Gilidry

((OOC: Hey guys, though I would jump in and mention a few things. In one of the first posts, it says that Wednesdays the place is closed. Basically, this means that this is Sibling's day off from the forums. We all have one, it just happens that here it's Wednesday, but we can all still carry on and post here like usual. Also Sibling is on the west coast, so depending on where we all are, that could be up to a 4 hour time difference. So don't worry, no one is ever forgotten or ignored. Just relax and enjoy the atmosphere and the scenery. It will get back around to everyone eventually ))

((OOC: Oh, let me know if I'm out of line here Sib and I'll retract this.))

"Well done?" he said looking at his glass and smiling. "I haven't had that much to drink tonight."

Once Martin was satisfied with their orders he leaned over the table, putting his hand on hers and said in a low voice, "By the way, nice trick with the fork."

Noticing her look, Manion hoped he was reading it right and went ahead. "And I believe the lady will have the salmon, although she hasn't mentioned how she would prefer to have that cooked."

He gave Beth a brief questioning look, hoping he hadn't forgotten anything important.

((OOC: Sheesh.. poor guy shoulda studied for this test. ))

"Wow, must be some good chili. Think I'll pass though." His expression was that of disbelief and amusement at the same time.

"I'd like to try the steak tonight please, Medium Well. The beans and fries are fine. Thank you." He paused and looked at Beth, unsure whether she expected him to order for her or not.

"Ya know... all this talk, and we seem to have forgotten something." Manion said, rubbing his stomache. "You mentioned something about salmon and steak, and that sounds really good right about now."

He took a quick look around the room to see who was waiting tables. He couldn't tell right away, so he figured he would ask Martin about it when he came around to fill the wine again. Of course, if Manion managed to catch him, considering his glass had stayed full and Manion had yet to notice Martin stop by once.

"What do ya think, ready to order?" He didn't want to rush Beth, and was more than happy with just sitting and talking to her all night, but he figured she might be getting hungry too.

"Well, I imagine if I had come up with the idea of bringing along another woman, it wouldn't have gone over so well." he said with a playful smile. "But you brought it up, and it sounds like you want to do something nice for another friend, so yeah, that's more than cool by me."

((OOC: Eaten? Heck I don't think we've even ordered yet have we? Maybe Martin is just being polite. Or is it Candice tonight. Bah I'm all confused. Day-Quil ... non drowsey ... yeah right! ))

Jeeze man, your powers of necromancy know no bounds!

"Ok, how about this. You and Gertrude get together and decide the what, when, and where. Once that's decided I can make some calls and make sure no ones comes looking for me that day. BUT, there is one condition. I actually get to pay this time. If we go out, I treat, end of story." Even though he meant this, he had a smile in his eyes that let her know he wasn't upset.

"If that's not asking too much, and Gertrude is ok with it, then I'm all for it."

Normally the thought of bringing anyone else out would have made Manion think twice, but since Beth brought it up, he didn't think too much on it. He hoped no one would end up feeling like the odd man out so to speak. Then again, things weren't even set yet, so worrying about it now made no sense, and Manion put it out of his head for the time being.

"Feuds? I guess maybe some have a few, mostly I think there are just so many heroes out there now that some of them don't know what to do with themselves. They feel the need for these arenas so they can prance around like peacocks, showing off their bright feathers, then beat the tar out of each other to prove who has the biggest..." He stopped suddenly and turned bright red.

"Errr, I mean... Your right. There is more than enough crime to go around, some heroes just need a little focus. Maybe once they are all done working off the steam they will get back to what matters." He recovered quickly, and hoped she wasn't offended by what he almost said.

"As far as heroes getting killed? I doubt it. Hurt, for sure, but not killed. I don't know how it will work in there, but I know out here heroes are given a type of tracker. If we get beat up real bad, a signal goes out to the closest hospital. If we arent healed or revived soon enough, they activate an emergency teleporter and *poof* we wake up in a warm bed eating pudding until we are done healing. Had to use that little feature myself a few times. I imagine they will have something similar installed to keep those heroes from really doing damage. Although I dont see how one hero could take it that far against another." He shrugged a little.

The concept baffled him as well, but no one said he had to fight. So he wouldn't.

"So I take it this is something your not interested in then?" He asked playfully.

((OOC: Hey, its a tune I'll gladly help you play. I feel the same way. ))

Manion looked up and laughed, more than a little relieved.

