capeandcowllogs | (OPEN LOG) you may one day be queen

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(OPEN LOG) you may one day be queen

WHO: jennifer quantum & YOU.
WHERE: nooks and crannies of the city.
WHEN: your choice of early evening or late night.
WARNINGS: jenny's vocabulary, etc.
SUMMARY: the depowered teenage terrorist is laying low. sort of.
FORMAT: quick to start, but i'll match you!

( early evening )

[ she isn't sure if it's the fact that she's basically human now or the state of the world or something else entirely-- maybe it's the restlessness, that's been bad-- but she's been smoking herself aggressively back into the grave with a cigarette at her mouth every hour she isn't sleeping. it's always been a bad habit, but it's an annoying one now. you never realize how often you use the spark of your quantum powers to light your smokes until you can't do it anymore.

that's how you end up outside a shabby, hole-in-the-wall convenience store when you should be hiding from the authorities. it's an excuse to see how the city's doing anyway, and her cigarettes won't light themselves. though it's starting to seem unlikely that her new cheap plastic lighter will either. she sits down on the curb with a fresh cigarette hanging from her mouth, clicking that lighter over and over without producing more than a teasing spark. ]

Fuck.

--

( late night )

[ she sticks around a little longer than she should. but things seem quieter now, like maybe the events in a small country across the ocean is starting to fade from people's minds. it's worth the risk, maybe, to walk around the city a little and ease back the building agitation she's harbored after weeks of laying low, powerless and fucking bored. the bustling crowds that flood the sidewalks during the day are more or less thinned to a few stragglers by now anyway.

she's got a half-smoked cigarette hanging from her fingers as she pauses to watch a random couple argue across the street. her cigarette dwindles without her really paying attention to it. she's not even sure what it is exactly about those strangers that catches her attention so much (except maybe in a weird way, it makes her think of her parents), but it's too late by the time she notices someone looming over her and something sharp pressed up against her back through her jacket.

she thinks he says, in a rushed voice, something cliche like: hand over your money. now.

she thinks about his atoms. about their little tiny bonds breaking apart. she thinks about the molecules that make him up just disappearing, defying the laws of physics. but nothing happens. because jenny quantum is a lesser being right now, so instead of handing anything over, she just huffs out a amused breath at the irony. all she can think of as the mugger makes his demand louder is that her dad would have ripped his throat out by now. ]

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[ Julian had been looking after the mugger, debating whether or not he should give chase. He's just about decided that it's not worth it, and that he'll just leave the guy with the bruises to remember him by, when he hears that voice.

The girl that reminded him of Jenny turns out to be Jenny.

Which is unexpected, you know, because here she is in the City where she's still technically a wanted criminal. Or a terrorist. Either.

He turns to her, eyebrows almost hitting his hairline, and he stares at her. ]

Me? I live here, what are you doing here?

I thought you took off.

I did.

[ it's hard to explain what she's doing there. she isn't really entirely sure herself. she wishes she could blame it on something metaphysical, like how she's the spirit of the century and she feels bonded to this place after all this time-- some bullshit like that, something more than boredom and restlessness and a tiny little bit of missing.

it's hard to explain, so she just doesn't. instead: ]

So. I guess I fucking owe you one now, huh, Keller?

[ At this he looks uncomfortable. Ordinarily, he’d hold that kind of thing over someone he knew. Especially if that someone was a rival, or his friend. Which is often the same thing. But with Jenny... ]

Don’t be stupid, you don’t owe me shit.

[ Because he hadn’t protected her when it counted, so it’s never going to matter. Looking annoyed, he moves towards her. ]

You didn’t answer my question, Jenny, what the fuck? Do you want to get caught? What happened to laying low? If they find you they’ll throw you in NoHOPE. If you’re fucking lucky.

[ she comes to meet him half way, cigarette hanging from her mouth. it wobbles a little when she talks around it, casual as you fucking please. ]

I am laying fucking low. You see any superheroes here? Besides you, I guess.

