september catchall

[whatyoumust]

WHO: Alberto Reyes and friends, maybe you?
WHERE: Heropa; will note for other locations
WHEN: Month of September
WHAT: Dad has a date and goes on some field trips.
WARNINGS: A married couple having dinner together, and at least one supervillain in fake fur. SO PROBABLY NOTHING.
NOTE: Feel free to pm me/pp smithsyndicate if you'd like a specific thread with Berto!

Comments

let's make a date (bianca, ted)

[whatyoumust]

[After how well their other evenings out had gone over the last few months-- the Fourth of July most notably awful, no thanks to someone's calendar-themed crimes-- Alberto wanted nothing more than to have a normal, stress and chaos-free date with his wife.

After all, they deserved it. Both of them. For Berto's part, he'd never had as much free time in his life as he had now in Heropa. Not to mention that, with his (startlingly, more and more livable every day) blog job, and odd garage jobs he picked up now and again, money wasn't quite as much an issue as it was back in El Paso. It's not really a problem for them to splurge on a fancy dinner every once in a blue moon.

So, here they are: Alberto and Bianca, husband and wife, dolled up and sitting across from each other at Heropa's finest dining establishment. The decor's lavish; every piece of cultery, every bit of glassware truly fine; and the food's... well, it's not at their table yet, but everyone else's stuff looks pretty good, from what's around, at least?

Berto grins sheepishly at Bianca.]

You look beautiful tonight.

[asoothingvoice]

[Bianca has settled into her own routine of sorts here, too. Office. Studying all the sorts of things involved with being a counselor. Keeping herself up to date on nursing (with the end goal of getting licensed here properly). All the small things in between the insanity of the gala and then Philadelphia.

This outfit- a nice dress, in red- is going to be kept away from the more official events, she's already decided. Just to have one piece of formalwear not get ruined by blood or debris.]

You aren't looking too bad yourself.

[All the beard products he's been testing don't hurt, either.]

[whatyoumust]

Heh. I try-- can't have a woman like you seen with a scruffy mechanic, eh? [Berto scratches his beard, smiling at his wife across the table.

It's funny. He would never feel out of place with his wife, but there's something surreal, something timeless, about the way he feels on dates like this. Nearly twenty years together and he's still enamored.]

Though I suppose I'm a scruffy blogger, now. Until I can get back to real work.

[The blog is as weird to him as it (probably) is to everyone else.]

[asoothingvoice]

Well, you didn't start off that scruffy. [Sometimes she's surprised that it's been as long as it's been since they first met. Since she became interested in the cute soldier boy that Lilly put her nose up at the idea of. And now they have two children. Where does the time go?] Besides, you clean up pretty good, if I have to say so.

Getting tired of it?

[She's not surprised if he is; he's always been a hands on sort of person.]

#justneighborthings (kotetsu)

[whatyoumust]

[Alberto's not antisocial by any means, but, well, Heropa isn't like El Paso. He's done his work, taken the sights in, helped out his boy (and his boy's roommates and friends where he could help it), and even done his part with the powers he'd been so generously given upon arrival to this world. He's settled in, or should have by now; he's getting used to the rhythm and flow of life here just fine.

But maybe he's too much a creature of habit to truly settle into this world, or maybe it's the fact that his daughter isn't here: in spite of the knowledge that she's safe, he misses her more than he can really say.

Whatever it is? The bottom line is that Heropa just isn't quite home.

He's pondering this as he wanders outside into the mid-morning one weekend. Bianca's out, and so is Jaime, so he may as well get out, too, lest he lose himself in thought and risk any degree of moping over his situation. His neighbor's outside, too, and it occurs to him that while he's seen him around maybe once or twice... he hasn't actually greeted him yet. Conversation might keep the homesick off his brain, so he waves the man over with a smile.]

Finally, my neighbor and I are here at the same time. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself until now.

[earnedmystripes]

[Kotetsu is not quite in the same boat as Alberto, having been in this world for almost three years and gotten more or less used to it, but a similar one in that--despite not being the unfriendly sort, he often doesn't get around to meet and greets with his neighbors due to the whole, uh, Wild Tiger thing, oops.

BUT no time like the present, right? Kotetsu grins as the other man calls him over, and he flaps a hand at the apology.]

Man, don't even mention it. Something's always going on around here, keeps us all on our toes.

[He extends his hand for a shake.]

I'm Kotetsu. Kotetsu Kaburagi.

[whatyoumust]

Alberto Reyes. [He returns the gesture and shakes Kotetsu's hand, grip firm.] I've only been a few months in this world.

[Some days he feels like he's just playing house. Like he should be trying to figure out a way home, even if he's completely out of his depth in all of these metaphysical matters, here.]

It's good to see more imports our age-- apart from the superheroes, it seems like all I'm seeing are kids closer to how old my son is. Have you been here long?

[earnedmystripes]

[Wait, Reyes? Kotetsu nearly does a doubletake.]

Reyes as in...is Jaime your son?

[Having both of his parents here at the same time...man, if it really is the kid's dad, he's really happy for Jaime.]

It's been three years for me. M'practically the flagbearer for the "old" camp at this point.

[Kotetsu you're not even officially forty yet, shush.]

'Side from the immortals, I guess, heh.

just casually dropping you a starter

[catchacold]

It's not as if he doesn't go drinking a lot, but going drinking with someone who seems this straight-laced? That's more of a rarity. Actually, he can't even remember it ever having happened. His life has never had a lot of room to even get a feel for what normalcy could be.

But he likes Alberto. He's easy-going, there's certainly no need to be on edge around him and he hasn't even tried to swipe his wallet last time they met at the gala, so Leonard clearly does care to not make a terrible impression. Which would explain why, upon sitting down at the bar in a stool next to Alberto, he pulls out his own wallet.

"Drinks are on me."