"Fair enough, no more heavy talk." He lifted his glass to her, and took another sip of his wine.

"The Colliseum? Yeah I saw the one in Galaxy City. Well, the huge hole that will end up being the Colliseum anyway. I was on my way through there one day, and misjudged a jump. Came down right in the middle of the thing. I hadn't been through Galaxy in a while, so the hole was a surprise to me. Almost broke my ankle." he said with a sheepish grin. "I did some asking around later and found out they will be holding competitions in there. Heroes fighting Heroes or something like that. I don't see myself getting into any of those fights. I figure the villains deserve that kind of attention more than other heroes do. Im sure it will make for good entertainment though, seeing all those heroes put their best powers to the test. I may go once to see what its all about. Tell ya what, when it opens up, if you want to go see it I'd like to take you. It's up to you though."

He had caught the comment about "someone that cares" and almost said that he cared too, but she wanted to keep the talk light, so he let it go with a smile.

((OOC: Didn't anyone tell you it's not nice to tease? Swoon indeed. ))

Sensing her mood had changed, Manion wished he could take the verse back. *That was exactly what I hoped wouldn't happen* he thought. He stuggled to find a way to turn things back around, and realized that simply brushing this off with a witty comment might do more harm than good.

"I know that it may be a jaded way of looking at life, but you have to realize something. My parents died when I was very young. The building we lived in caught fire, and a lot of people didn't make it. I was on my way home from a martial arts class that evening when it happened. A few heroes managed to save a few folks, but my parents weren't that lucky. Then, just recently a good friend of mine was lost. I dont know if she is alive or dead, just that I probably wont be seeing her again. So you can see why that poem sticks in my head. Its just the way my life has gone so far." He stopped for a moment, hoping she would see what he was trying to say.

"Moments like this... just seem to good to be true. I can't help but worry that something is going to happen and it won't last. We may not have known each other for very long, but I really enjoy our time together too. It helps me forget about the mess my life has been. I don't want to do anything to scare you away, but I worry that I might. That's all really. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

It was his turn to look at the glass in his hands. Unsure of what else to say, he sat and kicked himself for ruining such a perfectly good night.

((OOC: It wasn't easy, but everyone dies eventually, even Superman. And as much as I would have liked to go down in a blaze of glory saving hundreds of lives, it didn't really seem Manion's style. Oh, and no one said you had to kill them. If you cant then dont. ))

((OOC: For those interested, Jack Zodiac started a thread about how your main character would die. I submitted my entry, which obviously takes place much farther in the future than his adventures here. All the stories so far are really good, but if you want, take a look at the death of Manion and tell me what you think.))

He was brought out of his thoughts by her words. He couldn't help but smile. "The Death of the Hired Man" was one he read often. Plus the last bit she said reminded him of their first walk to her home, holding hands and admiring the beautiful moon that night.

"Ok, well here's one that's been in my head for a while."

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

He wasn't sure why he chose that one in particular, but it was the first that came to mind. "That one holds the most meaning for me, but you could probably find it in any book that has his poems in it."

He traced the edge of his wine glass with his finger, suddenly worried that maybe he had chosen one that was a little to sad for the moment.

"Wow, I have to pick one?" He asked with a smile. "I don't get much time to read anymore, so the list isn't long. They've all been great books though."

Actually Manion already knew the answer to her question. "This may sound a little... odd. But hear me out." He blushed a little and took another sip of wine before he continued. "I have a book, it belonged to my father, the only thing I have left that belonged to my parents. I keep it on my bedstand and read a little of it every night before I go to bed. It's by far the best book I have ever read, and it's my favorite out of all the books I have read in the last few months. I don't know the title, the cover and the first few pages were damaged, but its a collection of poems by Robert Frost." He paused for a moment, waiting for her reaction. He knew how it must sound. A hero that enjoys peotry? He knew what most people thought about heroes. A lot looked at heroes, especially guys, like jocks, only smart enough to get the job done, and certainly not refined enough to be able to appreciate something so wonderfuly rich as poetry.

"I could probably recite it word for word, I've read it that many times. He talks a lot about parts of the country I have never been to. I grew up here and have never seen the countryside. Its a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, even if I never leave."

He stopped again, lost for a moment in his own thoughts.

Manion was caught a little off guard by the sudden toast. But he recovered quickly and raised his glass with a wide smile.

"I agree, to real people." He took another sip of the wine. It was quite good. He wondered why he had never thought to try wine before.

