"Pluto is a tiny speck compared to it." In fact, on a size chart you had to break out a magnifying glass in order to find it. "They actually declassified it as a 'planet', into a dwarf planet at some point... I would show you through the telescope, but you have to find it's specific star field and watch it over several days... it's a ton of work."

"Hold up... Pluto ain't a planet anymore?! When did that happen?" He didn't care what any egg head said, you can't just unplanet something, can you? This really disturbed him. Somehow, she managed it past this, and find something else on the telescope.

With a grumpy huff, he looked into the eye piece, and stared for a long moment.

"...Rings and everything... Jees... That's unreal... I mean, you learn about all of these thing, right, but you never think to just... look up at it all. Here I am, though... Lookin' at Saturn."

He pulled away, and looked down at her.

"Thanks, Shelby."

She chuckled. The Pluto debate was one that was sure to continue on into the distant future... or at least at long as memes remained popular.

"...Rings and everything... Jees... That's unreal... I mean, you learn about all of these thing, right, but you never think to just... look up at it all. Here I am, though... Lookin' at Saturn. Thanks, Shelby."

She glanced up at him with a faint blush dusting her cheeks and grinned. "No problem, s'what i'm here for." Detaching herself from him, she shuffled back to the blankets and huddled herself into their warmth. There was a mug of hot tea calling her name, and Saph had a mug of hot chocolate somewhere calling his. 

"There should be a meteor shower starting at some point too... though, I never thought to ask about when." She pursed her lips, sipping her beverage and sighed contently. The shower was supposed to be a big one, too... she'd specifically asked for a lot of shooting stars.

"You should drink your coco before it goes cold." Shelby reached for a cookie, nibbling on it as she turned her eyes back to the sky.

"No problem, s'what i'm here for."

"Yeah? You know... I never had someone do this kinda stuff for me... I guess it's. Heh. Romantic, or something. You're really something else, Shelby." He had a hard time looking her in the face, saying these embarrassing things. He was way too used to being the leader in the relationship... The guardian to someone who needed guarding, and not much more.

It was weird, he felt like... a boyfriend.

He moved in to kiss her. A simple, straight forward kiss. No fade to black.

Saph then settled in to watch the meteor shower, looking over to his thermos of apparently hot coco. He wasn't the type for sweet drinks, but he could get over it. "Coffee... Black." He grumbled his preference for future reference, and then opened the thermos, taking a sip of the sweet beverage.

"Not bad, though. So... Why are there meteor showers, anyway? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me... There areas with a bunch more rocks in them floating out there?"

"Yeah? You know... I never had someone do this kinda stuff for me... I guess it's. Heh. Romantic, or something. You're really something else, Shelby."

He wasn't the only one embarrassed. His admission gave her pause when she was blowing on her tea and she flashed a face at him that was torn between flustered and happy. Settling her thermos between her knees she playfully punched him in the arm and pressed a kiss back on him. Honestly, she hadn't been expecting a thank you... or anything for that matter. Most of her previous relationships had worked so much differently than, well... whatever this was. She was used to give and take or just going along for the ride, for however long it lasted. It wasn't like she hadn't done other thoughtful things in the past, either. She wasn't the type to sit on the back burner and let other people do all the work. She'd just never had someone so openly accept and acknowledge it before.

"I mean... it's just normal, you know? We're two adults doing adult things, who are really just kids in adult suits making stuff up as we go." She shrugged, taking note of his grumble and chuckling. The man really liked his coffee. She could appreciate that.

"Not bad, though. So... Why are there meteor showers, anyway? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me... There areas with a bunch more rocks in them floating out there?"

Screwing the lid back onto her tea, she flopped back and tugged the blanket up around her a little. "Okay, so, look at it like this: There are really big comets out there, right? Well those comets have an orbit around the sun, similar to other planets. The difference is that their orbit isn't round, like ours. It's lopsided. They get further away and then closer to the sun depending on the angle of the orbit."

She attempted to mime it out in the air with her hands, "When the comet gets really close to the sun little chunks and particles break off and trail behind it. All that junk lingers there until Earths orbit and the Comets orbit eventually meet." She spotted a little streak of light spear across the sky and pointed up. "When that happens those bits of comet smack into our atmosphere and burn up. That's where the light comes from."

"I mean... it's just normal, you know? We're two adults doing adult things, who are really just kids in adult suits making stuff up as we go."

Saph couldn't help but smile at that. He hadn't felt like a kid in a looong time. Still, he could relate. What was being an adult? He'd met so many people trying to be adults as he grew up that he knew there wasn't really an answer to that question.

He listened to her explanation of meteors, and nodded slowly. "So big rocks cross our path and leave little rocks behind. Huh... Works for me."

He let silence set in for a bit as he leaned back and placed his hands behind his head. It was peaceful.

"Don't they say you can make a wish when you see a falling star?" He pointed as one shot past.

"Guess this prolly doesn't count, huh?"

