Open. Mingle post for the Tourist!

[edwinjarvis]

Who: SS Tourist crew and visitors!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: SS Tourist
When: Through the month of January.

WE GOT A WAFFLE IRON FOR CHRISTMAS AND JARVIS IS GOING TO MAKE WAFFLES.

It's the only right way to start 2017.

(Everyone do top comments of stuff mkay.)

Comments

OTA

[passingthrough]

[Kitty usually spends at least half her nights on the Tourist, but ever since they got to the hotel it's only happened a couple of times. One of those times was over Christmas when she gifted the crew with a waffle maker she'd cobbled together and a few bottles of alcohol left in the kitchen.

She's here today to drop off some things she collected at the hotel that are more for Winn's place than hers. She figures they'll be moving on soon. She'll be sorry to leave. The hotel is her second favorite stop so far. Still, she's looking rested, relaxed. Maybe not quite as happy as she has been though. There had been so many losses before they got here and they were starting to pile up again with Remy, Pinkie Pie, and Cheese.]

(OOC: This can be used for all of January so just write a prompt that works for the current time whatever it is or hit me up at hauntedreality on plurk and I'll set something up for you!)

[winn]

[ maybe it hurts so much because it hit him after such a high. maybe it was always going to hurt so much - to watch jim and kitty lose remy, to lose pinkie himself.

he needs to process the grief, so he heads back to the tourist, where he knows he can be left alone with everyone enjoying the hotel. he sits in his room and replays the video of his first encounter with pinkie - it was when he and cisco introduced karaokebowl for the honor of their local pizzas. he was so excited to meet an actual talking pink pony - he never thought then that she would come to be such a pillar of joy in his life.

when kitty comes in he's sitting crosslegged on the bed, clutching the doll pinkie gave him for hearth's warming in one hand, his communicator propped up against the pillow, replaying old messages, his eyes sparkling with tears he still doesn't let himself shed.

he jumps when he spots her, fumbling to turn the video off, clearing his throat and shoving the doll behind him. ]

Hey -- did we - [ he puts on a smile and tries to adopt a more casual tone. ] am I spoiling a surprise?

[passingthrough]

[Not expecting Winn to be on the ship she hadn't thought to give him any warning and just phased inside. He's not quick enough to erase all the signs of how he's feeling. And as hard as it is to see him sad, watching him smile to cover it up is just heartbreaking. She drops the bag she was carrying and sits down next to him, pulling him close and holding him securely. She doesn't answer his question just yet. She just needs to somehow protect him from whatever he's feeling that makes him look like that.]

[winn]

[ it takes him a second to respond to the hug - but when he does he holds her tightly. ]

I'm okay. [ he speaks softly after a moment. he's not thrilled - but he's ok. he supposes he should consider himself lucky, it took a pretty long time for him to start losing the people he loves. and unlike sascha, at least he can hope that pinkie's gone home. ]

[passingthrough]

[Her fingers very gently smooth over his hair.] What's going on in there, guy I love? [While she'd assume Pinkie is at least a part of it she's not sure if that's the full story or not.]

[winn]

I just hate that we keep losing people. And ponies.

[ he tries for a dumb joke, because that's what he always does. he's still extremely uncomfortable with showing his misery. ]

[passingthrough]

[She twists her head to kiss his temple.] I do too. It's hard. It's always hard. No amount of practice makes this anything close to perfect.

[winn]

There's no perfect here.

[ even getting their happy ending will be sad, because they'll lose all the friends who want to go home - which is most of them. ]

[passingthrough]

I know I might be biased, but is perfect anywhere? [Honestly, this place is pretty close except for the lack of freedom and presence of augments. Those are pretty huge exceptions! But compared to home? Almost paradise. She's sure there is better out there in the big, wide universe and worse. But perfect? She doesn't believe in that.]

[winn]

Probably not. But there's better.

[ much much better. there's not living in fear of waking up alone, of never knowing what happened to the people you love, never knowing if they're safe, if they're happy, if you'll ever see them again. ]

[passingthrough]

We'll keep working toward better. Keep moving forward. [Keep walking as her Allen told her once upon a time. Strange how she needed help going then when things were so much better for her than they'd been at home, but she left a world that was ravaged and harsh that she understood to go to one that was unexpectedly kind and giving which would still take so suddenly. It was harder somehow. New. Different. Cruel in ways she hadn't faced before. That experience helps her here, but it doesn't make it hurt less. She just knows the drill. She still misses everyone she's lost here. People she came to know and care about deeply like Sascha and people she barely had the chance to know but who left a strong impression like Orion—another world's Steve Rogers or Wolverine who was so much like her mentor but different too.]

