driftfleet | And On Your Left You'll See a Tourist Mingle

[ being wrapped up in putting things together has been pretty fun for winn, and easy for him to get lost in. unlike everything else he's working on, this is a project he knows he can conclude happily and quickly, so he's been pouring all of his energy into it.

this? is lightyears better.it's he-can't-quite-believe-this-is-happening levels of better.

he kisses kitty, hand tangled in her hair, the reminder that occasionally pops up in his head that this is actually kara's office and not his own private space the only thing that stays it there. his other, on the other hand, seems to have missed that memo. ]

[MEANWHILE . . .

Hank shoots off a quick message to Kara as he steps onto the Tourist, letting her know he's there to visit. And then he . . . waits.

Because as tempting as it is to just look around, since this is first time on one of the older ships in the fleet, he knows better than to go wandering off by himself. And it'd really suck if he accidentally scared someone, which - well, that's always a worry]

[ she shows up pretty soon after the text and gives him a hug. they're hugging friends now. then she takes his arm, chattering while they walk ]

Hank! I'm so glad you made it over! We can do a quick tour, but luckily, my office is pretty much on the way to checking out the other parts of the ship, and I want you to meet Winn anyway. He's in there working on costumes for the masquerade they're hosting down on the moon?

Anyway, it's right over here. Not totally sure why he closed the door but it was probably just to get some peace and quiet. You know how the creative types are. Anyway!

[ let's just open this here door right here and step in ]

Hey, Winn, are you in the middle of—

[ oh. oh god. oh no ]

[hugging friends is so strange but he'll happily let her chatter away at him, following along and listening patiently, even smiling. He's looking foward to meeting her friend, and—

And then she opens the door. And that. Yes. Oh god.

Hank makes a faint, choked noise and immediately spins around, stumbling a bit but certainly NOT LOOKING and oh look the way they came is very nice and full of things that aren't people making out]

Mmfft?

[All of this commotion! It catches her off guard and for someone used to being guarded that means immediate defensive mode. And for someone who phases that means suddenly the girl Winn was kissing and touching is intangible and with no equal and opposite forces in their way they start to merge. Yes, it's as freaky looking as it sounds even if it's harmless.]

[ things were going so well that he really should have seen this coming; forget that they're in a reality show, he's still him and he still has his luck. the reality show part isn't helping, though, he's sure.

his eyes shoot up when he hears the noise from the door, and his first instinct is to jump up and away from the embarrassing situation (nothing personal, kitty), but kitty's reaction plants him in place. is it safe to move? he's not really sure, he doesn't know her powers that well, and his head is kind of whirling right now. he'll get back to being mortified at kara and -- her guest -- soon enough, but right now he has other concerns. ]

K-kitty. Can you -- [ what did we say about him phasing through things and things (or people!) phasing through him being different? what do you mean that was in brackets! that's no excuse. ]

Ahhhh. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

[ she is fanning herself and not looking at them and adjusting her glasses (still not looking) and generally just being unpleasantly surprised ]

Sorry! Sorry. I didn't know. I didn't think...! I'll use my x-ray vision next time! Or not! Actually forget that. Let's not do that.

Someone else start talking.

[in a distant part of his mind he wonders how ridiculous he looks, six feet of blue furball flustered and staring straight as if he looks anywhere else he'll get in trouble.

He clears his throat]

What - what she said, I didn't see anything!

[that's it, that's his contribution]

[Kitty shifts herself completely out of Winn. No more surprise penetration and she puts a little distance between them on the couch before clearing her throat.] Okay, calm down, you've all seen worse in PG-13 movies. [As if she hadn't helped escalate.]

[ with his heart racing, winn looks down to sort of make sure he (and he alone) is all there, and taps himself as discreetly as possible to reassure himself. he wasn't prepared for that at all, he's never even considered the possibility, and he's considered some ridiculous possibilities.

letting go of a shaky breath, he finally looks up to face the rest of the room, his cheeks flushed. ]

Sorry -- did you need the office? [ running a hand through his hair. desperate to change the subject to anything but what just happened. ]

I was just giving Hank a tour and I thought... Honestly, I didn't know Kitty was over... Anyway. We can. Go see the rest of the ship. It's no big deal.