"Don't they say you can make a wish when you see a falling star? Guess this prolly doesn't count, huh?"

Shelby settled her hands on her stomach, glancing at him out of the corners of her eyes. "Stars, dandelions, fountains...." Another star streaked across the sky. "There are a lot of things people make wishes on." A few more stars raced by overhead. 

"Given that this whole area is made up of some kind of hardened light, i'd say that that they are real enough for now, in the moment at least."  She wasn't really sure if that was reassuring... or what he wanted to hear, but well, what else was she supposed to say?

"I think the main idea is to pick something to wish on, make your wish, and then keep it secret until it comes true."
Really, she'd never understood the concept fully. The wishing, yes... the secret part, no. She glanced at him glanced at him again, one corner of her lips lifted slightly in a half smile.

"Why? Got a wish you're thinking about?"

She explained the danger room... He knew kinda how it worked; he'd had to take a sort of class on it in order to be allowed to program some things. He actually had a sort of knack for it, himself, at least when it came to making training simulators. He wasn't good at the artsy stuff, like her.

Maybe they could make something together some time?

"Why? Got a wish you're thinking about?"

Saph thought for a moment in silence, staring up at the starry sky.

"Nah...I think I'm good."

He didn't need to make any wishes. He was in a place that he loved, with people he loves, and doing things that he loved

Wishes were for people who didn't have all of that.

"Yeah... I'm good."

[end]

Date number three: You wanted an Adventure!

He had been working tirelessly.

Effing tirelessly.

She'd wanted an adventure, and he felt like he'd delivered.

Saphirus stood in the observation room of the danger room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

He'd gotten some shut eye and gotten cleaned up leading up to this; he felt pretty confident about how he looked; shorter hair than normal, mustache and beard in a well trimmed goatee. More important than that, he felt well prepared.

He had a little bag at his feet filled pretty much to the brim, with what, no one but he, and Eric knew.

The X-Man had left an invitation for her on the bed, stating the following:

Shelby,

You wanted an adventure, you got it. Meet me in the danger room at 3. Bring you're smile and game face.

- Saph

Yes, he used the wrong 'your', but he meant well, bless him.

She encountered his note as she wandered back in from a run and swiftly checked her phone for the time. She had a half an hour to spare. Crap! After the fastest shower of her life, she threw on a baggy college sweater, some yoga pants, and made haste for the danger room as quickly as she could.

She arrived a few minutes shy of the assigned time, stumbling into the room winded and still damp. "I'm-" Pant, huff, "-Here!"

He was inside, leaning up against a wall with his arms crossed. He'd cleaned up. She suddenly felt frumpy in comparison and shifted awkwardly. Quickly, she braided her wet hair to one side and stepped in to meet him.

"Sorry... I would have been here earlier but I went for a run around the school and only got back in a little bit ago. I uh... took a quick shower. Figured you would appreciate me not smelling like a sweaty mess." Her eyes shifted to the bag at his feet. A brow raised slightly as her curiosity peaked.

"So... what's the adventure?" She was mighty curious... and excited.

He couldn't help but laugh aloud as she entered the room red in the face and panting. He leaned away from the wall, and ran a hand own his face.

"Lookin good, darlin. That's, eh, laundry day chic, right? Very popular with the kids." He gave a thumbs up, clearly @#$^ing with her. He hoped she would take it in stride.

"Sorry... I would have been here earlier but I went for a run around the school and only got back in a little bit ago. I uh... took a quick shower. Figured you would appreciate me not smelling like a sweaty mess."


He nodded, leaning down to grab the bag, and hoist it over his shoulder.

"You're just in time, actually. C'mon. Daylight's burnin!"

She asked about the adventure, and he waved her on. "You'll see! Hope you like it; worked on it all night... and the night before that."

The danger room door opened, and he walked on in, placing the bag on the ground.

"You ready?"

"Lookin good, darlin. That's, eh, laundry day chic, right? Very popular with the kids."

She stuck her tongue out at him, tugging her sweater down around her hips. College trends were hard to get rid of!

"You're just in time, actually. C'mon. Daylight's burnin! You'll see! Hope you like it; worked on it all night... and the night before that."

Wow... all night for two night straight? She was flattered. She blinked at him and smiled like a dope, appropriately. "Well, color me flattered."

He slung the mystery bag over one shoulder and headed for the simulation room. She followed after him excitedly, nearly bouncing on her toes as she went. What had he been working on for so long? "I'm so ready i'll explode if you drag this out any longer." She clasped her hands in front of her and broke out the puppy eyes again, batting her lashes at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Pleeeeaaseeeee show meeeeeee."

Okay, clearly she wanted him to get on with it.

Saphirus turned, and looked into the blank room. "Alright, then... Computer, run simulation, "Adventure Time!"

In a flash, the world changed around them. A room of white became a vibrant field surrounded by rolling hills of yellow-golden grass. The sky, scattered about with light fluffy clouds had a greenish tint to it.