[winn]

Keep moving forward.

[ he repeats it, but truthfully the words seem empty to him now. it's what jim always tells him to - keep going, you can't live in this you can't live like that - well he can't just keep being positive when every time he's having a good time it's immediately followed by being slapped in the face. oh you like this touchy-feely planet? coma. you have fun at this party? lose your friends. how much can one person take and still stay positive? the bruises jim landed on him from their post-remy lesson still hurt, but they're nothing compared to the pain of seeing that look in his friend's eyes.

it hurts. it hurts so much. and he's going to keep moving forward towards what? more pain? is it even possible to defeat the atroma? he needs some proof for where and what they are. if this is a false reality it could be that only a terrible shock to the system - like maybe dying - will reboot his brain's perception and get him out of this. but he can't imagine doing that...it all feels too real, what if it is real? what if it's magic, what if that's why he can't understand it? what can he do against magic?

he wants to scream. ]

[passingthrough]

[She can tell he isn't really reassured by that, but she doesn't realize the extent to which he's spinning out either. Even knowing him well and having some training in profiling she's not a telepath and Winn is good at hiding what he wants hidden.] It know it's easier said than done, but there's a lot of good here too. [Like their relationship. Like that party. Like the hand-holding planet. The bad doesn't erase the good. It just tricks you into feeling like it does for a little while. The way it was easier to see the pain at the end of her relationships than the parts that made her happy, made her stronger, made her wiser.]

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda had gone looking for Kitty, and, upon not finding her on Kitty's own ship, Wanda had a second guess where she might be. As luck would have it, she did indeed find Kitty on the Tourist. In fact, Wanda almost bumps into her turning a corner.]

Oh, I'm sorry. I --

[The apology is out of her mouth before she's even seen who it is. Recognizing Kitty, a relieved smile finds its way onto Wanda's lip. Good. She's glad she hasn't been wandering around this ship for no reason.]

Ah, finally found you.

[passingthrough]

Hi, Wanda. [There's a face she wasn't expecting to see here, but she is glad she's recognized this time around.]

You were looking for me? [A little amused that she was found on the Tourist but it's completely fair. She's definitely here enough most of the time.] What's up?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

I came to apologize for all the trouble I caused back on New Year's. I know I already did that evening...

[Her smile becomes a little more sheepish.]

But at the time I didn't remember that I was talking to a good friend.

[Wanda's maybe not so subtle hint that her memories -- though perhaps not exactly all of them -- have returned.]

[passingthrough]

You have your memories back? [She smiles. She also did not miss that she just got called a good friend which is very touching and she is quickly side stepping because feelings!] That's great!

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Kitty's about to get hit with some more feelings. Wanda smiles appreciatively at her friend's response, and she then takes it one move further. A step forward, and Wanda wraps Kitty into a hug.]

Thank you... for helping me. And for your patience with me. I hope... I hope my forgetting didn't... I'm sorry if I upset you.

[passingthrough]

[Well, if she must! She smiles a little and returns the hug.] It was fine. [She has a lot of practice in that area and at least there was less ground to re-cover than there would have been if it had been someone like Winn or Kurt. Not that it ever feels good mind you.] I was hoping they might come back since losing them seemed different than usual.

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda gives Kitty a tight squeeze in their embrace before pulling apart. She really did appreciate Kitty being one of the people so willing to help her. There were several people on Wanda's list to thank and/or apologize to. The way she behaved without her memories... she's surprised she didn't alienate more people.]

How do you mean different than usual?

[passingthrough]

[She smiles at the girl post-hug.] It usually happens when someone disappears completely and then comes back. As far as I knew that hadn't happened to you.

[notmutantbutmiracle]

Guess I'm just lucky then.

[Her tone drenched with sarcasm. She then holds up the "I toured the Tourist" T-shirt she received from Winn upon her arrival.]

I finally had a chance to meet Winn by the way.

[passingthrough]

The luckiest.

[That shirt gets a smile.] And you even got a t-shirt out of it. Such a productive guy to meet. [He's so thoughtful. He also tries a little too hard, but she loves him so much.]

Cute, isn't he?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda makes a noise somewhere between a snort and a chuckle when Kitty calls him "productive." That was certainly one word for it.]

He seems nice. A little excitable and awkward at times, but certainly friendly.

[She then gives Kitty a bigger smile.]

It seems I'm not the actual lucky one.

[This time her tone is far more genuine. She truly means the compliment to both Kitty and Winn. They seemed very happy together.]

[passingthrough]

You got me. I'm the luckiest of all the people. [While she says it in a teasing tone she certainly believes it.] He's also an excellent kisser which I have to tell people since no one else gets to find out on their own.