inner_wolf (inner_wolf) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-04-27 21:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, audrey, nina pickering |
Who: Nina and Audrey
When: April - same night as this log http://asylums.insanejournal.com/valarl
Where: Theater
What: Movie!
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete
Audrey was excited to leave Ben with Merlin (was he inviting Gabe over?) and head to the theater for a girls’ night out with Nina. She was ready to turn her brain off and watch the pretty superheroes running around on the screen. She’d heard that the movie wasn’t very good, but she was looking forward to the movie theater junk food and the chance to relax in the dark for a bit. Hopefully she wouldn’t fall asleep!
She knocked on Nina’s door and grinned, hair pulled up into a ponytail, wearing her maternity jeans. “Hey! You ready? Movie’s in half an hour, that gives us drive time and concession line time.”
Nina was looking forward to going to the movies with Audrey, they tried to get together at least once a month to just chill out and be girls. It was nice and it gave Merlin and Gabe a chance to hang out too.
“I am ready” Nina nodded, grabbing her jacket and bag, “You’re looking good Aud” she added as they left.
“Thanks, Nin,” Audrey beamed. “I feel like I’m more pregnant than ever,” she added. “Just wait a few more weeks and I’ll be big as a house! At least I’m feeling pretty good.” She turned to lead Nina to her car so they could drive to the theater. “I hear Merlin and Gabe are up to some fun things tonight,” she added, tugging her keys from her purse.
“I can’t wait, you make pregnancy look amazing” Nina said honestly, she’d seen a lot of women and none of them took it as well as Audrey right up until the end. “Apparently so, I heard board games and kids tv was on the list” she laughed.
Audrey flushed a little. “Aww, thanks, Nin.” She grinned over at her friend as they climbed into the car. “That sounds like the best evening ever. Hi Ho Cherry-Oh and Candyland, with a little Sesame Street thrown in for good measure.”
“I think Gabe said something about Dangermouse, apparently the UK got some of the best kids tv so he and Merlin can bond over that” Nina grinned, poor Ben would be subjected to their choices though he’d probably love it.
“Dangermouse, huh? I don’t know how familiar I am with that one.” Audrey turned onto the main causeway. Thankfully it was a fairly short drive to the theater, so it wouldn’t take them long to get there. “But I’m glad they’re finding things to bond over, though. Things to expose Ben to, too.”
“It was pretty fun from what I remember of it. I did used to love cartoons in the morning” Nina admitted, “Oh they get along great I think. Luckily Gabe’s used to my Brit references and lingo now” she chuckled, “Ben will grow up with a pretty fun mix”
“Oh, me too. I wonder if we watched different ones, though, since I grew up in Louisiana?” Audrey asked. She put her blinker on and carefully changed lanes to pass around a slow-moving truck. “God, I don’t really even remember what I watched on Saturday Mornings. Sonic? Something? It’s my pregnancy brain, I bet.”
“I imagine so. Though I guess some of them must have crossed over” Nina said, before smiling, “I wouldn’t worry. I bet Merlin and Gabe will have the ones you watched on their list already”
“I’m sure I’ll be reintroduced as they show Ben all these things. I can’t believe he’s getting so big! It’s… It’s amazing, really. TO see him turning into a little person with wants and needs. He’s got his own opinions on things, too. He’s not a baby anymore.” There was awe and wonder in Audrey’s voice, but also a little sadness. Then she perked up, playfully. “Maybe that’s why we’re having another one.”
“I have no doubt you will. You’ll probably see more of Gabe and me too” she teased, “Wandering around already, he’s a little star” Nina said before laughing, “If it is that is very good timing” she teased back.
“I can’t say no to that!” Audrey loved spending time with Nina and Gabe. Actually, the four of them going out was one of her favorite things! She turned into the parking lot and found a space. Thankfully, it wasn’t very crowded tonight at the theater. “I dunno, maybe that’s how humans work. Our little ones start to get independant and self-reliant, and we’re just so used to having babies, we miss it. So we make another one.”
“Some of them maybe” Nina said, “I’m not sure that’s how all humans work. Some people stop at one and some don’t have any at all. Our world is changing so much that I don’t think the natural urge to have children is as high as it used to be”
“It was a joke!” Audrey said, grinning. “But it makes a little sense. I mean, it’s a really nice thing, to have that little creature who loves you and depends on you unconditionally. It feels good to have so much affection and attention. And they start getting bigger and depending on you less, so… you think maybe it’s time to make a new one.” Audrey shrugged. “It’s not the only reason to have another baby, but it does factor in.”
“Sorry” Nina said with a little smile, “It’s easy to slip my work hat on” She’d given a lot of safe sex talks and things at schools and she hated seeing the girls feeling bad for not wanting kids. Some of them would change their minds but she didn’t want the ones who didn’t to feel they were less because they didn’t want to be mothers. “Oh for some I am sure it does”
They pulled into the parking lot and Audrey found a space. “Are you ready to go see this movie?” She asked. “I’m certainly ready for some popcorn and chocolate.” She wanted an Icee and some nachos, too, but that might be a bit much for her little stomach. Might be a bit much for her pocketbook, too.