"So what do you do for fun?" Manion was happy to finally have her sitting here talking with him, and he decided it wasn't an opportunity he would let go to waste.

((OOC: Don't forget yourself in that little tribute there. You gave us this haven away form the craziness outside to relax in. Actually I think this is the only thing keeping me on these forums. With all the craziness going on with regen, the usual threads I read are just too... stressful.))

"Yeah, your right about that. I can't tell you how many times I had to clean out the same buildings in Atlas Park when I first started out. Heck a lot of the time me and the crooks were all saying 'Oh man, not again!'. Guess thats just the way it is. If you want I can swing by there tomorrow and look at it for you, or maybe find one of the newer heroes and take 'em on a tour." he said with a playful grin.

"If you ever think about getting a pet, don't get a smart one. My cat can get into almost anything, I keep waiting for the day I come home and she's using the can opener."

"Wait, that would be a bad thing?" he asked laughing. "Wouldn't that save you a little work? Anyway, I've thought about it, but I don't see it happening any time soon."

Manion laughed out loud, then stopped and looked to make sure he hadn't disturbed anyone. He leaned over and lowered his voice. "Have you seen some of those 'super-women'? I mean really looked?" he stopped and blushed. "Err no I guess not. Well, it's like someone went nuts in a balloon factory. Don't get me wrong they are great women, and do great things for the city. Some guys probably go for that look, but not me. It's too much." He stopped again, realizing that might be too much information.

"Look if you want to compare yourself to them, then look at the whole picture. A lot of super women... well... dont have super parts. You have nothing to worry about. So, that being said, you are still gorgeous, and this," he said taking a sip of his wine, "is the first wine I've had all night." He smiled in return, hiding the fact that in the back of his mind, he was worried he may have gotten a bit carried away.

He listened to her talk about her cat, laughing a little bit at its antics. "Exciting? Well I guess that a matter of perspective. Tell you what, next time I'll trade you my paperwork for your cat." he said jokingly. "Actually Im kind of jealous. I want a pet, but know that I'd never be home enough to give it the attention it would need. I'd like to get a puppy, but I know the poor thing would be crazy lonely. I can't do that to an animal.

"But what's this about a Hellion dive? Aren't there heroes out patroling that part of the city anymore?" He suddenly realized he had switched modes again.

*This is not the time or place for that Manny* he thought to himself. But the question was already out there. He made a mental note to look into it the next time he was on duty. For now though, he would try to get back to just talking to her as a friend.

"Wait, wait, back up a sec. Fat? Fatter? Than what?" He was a little surprised. Looking at her he couldn't imagine she might have concerns about her weight. "I don't want to sound crude, but I honestly don't think salmon will hurt your figure."

She may have been insecure about her petite build, but Manion liked her even more because of it. So many of the women he was around while fighting crime were 'overbuilt' in his mind. A little too much of everything. Most times he found it intimidating, although he wasn't sure why. Beth was a refreshing opposite, and the dress she chose fit her perfectly. It accentuated the delicate curves of her body, and Manion had a hard time not staring. He looked down at his own menu for a moment.

"My day was actually kind of boring to be honest. No arresting anyone. Lots of paperwork. That's the one part of being a hero they don't tell you about at registration." He put down his menu and shook his head. "My Security Level just got raised, so that was one mountain. The Freedom Phalanx accepted me as a Reservist, so that was two mountains. A lot of questions I've filled out dozens of times before. Background checks mostly. Criminal, drug, residential, family, financial, personal references... blah blah blah. I hate doing it. You would think that after the first dozen times, I wouldn't have to do it anymore. I guess they just want to make sure I am really me, and not some clever criminal that managed to get ahold of my ID card. I had been putting it off all week, but it really couldn't wait anymore. So after I went out and got this outfit, I sat down and forced myself through it all. Hand is still sore, ironinc huh?" he said with a laugh, rubbing his left hand a bit.

"So, how about you? Aside from making yourself look gorgeous, what did you do today?"

"You look great tonight, that's a beautiful dress." It was stunning actually, but he didn't want to say to much and make her uncomfortable.

He smiled and tried not to laugh when Beth disappeared behind her menu. He knew she could go over the items backwards and forwards without having to look at it. Somehow, knowing he wasn't the only one who was nervous actually helped calm him down a little bit.

He picked up his menu too, looking over the items, but not really reading it. "So, what looks good tonight?" he asked, hoping to bring her out of hiding and get her talking again. After all, that was the reason he was here, to finally sit down and have a normal conversation with her.

