not mocking. She was interesting and he actually was enjoying spending time with her more than he would have guessed.

Once both glasses were poured, he set the bottle aside and paused just long enough to ensure it was stable. Then he slid one glass to his opposite hand in order to offer her one while holding his own simultaneously. He nodded about her brother and offered a piece of information he was intrigued to follow. "George said you're a nice young woman. Have you ever thought about trying to pursue something different with him?"

The man took a sip of his wine as he watched her and his lips settled from the wide smile he had worn into something more thoughtful. "Hopefully go back and get a second chance to be smarter about things. If I could predict what was going to happen and got another opportunity to think better about those things, I could have gotten a lot more without being the asshole it took to get me here."

"Yyyyeah. I um...come from one of those worlds where a lot of crazy people run around in costumes fighting each other. If I was about three times the bitch I'd actually be a second generation supervillain. Kind of weird to think about.

She took the glass and propped it between her narrow hands. "George...I like him. I'm not sure if I wouldn't seriously weird him out long term. He's very openminded for a cop though.

"I don't know. I'm not rushing into anything whatever I do. I don't want to mess anything up, or get so caught up I forget why I'm here."

She thought about graduation, about going back, still cradling her glass. "You know what the problem with becoming a superhero is? No goddamn paycheck."

Eddie laughed at her explanation of her world and costumes. Then he leaned in a little to create an instant level of intimacy as the smile returned to his lips. When he spoke, his voice was entirely free from mocking and, if anything, insinuating a sexual curiosity. "Did you wear a costume too?"

He stays in that space for the moment, holding his wine comfortably and still smiling at her, even as the topic shifts to George again. "I think it's a good idea to keep your eye on the prize, so to speak. You don't want to get caught up in something here and let it interfere with your redemption, graduation, or getting home. You deserve better than that. If you decide to go for anything here, either take it slow or make it fun and make sure you both know what you're getting into."

At the last, he let out a small chuckle. "Maybe you're just not doing it right. You could get paid for public appearances and advertising if you really wanted to. If you were a known hero."

She blushed slightly and ducked her head. "Yeah, I um...do." She fished in her purse and came up with a slightly tilted Polaroid of a bunch of costumed teens. On one edge was Wanda, swathed in a scarlet leather overcoat and a matching unitard with a bodice top. Giant stompy boots; gauntlets in black, and a scowl that looked foreign on her face.

"That and I really...I want to make sure I have a handle on my powers before I get too close to anyone. I don't want to have our first fight end in poltergeist activity and bruises."

Wanda frowned a little. "Some of us do work for the government...."

Eddie ensured that his fingers grazed her head as he took the photo from her. By now, it would be a rather obvious gesture, but it was still performed with an ease he could never muster without the magic of NZT. His mind took in every detail of the picture as a grin broke out on his face again. "You look amazing."

Then he was offering it back to her in such a way that she could easily return the hand grazing gesture or avoid it, whichever she preferred. His eyes were back on hers, listening intently. Eddie's smile faltered only the smallest hint when she spoke about her abilities, but it quickly recovered and spread wider even. "That sounds intense. How do you think you'll be able to get control of it? Is it something that happens any time you're.. passionate? Or only when you're angry?"

Ah, the insinuations. Then he gave a shrug. "I'm not surprised. The government likes to have their hands in a little bit of everything in order to provide existing knowledge and a basis for combat in any field if the public gets concerned or other countries get anxious."

The surprise showed in her eyes, and a little shock went through her that made it clear to the observant that she plain was not used to being touched. At all. Not that she minded, but it certainly muddied the waters about whether this date was really "practice" or not.

(Did she mind about that? She was still deciding.)

She did touch his fingers very delicately as she took the photo. "Thanks. Putting on a costume...there's almost a ritual aspect to it, like putting on a uniform or vestments. You become someone else, sort of, but that person is also more you than your street persona."

A thoughtful glance at the sky; she sipped her wine absently. "Meditation, intense concentration, ritual. I get better all the time. Pretty soon I'll be able to do a lot more than just hexing people."

She giggled a little. "It's just negative emotions. When I'm angry, when I'm scared..." normally she had to make a gesture as well, but the thing was that those gestures were often unconscious when she got upset enough. "The biggest thing I ever did, I took all my passions, focused them and sort of threw the energy out there at my target."

She stroked her chin. "It's part of why I debate being part of anything with a government stamp. I mean, sometimes you're lucky and you get superiors with a grasp of the greater good, like Xavier. But finding them...that's the trick, especially if you're locked into a contract."

Eddie smiled a hint more at her touch, glad that she was following his lead. This was still a practice date in his mind, but it also meant that he was willing to take this 'practice' as far as she wanted to, to a point. There was a place where he would cut them off if only to leave her wanting more. Then again, with someone like this girl, it might be better to take it while he could get it. If he could get it.

When she spoke, he listened intently, despite his mind's ulterior motives.

"I know what you mean. I've never worn a costume like that, but I could tell the difference even from when I stopped wearing t-shirts and jeans and started wearing suits more often. It's a whole different personality." Of course, there was more to it than just some new clothes, but there was a difference there or else he would have still been wearing the same ensemble he used to. He flashed another smile about getting better. "I'm sure you'll continue to get better. Determination and motivation are the two most important parts of learning or doing anything."

"What happened to the poor bastard you targeted all your passions at? If I can ask?" There was an undertone of whining behind his words, a feigned sort of humility that made him sound even more interested.

Eddie took a sip of his wine and shook his head. "I think it's good you're not with the government. You're right about finding a good leader and having a contract, but it's more than that. All those moves are so political and you would end up as some kind of pawn just by being different than the traditional middle-aged caucasian male. They can talk about equal opportunity all they want, but someone like you would be too powerful for them to promote to the ranks you would be capable of."

"The Tie. There's something about the tie especially. Like it's a Talisman of Credibility or something." She tilted her head at him. "Yeah. I got motivation, and I'm totally stubborn. Usually in the good way."

She laughed. "No, no, I've never gone full steam at a person. This was at a genuine doomsday machine. I can glitch machines usually, but this one was hardened. So I went full out. It feels like pushing a mountain with your frontal lobe.

"Politics. I don't know. Maybe becoming a contractor would be a better idea. Though I'd have to be super picky about who I worked for.

"So...what do you do?"

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