We need to talk...

[very_anti_virus]

[After this.]



He knows they know she knows we're doomed I'd rather be back in the Games I know how to handle them I'll just bet she's got it all planned out down to the colours of the daisy wheel bouquet Dot's going to have a conniption to end all conniptions when she finds out we don't have link commands.

Babbling all at once was something he'd largely given up hours ago, as just one of the things that made him "Enzo" and not "Matrix". Save for the bear [and the less said about it the better], or perhaps extreme stress [like now], he's never talked like that.

He wasn't, of course.

He was only babbling in his mind.

While pacing about the common room of the apartment he and AndrAIa shared.

Feeling more and more tense; more and more frustrated.

Bob and Dot are home from Underhill I should be happy to see them but seeing them talk so casually about their vacation and then have Bob mention honeymoons...

During his travels with AndrAIa, there hadn't been time for life's simpler pleasures. Or for anything save staying in a system for however long they were able to until the next Game came to take them wherever it would, doing whatever was necessary to help the inhabitants in the meantime until they left—likely for good.

Anything done to signify a formal bond would, by necessity, be brief, containing only the most basic elements before they set off again. And done almost as soon as they were able to. Who knew how long they'd be able to continue like this?

He continued to pace.

Well. They were going to have to discuss this sooner or later...

Looking in the direction of wherever the Game sprite happened to be, he hollered out.

"AndrAIa! How long do you think we could hide out in the Games for?"

Comments

[notascreensaver]

Equally frazzled and stressed, the Game sprite in question is doing some pacing of her own. Matrix's query causes her to pause, though, and she looks over at him with as much as a smirk as she can manage.

"Are you sure you want to risk going through all that again?"

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Her smirk looks somewhat contrived, but he's not thinking about that.

"Yes. No. I don't know." Pause. "Before this nanosecond, I'd never felt the urge to run away from something that frightened me."

And he's feeling it now.

[notascreensaver]

She strides across the room to lay a comforting hand on her lover's arm.

"This is a different type of fear than we're used to dealing with, I think. We can't solve this by knocking the cruft out of Dot."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"As if she'd even let me."

He laughs humourlessly.

"You saw her expression. I'd bet she'd already had it planned out in advance, and was just waiting for a prime opportunity to impliment it."

For her 'little' brother, she would.

"Colours picked out. MIDIs to be played."

Matrix cringing over what Dot's choices would be.

[notascreensaver]

She lets out a laugh of her own.

"If we wait much longer to tell everyone, we'll be in danger of being shanghaied and marched in front of Phong and a full-blown wedding."

Whee! Shotgun wedding, sprite style!

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

With his gun as the shotgun. And Mike providing play-by-play.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Staring at a suddenly interesting spot on the floor.

"It's the 'telling everyone' part of the equasion that has me wanting to check all exits."

Why is it that the one person who would celebrate his happiness above all others is also the one making him want to flee in terror?

[notascreensaver]

It's Dot, what'd you expect?

AndrAIa stretches onto tip-toes to kiss the larger sprite's cheek.

"I'm nervous about it too, Sparky, but we're doing this together, remember?"

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Something a little more naturally fear-inspiring, maybe.

The kiss makes him smile a little, and in response, he's got his arms around her.

"We are. I just wish I was ready for this."

His idea of "ready" might be while everyone was too drunk to notice or care.

[notascreensaver]

"I don't think it's ever possible to be ready."

She wraps her own arms around his torso, settling into the embrace.

"I do have an idea, though."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"I'm a Guardian; I'm supposed to be ready. For anything." Even if he isn't a full-fledged Guardian and his comment is more an attempt to boost his flagging courage than a statement of fact.

"What have you got in mind?"

It's gotta be less complicated than the other idea of finding a way to implant the memory into Dot's head in such a way that Dot thinks she's always known and is happy about it.

[notascreensaver]

"Well..."

The Game sprite draws out the word, her fingers walk along Matrix's chest.

"Dot and Bob are back...so what's to stop us from packing up our bikes and disappearing for a few days to get our heads on straight?"

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Such a gesture is a step in the right direction to get him to say "yes" to her idea.

He blinks in astonished amazement.

"You mean, you actually thought I was being serious about escaping into the Games?"

Okay. You've been around him too long if impulsive acts are becoming appealling.

[notascreensaver]

Hey, something has to have rubbed off on her by now.

AndrAIa just rolls her eyes at Matrix.

"Of course I didn't; what I'm talking about, Lover, is us skipping town for a few days. You know, taking in the sights of of other cities."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

He's not exactly complaining, per se; rather, he's surprised since normally he's the impulsive one.

"Glad to hear that. Dot would really go ballistic if she heard I was Game-hopping again, and willingly no less."

Pause. Not that this is less "willingly".