He wondered if she would have been more comfortable in regular clothes. Maybe getting all dressed up put a new facet on the date that he hadn't expected.

"That's a nice bracelet." He said, noticing it on her wrist. "What kind of stones are they?"

((OOC: Ahh yes Phillipine Knife Fighting, a real sport to be sure. Unfortunately Hero Corps has forbidden me from using any sharp objects after an 'training accident' in Galaxy City. Lets just say it's a good thing Back Alley Brawler wears those big metal gloves. I was a little too eager to get revenge on those Blood Brother Slicers. That's ok though, kicking stuff is fun too. ))

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((Semi-OOC: Dark Vegas is a master of security and surveillance. Do you realize your garbage is a great source of information about you? Dumpster Diving is common among good detectives. Manion needs to lay off those Hero-O's. 6 boxes in a week!!! You need more veggies....oh, and b the way...your subscription to Inside Kung-Fu is about up...you might want to renew it. ))

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((OOC kinda sorta?: Yep, I knew where it was going. Just didn't expect it is all. Oh and about Inside Kung-Fu... I got a free 1 year subscription from Future Dynamics in Talos. Buy a 6 pack of Medical Devices and they practically force it on ya. Not really impressed to be honest, so I'm letting it lapse. Now, Aikido Illustrated, thats good stuff. ))

((OOC: I understand about scouring garbage for information. It was just a little surprise to read is all. ))

Manion followed Martin to the table. He wasn't really concerned where they sat, but even for this part of town the view from the windows was nice.

"The rose? The vase? But... " looking at the vase he realized that it was empty. He was pretty sure there had been flowers in it just a moment ago. After giving Martin a confused look, he agreed and placed the rose into the vase. "Thank you." He decided it was better not to ask.

After listening to the wine suggestions, Manion looked slightly embarassed and said, "Actually, I don't know the first thing about wine, sorry. The Viudas... " he paused, realizing he was horribly mispronouncing the name, "... Beth's favorite, will be fine please. Thank you for the suggestion."

Manion was about to take the seat offered to him when Martin mentioned Beth's arrival. Looking up he saw her enter the room from the back area. He was a little confused at first, but remembered her mentioning she wanted to talk to Gal about something.

"May I escort her to the table?"

"Oh, of course, please" he said. He still hadn't taken his seat. He smiled as she followed Martin over to the table. Once she had been seated, he joined her.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of her, and now that she was right in front of him, Manion wasn't sure what to say. He was about to compliment how she looked, when a polite clearing of the throat from Martin brought Manion out of his fog.

"Oh, um, thank you Martin. The Viudas sounds good, that is, of course, if it sounds good to Beth." he blushed slightly, his pronunciation was a little better, but the foreign word was still a little clunky on his tongue.

As he waited for Beth to answer he suddenly wondered why this was so hard. He realized he was probably putting more pressure on himself then there needed to be, and he hoped he wasn't embarassing himself in the process.

((OOC: Dangit, Im sorry. I didn't mean to cut. Please assume my conversation with Martin takes place after you are seated. ))

Manion walked through the front door of the restaurant at the agreed time. "Hello again Martin." he said to the the stiff gentleman. "I'm meeting Beth. Is she here yet?" he asked, looking past Martin into the dining area.

He looked a little nervous. He was actually, although he couldn't think of a reason why he should be.

He was also dressed a little differently than usual. Gone were the tee shirt and jeans he normally wore. Instead he wore a blue button-down dress shirt, open at the collar, and a pair of black dress pants. In place of the leather jacket, he wore a matching black sport coat. His boots were replaced with a pair of dressy, but comfortable shoes. He wasn't wearing his gloves tonight, so he didn't have to take them off and put them in his pocket. He carried a single long stemmed rose.

Clearly he hoped to make a good impression tonight.

((OOC: LOL, my garbage?!? ))

Can't really help you with the blaster/defender side of it, but I can tell you how I justified my natural origin.

MA: Been training since he was 8, so he's pretty good at what he does there.
Regen: Some people have a naturally high metabolism and healing rate. The ink in the tattoos he has helped augment that innate ability to the point it could be considered "Super".

It's a bit of a stretch, and borders on Science origin, but I think it fits. Just another way of looking at it.

((OOC: Friday in RP? Did I miss my Thursday date? And yeah, where did everyone go?))