Quantum Entanglement: Howzer and Aurelia

6. Exploration

There was indeed a next time, much to Aurelia's delight. When Howzer asked when her next day off would be, and asked her to meet him, she felt a need to veil her giddiness a bit. She didn't understand how he could be swaggering around 79s like a macho Sy Snootles one minute, then be asking her about the ethics of individualism versus collective responsibility the next, and while she felt a growing infatuation, she also couldn't tell quite what his angle was, and wanted to maintain a bit of caution as much as she could.

"You know, it's not much of a date when you have someone meet you at the place where they work," she teased, strolling up to the corner where the neon sign of 79s lit up the entire block. Night had just fallen, and the sky was still a glowing hue of blue. Howzer was slouched against the wall, helmet by his feet, tousled hair scattered across his forehead.

"Oh, you think this is a date?" Howzer countered, raising both eyebrows innocently.

The disappointment was sudden and shocking in its intensity, but Aurelia kept going, "Okay, then what is it?" She kept her tone light and playful but felt a bit bashful as she had put a little more effort into her appearance than usual, tying her curly hair up in a messy bun with a ribbon and opting for a fitted blue tank top instead of her usual baggy work shirts. She had finished the ensemble with some black pants that were a bit too tight for her liking, and she found herself wondering if she had made a fool of herself.

"It's me winning," Howzer said, "By showing you a place that's even better than your park! Let's go." He turned and headed toward the lines of speeder bikes parked along the side of the building, and she followed in a cloud of confusion and intrigue. Apparently, he hadn't noticed, or had found nothing to comment on, about her appearance. She couldn't decide if she were relieved or insulted as he walked up to a speeder, swinging his leg over it, and patted the seat behind him.

She took a deep breath. She seemed to be a level-headed participant in most all situations, or at least that's what it looked like at her job. But she also preferred solid ground, stable routines, and consistency... Taking off into the morass of Coruscant traffic on the back of a speeder bike was none of those things. The slow, steady rock of the train was a much more welcome thought than what lay before her.

"What, are we a little scaredy-sark?" Howzer asked, leaning on one elbow on the handlebars. "Come on, I'm a pro. Plus, you can just hold on to me real tight." A wink accompanied the last bit, which would have been reason for her to smile but also felt similar to all the hot air he blew at the females at 79s every night, and Aurelia realized she was wildly overthinking it, as usual.

Seeking a witty retort and coming up empty handed, she awkwardly lifted her leg and swung it over the bike seat behind him, finding the pegs with her feet. Howzer pulled his helmet on, put both hands on the bars and flicked the bike on, turning his head over his shoulder, "You gonna hold on or just clench the seat with your buttcheeks?"

Aurelia burst out into laughter at the shock and hilarity of that mental image, and she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her torso against the cold armor plates on his back. She found herself wishing she could feel him without them, but stopped that train of thought before it continued. He turned to face forward and they were off.

The impossible maze of traffic covering the entire planet was enough to make her head spin, and Aurelia had no idea how people weren't crashing into each other all the time. She felt her stomach rising into her throat as she watched over his shoulder, so she opted instead to turn her head sideways, closing her eyes and trying to enjoy the ride.

It wasn't long before he slowed, and she peered ahead again to see what he thought was so great. The night sky had deepened into a rich, velvet navy, peppered with lights of every size and color, both still and moving, and he stopped the bike on the balcony of a round structure at the very top of an impossibly tall skyscraper. It was completely dark and appeared to be abandoned. He hopped off the bike, pulling off his helmet and setting it on the ground before extending a hand to Aurelia, who took it with a little bit of a blush and got on her feet.