driftfleet | it's not our fault it's an april mingle

[he gestures for her to come in, then, and to find a seat wherever she wants]

Ah - so the lab is new? [he didn't know that. He was almost afraid he had taken over someone else's work area for his own personal hiding place] But - no, it's okay. All of this is new to me, so I wouldn't know the difference. It's not so bad here so far.

Must've come with you. [ she taps the augment on the back of her neck. ] I'm a cook. All I come with is some extra spices and the ability not to futz up protein cubes beyond all edibility.

[ and yet she's mighty curious about the lab itself. she strides straight across it -- eager to explore. ]

[he came with a lab. The thought alone makes him smile wider, a little ironically] That's not so bad. I met a cook up on the main ship - we tested out his augment.

[he finally takes a sip of the tea as she decides to explore] —ah, this is good. [he holds up the cup a little] Thank you again.

Hm? [ she glances back over her shoulder. kate's already rummaging through the medicine cabinet -- curious. ] Oh! Not a problem. My pleasure. We've -- we've lost a lot of people, lately.

[ there had been a lab right up until miranda left. having one return with hank is a godsend. but she'd never really trespassed into miranda's space, and so never got to explore before. ]

So a new face is pretty welcome, at this point.

I'm sorry to hear that. [he almost wants to ask what that means, where people go when they're "lost" or "missing", but he files that away for another time.

When she looks over her shoulder, he gestures to one of the lower cabinets with a small smile] I smuggled food over, if you want. It's not a lot, but I've been warned about what there is available.

...You're a bona fide saint, Hank. [ wow, how weird is it to call him hank? very weird. she doesn't even call wolverine by his name.

kate turns on a heel. ] Our stock isn't great -- but once we pay off renovations for private quarters, we can invest in the kitchen. That helps. Would also help if we stopped somewhere that traded in agriculture as some kind of industry. But instead, we got stuck with the after-school special for climate change.

After-school special? [his brows furrow in confusion, but he quickly shakes his head] But - yeah, I've heard about what the moon - uh, offers, for lack of a better word. [of course, he's still interested in it anyway, being the giant nerd that he is]

Does it take a lot? To renovate a ship?

Nothing extravagant. [ kate crosses her arms -- casually, though. very little about her comes across as hostile (at the moment). ] But this ship was just commissioned when I first arrived. The same can be said for most of the rest of the crew. You might be newer than us, but only barely. Our pockets are still pretty shallow.

That's . . . honestly a little bit of a relief - no offense. [he looks apologetic, taking a sip of tea before continuing] I'd feel a little strange coming onto a ship that's . . . established already.

I know what you mean. Once I was shuffled, my first few days were spent on the Bishop. [ a theatrical shudder. ] Couldn't transfer fast enough.

[he grins at the theatrics]

I thought about transferring, but I thought I'd give it an honest shot first. And now that I know a little more . . . [he shrugs a shoulder; Charles and Erik are only a shuttle away, and they can (sometimes) take care of themselves] I might stick around. Er - if that's okay.

Of course it is. [ kate nods -- definitely on board with this notion. ] Not least of all because life's always better with your particular augment on board. But most of us are good people. We have a few thorns in the rose bush, but --

Azula is manageable. And Wolverine's a decent guy under all that grumbling. I think.

I'm - used to thorns in the rose bush, so to speak, but—[he pauses and frowns, "Wolverine"? Why did that sound so familiar. And then - ]

Logan's on this ship?

[ -- huh, alright. it had certainly been a test: her dropping that name, at that time. to judge just how different a version of hank this might be. katie nods. ]

He is. But, uhm...he and I are from the same world. Do you know him from yours?

[ alright!! time to take this particular plunge once again. ]

I know - a Logan. [he winces a little at how that sounds, but he is watching her curiously. It would explain why she didn't really react to how he looked, but is she a mutant?] The how is a little - er, complicated, but I know him in mine.

It's always gonna be complicated, I think. [ despite the seriousness of her expression, there's wry humour lurking in her voice. ] Even before we start factoring in this place.

Can I just ask one thing -- and then I promise it's your turn to ask questions, honestly. You're with the X-Men, right?

That's definitely an understatement, considering what I've encountered already. [and despite what he has run into, he says it with the same wry humor]

I don't mind questions. [he purses his lips at hers, though, unsure how to answer] I know what the X-Men are? More or less, a-anyway. [he looks apologetic] But it's only 1973 where I came from, too. We were working to get the institute open again before we were pulled here.

[ o-oh! maybe that accounts for the discrepancies. peggy's attention perks up once again. ]

2016, right here. [ she jabs a thumb in her own direction. ] Jeez, you're from -- you're from before I was ever born.

[that's the second time he's heard 2016 and it still makes him feel old, somehow. He quirks a half-smile]

Do I want to ask when you were born?

You could. But it's hardly relevant. There are better questions you could be asking.

I could. [it's agreeing and amused] Are you part of the X-Men, then? [a pause] And why what I look like didn't seem to surprise you?

You're half-right. [ she smiles -- pleasantly pleased with how polite the conversation's going. by all accounts, it could have been far worse. perhaps it's the time and distance that makes it easier. after all, they aren't two people who should have been important to one another.

they're only strangers trying to sort out strange circumstances. ] I'm not an X-Man. Woman. However it's said. I'm not a mutant, either -- but I work with plenty. But the Young Avengers are a little beyond your year, I'm guessing.

[ but it doesn't occur to her for even a moment that the avengers proper might be absent. ]

[it's nice to have a conversation where he isn't being accused of being someone else, it's true. He settles against one of the counters, still nursing the tea]

I . . . yeah, I think so. I can't say I've heard of them. But you work with mutants? [that sound so . . . nice]

Teammates. [ a best friend. and then a sorta-ex. plus david, though kate isn't certain where things really stand with him and his inclusion on the team. hell, the team isn't even half as active as it used to be.

mostly, these days, it's her and clint. ]

In New York. I -- uh, I met you. Once. Either a much older version of you or maybe we're talking alternate universes. There's a lot of that around here. I've counted a full three different timelines so far.

[timelines. He looks wry and faintly shakes his head, and doesn't look all that surprised that they've met in another world. That's surprisingly common here, and he's getting used to it]

From everything I've heard about all the - different worlds we're all from, I'm older in every one of them.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject