eastbound | video | un: slothbaby

I'm going home. [She couldn't sound happier about it. Kamala is practically glowing from the high of being so close to her goal.] I am also going to rescue the Marvel who still needs a codename on the way back. Maybe start my own version of the Avengers too! America, remember you are going to be my first recruit!

[She takes a breath and grows a little more somber.] This time I am not going to forget you guys. That's the best part of this for me. I know things haven't always been perfect. Actually sometimes they really sucked. I really love you guys. You saw me. You didn't roll your eyes and tell me to fend for myself. You had my back. I really hope I had yours. Now I'll never forget you. I'm so happy I won't.

[Her eyes well up with tears. She's still smiling.] You're welcome to come with me. My world isn't perfect. Actually it kind of almost ends a lot, but a lot of great people step up to save it. One day maybe I'll be one of them too. I promise I'll protect you. My family will help you get set up there. We're actually pretty good at taking people in when they need to start over. Think about it, okay?

Until then, someone help me charge my phone so we can have a dance party or something! We still have time for a good party before I leave! I swear I have the best music on here!

[A tear does shake loose. Kamala laughs wetly.] And... wow this is hard. I guess endings always are. Final thoughts? I hope Cossette finds peace. I hope everyone who got caught up this craziness does. Even if we don't? Remember that I love you. Meeting you will always be one of the best things that ever happened to me. We'll meet again someday. I promise.

[She holds up her fingers to show scout's honor. The feed ends there so she can have a good cry before responding.]

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[ That's a good question; he should have a clue by now. He wishes he could borrow some of Kamala's hope that everything will magically work out, but the worst case scenario is usually all that's waiting on him. ]

We've been weighing the options. [ Maybe he's putting off making the call, but there's not much time left before they'll have to decide. ] It's a little more complicated than deciding to stay or go home.

[Once again she walks that line of concern and optimism. She focuses on the positive. Kamala nods and decides to wait it out.] Well, let me know what you decide. We still need an epic goodbye and to hang out a ton before I go.

I will.

[ He's reluctant to say what one of the options they've considered are and get her hopes up. Things would be different if Allison hadn't told them what's waiting on them in their world. ]

We have time to get some last minute training in.

[Kamala claps, beautifully oblivious to the possibilities. She is thinking instead of how much better she'll be at her job thanks to Five.] Yes! I'll be able to remember this time! I'm going to be even more OP!

[ Her enthusiasm is so uniquely Kamala that he can take a moment to be grateful she hasn't lost that. If nothing else, he can try to give her every tool he has to prevent a repeat of what happened with him.

He would have thought the universe could only take being ripped open once, but he's learned to stop thinking in absolutes. There was a time he'd written off ever bringing Ben back, and now they're looking at a way to take him with them. ]

It is nice to know it won't go to waste. [ Sincerely. They put some hard work in. ] I'll be ready when you are. ...Might as well bring America along while you're at it.

Yay! Training is so much better in groups. I'm actually recruiting America for my currently unnamed group of superheroes that I am forming so it'll be perfect. Thanks, Five.

[She flashes the peace sign.]

[ Five can't say too much about that, coming from a family of superheroes, but it's still strange to draw the parallels. That experience has to be good for something.

Maybe a warning of what not to do. ]

How many are you up to now?

Well, there's just America, but! I've heard of a few potentials. There's this archer and a girl who can shrink or get tall with a special suit. Talks to ants too! I want them for my team.

[ Not that he was expecting her to be focused on one task at a time, but now he's thinking she's probably already workshopping names for them. (Although for the record, her second idea seems a lot less dangerous.) ]

So what's the plan? You open a portal to another universe, then the four of you fight crime?

[Kamala thinks it over for a second and nods eagerly.] Yeah, pretty much. I think it's one of my better plans. Simple and to the point with a bonus of having Monica back!

What could go wrong? [ Except now he's thinking of Ben, and how all he knows about his death is that it happened on a mission... because he wasn't there to stop it. Makes it harder to be optimistic for her, but he's trying to let her have her moment after all they went through. ]

...Come to think of it, I do have some cautionary tales I haven't shared. Remind me to get around to those.

[Kamala makes a face. She should have seen that coming. She takes it in stride like many things.] I feel like your vote of confidence is getting a little quieter, but okay! We just have to stuff our faces with food while you tell me all the ways it can go wrong. I am a stress eater.

[Obviously he would have never noticed this. She's so subtle!]

[ He appreciates that she's open to listening, since he's more or less used to his lectures falling on deaf ears. Kamala was raised better than anyone in his family. ]

As long as we check for poison before you do. [ A certain restaurant is still fresh on his mind. Just because things are better now that Matthias is dead, doesn't mean they're safe. ] Hopefully our food tester hasn't already jumped.

Yeah, that's fair. What is with these people and messing with food? Don't they know it's sacred?

[She huffs in complaint. Kamala quickly doubles back to the rest with a worried frown.] I hope so too. I want a real goodbye to everyone. We were a team. There needs to be hugs.

[ He forgets that the beacon needs time to power. They're probably safe if he needs to track anyone down, given they didn't die at the end there.

He's fairly sure he would have found out. ]

I don't know if we could call ourselves a team. It's impressive we stuck together as long as we did without killing each other. [ Not that he's thinking about his moment with Anurr. Not to dwell on that with Kamala: ] At least some of them will remember what you did for them.

I consider us a team. [Kamala responds confidently. She doesn't want to take away from Five's experience. Even she noticed he's butt heads with some people. The rest earns a shy smile. She hopes so. Kamala wonders if it's bad to feel that way. It's not very humble.]

It'd be nice, but they don't have to. I didn't do that stuff so everyone could say how great I am. It's just important to do good, you know?

[ He won't labor the point, but it's not that Five went off on his own. It was a choice to stay with this ragtag group and drag his family along for as long as he did. There were a few, Kamala included, that made that decision easier. They were all just trying to survive.

And miraculously, most of them did.

There's probably a few reasons Five was never the most liked, no matter how often he helped them, but it's no surprise that Kamala's 'good for the sake of good' perspective earned her more admiration. It's because he's grown fond (and maybe a little envious) of that innocent view that he worries what she'll do without someone with a healthy dose of pragmatism to even her out. ]

It's important to stay alive, so you can keep doing good. Remember that when you get home.

video | un: slothbaby

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