He gives her a light squeeze that humans might still find rib-cracking, the wusses.

"Any place in mind?"

[notascreensaver]

Oh those weakling, squishy, Meatbags.

AndrAIa however, is more used to Matrix's hugs, and thus, is made of stronger stuff than your usual human.

"Nowhere in particular, really. Just grab our bikes and go."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Just one more reason to adore AndrAIa. She likes his hugs. Even the back-crunchy ones.

"Scenic tour of the 'Net. Sounds good." Pause. "Too bad we can't visit some of the systems we've been to before. I'd like to know how Backup and the others are doing at Games. Or see if the Hero Selective and the Spectrals have made their peace."

[notascreensaver]

She nods sagely.

"There's plenty of systems I'd like to check up on as well, but without net access, or the co-ordinates for Bob to make a portal, we're out of luck."

The Game sprite stretches again to kiss him.

"Why don't you go gather our things, and I'll leave a message for everyone so they don't worry."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"And asking him would get him into trouble with Dot."

He nods, and, with reluctance, lets go of AndrAIa to get whatever they need to bring along. Some of the bags empty, in case they plan to bring anything back.

Like peace offerings. Lots of them.

"Anything in particular you want to bring?" he asks from inside the room.

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa pauses in opening a vid window, glancing over her shoulder towards him.

"A camera. Oh, and make sure you grab some units. I don't want to have to work for everything again."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"Right."

To provide JPGs of the "Glad you're not here" variety, perhaps?

"This will be enough to cover our finances?"

That bag looks to be twice the size of his bicepts. Both of them.

[notascreensaver]

She glances over at Matrix from the vid window

"Looks just fine."

Her attention returns back to the window and the spluttering binome on the other side.

"Sorry about that Specky; anyway, we should be back in a few days and I- Yes, I know Dot's not going to like this. If she gives you too much trouble, tell her we threatened you, or something. There's no reason to bother her about our leaving tonight; just let her and Bob know tomorrow."

Tomorrow, after they've had a full night to flee.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"Great."

The huge bag is set next to the door, and over the course of several nanos, while AndrAIa's giving Specky his instructions, it's joined by the rest of whatever he's packed for their trip.

"If it helps, I could actually threaten you..," is said in-between one of his luggage-carrying trips between room and door. "Then it wouldn't be a lie, would it?"

It's really hard to tell when he's kidding, without having spent a lot of time with him first.

[notascreensaver]

There's increased spluttering on the other side of the vid window at Matrix's comment and AndrAIa simply smiles sweetly at the binome.

"Thank you Specky, we'll bring you back something extra nice."

The Game sprite then closes the window, cutting off the continued protests. Her attention returns to Matrix.

"Ready to go?"

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Said sputtering just makes Matrix smirk more. He has a very strange sense of humour.

"Yes. Everything we need is ready for us."

Aside from the bag of money, there's about four or five in total.

User only knows what's in that fourth one there.

Then...

"Oh. Hm. I just remembered. Frisket. We should take him along with us. He'd love a trip."

And because you know that dog won't accept care from anyone else. Especially Bob. Willingly.

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa snags two of the bags, hefting them easily.

"Go track him down, then. I'll take these out to the bikes."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"Be back in a nano!" he says, setting off to find the dog.

Wherever Frisket was.

The dog sprite had a tendency to go where he wanted, even though most of the time he could be found with Matrix or AndrAIa, or even both.

Which meant it was more than a nano before he came back, Frisket barking happily in tow.

"Chasing nulls. Ten blocks away," is his explanation for taking so long.

[notascreensaver]

Both bikes are packed and prepped for the trip by the time Matrix returns with Frisket.

She reaches down and scratches the canine behind the ear.

"Having fun, where you, Boy?"

She straightens again, sauntering over towards their vehicles.

"Shall we head off then?"

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

More barks from Frisket, his stubby tail wagging.

"Yup. No time like the present. Up you go Frisket."

He straddles his own, Frisket settling in behind him, and trying not to rev the engine too loudly. Matrix doesn't want to wake up the neighbours and as a result get everyone's attention until they've managed to clear the system.

"After you, my lady."

[notascreensaver]

"Why thank you, kind sir."

The Game sprite starts her bike, careful of revving her engine as well. Then, with as quiet as a roar the bike can manage, she flies out of the garage.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

With Matrix right behind her, and Frisket being such a dog, ears flapping as they zoom overhead of Mainframe.

Then, when the energy sea is in sight and all the inhabited buildings are behind him, he looks over his shoulder, and shouts,

"Bet I can get there faster than you!"

[notascreensaver]

"You're on, Sparky!"

She revs her engine, and with a roar, she and her bike whip past Matrix and Frisket.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

With Matrix speeding along behind her. Laughing. Feeling good.

Perhaps this trip won't be so bad after all...