driftfleet | Iskaulit mingle

[ his eyes double in size and he just sits there quietly for moment. why. why is it always the thing he wants it not to be?! he can feel his heart beat going crazy.

livewire. it's not the worst person his world had to offer (there's still his dad, kara's uncle), but she's pretty high up there. ]

Oh shit... [ not good, very bad...yeah no that's all he's got. that and taking out his communicator to text kara because she should not be caught unaware about this. ]

[ Charles blinks. From the reaction, it's easy to gather that Livewire is a threat. Which . . . Charles can see but not fully fathom. ]

Is she really dangerous? Her powers aside, she doesn't strike me as the type.

If she's the same one I know -- she's extremely dangerous. And unhinged. And murder-y. Sleep with a water bottle.

And if she's not?

[ He shakes his head. ]

She's got a strong personality and she likes attention. But she didn't seem unhinged or particularly inclined for murder. Not from what I could see.

I'm never that lucky, but here's hoping.

[ that still sounds like the leslie willis he knows and hates. he remembers his beer and takes a long drink. ]

[ He pauses before speaking in a gentler tone. ]

The Heron is a tough ship. We won't let anything get out of hand.

The Livewire of my world... [ she came too close to killing kara. he doesn't think she knows a thing about him because, well, he's nobody. but kara is out here as supergirl, and if it's her, if she wants revenge, he doesn't feel very safe. at all. he shakes his head. ] If something starts up, don't wait to ask for help. We're surrounded by electrical systems here. [ it could escalate so fast. ]

We won't. Neither Winter and I will take this lightly.

[ He takes another quiet sip, eyeing him. ] I think right now, she's mostly preoccupied with the ship and playing with my chair.

[ he nods a little, not really feeling better. he's too scared about letting himself be soothed - he was too happy about kara waking up from her coma, wasn't he, he brought this on himself. the atroma can't let him be happy. ]

The other newbie, who's that? [ please not another familiar name please oh my god not another familiar name! he really needs to keep up with the crew register again. but surely one is enough, right? ]

She calls herself Summer.

[ Which Charles is more than positive isn't her real name but he's not that keen to learn all the details of his ship mates when they arrive. ]

From one of those fantasy-like worlds. Full of dwarves and whatnot.

That's definitely not mine, my world's more about the aliens.

[ little attempt at a smile. he doesn't recognize the name, so there's that at least. ]

Mmm. My world has no magic or aliens. But I suppose mutants more than make up for both.

[ He swipes his thumb over his chin thoughtfully. He had often wondered why their particular world lacked those aspects but considering the beginning of mutants and the way they shape events in the world . . . it's not all that surprising. ]

[ usually winn would be happy to go into multiverse theorizing, but today, his mind is too full of fear for his life. ]

Yeah, different sources, but powers all around. [ basically anywhere he goes in the multiverse, he's a weakling. ]

. . . Maybe you need another drink.

[ He can't help feeling a pang of guilt. They always seem to meet at unfortunate crossroads. ]

Good idea.

[ a stronger drink. he goes to get himself one.

as hard as this is on him, though, he prefers it to finding out she's here by running into livewire himself. at least he can prepare himself this way, prepare kara.

he flops back into his chair, holds the drink up to charles, and empties his glass in one gulp. so much for cutting down. ]

[ What must it be like, to live like a normal human being? Charles couldn't fully fathom it. He's had his powers ever since he was little, and he can barely recall a time without the constant hum of thoughts infiltrating his mind. Though he understands fear and a potential threat. ]

How are things on your end, news notwithstanding?

My best friend just woke up from a three week coma, so I thought they were looking up.

[ he sighs. it's pretty hard, being the regular guy in a superpowered world. and kara and sometimes kitty, in their overprotective ways kinda make him feel worthless for it. news like today's - they make him feel like they're right. ]

[ His expression flickers and he turns to his glass. ]

Oh? That's good news. Those comas can be finicky in nature.

Sure, let's go with that.

[ he has some choice names for those comas. he thought it couldn't get worse than the time jim and the x-men all went out at once. but then kara went out just before the fleet came under attack. ]

[ His answering smile is wry. ]

I have to be. Erik went under a few days ago. Who knows what state he'll wake up in?

[ oh shit. he should have caught on. he would've, if his mind wasn't still focused on livewire. everything about him softens. ]

I'm sorry. [ kitty must not know, or she would have told him...that means he has to tell her, which he's absolutely not looking forward to, but right now it's about charles. ]

Not all of them mess with your head, mine didn't change anything. [ so there's still hope, no need to jump into the worst conclusions...(though, after last time...he can't help but wonder if there is worse than apocalypse). ]

[ He nods slowly. Intellectually, he knows that. There have been plenty of instances where people wake up just fine. But at the same time, Wanda's memory loss still rankles at him, their relationship now fractured due to her amnesia. And Charles is tired of trying to be strong and supportive in light of other people's difficulties. He wants time to breathe. ]

He will be. He's stronger than that.

[ that's definitely a feeling winn can understand and relate to.

he's not sure what to do here. his relationship with charles is so strange, so uncertain, that he is completely lost on how to offer comfort. with most of his friends, he'd offer a hug or at least a comforting squeeze of the shoulder, but he doesn't know how charles reacts to physical comfort. with some, he knows humor is what they'll need, a happy distraction. but use that tactic with someone it doesn't suit and you come off insensitive at best, or downright offensive. some he knows he should prompt to talk, maybe by sharing similar experiences, maybe just by reminding them he's there to listen. others, it annoys.

he's lost here, so he just offers quiet sympathy now, quiet companionship, and nods, looking for any sign from charles as to what he should be doing here. ]

[ He smiles, bemused, raising his glass. Charles doesn't need to read minds to see Winn's indecision. ]

It's all right. It's why I'm drinking. My own way of catharsis.

[ that's the thing about winn, he may have a hard time sharing the specifics, but his heart he wears on his sleeve. ]

I'm not sure 'all right' is the right description for that coping mechanism.

[ winn, you do that too. that just proves my point. ok, point taken. ]

this is going wonderfully already!

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