Erick and Gaige arrived at the diner and found two empty stools at the soda bar. Reginald was working behind the bar and greeted the couple in his usual manner and took their orders.
"Tell me more about you, what were you like before you got your power." Gaige asked.
"I was a typical high school kid."
Erick paused to allow Reginald to hand out their milkshakes; Erick had chocolate and peanut butter while Gaige had bubblegum.
"What do I owe?" Erick asked as he pulled a ten from his wallet.
"Oh, nothing," Reginald said, "Vault Hunters dine here for free."
"Consider it a tip." Erick insisted, offering Reginald the money. He reluctantly took it after giving a paranoid look around the diner, obviously looking for claptrap.
Erick turned his attention back to Gaige who was sipping her milkshake. "I was the typical high school kid, procrastinating on my homework and playing videogames in my free time. I never was too popular either, or very good looking."
"Don't say that," Gaige protested, "there is always someone that likes you no matter how you look."
"Thanks." Erick smiled and looked over at Gaige who was drinking his milkshake.
"Hey, that's mine!" Erick said playfully.
"It was melting and I just wanted to try it." Gaige replied innocently. "You want to try mine?"
"No, it's got your girl germs." Erick teased.
Gaige knew he was joking and passed her milkshake to him and he took a sip.
"Tell me more about your family." Gaige said as she passed Erick's milkshake back to him.
"You already know what happened to my mom, but my dad is a career navy man. He is the Admiral of the 27th Space Navy Fleet and, because of the war, we very rarely saw him. This meant we had to be raised by our grandfather. I just called him Colonel."
"Why?"
"As far as I can remember, that is what my father and I always called him. I still envy him to this day because he was one of those men that commanded respect by his very presence."
"He must have been a very impressive man."
"He still is, even though he is over ninety years old."
"That sounds like a man that isn't afraid of anything."
"There was one person he was afraid of though, my grandmother."
"That's interesting, why?"
"I'll tell you like he once told me. Of all the people to fear, fear your wife the most. She knows all your dirty secrets and still loves you. If she is not happy, you are not happy either." Erick finished the last of his milkshake and continued. "It is just the longhand version of a principle every man in my family lives by. Treat her like the goddess she is and you both will be happy."
"You think I am a goddess?" Gaige asked.
"Absolutely."
Erick offered his arm and Gaige took hold of it while asking. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise." Erick said. "I'll need you to close your eyes though."
She closed her eyes and he led her to the edge of the city by Moxxi's bar, overlooking a drop straight to the ground 5,000 feet down.
"Do you trust me?" Erick asked as he unwrapped the bandages from his arm. It revealed a newly formed mark exactly like his old one.
"I trust you, but why are you asking?"
"I'm just making sure."
Erick stood at the edge with his back to the open sky and pulled Gaige closer. He wrapped his arms around his waist and felt her shoulder blades poking against his chest.
"Here we go." Erick said.
He jumped off the edge and shifted into a nose dive. Gaige started screaming when she saw what was happening. Erick let his power flow and an angelic pair of wings made from lightning stretched out from his back in an impressive twelve foot span.
"You can open your eyes now." Erick said as he leveled out.
"They have been open." Gaige screamed.
"I heard."
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"Yeah, I know. But it was our first date; I had to make a good impression."
"Aside from the fact that you threw me off a cliff, I would say it's working."
"Looks like my gamble paid off then."
"Just this one."
