driftfleet | In like a Tourist, out like a lamb

[ honestly, he's been scared so much since he woke up here, he feels like if he finds one more thing scary - that'd be it, the thing that makes him snap. he needs a break, and shareable superpowers? are about the best kind of break he could think of, short of going home.

being afraid of yourself, of what you can do - it's a feeling he knows all too well, despite his complete lack of awesome powers. he got all of the crap that comes with a terrifying new part of yourself and none of the perks when his father committed murder, and it's not a feeling he has any interest in evoking in anyone else. yeah, superpowers can be scary, but not when the person behind them is good and right now? he can't imagine kitty as anything but. for the first time since he got here, he feels well and truly happy. ]

Are you kidding? This is amazing - I mean, Kara's powers are great, but she can't share them! At least...I don't think she can?

[ but really, what would he do with the power of flight and laser eyes? ok super strength and super hearing could be cool, but knowing himself he'll probably break a bunch of stuff and overhear things he wishes he hadn't. no, this is good, safe. he's not going to hurt anyone putting his hand through a mug, is he! (he won't though, right, just making sure, he's definitely not in the anyone hurting business!) ]

How many people can you do that with at once?

I'm not sure and it would depend on the people. More than one, but the mass starts adding up on me. [Which, yes, is her telling you about a limitation.]

It also gets more risky when they're just holding on to each other. I can't do anything about it if they let go. [And while her power can be largely defensive and fun as he's discovering there are also definitely monstrous applications of it. She's done things—necessary, innocent life-saving, but stuff-of-nightmares things. It stays with you.

Imagine evacuating a group of people from a burning building only to hear the screams as someone on the end loses his grip and all you see anymore are parts of him emerging from a burning wall? Actually, don't imagine it. Just continue being excited for the happy things her powers do. She needs more of that in her life, because even if she saved more than she lost it's that last face that stays with her.]

Kara's never taken you flying? I mean, not that it would be the same. You'd be carried not flying, but it's kind of fun. [If you trust the person. Otherwise it's kind of scary because you have no real control.]

[ if winn didn't have an 'it's the thought that counts' mentality, he probably already wouldn't be able to sleep at night. as a rule, he tries not to linger on those kinds of things for too long, it tends to lead him to dark spaces he's spent his life fighting to get away from.

he finally turns his attention away from his hand to look over at kitty and offer a slightly uncomfortable look. ]

I'm not that crazy about heights. [ by which he means they scare the shit out of him, and he just prays it won't end up being literal one of these days. do you see why space is a problem? no question why it's entertaining to have him on here, right! watch him freak out from dark horizon to dark horizon. ]

[She spent a long time pushing the hard, crushing, painful things off to the side to be dealt with probably never. She figured she'd never live long enough to really need to process and move on. She was right in a way. She was supposed to die, but then the prison grabbed her and now the Fleet and she's still alive and she's had so much time to just think about everything and feel everything and in some twisted way that's been harder than all the battles.]

Then you probably don't want to see the other thing I can do with my power. [Not that it's really limited to just a few things, but it's the other one that's easy to show off.] At least not for yourself.

[ while winn has been trying to live by a new philosophy of bottling things up no more - the habits of a lifetime don't break easily, and in some areas...he doesn't even try to break them. he's never been to battle, if he were to happen on one, he's pretty sure he wouldn't survive it. but if he did? he can't imagine dealing with the aftermath. the only kind of war he knows how to wage is the cyber kind.

winn quirks a brow and tilts his head slightly at this new bit of information ]

What's the other thing you can do with your power?

[ she phases. how would that apply to heights? she could...phase really fast turning a cliff into a slide? that sounds -- terrifying but also kind of awesome. ]

[She doesn't bother releasing his hand just yet as she takes a step up as if on an invisible staircase.] Ta da? [Sure, it would be more impressive with more steps, but standing on thin air is always kind of cool, right?] You should see me walk on water.

[ there is a very distinct advantage to humoring winn by showing off in front of him - he's a very eager audience. ]

...I think you just scientifically explained Jesus.

