open + closed starters | she doesn't know

[morphogenia]

» WHO? Kamala Khan, Alex Kamal, and Frank Castle plus whoever wants to swim!
» WHEN? Now aka 7/21
» WHERE? Mess Hall, Pool, and Deck Six, Room 18.
» WHAT? Kamala starts finding stuff from home, shenanigans ensue! Open portion is for swimming with her new suit.
» WARNINGS? None


closed to Frank Castle | Deck 6, Room 18

[It starts off as a typical morning in the life of Kamala Khan. She gets up, laments that her hair is once again a mess, and heads to the bathroom to get her day going. Today is different because two outfits she knows didn't have before are now sitting on the floor of her shower. Kamala is seriously creeped out. She goes to wash her face in the sink and hopefully her fear while she's at it when she finds her laptop. Her beautiful laptop that she has missed every day. In the sink. Where water can destroy it.

Kamala screams.] NONONONONO! [She rushes to pull it out as carefully as she can and hits the on button.] Please don't be dead! Please don't be dead! This can't be happening!! [She's just going to scream again out of sheer frustration because wtf creepy space station?!]

closed to Alex Kamal | Mess Hall

[After giving herself and Frank a heart attack, she heads into the Mess Hall for a late breakfast. She's feeling better. She now has enough outfits to start a rotation for the week. It helps her feel less like a prisoner and more like herself. You know what could make that great mood crash? Spotting her purse while starting to punch buttons into the replicators. That's no trick. It's black, leather, and has the signature yellow lightning bolt she adores so much hanging off the back of a chair like it's up for grabs. Yeah she's gonna scream again. At least there's someone close by who can help. Again.]

Alex! Don't let anyone else grab that! It's mine! [She's just gonna drop her tray and run for it in case Alex doesn't immediately drop everything to rescue her purse from some random person!!]

open | Pool

[At this point, she's just rolling with the punches. She finds a burkini at the edge of the pool in her size and just shakes her head. Unless there's another tiny Muslim girl here, it's definitely hers. In fact, Kamala could swear that is one of the ones her mom looked at with her at the store before Kamala got embarrassed about wearing a modest swimsuit like some weirdo. God she was such a jerk to her mom that day. All that poor woman wanted to do was buy her daughter a proper swimsuit so that creepy old men wouldn't gawk at her rapidly growing daughter. She wants to take it back more than anything.

She finds a place to change, ties back her hair into a practical ponytail and jumps in. The hood is staying off for now even if it's kind of a distraction as it trails behind her.]

Comments

[donkeyballs]

[ Alex nearly jumps out of his skin at the scream, the tray he was holding tipping dangerously, though he somehow manages to only lose his drink, rather than everything. Pants now soaked with something resembling orange juice, he looks up helplessly at Kamala, who's yelling at him and now running directly at him. ]

Wha-- [ But then he spots the object of her attention, and sets his tray down to grab it off the chair. ]

This it?

[morphogenia]

[Kamala stops just short of him. If takes every ounce of love and respect she has for Alex not to grab that bag and shove him away. It means a lot to her which might seem silly. It's a purse for crying out loud. She's near tears just at the sight of it. She's still shouting even while standing right in front of him.] Yes, that's it! Please give it to me, Alex! That's my limited edition Ms. Marvel bag! Abu stood in a line for two hours in the middle of nowhere to get it for my sixteenth birthday because he doesn't understand how the internet works!

[donkeyballs]

Literally nothin' of what you just said made any sense to me, darlin'.

[ But he was already holding it out to her, anyway. ]

But it means a lot to you, right? There 'sposed to be anythin' in it?

[morphogenia]

[Kamala takes it and looks inside. She can't fight the look of disappointment.] Just my cell phone, wallet, and favorite chapstick.

[She sighs deeply. She should really explain, huh? Kamala hugs it to her chest.] My dad went through a lot of trouble to get me this. This has the symbol of one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes on it. She saved our lives like a million times. He knows I love her so he got this for me even though it was a huge headache for him.

[So in other words, it means a lot to her.] Thanks for making sure no one else took it.