“I am very ready” Nina grinned, “I do love popcorn at the movies, it’s never the same without it” They stepped out of the car and Nina linked her arm with Audrey’s, “Oh this is the one with Ben and Jerry’s isn’t it? I might have to have that too” Because they didn’t do it that often and Nina was happy to treat them to that amazing ice cream.
“Oh my gosh, you’re right. Chocolate, ice cream and popcorn. I’ll have ice cream over the nachos anyday.” Audrey gave Nina a smile as they headed into the theater. She dug her phone out so they could scan the emailed tickets, and then they were inside. Good to go. “You get two ice creams, and I’ll get two popcorns, and I’ll meet you in the theater?”
“Sounds good to me” Nina nodded before heading off to the ice cream counter, one good thing about it being quiet was the lack of queues. She got her and Audrey large two scoop sundaes with hot fudge sauce because why not. They deserved a little treat now and then.
Audrey got two huge bins of popcorn. She carried one in each hand, then headed into the theater and glanced around. Nina wasn’t there yet--it was probably harder to scoop ice cream than popcorn. She picked a couple of seats in the middle and munched on the popcorn while she waited.
Nina wasn’t too far behind but the sundaes had taken longer, grinning she made her way to the seats Audrey had picked and sat down. “I thought we could do with a good treat” she said handing over the loaded sundae dish.
Audrey brightened considerably when Nina brought out the ice cream. She sat up a bit in her chair, grinning brightly at the sight. “This looks amazing,” she said, and accepted the one Nina had for her. “Thank you. And your popcorn,” she motioned to where it was sitting next to the seat beside her. “I’m so excited. Actually, I’m a little confused why the theater’s so empty.”
Nina grinned, and nodded her thanks when Audrey told her about the popcorn, “Well it’s been out a few days now and this isn’t 3D, those seem busier. I’m not complaining though, we got a great deal out of it”
“I’d much prefer the non-3D kind, anyway,” Audrey said between bites of ice cream. It really was delicious. She thought she should probably get through as much of it as she could before the movie started, so she wouldn’t be spooning ice cream in the dark. Though, having a toddler, it wouldn’t be the first time her shirt was splattered with ice cream. “I do like looking at Ben Affleck.”
“Me too” Nina said, she wasn’t convinced by this 3D craze. It worked okay for animated films but for normal ones it just felt too much. “Who doesn’t really?” she grinned, tucking into her own ice cream.
The lights went down fairly quickly after the girls started in on their ice cream. Audrey was grinning as the previews started. She finished her ice cream in time for the movie to start, then switched to noshing on the popcorn.
It wasn’t as bad as she’d worried… but it wasn’t a great movie, either. Audrey got a little sleepy part-way through, and closed her eyes for a good few minutes.
Nina loved the previews, she was almost as excited for those as the movies because she rarely knew what was coming out. A few good films by the look of it.
“Well it wasn’t awful” Nina said at the end, “But it could have been better. If I’d have come off a night shift I would have fallen asleep” she admitted.
“I think I did fall asleep for a bit there,” Audrey said, grinning. She stood up and collected her trash to exit the theater. “There’s not one of those scenes at the end of the credits, is there?”
Nina laughed, “Uh not that I know of no” she said and if it turned out there was then they could always YouTube it.
“Good. Then we can get out of here.” Audrey grinned. “I’m sure Merlin has Ben in bed by now, so we can head home for a glass of wine?” Audrey shouldn’t have too much, but four ounces wouldn’t hurt anything. And it’d calm her down and keep her healthy.
“Perfect end to our date” Nina said with a grin, she knew better than anybody that one glass of wine would do no harm. Audrey didn’t do it regularly and sometimes Nina did think that people went a little too overboard when pregnant. Common sense was all that was really needed.
Audrey was finding that she was even more lax the second time through--even though she’d been relatively lax the first time. She beamed at her friend. After dropping her garbage in the bin, she looped her arm through Nina’s. “Thanks for coming out with me tonight. I needed some Nina time.”
Nina dropped her own rubbish into the bin and smiled, “I need some Audrey time too” she said, “We definitely need to do it more regularly”
“Let’s set a standing date, then.” Audrey said, walking with Nina out into the parking lot and toward her car. “We’ll do a weekly movie night. Just us girls. I bet Merlin and Gabe would love that, too. Give them some guy time.”
Nina nodded, “I'm not sure my shifts will work weekly but we'll try as often as possible” she promised, she definitely knew Gabe would love spending time with Merlin and Ben.
“I can work my schedule around yours. Say, sometime on the weekend? That would probably work best. Unless you’re working Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then we could do Monday instead?” Audrey could manipulate her own work schedule to fit Nina’s, but she knew not everyone had that luxury.
Nina smiled, “Alright, I’ll share my online calendar with you and then you can see what my week is looking like and we can see what we can do”
“That sounds perfect.” Audrey climbed into the car and turned the motor on before putting on her seat belt. How great was technology that they could share schedules online? Pretty amazing stuff. The night was looking up. “Now, let’s go home to our guys.”
“Great” Nina said buckling up her own seatbelt, “Let’s see if they’re all still awake” she joked with a bright smile.