#wirelesswonder

Thinking about Erika led his thoughts to her own new relationship. Well, the Liechtensteiner’s relationship was more established than his own, but Matthew has not met her partner yet so it was still relatively new in his mind. Still, Erika seemed to be happy with Lise. He still wanted to actually meet the Danish woman to get his own opinion of her. Matt considered Erika to be one of his best friends and he knew that she had not had much, if any, experiences in love before. He didn’t want to see her get hurt. The problem was that he was not quite sure how to start the conversation with Lise. He wanted to make sure that the Danish woman knew he was happy for the two of them... but also that he would go after her if she hurt Erika. Hero or not.

Belatedly he realized that his feet had taken him to the place in the Legion that was one of his favorite haunts, especially when something was on his mind. The Library. There was something about being in the quiet room surrounded by books that was calming for him. He poked his head inside, wondering if anyone was there, when he spotted a head of blonde hair seated at a table, a book on radio waves resting in front of her. Well, speak of the devil.

Matthew paused when he realized who it was he was looking at. Lise. He definitely had heard enough about her that he could pick her out in the Legion. She was pretty distinctive if you had a rough idea who you were looking for. Suddenly the Canadian was faced with two options, he could start up a conversation now, or he could just quietly leave the library and save it for another day. Matthew briefly considered the later option for a moment before deciding that he was being stupid and if he didn’t speak to her now, it would get pushed aside for even longer.

He moved towards the table and cleared his throat to get the other woman’s attention, gesturing to one of the other chairs. “Mind if I sit here?” he asked, giving her a smile when she noded in reply. Matthew sat down across the table and the room lapsed into silence once again. He could tell that the other woman was curious about why he wanted to sit at her table when all the other ones in the library were open to sit at. He better start up the conversation soon before the situation got any more awkward.

“You’re Lise, right?” the Canadian asked even though he was fairly certain of the answer. She nodded again, looking apprehensive, and he held up a hand and gave a quiet chuckle. “I’m Matthew. Erika’s friend and business partner? I just wanted to actually meet the person who she was dating. I’ve not been around the Legion as often as I would like and the times that I am, something always seems to be going on...”

The Danish woman’s eyes lit up in recognition at the name and she gave him a smile. “Ah, I was wondering! I mean, I wondered? You are not a hero and I know I’ve seen you around but we have not actually spoken.”

“Yeah, that is mostly my fault. When I am in the mansion, I usually like to spend time with my dog and my boyfriend. Occasionally with my cousin when I can track her down... but I need to make it a point to get to know someone who is important to one of my best friends, you know?” Matthew replied, giving Lise a self depreciating grin.

“Oh, don’t worry about it! I’ve been pretty busy too. But I’m always game for gaining more people to speak with here in the Legion. I still don’t know a ton of people and I’ve been here for months.” Lise exclaimed, marking her place in her book and setting it aside.

From there, the two of them spent some time finding out more about one another, bonding over their shared affection for one Erika Wohlwend. Matthew happily sharing a few stories from his time in the Legion in exchange for finding out more about the woman his friend was dating. Overall he found Lise to be a very kind and outgoing person and he hoped that would help draw Erika a bit more out of her shell. Owning her own business helped with that as well but Lise could provide Erika with some confidence and support in a way that he could not.

Finally, his stomach took the time to remind him that he had not stopped for dinner before heading into the library as the conversation was winding down. He rose and gave the Danish woman, one he hoped he could call a friend in time, a smile but there was a slight edge to it.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Lise. I know that Erika cares a lot about you and so as one of her best friends, I felt that I needed to track you down sooner rather than later. I really am happy for the two of you... But...” Matthew let his face drop into a serious expression, “If you hurt her, or mistreat her, I won’t hesitate to make life difficult for you. I doubt that will happen but I’m just throwing that out there...”