[ minus the actual explanation part. which reminds him that -- he doesn't even know what she is. kara is kryptonian, what world is kitty from? without letting go of her hand, he bends down to pass his hand through the air beneath her. ]

Is there another thing you can do with your power?

[ look he doesn't want to miss out on a cool demo just because he didn't think to ask! ]

Well, he and I are both Jewish, so maybe it's a power that runs in the bloodlines. [She smiles and watches him swishing at the air with a cocked head. You weirdo. The thought is fond though.]

It disrupts electronics. [It's a thing she can do with it. It's also a thing she can't prevent with it.] So, hilarious to send a robot army after me.

[ that makes him pout a little bit ]

Hey, it's not the robots' fault!

[ well see, she is officially safe from any potential evil winns - that's his expertise foiled right there.

the pout turns into a somewhat anxious frown ]

-- don't show me that one. [ he really doesn't need to see the spaceship's electronics malfunctioning, thank you, he's good. he believes her!

standing back up, he tilts his head again ]

Are you saying you're related to Jesus?

Okay, so first of all, the damage is usually temporary. And second of all, I wasn't talking about AIs. And third of all, I don't know why I keep numbering things, but I happen to like robots too. I just like being alive more.

[She wasn't going to demonstrate it. Especially not on the ship though if she did she might learn that it doesn't actually work on the ships. Surprise from the Atroma.]

And I did kind of imply that, but I was joking. [Though being Jewish might imply not an alien?] As far as I know mine was a spontaneous mutation anyway since both my parents were human. [Not that she ever actually asked. They could have been hiding it too maybe, but the Infinites were there for her, not them, so the odds are very much against it.

She does let go of his hand though since the demonstration is over and she steps back down to the floor.]

[ well, don't ask and you'll still be given! he is really digging this new motto! so a mutation? maybe kind of like what happened to leslie willis! though that wasn't really spontaneous, she was struck by lightning that went through kara. but, to the same result, if he's getting it right - perfectly normal human dna, mutated into something else! ]

So you were just...born with superpowers?

[ that is...really cool. yeah, no, he's definitely jealous now. although, considering his life, it's probably for the best that he was born as normal as they come, he doesn't even want to imagine what his psychopathic dad would have him do with actual superpowers (unfortunately, now it's all he can</> imagine).

it's completely ridiculous, but once she lets go of his hand he can't help but poking at the table again. solid as a...table. guess there's no more being special for him. ]

Yes, but they didn't manifest until puberty because acne isn't awkward enough, right? [It was more than awkward, but no need to get into all that.] That's how it usually is for mutants.

That must've been freaky --

[ good! now we're moving onto imagining the worst most awkward ways you can discover phasing abilities. phasing into the girls locker room? phasing into a toilet! ]

Does that sorta thing happen a lot?

Oh, you mean lying in bed upstairs with a migraine that felt like it was going to kill me only to open my eyes and see I'm on the floor in the living room downstairs? Nah, what's freaky about that? [It was a lot of things and freaky was definitely one of them.]

People being mutants? It's rare compared to how many people aren't mutants. But I've known a lot of others. I have no idea what the numbers on it are.

[ look at the bright side, kitty! it definitely beats the scenarios he's been imagining! his expression turns into a sympathetic suffering. that sounds really scary, and really ouch. ]

Does it always happen around puberty?

[ so he's past the expiration date on waking up with superpowers. unless. dear kidnappers decide to poke around with his brain some more -- you know what, he's really ok with that never happening, thanks! he'll just enjoy having lots and lots of superpowered friends! or...friends at all. being stuck in outer space may suck...a lot. but he's never had so much fun with this many different people in this short a time period in his life. it's almost like getting a taste of what being...popular must be like.

if this is a part of the game only to have all of them turn on him later, this is a dick move even for intergalactic kidnappers, just saying! ]

You seem to have a good handle on it now, though -

No. Some people are born with at least some of their abilities. [As if toddlers aren't challenging enough, right? If she knew what he was thinking she might think to talk about possibilities of latent powers being triggered later in life, but she's less familiar with that, so it doesn't come to mind whereas Kurt is freshly on her mind and while his teleporting might have been later she knew he looked different from birth and possessed at least some of his abilities early.]

