open | we always are together

[morphogenia]

WHO: Kamala Khan
WHERE: House 6
WHEN: Dec. 13th; late afternoon aka KAMALA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
OPEN TO: residents of house six, assorted cr of Kamala and the other house six residents - basically everyone who knows Kamala, Frank, and Jessica and is on good terms with them. It's basically everyone.
WARNINGS: Possible mentions of horror settings or past trauma since Kamala does live with Frank Castle and Jessica Jones who are their own warning. Honestly this is a rated G birthday log.

---

She wakes up super stoked to be alive. It's not unusual for her honestly. Kamala is more excited than usual if only because it's not every day you get superheroes coming over for your birthday. Granted she's seeing them more as ordinary people who do incredible things sometimes. That's a positive change as far as she's concerned. It doesn't change the fact that Kamala from like age seven and up would have seen this as a dream come true. Who is she to question the wisdom of tiny Kamala?

She spends a decent portion of the day (following breakfast) getting ready for guests. She styles her new, shorter hair cut as elegantly as she can, dresses in the hunter green dress and pants outfit given to her by the Observers because screw them it's pretty and they can't ruin it with what they pulled after.

By the time she finishes, it's time to greet guests and see what Frank's done with the rest of the house while she's been hiding out in her room to obsess over her appearance. She'll go around greeting whoever shows up, shoving food at them, and generally be grateful they came. It's her seventeenth birthday. She's away from her home, childhood friends, and family. Having anyone here today means a lot more than she lets on. It's about the only thing allowing her to feel happiness instead dwelling on what she's missing.

(ooc; top levels will be posted by Frank in like five minutes for setting info. please hold for those! feel free to tag those or make your own starter once they're posted. I'm flexible.)

Comments

[oorah]

He bites into his lip as he throws the pants over his shoulder and turns to make his way back into the hall headed for the bathroom. He wants to ask if this is still happening, but she'd tell him to get out if it wasn't. Not to mention, he remembers how shitty it had felt when she asked him to stay with her after the moth incident. Sometimes, he just has to take these things for granted. He's not at fault if he takes her word at face value. Aloe hops right up onto the bed with her like he's keeping the spot warm until Frank gets back while Bruno pads off with him.

"I'll be right back," he manages apologetically. He's as exhausted as she looks and he knows on some level that they both need this. Here's only hoping it works instead of blowing up in their faces as things typically do. Five minutes later he manages to pee, brush his teeth and change into just the bright teal pants, leaving his clothes from the day in a careless heap by the door as he softly clicks it shut. Bruno decides that's his bed for the night and faceplants into the laundry pile as Frank heads for the bed. Here goes nothing, right? He signs for the pit bull to get off the bed but he only shifts to the foot of it and he decides he's too tired to make him listen better, sliding in under the blankets and laying flat on his back a moment. His mind is racing as he tries to consider all the ways this could go. Hopefully, her safety bubble isn't going to make an appearance tonight, and that's only one of a multitude of complications that could arise.

Frank turns over on his side towards her, tucking an arm behind his head and heaving out a soft sigh. "Hey," he manages super lamely.

[morphogenia]

[Kamala crosses her fingers with him if only because she lacks the power to be that useful right now. It's better they do after they get powers back if ever. She switches gears at the question. Kamala looks absolutely delighted to be asked.] Oh! Don't feel bad! You actually are the first, I think. Everyone just kind of takes for granted it was a thing that happened.

[She's not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Kamala gives it some careful thought before replying.] Okay so technically I started the night I got my powers? I wasn't Ms. Marvel yet officially, but I accidentally became the woman who had the name first to rescue one of my classmates. It was like a reflex, I guess. I just became the most heroic person I could think of and pulled her out of the water.

[Spoilers: shapeshifting is one of her powers.]

[digging]

"I meant the dog, but if you don't mind a layman's opinion, I'll give it a try," Karen replies with a faint huff of laughter, and pushes herself back to her feet.

"The normal stuff like this, it's important," she adds with a sidelong glance at Frank as she reaches to cut a small piece of cake. It's a slightly precarious business, trying to make sure she doesn't send the whole thing crashing down.

"For everybody, I think, but especially the kids, you know? I'm glad she has this."

[morphogenia]

[Kamala nods along eagerly.] My thoughts exactly! Besides, I feel like I deserve a medal for surviving age sixteen. It's been like young adult novel kind of crazy.

[morphogenia]

"I actually wouldn't be all that offended if you did. I am... and I'm not. I'm basically living out an old Britney Spears song." Kamala reassures him before realizing that if birthday parties are new, pop music references will be beyond him. "She sang about that weird in-between time girls have between being a kid and becoming a woman. Way deeper than she was given credit for at the time." She's gonna lose him again. Getting back on track!! "Anyways, that's what people on my world do for the most part. Every culture has their thing, but most do this."

[skyward_eyes]

"Really not too familiar with music, and since we're from different worlds, I can't even say if we had pop music," Nida laughed, reaching up to run his fingers nervously through his hair.

That made sense, and he nodded as Kamala spoke. He could understand the whole thing if it was supposed to be a tradition. Traditions were good. Beyond good. Maybe he should take his to see what's in it. So if Rinoa wants to have a party for someone at some point, he can help make it better.

"Alright then, anything else about birthdays I should know?"

[digging]

Karen laughs at that, shaking her head. "I was going to say 'you have no idea,' but you actually do," she says, suddenly and impossibly glad that if Frank has to be extra about something, it's this, and not the demons that have plagued him for so long.

