driftfleet | 02

Entry tags:

02 - video

Who: Winn
Broadcast: Fleetwide video
Action: the Tourist
When: now!

[ last time he posted anything, he was a nervous wreck and kind of nauseous. the changes the past two months have left in him are impossible to miss; winn is smiling, upbeat, and almost comfortable. the nervous energy that is there has more to do with his addressing a bunch of strangers than the constant fear of death by space-stuff that overshadowed his first feed. ]

Hi, if we don't know each other - I'm Winn Schott. If we do know each other...I'm still Winn Schott - [ shaking his head, why hasn't he learned from the last time? prepare a script! ]

Anyway! I've been here for a couple months now, and it's been interesting - and I mean that in the original sense of the word. Think about it - not only are we in outer space [ there's only a slight wince at that, and even a lot of excitement. space is terrifying - but it's also really cool ] - but we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to reach across the multiverse and learn things that haven't even been dreamed up in our worlds yet. I've been learning - a ton from just casually talking to people, but there is a much better way to do this if we all cooperate, [ open source. it's the way of the future! ] and I know I'm not the only one out there who's interested!

So, I've got a suggestion for anyone who thinks that's really cool - and - pity for anyone who doesn't [ and by pity, he means judgment. he gestures excitedly with his hands as he introduces his brilliant concept ] - 2016: A Space-Time Odyssey - a series of free weekly lectures about anything and everything we've got here. Talks about different worlds, science, history, art lessons, concerts - I know we've got some musicians here - basically anything anyone signs up to talk about, teach, perform, or however you communicate things where you're from. Since we don't have a lecture hall we can broadcast the talks - give ourselves a fun routine....and if that doesn't work for someone, I can post the notes I'm so gonna take of all of these. Who's in? Who wants to go first?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Should I, uh, bring anything along...? [ she isn't sure what. but this is also nothing like getting fitted for a prom dress. ]

Only if you've got something you want me to fit into the design.

Right. [ duh, kate. that makes sense. perhaps her giddiness (it's been a while since she's had a costume upgrade) is getting to her head. ] Look, I won't be long. Gimme thirty minutes.

[ and true to her word, one of the blameless's shuttles arrives at the tourist -- having arrived there on auto-pilot, because kate's augment doesn't give the ability to access those controls for herself. a little ridiculous, really -- she's flown quinjets in the past. it can't be that different.

she hops into the shuttle bay on a pair of simple flat-soled shoes. her outfit is casual -- simple denim shorts and a loose tshirt tied off at the hip. there's no reason to dress up for fittings; you only cause yourself more grief that way, with layers to account for and accessories that influence the vision. ]

[ winn's gotten in the habit of waiting for his guests in the cargo hold - it just feels like good manners whether they know their way to his room or not. that he has people who want to see him is not something he takes for granted - and it's one he adheres to on this occasion as well.

he smiles when he sees her, offering a little wave before joining her. ]

Hi - it's really good to see you, Kate. [ it's only now that he sees her that he realizes that he really has been missing her. spending time with kitty is amazing, and working on his projects is important if mostly frustrating, but he loves that he has friends to visit now, and he really needs to make more time for them.

you know what, she gets a quick hug. ]

[ oh, sweet! they've crossed the hug threshold. kate returns it with open arms (quite literally) that she closes affectionately around winn's shoulders. it's a firm, confident kind of squeeze. ]

Is it? [ she laughs. ] I'm glad. I mean -- right back at you, of course. I guess I didn't expect to rate as high as a really good.

[ it could only take so long with him. now that she's returned it - there are going to be so many more hugs in her future.

he raises an eyebrow at her, clearly teasing. ]

Do we need to have a little self-esteem talk?

[ because clearly she's the one lacking in that department in this dynamic! ]

[ kate laughs, loud and from the belly. ]

I think there's no cause to sound the self-esteem alarms yet. I promise.

[ it's a good laugh, the kind that makes him genuinely happy to hear.

he points to his eyes and then at her ]

I'm keeping my eyes on you - and one hand on the button.

[ before breaking into a smile ]

You want a drink or something?

Well -- [ she smirks ] -- since it's a little early for mojitos, what have you got in the way of fine mineral waters?