[donkeyballs]

[ His smile broke into something soft and fond, and he couldn't quite help but reach out and rub her head a bit. ]

No problem, darlin'.

Maybe that means that a part of him is watchin' out for ya, even here?

[ Just like a large part of him was always watching out for Melas, whether hundreds of thousands of kilometers, or 300 hundred years, away. ]

[pampa]

[ kamala isn't the only one who woke up to the appearance of some strange items. namely, his. now that the rhino finally has ammunition, he loads the clip and heads out dressed the way he had been during the canterbury riots. he remembers because he let havelock down. he used to let a lot of people down. it's strange, to thread his belt and secure the star helix logo around his hips. there's still nowhere to put his gun though so it's still riding in his back pocket, peeking out from under his vest. he puts julie's necklace in his front pocket and puts his hat on his head and it's like he's on ceres again - he's detective joe miller. except here, he's not the station joke. he's someone people call on for advice and his investigative skill. perpetually two hours from death and he's somehow more useful than he ever was to anyone alive.

the gym doesn't see his face all that often, at least, not to work out, but he does like to make his rounds. so here he is looking for kovacs or steve or any of the usual haunts when instead he encounters his holster, stamped with the same logo, hanging off of a rowing machine. he makes a little sound in surprise and reaches out for the item, catching a glimpse of a familiar jacket out of the corner of his eye too, suspended from the lateral pulldown. he's strapping into his holster immediately, putting the rhino in its proper place with a little sigh, feeling like a fully assembled action figure. the only difference from his former self are the magboots, never engaged but always worn, a habit from his time on the rocinante.

when he goes to reach for his coat, brown leather that proclaims itself to be genuine earth assembled he knows it must be his. this place is super fucked up. that's when he hears the splash, throwing the jacket over his shoulder and holding it by a finger as he wanders to the edge of the pool. he can't police (ha) the soft expression that encapsulates his face in recognition. of course it would be her - the girl he always finds a reason to help. ]

How's the water?

[morphogenia]

[She's taking to the water like a fish. Kamala doesn't really swim all that often back home. The only real opportunities are during the summer or at school. Devoid of any real entertainment? This is pretty much heaven. She splashes and practices every move her gym teacher taught her class this year. The only thing that can tear her away is Joe, the man who is always trying to help her. She beams at him as always.] Amazing!

[She swims towards the edge of the pool so she can properly talk to him. She treads water until she has to grab the edge. Even then she ends up kicking her feet like it's the most natural thing in the world.] Oh my God... you look great! You really look like one of those noir detectives now! This is so cool! Did the station ghosts just get sick of us all being fashion disasters? Because I got some of my clothes too! My Ammi is gonna freak, but at least I'm less depressing to look at.

[pampa]

[ miller has never swam, he doesn't even know how. so maybe he's watching how easy it is for her with a tinge of jealousy at first, but honestly she's just always so ridiculously endearing it throws him off. ]

So you think when stuff comes here... it disappears from where we came from. [ he rubs at his face in thought. it's an interesting theory. ] I guess that would make sense since I left all this stuff in my apartment on Ceres. Would've thought they'd have thrown it out or burned it by now or something though.

[morphogenia]

[Kamala shrugs. She didn't really give it much thought except for the fact that she clearly has given this some thought, huh? Unconsciously she never stops wondering about everything around her and why it's happening.] It's the only thing that makes sense to me. Frank and Karen pointed out earlier we really don't know how time is progressing back where we come from. It might just be seconds for them so it'd explain why no one burned your stuff yet.

[pampa]

Interesting theory from the lovebirds, as usual. [ he likes it actually. it makes sense, in a fucked up way. ] Maybe that's better, then. We'll get you home in time for Ammi's famous... whatever.

adding karen BECAUSE I CAN

[oorah]

Frank and Karen were having a bit of a lie-in, uncharacteristic for them, maybe; but ever since Matt got here things have been exhausting. And with so many new areas opening up things are nonstop around here. Max, as usual, is the first to hear something amiss, giving his deep, inquiring bark at the closed door. Frank is bolt upright out of bed in an instant, leaping over Karen's feet and grabbing the gun out of the purse on her nightstand. He slips into his mag-boots and tells the dog to stay as he easily identifies the screams as Kamala's and the source as her room.