Before them was a path, behind them the entrance to a dense woods wasn't too far off. If one looked closely down the path ahead they would see the makings of a small medieval village.

A small text window would appear before Shelby, with the words 'character creation' scrolled across the top. It would ask her about the class she wanted to be, what stats and specialties she preferred, and the like.

Saph was already picking things with a goofy grin on his face. Appearance would stay the same with the exception of minor detail changes in race.

Before too long, a light enveloped the X-Man, and he was suddenly wearing a slightly rusty set of armor, and wielding a giant, busted up sword.

"Hah! It worked! I found something someone had been working on a while back and fixed it up best I could. Might still be a little messed up in some areas, but it'll work! Welcome to the world of OnceEver!"

He gave her a little bit to select her character details. He'd opted to be a human knight/paladin. He'd fiddled with things to make them a bit more powerful than the game would have wanted to start them at.

She squinted at him in suspicion as he got the simulation going. Was it a coincidence that he had named it after one of her favorite cartoon shows? The world populated around them in a flash, and she spent a good few moments marveling at it with a little spin in place. Was it some kind of time-travel picnic?

A little hub appeared before her, earning a squeak of surprise. The artist flashed a questioning glance at Saph, who was busy poking at his own little screen, before she adjusted her glasses and leaned into look at her own. Was that a...?

"Character creation?" It slowly dawned on her what kind of adventure he probably had in mind, and a delighted grin settled on her features. She loved games like this! She was a huge fan in fact, and had once spent a pretty penny on a very well liked online multiplayer game with a similar theme. God, her bank account was happy she'd managed to escape from that particular vice.

Poking around through the options, she pondered what she wanted to be. Human? Elf? Halfling? She certainly had the stature for the last one, but decided against it. She'd always went with whatever was the most visually appealing to her. After a bit of pondering on it, she made her choice and a similar light quickly enveloped her.

As it dimmed and faded she lifted an arm to look at herself. Her skin was a dark greenish color, with sharp pointy black nails. She reached up to feel her ears, which had elongated slightly and ended in a slightly crooked point and tucked newly white hair behind them. Unbeknownst to her, her teeth had been tapered off into small sharp points as well, and her eyes had turned a very cat-like yellow. Blinking, she looked to Saph first with a grin on her lips. "Well, what'chu think oh, knight?"

Whereas he had received the armor of a knight, if a well used version, she had received the garb of a Goblin Shaman. Which, considering her gender, covered relatively little. A black, jagged looking strapless bra enveloped her womanly bits. Bits that looked like thorns poked off in random directions, with bits of dark brown leather hanging here and there. There was a heavy necklace of what looked like bones hanging around her neck, with a bird skull sitting center over her clavicle. A skirt, if it could even be called that, hung loosely around her hips, and matched the bralette in appearance. It was open on the sides; hanging down at front and back in the same dark brown material that decorated the top. She was barefoot all of the sudden, and noticed that tribal looking bracelets decorated her wrists and ankles.

"You look smashing in armor." She tapped one last button and a long, knobby wooden staffed appeared, with a human-like skull decorating the top.

Saph stared at her for a moment as she transformed before him, looking her up and down...

"Still hot." He made his sword disappear into his inventory for a moment, as it was pretty dang heavy, and turned to look around.

"Alright, you choose. North, we go to the village, start a quest there. West, we go out toward the coast to a dock out there. East, toward some mines an stuff, and south, to the dark woods. All of them have stuff to do. Hell, we can do what ever you want. It's your adventure."

He looked off to the side toward a small outcrop of bushes. "You can open up a mini map and stuff, but I do know there are some things we an test out the fighting system on over there if you want."

He seemed to be itching for a fight just a bit, but he could go for anything, really. This game's world was pretty flexible.

She grinned and blew an air kiss at him.

"Alright, you choose. North, we go to the village, start a quest there. West, we go out toward the coast to a dock out there. East, toward some mines an stuff, and south, to the dark woods. All of them have stuff to do. Hell, we can do what ever you want. It's your adventure. You can open up a mini map and stuff, but I do know there are some things we an test out the fighting system on over there if you want."

She fiddled with her stats a little more, before finalizing it. "I'd like to test this out a bit. Get a feel for it." She looked over to where he had pointed out. She hadn't played a necromancer in a long time. "Lets go wreck some Sh$t!" Hoisting her staff up, she turned and led the charge toward the bushes, flipping through her spells and abilities with one hand, while pushing some foliage out of her way with the staff in the other.

Off in the bushes ahead of them was a small horde of Kobolds, who were gathered around a decent pile of shiny baubles and treasure. They were squabbling among themselves over it, flailing small swords and spears around while screeching at each other.

Shelby paused by a tree not too far off, peeking around it at them while trying to decide what attack to go with. She could summon an apparition to send at them... or start shooting generic energy bolts at them. Hmmm.