OOM: A brief pit stop

[ami_imperfect]

It had been Sam's suggestion - her insistence, really - that the Fenton family (plus three) stop off at some warm location before returning to Amity Park. Fortunately everyone else had had as much of the Antarctic temperatures as she had, so there were no objections to a brief stop off in Chile on their way home.

Standing on the beach and watching the sunset, Dani still finds it hard to wrap her head around. She associated herself with Amity Park solely because Danny was there (then later because of Vlad because someone had to keep an eye on the fruit loop), but for the past two years "home" had meant Milliways. Eating meals down in the bar, being subjected to sudden wardrobe changes on holidays or for other reasons, training outside...being able to see Enzo whenever she wanted (or as often as his schedule would allow).

They hadn't even returned to Amity Park or begun moving her things out yet, but already Dani finds herself feeling homesick for Milliways.

Comments

[a1enzo]

Enzo digs his toes into the sand and marvels at the view. He hadn't realized there could be much variation in beaches, but this looks nothing like the Caribbean inlet of the lake, and an ocean sunset is so much more... sunsetty than one with mountains and forest in the way.

Milliways may interface with everywhere and everything, but a proper world gives you much more world.

He's going to miss her like crazy, he knows that. But a home, and family, and a world... this is better for her.


Another, less sentimental part of him, is reflecting that Users sweat a lot. Even in his new tank top and shorts (for which the excited shopkeepers refused payment), he's dripping. He would remove the shirt, except he knows he'd blush so hard that he wouldn't end up any cooler.

[ami_imperfect]

That, and Danny would probably rant about it until he turned blue.

(Fortunately, he's currently being distracted by Sam somewhere further down the beach)

Danielle looks over at her boyfriend, and grins. "Warm enough for you?" she asks innocently.

[a1enzo]

Enzo grins ruefully and pulls his sweat-stained shirt away from his skin; it tries to stick.

"Good thing I can't come here as a sprite. I'd be so drunk." He releases his shirt, and it hits his skin with a splap. "It's real nice here, though."

[ami_imperfect]

"And you're underage," his girlfriend points out, trying not to giggle.

She sighs contentedly. "Remind me to thank Sam for insisting we stop here before going back ho- to Amity Park."

She manages to catch herself in time. For some reason she feels extremely guilty referring to Amity Park as "home", instead of Milliways.

[a1enzo]

Enzo catches her 'correction'.

"You'll get used to it," he says softly. "I got used to the Supercomputer, remember? It doesn't take as long as you think."

Mainframe is still more home, but that's more to do with the people than the place. With a family in Amity Park, he has no doubt it will come to fill that slot very quickly.

[ami_imperfect]

"It's still weird, though," she replies. "And I'm so used to...to being by myself, I..."

[a1enzo]

"Hey!" Enzo puts on a great show of indignation. "What am I, a background process?"

[ami_imperfect]

And said great show of indignation earns him a punch in the arm.

"You know what I mean, geez!" Dani rolls her eyes. "I've never...been part of a family before. What if I... what if I mess up somehow?"

[a1enzo]

"Then you'll get grounded or something. Everyone messes up sometimes. Then you say sorry, or they punish you or whatever, and you get over it. It's not like with Vlad."

[ami_imperfect]

Somehow, Dani refrains from shuddering when she hears the Fruit Loop's name. "I can't believe he's really gone," she murmurs in awe.

The other stuff? Well, she'll just have to take Enzo's word for it. Which is good enough for her.

[a1enzo]

Enzo has plenty of experience with messing up and getting grounded.

"He can't come back," Enzo says with a grin. "He pissed off the whole world. Even if he came back, he couldn't trick people anymore, and he wouldn't have any money or minions..."

[ami_imperfect]

"But he'd still have his powers," she points out.

Still, it would take Vlad a while to get back to Earth from where Jack left him in space...

[a1enzo]

"So do you. And Danny. And now everyone'd be helping you against him." He takes her hand in both of his and grins again, encouragingly. "Anyway, he's not coming back. C'mon, you taught me about space. It's dangerous out there. He got left in the asteroid belt without a ship. He's fragged."

[ami_imperfect]

Dani takes a moment, and considers all of this. Then she grins at Enzo.

"Maybe we'll get really lucky and he'll get stuck in orbit around Mars or something." Now that would be something to see on the Hubble telescope.

[a1enzo]

"Sweeeeet. Would that count as an extra moon?"

[ami_imperfect]

"He'd be a pretty weird looking moon."

[a1enzo]

"The name works, though," he says brightly. "Phobos, Deimos, and Plasmius."

Plasmios?

[ami_imperfect]

She shrugs. "Sounds about right to me."

With Vlad's fate decided (or as decided as it can be when being discussed by two young teenagers) Dani turns her attention back to the sunset.

[a1enzo]

So it is written, so mote it be?

Enzo joins her in this. "Man. That's one thing we could do with back home."

[ami_imperfect]

Sounds 'bout right.

She nods; whether it's in agreement or not one cannot say. "I can make a vidfile of a sunset for you, if you want."

She could be teasing. Who knows?

[a1enzo]

"That'd be nice." He smiles at her, then smirks. "Maybe I could project it real big on the sky."

[ami_imperfect]

"You'd just have to make sure to time it to the right moment."

A sunset in Mainframe. Whodathunkit?

[a1enzo]

"When does the day stop and the night start? Is it when the sun starts to go below the horizon, or when it's all gone, or what?"

[ami_imperfect]

She shrugs. "I think night starts when the sun has gone completely down and it's dark outside."

The mun, on the other hand, subscribes to the whole "A.M./P.M." business.

[a1enzo]

It is a straightforward and reliable system.

Enzo nods. "I'd try to time it to that, then." He squeezes her hand. "Maybe I could do it next time you visit."

There's a tense, questioning note in that statement.