There's no morse code rapped at the door, no sound at all as he puts in the code by heart and the door slides open. At least, until he looks over his shoulder, seeing Karen and nearly having a heart attack.

"What are you doing?" he hisses under his breath even as he creeps along the wall of the girl's room, looking for any sign of a struggle, gun pointed at the ground with the safety off. He knows Karen will follow so he doesn't try and deter her further, trusting her to stay at his back.

[subplot]

"Helping!" She hisses back, giving him a look that says he's a moron if he actually thinks she'll stay behind. She heard the screams just the same as he did. They'll help her together because they're a team. That, and he has her gun and she's not about to let it out of her sight. Her hand touches at his lower back, letting him know she's behind him. She may be reckless with her own life (and the lives of 99% of other people), but she won't be with Kamala's. Giving a firm nod of her head, she pushes so he'll move forward quickly.

Little does Frank know that the pepper spray that Karen discovered is in her hand, and she's ready to stun and blind anyone that deserves it. She really prefers that they don't have to shoot anyone because she's pretty sure Kamala would be traumatized by watching Frank do it.

"The bathroom. Go." The words are barely whispered into his ear, and she gives him a nudge so he'll hurry.

[morphogenia]

It's deeply satisfying when her home screen comes up after typing in her password. She tries not to get too distressed by the fact it's clearly been messed with. Kamala can figure out what files she's missing after she gets this laptop to the safety of her bed. She closes it softly, reaching over to collect her clothes, and goes to exit her bathroom with the items pressed against her side. It's as if she hadn't been screaming a minute ago considering how calm she is.

She registers two figures against her wall once she's out of the bathroom. Before realizing exactly who they are, Kamala takes a step back to with one foot to steady herself. Her free hand glows with a golden light that's a little like the sun except it's coming directly from her skin. She makes a fist that's roughly the size of the Hulk's in less than a second and sends it straight for them like it's being launched off her body.... until her brain catches up. That's Frank and Karen. Oh God she's going to really hurt them! It stops before it can connect with Frank. She flushes as she barely avoids screaming again out of sheer panic.

"What are you guys-?!" It's then she remembers her meltdown. Sometimes she forgets to cool her dramatics down. In all fairness, she was scared! Just not for her life. "Oh. Sorry? I can explain." Maybe she should make her hand small again, huh? Kamala's arm starts to glow again once before it snaps back to her side. Her fist goes back to its usual tiny size. It's only then the gold light radiating from the area she's changing stops. Getting now why she was scared what could happen if she lost her mind, Karen?

[oorah]

There's a giant fist heading for his face before he can fully register that Kamala is alone. His breathing stutters, but he stays still, waiting for her to reverse the embiggening, as she'd called it. His free hand reaches back, gripping Karen's wrist. He knows she's holding the pepper spray and he would have let her go first if there was an assailant.

Instead of waiting for Kamala's version of events, he clicks on the safety on Karen's firearm, patting the girl on the shoulder and moving past her to the bathroom to make sure it's safe. "Clear!" he calls before coming back out. He hands Karen her gun handle-first. "Alright, sweetheart, what was all the screaming about?" His heart is still pounding, but he isn't angry she scared him, just confused.

[subplot]

Karen, on the other hand, has slightly more of an initial reaction. Her eyes widen and she almost presses down the trigger to her pepper spray. Frank grabbing her wrist gets her to jerk her head in his direction, and she almost fights to pull out of his hold so they can move back. But the fist stops short and Karen registers that it belongs to Kamala, and she lets out a loud sigh of relief. Her heart's pounding and she still has the warmth of fear that's washed over her but she knows that Kamala is safe.

Her eyes move from Frank checking out the bathroom over to the girl they've just rushed in here to save, and she realizes there's nothing to save her from at all. She was just screaming because that's what kids sometimes do. After taking the gun from Frank she hurries next door to go place both it and the pepper spray back into her purse. It takes her about ten seconds total before she's back in the room, coming up to stand beside Frank. It's about then that she notices the laptop in Kamala's hands.

