The Viewing Globe

WHO: Quinn and Neil.
WHAT: A home-cooked meal.
WHEN: 9/1, at night.
WHERE: Neil's apartment.

As Neil stirred his white sauce, he reflected on how careless he had been in recent days. He had been slow to pursue the relationship with Quinn, confident that there wasn't anybody else in the equation up until that shopping trip a few days ago. And even then, after he'd watched Quinn and Nicolas restrain themselves for an uncomfortably long time, he still did little to remedy the situation--Quinn had gone on a camping trip for a few days and had been the one to call him. That phone call had lasted probably five minutes.

Unacceptable.

If Nicolas won out, then any chance Neil might have had of gaining a foothold on the Rangers would be shot. He could no longer afford to let his personal obstacles and hangups get in the way; if he was going to do this properly, then he would have to become more aggressive. He didn't much care for what he had planned for the night, but it was all necessary at this point. There would be no turning back now.

Quinn would be here at any minute.

WHO: Nic, Quinn and Neil
WHAT: Hanging out, clothes shopping
WHERE: Mall
WHEN: August 27th, mid-afternoon

Quinn wrapped an arm around Nic and put his chin on his friend’s shoulder, “So seeing anything good?”

That said he dropped a blue plaid hat on Nic’s head and moved away to look at the rack of clothes Nic had been browsing through. He tilted his head and blushed. He scuffed his shoe on the floor, wondering why he had called Neil to let him know where he was. This was Nic and him time, but he wanted to see Neil too. Maybe Nic wouldn’t mind?

“Um, I told Neil we were going to be here. I hope you don’t mind?”

WHO: Quinn and Neil.
WHAT: Movie night!
WHEN: 18 August.
WHERE: Neil's apartment.

Neil sat in his immaculately clean apartment, resting a bit from the preparation he'd been doing. He'd been trying hard to make it look like someone lived in it, although he wasn't quite sure if he'd succeeded; he had tried to approximate some of the photos from those interior design magazines he'd bought the other day, but the whole place seemed to lack a certain something. He liked it enough, but he knew that wasn't enough to make it seem welcoming.

Maybe there wasn't enough color. A lot of things seemed to be various shades of grey and white, and just about everyone in Angel Grove seemed to have a favorite color that they wore on a daily basis. Neil didn't even really like white and grey, so he didn't know why his place was decorated in almost nothing but. Probably should have bought some decorations instead of pulling out old things.

No matter. He and Quinn had decided to watch a movie, so there wouldn't be much gawking at the furniture.

Probably should have rented something, he thought as he looked down at his movie selection. Most of the movies he owned had never even been watched--he wasn't much one for movies, much less comedies, but that seemed to be the one thing people always gave him for gifts. It would be up to Quinn to decide what they were going to watch; he seemed to be more interested in things like movies.

And he was due to show up at any moment.

WHO: Neil.
WHAT: A bank robbery.
WHERE: Angel Grove.
WHEN: 8/14, just before noon.

"What the hell? I never seen a white Ranger before!"

( A public debut. )

WHO: Neil.
WHAT: Raid on the Morphing Grid.
WHERE: The Academy, the Morphing Grid.
WHEN: During the riot.

( A mysterious White Ranger...! )

WHO: Quinn and Neil.
WHAT: Dinner.
WHERE: The Get Some Bar & Grille.
WHEN: Evening, the day after this scene.

Neil sat across from Quinn in the Get Some, occasionally looking over his date/quarry and thinking as they waited for their waiter to return and take their orders. Neil hoped he was doing things correctly. People were supposed to smile and laugh and act interested in whomever they were taking on a date, and he was trying to do that; but he still had a nagging feeling that he wasn't doing it quite right, and that he would eventually slip in a big way.

Oh, well. He just had to be careful, was all, and he could do that.

At least he felt confident that he did the clothes right. Nice jeans and a zip-up hoodie seemed okay for any occasion, although he was beginning to notice that he dressed in an awful lot of grey and white.

Quinn still had on that "watch" of his, which supported Neil's suspicions. He'd have to lead up to asking about things like the "watch" and work, though, in case Quinn really was what he thought he was--the other man didn't seem to be an idiot, after all.

What do people usually talk about at this point in a date? He looked down at his menu, which he had opened for all of ten seconds before making a decision, and looked back up. "So... what are you thinking of getting?"

WHO: Quinn and Neil
WHAT: Shopping for essentials.
WHERE: Some store in Angel Grove.
WHEN: Now-ish.

Neil looked down at his little shopping basket and took note of what he had: Eggs, cheese, razors, toothpaste, soap, and a few other toiletries. He had a gallon of milk in his other hand. All set except for cigarettes. Better grab some lighters.

He was a little annoyed--as always, it seemed--that he always had to shop for himself. He worked for two space aliens that lived on the moon, but he still had to shop for himself. At least he had a refrigerator and stove up there, although he was still unclear on whether or not they ran on electricity anymore. At least he didn't have to pay rent, which meant he really only had to worry about food.

"Damn, they're raising the price on these," he grumbled as he dropped a pack of lighters into his basket and headed for the check-out lane.