[ she's joking. right? ]

[ hey, hours mean nothing in space, he wouldn't judge. ]

I have very fine don't-ask-where-it-came-from water. [ he smiles and starts walking towards the kitchen ]

I suppose I could settle. [ she remains cheeky. ] Unless you've got anything better to suggest.

Not yet, but stay tuned.

[ they are working on ice cream.

he hands her a bottle of water, and continues to lead her towards his room. ]

Hey, did you manage to grab hat pic? Cuz I think I might know who could pull it off.

[ cisco's been telling him of some of the toys he put together, and they sound damn impressive. ]

Oh! Yeah -- I sure did. [ she pulls up a file on her device, showing a purple hearing aid. ] This is what he's got right now. They're an older version of the, uhm, ones that I'm used to him wearing. He's got a newer, sleeker pair these days.

Oh - awesome - [ he gives the pic a scrutinizing look. it may not mean a lot to him, but it might work for cisco. he forwards the pic to himself. ]

Have you met Cisco? I think this might be just up his alley -

I have, actually. [ and by the way her expression lights up, it's clear she approves of him. ] You think he'd help?

I think he'd be all over it.

[ he approves of her approval. space nerdbros have to stick together! ]

...That's fantastic. [ there's an excited jitter to her movements. she hopes clint can grow to appreciate the way other people help -- and the way they care. ] Really, really fantastic.

I'll ask him about it and call you.

[ he nods. he's not holding his breath for appreciation from clint, but helping him is what they're in this for anyway. well, that and helping kate. ]

But I think it's the sort of project he'd be great at.

Guess this means I should tell him about the, uhm, Hawkeye thing. [ kate smiles. ] Not that it's a huge secret or anything. But it doesn't always come out organically.

I can keep it anonymous if you want, but you can totally tell Cisco - he's cool.

[ nerdy sidekick bros stick together. ]

Oh, God, no. Honestly? The secrecy is more of a formality, these days. Nearly everyone who matters, back home, knows. Even Clint flashes his Avengers ID now and then when out of costume. Only...

[ how to tackle this? ] There was a big rift in the hero community, a couple years ago, about secret identities. And whether people should be registering themselves with the government. I was on the against side, 'cause there are plenty who are entitled to their secret identity -- so sometimes it feels a little strange to not actually care that much about protecting mine.

Registering with the government? [ he frowns at that. as someone who not that long ago hacked into the secure servers of a secret government agency no one's even heard of in the conspiracy-nut community - that sounds like a terrible idea to him.

as someone who's been on the receiving end of the fbi's shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality - it sounds like an even worse idea to him. ]

You have good taste in sides.

[ they work with the deo, but that's because alex is there. it's alex kara trusts, and it's kara winn trusts. not the government as a whole. ]

I like to think so. [ but don't we all? ] But I do empathize with what the other side stood for -- initially, at least. There's a shit-ton of collateral damage in this line of work, and...and just before this whole thing kicked off? A group of young heroes made a critical misstep in a battle against this bad dude who literally exploded -- and took most of the hero team and a local school with him. Plus more casualties, besides. It made passing the Registration Act pretty easy for those who supported it. Some days, I can't even blame them. There was a lot of anger.

[ he shuts the door behind them as they finally make it into his room. ]

Yeah that's understandable but -- so are a lot of terrible decisions. Tying a leash to superheroes is step one of the end of heroism and the beginning of super armies. And there's no such thing as a completely secure encryption, even in the hypothetical impossible vacuum case of the registry being protected by every lock in existence and no one ever looking at it unless it somehow becomes necessary - sooner or later someone is gonna break the locks and be able to neutralize the most powerful protection the world's got. Guess it all comes down to who do you trust - the people out there risking their lives for you, or the government.

[ can you tell who he trusts? he's keeping it so well hidden. ]

A training program by heroes for heroes though, yeah -

Exactly. [ she isn't shy; she walks right in after him, and the only reason she doesn't immediately take a seat on the corner of his bed is because it's hard to get a fitting accomplished when you're seated. ] I mean, that's what I told Cap when he tried to shut down the Young Avengers. We needed him and the other full-fledged Avengers to give us guidance, not try and muscle us out of the picture. If someone's a hero, they're not just going to hang up their cape and stop helping people...

Anyway, it was Captain America who spear-headed the anti-registration side. As bull-headed as he can be, he definitely had the right side too. And was good enough to break my team out of jail after we got rounded up by the pro-registration side.

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