001;

[privateeyed]

Who: Ben and you folks
Broadcast: Yes
Action: SS Huntress
When: now

action; SS Huntress

[Ben doesn't take teleportation well. In fact, if the confetti and the music didn't tip the ship off, the loud cursing probably does - there you go, Huntress, your security officer is here]

What the fuck—give a guy some fuckin' warning next time, geez! God damn teleporting bullshit.

[once he's calmed down, though - and picked up some of the pudding because far be it from him to turn down free food - he's wandering the ship, peeking his head into rooms to see what's what]


broadcast;

[once he's somewhat settled in and found a place to sit and digest everything going on, Ben decides to set up a broadcast to get some Shit Done]

Anyone here good with cybernetics? Or - I don't know, computers? Advanced stuff, can give you the specfics if you're interested. Don't need you right now, I'm just covering my ass just in case.

[he pauses, and maybe realizes he should . . . introduce himself. Like a normal person would. You know, instead of just getting down to business]

Uh - anyway, name's Ben; if you don't know shit about cybernetics . . . I don't know, come tell me about the weird crap going on here. Or stuff I should know. I like being informed.

Comments

[privateeyed]

Hah. I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult.

[passingthrough]

You know, I'm going to go with the rare neither, but more compliment than insult at this point. [At least she didn't want to imply he was trash? That's something.] Hold tight. I'll be there in a minute or twelve.

[privateeyed]

Acceptable. So just a statement. [he salutes her] I'll be here.

[passingthrough]

[Despite the days it takes to write the next tag it is only minutes before Kitty is docking her shuttle on the largely unfamiliar ship. She hasn't explored much of the fleet in her time here unless invited by a crew member. Something she might look into rectifying one of these days. Today, she does so in small part.

She also decides to make something of an entrance by not actually opening her shuttle door. Instead, she simply phases out through it. So, if he's watching he'll see a hand emerge followed by the tip of her nose and quickly more until she is momentarily bisected by the solid metal and then she's fully emerged.]

Boxes, boxes, oh, person. Hi. [She gives him a smile.]

[privateeyed]

[he didn't know what he was supposed to be expecting, but it certainly isn't that. He stares at her for a good minute, jaw working as his brain tries to process. He came from a world where none of this was possible - magic, powers, whatever - except in movies. And yet there was this girl, halfway through her damn shuttle]

What in the actual fuck that is awesome.

[ah, there it is, the brain caught up]

[passingthrough]

[That gets a laugh, but she looks pleased. Pro tip: she looks pleased because she is. For a long time she felt more suspicious when people reacted to her powers with anything but fear because that's how people had always reacted to her powers. At least people who weren't the X-Men. Things changed in Marina and it took time to accept even a good change because it was so inconsistent with the reality she'd lived for so long. At this point seeing someone impressed or excited about it is familiar enough to be trusted and still new enough to make her day or at least her morning or evening. Let's not get carried away.]

It has its moments. Want to try it?

[privateeyed]

Wh—I can try it?

[for someone who openly and sometimes proudly claims to be a jackass, it doesn't take a lot to get a genuine, positive reaction out of him. He hops off the boxes to head up to her] I absolutely want to try it.

[passingthrough]

[She smiles more at that reaction. She holds a hand out to him.] You have to hold my hand and more importantly don't let go if you're in the middle of something. Literally.

[privateeyed]

[he instinctively offers her the prosthetic hand - it feels real enough, but it's cool, like there's no body heat to it] Do I get stuck if that happens? I take it that's bad.

[passingthrough]

[She'll take it, noticing the difference, but not saying anything. It's not like it's news to her at this point.]

Oh, it's the stuff of nightmares. [Literally, she has had this nightmare.] Just focus on the holding on part and try not to worry about that. In fact, you're phased now if you want to test it out. [She waves her hand through a box to show him.]

[privateeyed]

[oh god he's starting to have regrets] Okay, uh - just - warn me if I start holding too hard.

[seriously, he can break bones if he isn't careful. Curiously, and after a few moments hyping himself off, he reaches out with his other hand to stick it through a box] . . . holy shit.

[passingthrough]

Will do. [She'd like all her bones to stay in place there's no urge to unphase him to protect herself.]

So, I take it you believe me about the power now?

[privateeyed]

Yeah, I believe you, geez - [it's like watching a child, he keeps sticking his hand into the box and out] Does everyone have this power where you're from, or is it just a you power?

[passingthrough]

Most people don't even have powers, but those of us who do get something random from the grab bag. Mine was more random than most back there. I didn't meet anyone else who could do this until I was abducted. [And then it was annoying how many people could and how many just tack it on as an extra power on top of everything else! Looking at you M'gann and Vision!]

[privateeyed]

Huh. Cool and unique. [he draws his hand back finally and, after making sure he won't get stuck in anything, lets go with the other] And it just - works? It isn't like - I don't know, magic folk who can run out?

[passingthrough]

For me it's more like walking. You can train yourself to have good endurance and do it for a long time and barely notice, but then if you start running uphill it's going to wear you down until you need rest.

[privateeyed]

Makes sense. As much as anything like that does, anyway. [he hops back up onto the box, then gestures for her to join him if she wants] There's nothing like that where I'm from. People are still amazed over the shit we've got now.

[passingthrough]

To tell you the truth, the part where some of us have powers and some of us don't, did not go over well at home. [Taking a seat beside him.]

[privateeyed]

[a snort] That doesn't surprise me. Sorry to hear it. People fucking suck sometimes.

[passingthrough]

They really can.

You don't seem so bad though. I mean for a guy who looks like boxes.

[privateeyed]

Sometimes, I guess. I'm usually a jackass that looks like boxes. Or trash. Whichever one applies. [he says it so casually]

[passingthrough]

[Doesn't actually think he looks like boxes or trash and hopes he doesn't really have low self esteem about it or she'd feel bad. AND HEAVEN FORBID SHE FEEL BAD!] What usually sets off jackass mode?

[privateeyed]

[no he's just being himself, he ends up in a dumpster weekly back home so it's just a thing now]

Existing. [...] I don't know, I get moody easily. Not afraid to bitch about it, either, so - jackass mode, I guess.

[passingthrough]

I'll be sure to take cover if I see a mood rolling in. Or maybe we should end all communication here and I can remember you as you were.

[privateeyed]

Hey, that's up to you. I don't run your life. [but he shrugs] I try not to take it out on people, but it happens sometimes. I'm not known for my social skills or my charm.