eastbound | video | un: slothbaby - after hell is sealed/on their way to safety

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video | un: slothbaby - after hell is sealed/on their way to safety

[A very tired teenager waves at the camera. As usual, she's got a smile on her face. Apparently a lack of sleep, murders, and run in with another crazy person isn't enough to ruin her mood. Kamala Khan everyone.] Hi, guys! Stuff has been super crazy, huh? I'm 90% sure we saved the day so yay! Another win for the team! Great job, guys!

[Those who know her or maybe just have a good ability to read people may pick up on the fact she seems nervous. She keeps chatting away like nothing is the matter.] Irenia is back too! Isn't that awesome? And I got food for us! Look... [She moves her pendant around to show a collection of dead wildlife, berries, etc.] I've been asking around for help preparing this stuff because yeahhhh city girl. No clue how you do this! If you want to help out, please and thank you? There's a lot of it and I know we've all been super hungry for what feels like forever. As far as I'm concerned everyone should eat as much as they can once we get it all cooked and stuff.

[Her eyes dart from side to side. Kamala clears her throat.] You might be wondering how I pulled this off and if you're not? I guess click off? But, yeah.... so I may have been carrying around a doll that belonged to someone else's daughter from a couple of places back? He told me his name is Matthias. I returned it to him because hey I'm not a jerk. It belonged to his daughter so it should go back to him.

He gave me this food in return or I guess his undead friends did. Not going to lie, pretty scary stuff. But, that's how I got the food. We talked about some other stuff too. His home world, Ellethia, and what he used to do for a living when his daughter was alive. His hot take on the whole undead thing. It really got me thinking about their deal. He seemed to know a lot about it.

And you know just out of curiosity, what do we know about the undead? Share if you want since I know we have bigger problems right now. I'm mostly worried about this food going bad.

private to Five and Allison

So, don't panic, but I may or may not be in danger here. Can we talk? About everything? This is pretty much the safe version of what happened. I don't want to freak out the the others, but if I were a questionable guy who didn't get their way just now? I'd totally go after you guys first since spoilers you're my favorite people! And Emilia, but seriously I've seen Emilia in action. I feel sorry for anyone who tries to hurt her to get to me. So yeah. We should talk.

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[Kamala is drawing at this point like her life depends on it. She's gathering as much information as she can for the others to piece together this weird narrative she's found herself caught in. Fun times. :)] I'm with Five. I can give you the coordinates if that helps. That's how Five always finds me.

Yeah, I'll figure it out.

[But she was always more of a visual person so.]

Can you give me a good look?

On it. [Kamala carefully films the area around her with her pendant.] And sorry for always getting myself into these messes. I don't want you to feel like you need to babysit me all the time.

It doesn't feel like babysitting. I do like spending time with you.

[Just in case she hasn't made that clear.]

Also, you're still a kid. Adults should be looking out for you.

[Unless, of course, the adult responsible for you is Reginald Hargreeves.]

I know that. Mostly. [Okay so she clearly doesn't believe that. Kamala decides to fess up.] Okay so sometimes I feel guilty about it. I can't take care of you the way you do me. It doesn't feel fair.

This is one of those things that isn't about fair.

[She's already on the move, leaving the connection open as she heads to Kamala's position if for no other reason than making sure nothing happens to her in the interim.]

You're also at the age where you're shifting between needing to be protected all the time and being able to make your own choices and I'm not trying to stifle that. Especially here, when I might not always be there. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing my job.

[Because she is the adult in this scenario, and Kamala fell so easily into her mom soft spot, sometimes she forgets that she isn't her mom.]

Edited 2023-04-03 00:29 (UTC)

[Kamala stares at a very interesting thread on her sleeve. It's all true. That doesn't make it easier to hear. She sounds about upset as she replies.] You'd tell me if I could help you though, right? You've been so great to me. I don't know where I'd be without you, Allison. That's why I'm so freaked right now that something could happen to you because of me.

Hey.

[Her tone is gentle as she rounds the corner, grateful that she's able to look her in the eye as she says this:]

Hargreeves children court disaster on the regular. If anything happens to me - and that's a very big if - I'm almost one hundred percent sure it will be because of me.

[Okay, that's mostly a joke. Especially when it comes to the size of that if. Let's not talk about that time her brother slit her throat or Lila used her own power to make her stop breathing, not important. But she will pause to take a more serious tone with her.]

I know it doesn't look like it most of the time, but I am a fully trained from childhood grown-ass superhero. I appreciate you wanting to protect me, but you know what protects me the most? Actually telling me what's happening so we can work as a team, rather than trying to run around each other. Okay?

[Kamala's eyes go wide when Allison rounds the corner. This shouldn't be surprising in the slightest. She knows the woman is coming. She literally called her. It hits her at this moment how badly she needed to see Allison. This whole place has kept them apart more times than not. When she's feeling vulnerable, the absence wounds her most.