I've had lots and lots and lots of practice and training. [She smiles at him almost tiredly just thinking about it. Not that she didn't occasionally love the fighting. It was a thrill in a life with few of those.]

A superpowered baby?

[ he grimaces - that sounds awful. he's not too keen on the idea of dealing with kids when they're normal - add superpowers into the mix and you know what, no amount of money in the world is worth that babysitting nightmare. ]

It shows. You're -- really amazing.

It's been known to happen.

[But that last part catches her off guard.] You probably wouldn't say that if you knew me better. [It's important to try and distance yourself with things like that when you realize you're blushing from praise.]

You probably wouldn't say that if you knew me better.

[ blurting out compliments is his jam! but everything he's learned about kitty thus far - including the very important part of her being a friend of kara's - sort of makes him doubt that. besides, her control of her powers would continue to astound him if she used them for evil - except then it would be making him sad instead of excited.

for now, though, he's just going to enjoy not being the one to blush for a change. after what she did to him earlier!! he's going to relish it. ]

But if you want to enlighten me, I know it's hard to believe coming from someone who talks this much, but I'm...a pretty good listener.

[This is normally where she drops some kind of truth bomb. Something that was perfectly true and appropriately shocking, but with none of the context to soften it. And there is always context, because she's not evil. She's made hard calls and done things she didn't like doing to save people. An early death is just about the only way you leave her world clean and innocent. Earlier than the one she got.

Except she doesn't want to drive people away anymore. It's more of a bad habit she started in the prison to protect herself. Too many people were nice to her and she didn't know how to take that after being feared and hated for so long. She didn't like waiting for the other shoe to drop so she'd just turn the whole closet upside down and give it a good shake.]

Just something I got used to expecting from people, and I've done things back home that would probably be hard to understand for someone who...is as nice as you.

You'd be surprised.

[ a sympathetic sort of pain flashes through winn's eyes; he knows what it's like, to expect the worst from people, because that's what they've shown you. he's struggled so hard to break free of that cycle. in a way, his happy excitable demeanor is as much his shield as selective truths are to kitty. a part of him wants to tell her, wants to enjoy the twisted sort of freedom that came with everyone finding out back home - at least he didn't have to worry about that happening anymore! and kara's right, whoever kidnapped them probably already knows all their secrets, there's really not that much of a point in hiding them from the audience. but a part of him still wants to rebel, to keep them from having their drama. ]

Habits are hard to break but, I'm glad you're giving us a chance. I'm totally biased here but - you couldn't make a better friend than Kara. And I'm pretty awesome myself~ [ he tries to break the tension that seems to have built all at once with a smug sort of smile. he's far from perfect, but he does give his friendships his all. they're precious and few, after all. ]

[That gets a soft smile. She could have just agreed that she was amazing before and none of the tension would have shown up at all. The long way around didn't seem to hurt things either though.]

So, am I going to be surprised by what you can understand or by how nice you actually are? You shove puppies don't you? Puppy shover. I should have guessed.

[ especially where other people are concerned - winn always prefers the honest road. bottling things up is dangerous. ]

Hey, if they gotta move, they gotta move! If they won't do it on their own!

I do like that you're comfortable enough around me to admit it. I mean, you're a monster, but I still appreciate it. [She might even be wondering a tiny bit why Kara didn't like the kiss.]

[ he'd love to know that too. he'd also love it if other girls couldn't figure it out - it'd be great to walk a mile in james olsen's shoes. metaphorically, that is, the real things would probably make him trip and fall. ]

Better you hear it from me, I like my honesty points!

[ he ignores the twisting in his gut. his dad's the monster, not him, not yet. hopefully not ever. that's not a lie. ]

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