[Aw, you and Lia would be cute, Tina! Best buds! Homies! Oh, no way, I'll go on forever. But, later. We have a tale to recall and people to rally! Anyways, Christina, this part I get to tell.]
Leaving wasn't as simple as that. We couldn't use the portal anchor there so we had to take about an hour and a half drive to Chicago. Courteously, we broke into a museum and used a display case full of shabti. There were some times when I looked back and swore I could hear wings flapping. But it was always nothing. We were out of there and back to the 21st Nome, however, before I could consider checking it out. After quick introductions, Lia and Rachel went to the infirmary to patch up any remaining cuts or bruises. Me? Well, it was the middle of the afternoon and a great day outside. So, I went and grabbed Christina who was just coming out of the infirmary where she got a nasty scar on her back healed when I stepped beside her and walked with her.
"Oh, hey," Tina smiled as she walked to the terrace for lunch, "What's up?"
I laughed, "Well, considering the first time we got kinda sidetracked with all the kissing-"
"I don't know when that's ever happened before," She said sarcastically as she grabbed herself some nachos.
"-I think we should do some combat training!" I finished as I grabbed a burrito from the table.
She shrugged as we took a seat at the table, "That seems cool. Yeah, we could do that. But I've got a surprise for you."
I bit into my burrito after saying "A surprise?"
Christina smirked, "How are you with stencil spray paint art?"
"No shit!" I stared at her in disbelief, "You do that too?"
She chuckled as she picked up a napkin and wiped her face and then mine which was kinda nice, "Sweet. That's my favorite."
At that point, I'm not gonna lie I was pretty friggin' happy. Badass girlfriends are awesome, mind you. We arranged to meet down by the river where there was a nice little clearing and a huge concrete wall. I grabbed a few spray paint cans and my knives before heading out 20 minutes later. But, before I could leave, Gabriel [Who had apparently made it back from the canyon at some point in time] dropped a little package into my hand which I laughed at but put in my pocket. [You'll learn what it is soon enough.]
When I met Christina by our spot, she had on my crimson red sweatshirt, torn jeans, and a new (likely Sadie's idea) black streak in her hair.
"That's pretty badass," I laughed as I laid down the painting supplies next to her own. She studied the wall closely; both hands on her waist, her lips pused, and her eyes narrowed. Then, she nudged my shoulder with a smile.
"Alright get this idea," Christina said and I listened attentively as she explained it to me. I grinned madly when she finished but it was a good idea. We set to work: cutting the paper into the shapes and filling them in with spray paint. Piece by piece, the art came together. By the time we finished, we were out of paint, masking tape, and stolen rolls of paper.
"Okay," Christina said, adding the last few touches, "okay, okay, alright we should be good. Do it." I peeled off the last bit of paper and she whistled loudly and I laughed.
The piece was complex: it was me, Christina, Carter, Sadie, Zia, and Walt in a line. But it wasn't quite that simple. Behind each of us was our hieroglyphic symbol: behind mine was the Bastet cat, Walt's was a jackal, Carter's was an eye of Horus, et cetera. The colors and details were great.
"Christina..." I stared gaping, "We are so fricking good at this."
Both of us doubled over laughing. But, still, it was pretty good.
"We need to do this more often," I sighed, leaning on a cool iron sheet. Christina settled next to me and I slung my arm around her shoulder. We sat back and admired our work.
"Agreed," Christina murmured, scooting closer to me, "We could be artists."
"How many artists do you know follow the House of Life?" I smiled at her.
"That's true," She said, "but magicians aren't unlike regular mortals. We are all the same."
"You should be a philosopher."
"I'm flattered."
"I figured," I laughed, "But, I guess you're right. At heart, we're all the same."
"Especially at heart," Christina nodded, placing a hand on my knee. Not stressful, at all, nope, "Love is always the same."
"I can agree to that," I sighed.
Christina shocked me. Not in like the static way but in like the 'woah' way, to clarify. She crawled up so that she straddled my thighs and she kissed me gently on the mouth. When she pulled away, I grinned.
"No difference at all," I murmured, and our lips met more fiercely this time. Eventually, it got heated and I adjusted us so that we laid on the ground, me supporting myself above her. Our kissing never ended an eventually I had slipped my own and Christina's shirts over our heads.
And, well, according to Christina, I am not allowed to put the entirety of that on the recording.
In short, we had sex.
Sorry, kids.