"Did you get any really good presents?"

[constructionzone]

[ He and Frank have hung around a bit - enough for him to get the idea that animals sort of collect around Frank Castle, as if they can sense a sucker.

Not that he's ever put it that way.

Anyway, he grins - because the hero recognition thing hasn't gotten old with him yet. ]

That's me, live in the flesh.

[constructionzone]

[ He gave up on dignity when he agreed to get on a fantastical version of a unicorn, which most people would say is already fantastical in its own right.

Besides that, the leg still gives him (psychosomatic) trouble ]

You been thrown before?

[oorah]

He smiles like he didn't know what she meant and shrugs a shoulder. Frank knows it's important, especially to Kamala, but the last thing he needs to do is get himself wound up over it and start crying again.

"I know it means a lot to her, so thanks. For bein' here."

[oorah]

[ that really isn't a good thing to say to get him to stop crying and a few more raucous sobs escape his chest before he manages to get a handle on himself again, his hand reaching out to clasp bruce's arm solidly. ]

We're not gonna let you get away with it here either, asshole.

[ hopelessly affectionate, considering. and hypocritical, of course, since he hadn't told anyone about his own birthday weeks earlier. ]

I lost my kids, you know... You know that. [ everyone knows that, don't they? he's not thinking all that clearly about what bruce knows about him, honestly. ] And this is the second time she's been separated from her family.

[ they'd gravitated towards each other in reims and here they're a unit. for survival, yes, but it's obvious to see it's more than that as well. he can't not regard her his own after everything they've been through. ]

[oorah]

Yeah, well. Sorry if it's a little over the top.

[ like she's not used to his antics by now. ]

[oorah]

Sure.

[ kicked, thrown. it doesn't really even register anymore. ]

A guy who used to be here showed me how to handle 'em. Slow and steady usually works.

[ except when it doesn't ]

[morphogenia]

Uh-huh. Like you're not the definition of extra. [Kamala teases between her sips of coffee.] I love it because it's the most over the top Frank thing I've ever seen.

[morphogenia]

[She rocks on her heels once in excitement.] Yay! Tony totally tipped me off that you were here. I hope you're not weirded out or anything. I just really like the way you defend our country.

[morphogenia]

"You really are an alien." Kamala laughs gently. It's true, but also kind of new? She knows things are complicated here. They all come from different dimensions if not different planets altogether. He's the first person who ever really drove that home for her. It's weird, but not in a bad way. She doesn't mind teaching him something that's brought her a lot of joy over the years.

"Okay so we always sing a song before we eat a cake with candles burning on it. The candles part isn't so easy to come by here, but we still do the song always. I can sing it for you if you want."

[skyward_eyes]

"Aliens are small, blue, with bulbous heads and big eyes and a yellow pompom on their heads," Nida countered with a smile. Of course he was working off of a children's story.

But the singing songs thing makes him smile and shake his head. Okay, candles and 'happy birthday' are two things he does remember, however faintly.

"Does it go something like 'happy birthday to you'? Because I'd be really interested if our worlds have that sort of cultural overlap. Oh, I know candles happen for us too. Just... don't know if I've had a cake."

[constructionzone]

I'm not remotely weirded out. There aren't that many people who go are you really War Machine?? [ It's a conspirational whisper and he leans in a little closer. ] Usually Tash gets all the fans, you know. Confuses the shit out of her, too.

[constructionzone]

Usually, huh.

[ He's not going to say planes are like horses but - planes are kind of like horses, he's heard. Usually, a steady hand keeps you where you want to be, and then sometimes the Boeing designed machinery is like a thoroughbred that's just gotten spooked by a plastic bag. ]

Well, if I get a concussion and forget everything, you get to tell Tony.

[notsoangry]

[Bruce thinks it's a strange product of being around too any super powered people. They all assume each other have them without asking details. But he likes the details. He knows a few people who are science experiments like him, and a few who are natural born, so he's curious to know where she falls in it.]

So, shapeshifting? [He adds, with a smile.] Ms. Marvel must be pretty special if she's who you thought about immediately when you wanted to save someone. [ Betraying his ignorance of any version of Carol Danvers in their world. Their people didn't all match up, although he's very interested to know if there's a Kamala back home. Just out of curiosity.]

Were you born with them or was there an outside influence?

[demiurgency]

Um, it's totally not young adult novel crazy unless you've been in the middle of a love triangle with at least one part-angel-part-demon boy and, I don't know, an actual fairy prince. [He barely even makes it through the first part of that before he's grinning, halfway to laughing by the end.]

And if you have, you have definitely been holding back on the details, which I definitely want. Let me live vicariously through you, be a pal.

[oorah]

[ he shoots her an offended look - or starts to before it melts into a knowing smile. yeah OK he knows he's dramatic. don't rub it in!! ]

I dunno what you're actually comparing this to, but I had to go all for seventeen.

[ she may not think it's a big deal, but it's obvious he does. ]

[oorah]

[ he shrugs. there's definitely no guarantee with like wild cryptids ok. he's not about to say it's 100% safe when it's definitely not. ]

Just try to fall on me if you fall, I make a surprisingly soft landing.

[morphogenia]

[Kamala looks surprised on both accounts.] What?! Her hair alone deserves a fandom. The fact that she does cool ballerina moves while fighting crime is like an added bonus.

[morphogenia]

[Safe to say he has her interest. Kamala leans in like he's hiding something from her.] Pretty much everything, but really? Is seventeen a big year? No one was ever able to answer that!