Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, Wednesday Afternoon

[not_every_mage]

Anders knew dinosaurs and dragons were not the same thing.

For one thing, they were from completely different worlds. And for another, dinosaurs were actually extinct, not just biding their time high in the mountains. And Anders had never seen whole real dragon bones ... but there was a whole dinosaur skeleton rising up toward the ceiling here in the science museum, each tooth in its massive jaw bigger than his hand.

He gaped at it as he groped for Kathy's hand. There were plenty of non-dinosaur things to see in the museum, but it was going to take him a while to tear himself away from this one.

[OOC: For she who is there!]

Comments

[not_every_mage]

Anders made a thoughtful noise as he took that in. "I suppose that makes sense for ordinary people," he said. "It's just a bit inconvenient for the rest of us."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It did make my life pretty eventful," Kathy said with a wry smile. "It's how I met St. George and Regenerator, once upon a time. Nick had gotten shot and we couldn't risk the hospital, so I dragged him into a motel toom and had Eliot walk me through it over the phone."

[not_every_mage]

"Were you scared?" Anders wondered.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Yeah?" Kathy said, nodding. "I was. But I loved it, too. Every minute." Her expression was wistful, eyes far away. "I felt like I mattered. Like I was so cool and so grown, holding a guy's shoulder together. Sounds like such a stupid ego-trip now, huh?" She gave him a small smile. "But, like, in that moment...I mattered."

[not_every_mage]

"It doesn't sound stupid at all," Anders said, pausing in front of a display of early mammals. "Maybe that's what I like about healing, too. You do matter when you're doing it. It helps put things right, when so much is always being broken."

[spin_kick_snap]

"It's what I loved best about heroing, too," Kathy agreed, looking up at the giant sloth from their earlier conversation. "I was never gonna be Uberman or Ratman or even the Mighty Dragon, but to the old lady whose purse got snatched or the girl whose date was getting aggressive or the small store owner getting hassled by punks...I didn't need to be. I was enough, and I made their life a little better anyway."

[not_every_mage]

"That's all I ever wanted to do," Anders said, eyeing the sloth's claws with a mental shudder. "Make things a little or a lot better for somebody. I'm not exactly the saving the world type."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I think with the right opportunity, you could change the world," Kathy said, looking at him with undisguised fondness. "You just need a big enough lever."

[not_every_mage]

"And a place to stand," Anders added, looking at her with equally soft eyes. "Not sure I have either one yet, but thank you."

[spin_kick_snap]

"But once you figure it out, you've got me to measure the angles and Dante to stomp your place flat," Kathy said and maybe the metaphor didn't quite make sense, but she thought it was pretty good anyway.

[not_every_mage]

"I don't even know how that would work, but it's sweet," Anders laughed. "Thank you."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Well, you need to know exactly how love the lever needs to be, right? And a flat place to set everything up. That's where we come in," Kathy said with a laugh, determined to sell this, dammit.

[not_every_mage]

"Of course," Anders said, eyes dancing. "You measure everything, Dante smashes whatever needs smashed, and I push the world around. It makes perfect sense, just like you said."

It didn't, but now he wanted to kiss her.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kisses were far better than logic. Everybody knew that. At least, Kathy did, wrapping her arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss.

[not_every_mage]

Anders returned the kiss happily, hands resting on her hips as he did. All attempts at logic were well and truly out of his head.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm really glad you've figured out what you want to do," Kathy said softly as she pulled away. "It's funny, isn't it? You and Dante being sure about what you want now and me beign the one with no clue?"

[not_every_mage]

"I guess it goes to show life keeps changing," Anders said. "None of us are the same as we were when we met. Maybe it's even for the better."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh god yes," Kathy said. "I wouldn't trade being fifteen again for anything. Even this is better than that." She slanted him a grin. "For one thing, I wasn't getting laid at fifteen."

[not_every_mage]

"I was, but I wasn't as good at it," Anders said, grinning back. "And it definitely wasn't with such high-quality people."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Definitely not," Kathy said, leaning in to steal a kiss. "For one thing, my vibe never cuddled afterwards."