Raise the Roof

[shes_intense]

WHO: shes_intense and whoajeezwhat
WHERE: Brenda's apartment!
WHEN: Backdated to the evening of Friday February 5th
WARNINGS: Rock and Roll (but no sex or drugs, sigh)
SUMMARY: Brenda and Mark hang, eat snacks and play guitar hero. Also bonding. Yes.
FORMAT: Quicklog?

Comments

[whoajeezwhat]

[He grins back, half-relieved that he got the right place. Saying 'woops, wrong house' would be pretty awkward.]

Hey, Brenda. I found it pretty okay. Besides, third time's the charm, right? [he makes a face] Kidding.

Oh--[With that, he raises a little plastic bag.] I brought some stuff for us to eat.

None of it healthy.

[shes_intense]

I like how you think!

[she grins and invites him in, taking his coat and tossing it on the chair where she keeps her own. His bag is full of just the sorts of delicious things she really loves on a night in, yay!]

Oh man. Jujubes AND Reese cups. You are a man after my own heart, Mark.

[whoajeezwhat]

[And there's that trademark, lopsided smile.] I try, I try.

[After stepping in to the living room, he places his hands in his pockets, taking a quick look around. His attention turns downwards after a few seconds, noticing the game. Hey, you got the Greatest Hits! [He picks the box up to take a look at the track list before turning his head in her direction.] How much did it cost you?

[shes_intense]

Enough to make my wallet cry for payday but not enough as be anything but completely worth it!

[Brenda flops down on the couch to start sorting through the candy and snacks, categorizing them by tastiness]

Make yourself at home. I know the couch is from Ikea but I swear it's current structural integrity defies it's stupid Swedish directions.

[whoajeezwhat]

[Mark has been hanging around long enough to have the Ikea reputation grow on him, so he gives her a little laugh right before sitting down, elbows resting on his knees. He places the box at the corner of the table.]

So, hey--is anybody else coming? I wasn't sure if I should bring food for a big group.

[shes_intense]

Oh, nah not really. Jaime and I hung out the other day when I went to go buy the game and stuff and...

[she fidgets a little] Well, I mean, I know I have our teammates and stuff but I don't really have a big crowd of friends in the city to invite, you know?

[whoajeezwhat]

Oh--yeah, no, I totally get it. I was just wondering. [He had to admit that this situation had suddenly become slightly awkward, but that was no reason to let it be. He could understand where she was coming from--he met a lot of people at the Institute and whenever he was patrolling. Hell, he was about to become one of the Avengers, but that didn't mean he would invite them over for a party. It would be weird to think of all these people in that situation.]

[He gave her a smile, hoping to lift her mood.] All the more junk food for us to dig into, right?

[shes_intense]

[She smiled back and slid a bowl of chips toward him, turning on the tv and leaving it on some music channel for now]

So, what was stuff like back in your home universe anyway? I never asked you if you were born with your powers or if you got them from somewhere when you were older or what.

[whoajeezwhat]

[Mark picked up a few chips with a 'thanks', leaning back on the couch a little more comfortably to eat one at a time. He seemed determined to be focused on the music channel for a while - the band currently playing wasn't one of his favorites, but it was bearable.

He raised his eyebrows at her question, still chewing the last bit.]

Me? [A beat. He hadn't really been asked about his home world just yet, and had to admit it was just a little awkward.] I'm--uh.

How should I put this? [He frowned in thought, looking up.]

Well - my dad already had superpowers. He's pretty famous back where I come from, actually. His name is Omni-man; he met my mother after rescuing her from a disaster.

[Rubbing the back of his neck.] His real identity's supposed to be a secret, but he told me about it when I was just a kid, so... [A smile.] I kinda grew up wondering when I'd finally get my own superpowers. Only took me ten more years!

jsjdf sooorrrry this took me so long to tag! I was away for the weekend

[shes_intense]

That must have been a lot to live up to as a kid, waiting to see if you'd get your powers and what they'd be like.

[she grins, munching on some chips]

Your dad must have been proud when you followed in his footsteps, yeah?

gurl don't worry seriously /EVEN MORE LATE

[whoajeezwhat]

[Mark smiles awkwardly. Truth be told, there was a point near the end of all that waiting time where he thought his powers simply wouldn't come at all - which he was okay with, all things considered. It felt even better when he was proved wrong, though.]

Yeah. He's been really supportive from the start. [His grin grows a little wider, unconsciously.] He got me my outfit.

[A pause. Mark then presses his lips together, looking at Brenda. Enough about him.] What about you? What's it like back in your place?

<3333

[shes_intense]

ME? Oh... uhm.... well, I was a civilian before I came here. No powers or anything.

[she rubs at the back of her neck, thoughtful and a little embarrassed]

My friend Jaime was the superhero, and Paco and I we were just the friends of the Blue Beetle, which makes us sound really dispensable and sidekickey but Jaime never ever treated us that way.

I fought aliens when they invaded my city, I went to another planet once... oh and my Aunt was secretly a crime boss, but that was kind of an unrelated issue since I didn't know about that until the last few months before I ended up here.

[whoajeezwhat]

[Mark smiles at first, then his expression becomes gradually surprised and... frankly, kind of amazed. He can't think of many people who can say the same she did and when they were considered civilians.]

Wow.

[A beat. He wants to ask about the planet, but instead:]

... What happened to your aunt?

[shes_intense]

Well... nothing really, as far as I know. But when I found out that she was paying for everything she had with illegal means I was kind of...

[She sighs, pulling a hand through her hair. She's never talked about Amparo with someone who wasn't Jaime or Paco before, but... she kind of wonders how Mark would take the story, being an outsider to her situation.]

See.. it's like this.

My aunt is my mom's sister. My mom died when I was 13. She got really sick and our lives were just nothing but trying to take care of her and pay for all her medical bills for, like, a year and a half. After she died my dad started drinking really heavy, he got more and more irrational. We... didn't get along.

[that's an extreme understatement, and it shows in her tone]Anyway, things got really bad and around the time Jaime first got his powers he disappeared for a while. And by a while I mean a year, everyone thought he was dead, his family was devastated, the police questioned Paco and I and half our class

[whoajeezwhat]

[He knits his eyebrows as Brenda continues - this is one of those times where he realizes there's a lot more to people than what he sees. Mark listens to everything she says in silence, unsure of what he can say, or if there's even anything he can say. He lets a moment after her apology pass.]

... I had no idea, Brenda. [Another pause, and apologetically:] I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories.

... Sorry you had to go through that.

[shes_intense]

[she shrugs, shaking her head, giving him a half-smile]

No it's okay, it's not like you knew and asked just to bother me. It's fine, really. I don't... if I can't talk about it at all that's when I'm worried. If I can still get it out of my mouth, state the facts and not get all worked up, then I'm okay.

[she reaches over and touches his arm]

I'm glad you and your dad get along. Even if your family isn't here with you right now at least they'll be there and love you when you go home one day.