I am not a-

[ Okay you know what, now isn't the time for that argument and he's not going to let her derail him. Annoyed, he stops and scowls at her. ]

That isn't the fucking point, Jenny, anyone could see you here. This isn't a game.

It's that big of a deal, huh. I feel like a fucking celebrity.

[ she's making light of it, because that's how she is-- not because he isn't right. he is right. anyone could see her here, and for a wanted teenage terrorist, that isn't exactly ideal. she should probably be in an underground bunker on another continent somewhere, but she doesn't want to be. maybe that's the nine-year-old in her, still immature in some ways even though she's calm and cool on the outside.

besides that, a part of her is glad to see him. ]

Maybe I should buy a fucking ski mask.

Yeah, a teenager in a sky mask. That'll make people think you're not a terrorist.

[ He pauses, then says with absolutely no change in expression: ]

Maybe something a little less wanted criminal. You could wear heels. And like, a dress maybe. No one'd recognize you then.

[ she stares at him unreadably for a long moment when he makes the suggestion before abruptly huffing out a breath of amusement that steadily grows into something more like laughter.

it's a few seconds of this before she responds: ]

Seriously?

[ Desired effect = achieved.

He knows her. He smirks back at her now. ]

Show me the asshole who'd recognize you if you did.

Yeah, yeah. Fuck you, Keller. Like hell I'm gonna get all pretty, pretty princess just 'cause I got some authorities on my ass.

[ it's fond though, the way she says it. it is good to see a friend. it seems like such a long time ago when she was seeing them every day. she pauses, lifts her cigarette to her lips (still curved up, just a little, without her even really noticing) before she goes on: ]

Hey. You wanna get something to eat? All this being mortal shit makes me hungry.

You mean instead of wandering around here doing work when my shift's over?

Yeah. You bet.

[ He closes the gap between them now. He doesn't say it, but what he's thinking is that this is how it used to be. How it should still be. Them hanging out, being friends, being stupid teenagers and not giving a shit. That's how it should be.

Maybe he's okay with pretending that's how it still is for once. ]

So, tacos?

[ jenny agrees easily enough, gesturing with her hand for him to lead the way: ]

Yeah, okay. Better be some fantastic fucking tacos though.

[ a pause. then she abruptly punches him in the shoulder, going on mildly: ]

And you sure as fuck better not tell anybody you had to save me.

[ The look on his face is probably close to insufferable. ]

I wasn’t gonna tell anyone!

Except Terry. Maybe Quire, I don’t know, I was thinking about it. You know, the usual.

Right. Let's just tell the whole fucking Network, why don't we. Put up some fucking banners that say, "Julian fucking Keller is a huge fucking bad-ass or something because he totally saved Jenny Q's ass that one time!"

[ she spreads her hands out in front of her as she talks, as if gesturing to an imaginary banner. her taunts should sound annoyed, but they don't. it's mild-- almost amicable. like she might even be having fun for the first time in god knows how long. ]

Wow, since when do Terry and Quire equal the entire Network? Let's be real, they don't have that many friends.

[ Thoughtfully. ] I guess I could tell Jess. She'd probably be impressed.

[ He means absolutely none of this, but he shoots a smile in Jenny's direction.

Yeah, shut up. He missed her. Let's not make a big deal out of this. ]

Yeah, sure. What the hell. Enjoy it while you fucking can, J.

[ she quirks a wry smile back, absently flicking away what tiny bit of her cigarette is left. she reaches into her back pocket for another one, tapping it out and pressing it to her mouth, digging around for her lighter.

absently: ]

Where the fuck is that thing?

You'll probably be really fucking annoying, and get me back for it some day.

Hey, maybe your lighter's trying to tell you it's time to stop smoking, Quantum. Ever think of that?

[ she gives him a look. ]

What the fuck for? I've already died twice here, and neither time was 'cause I had a few fucking smokes, alright.

[ she talks about it lightly, like it doesn't matter. but she'd been dwelling on it a lot. not just about bradbury and her complicated feelings on that, but how both times she had either terry or julian there-- or both-- and how her friendship's been hard on the both of them. it's not something she'll say out loud, but she thinks about it.

her unlit cigarette bobs at her mouth when she goes on: ]

Hey. How the fuck are you, anyway?

