New York Preplay

[icecoldfrost]

OK. So if we have time, we can do an establishy post the night before, with Emma telling Karla to wear running shoes and clothes she doesn't mind ruining. If we don't have time, we'll assume all that got said handwavily, so feel free to remark on it anway.

Thread One: The portal will dump them in Chinatown, where they make their way to the nearest subway station, hitch a ride up to Central Park. Emma and Hank make their home in lost sections of the abandoned lower level under the 42nd Street station. Hence the need for pants Karla might not mind throwing out. It's dry and clean, but there's lots of climbing and such.

Thread Two: MEET HANK! If Karla wants to poke at Hank's head, I think she could. Since he's not really a 'landen,' I don't think she'd burn out his brain.

Thread Three: (optional slumber-party thread) The girls can either stay the night with Hank (Emma's got a room! With a bed!) or then head out to crash at a hotel if they want.

Final Thread: Then some late breakfast at a diner the next day before heading back.

Comments

Re: Meet Hank!

[icecoldfrost]

"Emma has deep-seated issues with change that she cannot control, especially in regards to things she sees as being within her personal space," Hank rumbled, oblivious to the look of sheer hate Emma shot him. "It's hardly surprising, as many telepathic mutants exhibit degrees of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. It's often a subconscious reaction to the need for control of their powers."

"Do you even remember ever meeting other telepaths?"

"No, but that doesn't make me wrong." Hank turned another corner, pushing aside a shower-curtain that had been strung across the narrow tunnel, and the space suddenly opened up into a small alcove.

There was a small full-sized mattress, held off the floor by four cinder-blocks and some plywood, two empty bookcases, a battered steamer trunk, and a small CD player/radio. And in the corner, a large, overstuffed wing-back chair, with a lamp and small table beside it.

"The reception down here is pretty bad," he sighed, looking at the radio woefully. "But you can get National Public Radio!"

Re: Meet Hank!

[glacial_queen]

Karla looked around, smiling a little. "You're own space," she said quietly, looking back at Emma. "This is all yours."

Technically, it was more than Karla had at the moment.

Re: Meet Hank!

[icecoldfrost]

Emma stood in the doorway, wide-eyed as she surveyed the space. "You didn't have to do this," she objected. "Especially not when you could have spent the time working on your experiments."

"You're a growing girl. It's not appropriate for you to sleep in the main room like when you were little. Littler. Sixteen." Hank shifted from one foot to the other. "But you still can't have boys over in here."

Re: Meet Hank!

[glacial_queen]

Karla laughed a little bit. "It's a lovely room," she said, turning to Hank to give Emma a moment to compose herself. "The main pieces are here, but there's a lot Emma can do to turn this place uniquely hers, like with bedding and books and the like."

Re: Meet Hank!

[icecoldfrost]

"And no spiders, because Emma hates spiders!" he proclaimed proudly. "I cleaned them all out and moved them all down another tunnel, so they can catch the bugs there. Nature at its finest."

"It means I can save some money living here and working a part-time job before I move into college dorms after school," Emma finally said, once she got her rebellious throat under control. It just kept closing up on her. "But we get to do your room next, okay, Hank? You shouldn't have to sleep in the lab or on the couch, you deserve a private space too."

"And no spiders is a plus." She turned to Karla, giving her a small smile. "Want to go shopping with me? I did get us a hotel room for tonight, since I didn't think there'd be space for us to sleep down here, but we can decorate tomorrow."

She looked up at Hank with puppy eyes. "Karla can sleep over, right? Since she's not a boy?"

Re: Meet Hank!

[glacial_queen]

Karla also turned big, blue, puppy eyes up at Hank. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease?" she asked. "I'm very not a male. In fact, all our caste-Craft is strictly segregated across the gender lines. Craft not only separates Blood from landens, but also males from females."

Just bringing up more interesting bits about her people. Y'know, things that Hank might find interesting and want to hear more about. Which he totally could, if Karla stayed over.

Re: Meet Hank!

[icecoldfrost]

Hank considered this, clearly mulling over the pros and cons of this idea.

Pro: He could try and figure out the genetic complexities of 'magic' without Emma whining too much about using her friends for Science.

Con: TWO teenage girls poking around his lab for an extended period of time. Emma was bad enough on her own.

"Go to your hotel tonight," he said firmly. "It needs pillows and stuffed animals and things before it's ready for you girls to use it, but you can spend all day down here tomorrow doing your decorating if you want."

"And Karla can sleep over whenever she wants, since she isn't a boy."

Re: Meet Hank!

[glacial_queen]

Well, with an invitation to stay over whenever she liked, Karla couldn't really complain about not sleeping over this evening. "That sounds fair," she decided. "Besides, then we'll already be up in the city when the stores open. More time to decide on things, right?"