[just because he's seen it Kitty doesn't mean he wants to see it but. He turns around and shoots her a quick, "really?" look before he looks apologetic for interrupting . . . whatever he didn't see]

Sorry.

[Their clothes were on! No one was mounted! And what are you even doing, Winn? You're fiiiiine.

She lifts a hand up to smooth back her hair because even if she's trying to project "chill" she's not exactly there. The awkward is thick in the room.]

Oh, we're done. Hi, Kara. [Nodding in turn.] Hank. [Yes, really.]

[ the awkward is thick -- and painful. he gives kitty an apologetic look, and...oh, this is so not how he wanted to meet this guy. he's far from sure about how he should be feeling about him - he doesn't really know anything about him except that the two most important people to him on this fleet have conflicting feelings about him.

are you doing this to him on purpose, show?

he finally pulls himself up to his feet, straightening down his shirt. ]

Yeah, go ahead, sorry there's a bit of a mess - [ fabrics everywhere, and two dresses - one blue, one red, in the works. ]

Hi - [ he spares each of the ladies a look before properly turning to hank. this is so uncomfortable. ]

I'm Winslow - Winn - Winn Schott. [ he didn't say hi, I'm awkward, he's going to take the win. ]

[ winslow? Winn must be really nervous ]

I. Sorry, Winn. And Hank.

Really should think about socks and doorknobs if things escalate...

[ the last part is kind of muttered under her breath ]

[he's going to pretend he doesn't hear the mutter, and nod to Winn, managing something of a half-smile. What a way to meet someone] It's - fine, Kara, this, uh . . . [he has no idea what he wants to say, so he just clears his throat and addresses Winn]

Hank McCoy. [he offers, with a vague gesture at himself] I've heard a lot about you. [and he stops himself there before he can add "and not like this" because it's already too awkward]

[Kitty stands up too, feeling extra awkward alone on the couch now. This whole thing is probably the couch's fault anyway.] Your name is Winslow? [Should she have already known his name? Did she ever mention hers is Katherine?

Kara gets that "really?" glance from before now because come on! She's not escalating anything on Kara's couch. Okay, she might have thought of escalating something, but that doesn't mean they would have.]

Likewise --

[ only kinda, and mostly it wasn't about him properly - which is the source of a lot of the discomfort he's feeling.

he looks back at kitty, and he's almost grateful for her reaction. it's a distraction from what kara said. ]

Yeah, yeah, cuz you know, puns about 'winning' and 'shots' aren't enough, you need some 'slow' in there, too.

[ okay she knows when she's being universally reviled. maybe that comment was a bit much but COME ON ]

I'm going to grab some drinks. Who wants what?

[is this getting more awkward? He feels like this is getting more awkward]

Ah - uh, anything's fine, thank you. [he glances at Kara, shooting her a brief apologetic look. This timing was terrible, maybe he should have messaged before he shuttled over] Do you - want help carrying anything?

[not that he thinks she isn't capable - he knows she is - but it's second nature to look for a (brief) escape]

I'm fine or water is fine. [There is so much fine here. Every fine.]

I'll just be here coming up with my slow-based puns.

[She is noticing how not thrown Winn seems by the blue furry guy though in as much as anyone is acting "not thrown" right now anyway. Points achieved.]

[ he'd be very thrown, but there was a blue furry guy on board with him when he arrived, and he's in outer space. at this point -- that there are so many regular-looking people is what's weird. besides, it's a blue furry guy that's important to kara. ]

Well we're on a roll here so -- fine, anything is fine, thank you, fine.

[ trying for a smile? ]

Take your time -- [ badum tish. ]

No super speed, got it.

[ she takes Hank's arm and pulls him out of the room rather than just tell him to come with her ]

Be right back!

[ she's completely not sure why she's reacting so strongly— it's like Kitty said, there was nothing inherently scandalous about what they were doing. but the convergence of factors just pushed it over the edge ]

[he's okay with being pulled, he goes more than willingly.

He only gives a brief glance over his shoulder once they're out of earshot before he glances down at Kara]

So that was - something.

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