[ Twice is too many times. Hell, once is too many times as far as Julian’s concerned. His feelings about it are less complicated than hers. Bradbury is on his shit list pretty much permanently. And he hasn’t seen sight of the Sentry since that time he went insane, but he’d view him in much the same way. Seeing things in black and white terms had gotten Julian into trouble more than once. But it keeps things neater, when it comes to deciding who his friends are. ]

That shit’s gonna ruin your lungs. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. When you’re forty and can’t breathe worth a damn, you’ll know what to blame.

[ He takes a turning, aiming for the taco place. ]

I’m good. I’ve got some shit going on. Work is busy. [ He’s investigating Vulcanus. He’s working with Jack and Callie. He wants to tell her about all of that, but how can he? Jenny’s in hiding, even though no one who’d seen her tonight would be able to tell that. ] You missed that whole thing where we got ported to another dimension last month. There were Skrulls, it was shit.

You know. The usual.

It's so fucking cute that you give a shit, Keller. BFFs forever, right?

[ it comes out mocking, but she sort of means it, that sentiment. he really is one of the best-- and only-- friends she's ever had. ]

Shapeshifting aliens. Alternate dimensions. Same shit, different day, huh? [ she's a little amused, maybe. as they walk, she takes her unlit cigarette and puts it behind one ear. it's hard to tell if that's because she gave up on finding her lighter or if she's listening to him, this once. ] Almost makes you miss partying and waking up in someone else's underwear.

[ He lightly punches her shoulder. He does note that she's not lighting the death stick though, so maybe she's paying more attention than she's pretending. ]

Fuck, those were the days. 'Course if you miss it, you can always look up the old videos. It's not like anyone can get rid of them now Striker's gone.

[ she makes another vaguely amused noise, letting him play-punch her without retaliation. ]

Good, 'cause like hell I'm ever gonna let you guys live that shit down.

[ a little pause ]

Do you wish it was still like that?

[ Julian makes a sound that’s as close to laughter as he can make out. That’s a harder question to answer than he wants her to believe. Back when all that was going on, his life had been sucking in a lot of ways. Sofia had been gone, the Imbargo Act had just been passed, and they were about to get their asses kicked in Venezuela. Things had taken a more defined turn for him since then. Sofia had come back, and what had happened in Venezuela had given him a direction he hadn’t felt before. It had made him want to act, to make a difference again. There was a large part of him that thinks that’s an improvement.

But it had been Jenny who’d set him on that track in the first place. She’d made him part of a team again. Would he be so ready to act now, if she hadn’t kicked his ass out of the funk it had been in after he lost his hands?

He doesn’t think so. At length: ]

I wish it had never stopped being like that. I can’t say I’m gonna get all nostalgic about that one time I got so drunk that I woke up in Terry’s tighty whiteys, that’s the kind of shit people get therapy for. But we were good. I’m glad you made me join your stupid team, Jenny. Of fucking course I miss it. Don’t you?

[ and she's proud of them, her little band of misfits. despite everything, despite her violence and her shitty attitude and how rough she is around the edges, she's still a chaotic force for good. she's still a protector, a defender, and she believes in that. she believes in them, in terry and in julian.

she just doesn't always see the three of them on the same paths. maybe, in some ways, she wants them to walk a higher path than her, to keep their hands cleaner, to do the heroic things that she can't.

at length: ]

Sure. I fucking miss it all the time. Gotta grow up some time though, right?

[ If he knew that, Julian would think it was dumb. There's part of him that thinks Jenny sits higher than both of them, by virtue of who she is. And by virtue of what she is.

If the spirit of the century thinks she has to get her hands dirty and impose her will on people to make them fall in line, that says bad things about what the century has in store. ]

Is that what you're doing? Cause I wasn't under the impression any one of us was still a kid, Jenny.

Not even you. And you're like, eight years old or something.

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