"I think she was just excited about something on her computer."

pool

[circus_cupbearer]

Peter has found a pair of shorts that will do for swim trunks; wearing them and a t-shirt and carrying a towel, he walks into the pool area while Kamala is swimming. He takes off his shirt and folds it neatly, setting it and his towel down a safe distance from the edge of the pool.

[morphogenia]

Kamala will keep swimming regardless. It's a public pool, after all. He's welcome to join her. She is polite enough to offer a wave in greeting before diving back underwater to do a breaststroke. Her gym teacher was pretty adamant about that building upper body strength. She may as well get on that in space.

[circus_cupbearer]

Peter waves back automatically, only doing the slightest of double-takes at her swimming costume. He dives into the water and passes her a few times as he does a set of laps, down and back, before stopping for a break. He hangs on to the edge of the pool and offers a casually friendly smile.

"Wasn't expecting there to be a pool here." Just making small talk. If she seems disinclined, he'll back off.

[morphogenia]

She notices the look, but tries to pretend she didn't even if it bubbles up old insecurities. Maybe she was right to think everyone would think she was weird. Kamala quickly shakes it off because honestly who cares what some random guy thinks of her? She can wear whatever she wants.

And now he's talking to her. She resists the urge to be petty and just answers like she normally would while treading water. No, she's not tired yet. Benefits of being a teenager? "Yeah! Totally weird, right? I didn't think people would swim in space."

pool! (sorry this is so late :<)

[unshielding]

[ Steve's done his best to stay active, even when he'd spent a few days out of breath and dozens of pounds lighter. It's important to maintain here in space and he's doing his best to help everyone else exercise, too, if they want the help or company. It keeps his brain active and he feels like he's doing something, even when it sometimes feels like they're all just rats in a cage on this station.

The pool isn't something he goes for when it comes to working out, but it's a nice way to relax after a workout. The sound of the water is calming as it laps against the side of the pool and he finds an edge where his feet won't get in anyone's way before rolling up the legs of his jumpsuit and sitting so that his feet and calves are in the water. The top of the jumpsuit is already tied around his waist, but he's got a worn white T-shirt underneath.

He takes a moment to check for new messages before setting the device aside to lean back on his hands so he can watch the water. When he gets the chance, he likes to look for the subtle ways that the artificial spinning gravity might differ from that of a planet, but the water still laps at the side of the pool in just the same way as Kamala swims and he smiles and waves when he eventually catches her eye. ]

[morphogenia]

[Seeing him brings her up short. She dives under the water, flips towards the bottom, and kicks her way back up. It's unusually graceful move for someone who is the living embodiment of an excited puppy. She doesn't seem to think anything of it.] Cap! How are you?

[She's going to swim right on over to him.]

Pool - I'm even later than Captain America!

[neuralnet]

[ When he found a pair of swim shorts in his cupboard, Haruto had to pause. Had they always been there, and he'd never noticed, or did they just show up recently? Did someone place them there?

Either way, now he had no excuse not to use the pool now. Well, aside from the fact that he doesn't know how to swim. But there's a shallow end, right? Don't all pools have a shallow end? In any case, he gets changed and heads to the gym. He places his communicator and a towel on a bench by the wall, and heads over to the pool. He winds up just standing there for a long moment, wondering what's the best way to begin. He doesn't even notice the girl in the pink head-to-toe swimsuit nearby. ]

[morphogenia]

[Kamala is off her own little world up until she notices someone lurking at the edge for a while she braves the deep end like a pro. She swims on over, dipping under the water, and coming up for air when she gets close to Haruto. She pops out of the water Jaws-style and asks loudly,] Can you swim?

[neuralnet]

[ Haruto stumbles back at that, flailing wildly in surprise. He's lucky he doesn't slip and fall into the pool.

He recovers quickly, though, regaining his composure. ]

Ah... No. I've never had a chance to learn how.

[morphogenia]

Sorry! [Kamala quickly apologizes before skipping to the important part.] Oh! Do you need lessons?