She hears Allison out, nodding woodenly as her eyes well up with tears. She misses Allison; she needs her. The teen quickly finds herself running to the older woman and latching on for dear life. Her voice is wet as she says in a rush,] I swear I'm going to tell you everything! I just don't want to repeat the last time something like this went down. I don't want anyone to hurt you guys.

[Kamala squeezes harder. Good thing she has to will herself to have super strength.]

[Allison catches Kamala easily, wrapping her arms around her tightly and keeping her close. She understands Kamala's good intentions, and she's not mad at her for it. She just needs to set better standards moving forward so they don't have to worry about that again.]

Just tell me what happened. It'll be okay.

[Kamala draws back enough to look at Allison. Regardless of if Allison lets go or not, Kamala will at least hold onto her wrist. She needs physical touch to ground her right now. Even with the touch, she's frantic.] I talked to this guy who wanted my creepy doll. He said it belonged to his dead daughter so of course, I gave it back to him. He was riding Irenia by the way.

[She thinks that could be important someday.] In return, he got undead people to get food for us. He started telling me about how the undead people were a natural part of life. We were cruel to keep destroying them. We were forcing them to wander around as souls in pain. I'll be honest: it really got to me. I kept thinking what if I'm like the people who ruined the lives of my grandparents and their parents? My grandmother used to be Indian until she wasn't.

[She sucks in an unsteady breath.] Long story short? The Merchant is spying on us. He knew I wasn't just talking to any dad. I was talking to a man named Matthias. He's apparently responsible for a lot of horrible things. Like so many, Allison. The stories keep coming in on the network. I'm seriously so stupid for letting this happen to me again.

[Her voice cracks, a few angry tears fall. She quickly composes herself to finish. ] By the time I got off the phone with him, I knew Matthias was playing me. Even if all the stuff he said about his daughter was real, he is out there hurting a lot of people.

[She shakes her head in disbelief.] Allison, I hugged this guy! I was trying to make him feel better about his daughter! Someone told me he kidnapped someone else's kid! It sounds like he kind of doomed his world so yeah. I was stupid. Now the Merchant apparently wants me to play Black Widow. I said no because I'm not letting you and Five get murdered when that blows up in my face because I suck at lying and he can't exactly kill my family, can he? That's what people like him do when you make them mad. They kill whoever you love most. I don't want you guys to die because I can't stop talking to people who do horrible things!

[Kamala finally stops. Her gaze drops to her feet as she continues to angrily wipe at her face with one hand.]

Hey. Hey, hey.

[She reaches down, gently brushing at her cheeks with her thumbs.]

You did the right thing. The Merchant shouldn't be asking you to do that shit anyway.

[What the fuck she and him are going to have words.]

Also Matthias manipulating you is not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong.

[Everything else is still spinning around in her head, so you'll have to give her a minute but those are the two things that stuck out the most.]

[Kamala looks up at her with big, wet eyes. She sniffles, but tries hard not to cry any further.] Really? I just feel like such an idiot. I have been trying so hard to learn what's actually going on around us because Bruno and Nakia aren't around to tell me stuff anymore. I know I need to do this by myself now. I just didn't realize I was so far behind everyone else. I'm scared it'll get really bad like it did back home.

[She shakes her head, tears threatening to start anew.] I don't want you to die like Waleed did.

I can't promise it won't be bad.

[Because they literally just left a siege over Hell, and she remembers the aftermath of Taravast.]

This isn't your world, and it's not like we can hit the library and find out the information we need to know. So you can't be expected to know all the answers in advance, or know who to trust. But no one is going to die if you talk to someone.

[She hopes. They have not met anyone with the ability to kill with her voice yet.]

Just no secrets between us, okay? That's the best way we can keep each other safe.

[Kamala believes her. What else can she do? While her idealism isn't nearly as extreme as it is with say, Emilia, Allison is still her hero. She trusts her to keep her word.] No more secrets. You know what I know.

[The teen promises earnestly. She goes in for another hug.] We can face it together, right? Even if it's bad? Whatever it is.

Whatever it is, I've got your back. Five too.

[They're a team - if there's anything Allison knows how to handle, it's working on a team.]

And this Matthias guy sounds like a piece of shit for trying to manipulate a child like that.

We're a team. [Kamala confirms. She only had a team for five seconds, but they took down Damage Control. At least Five and Allison have more experience than a business student and a bunch of teenagers.

She doesn't deny the rest. Her eyes flick down. He really is. It scares her just how convincing he is.]

He's done some pretty awful things. At least that's what everyone is saying. Not to freak you out, but I think I got off pretty easy. Someone told me he actually kidnapped one before so... yeah. [Got off easy!]

I'm very glad you got off easy.

[Because if she hadn't, Allison would have rained down hell.]

What do you think he was after? What ...

[She pauses as she tries to find the best way to phrase it.]

What does he want from us?

The Merchant thinks he wants to confuse and divide us. We're too strong for him to take on right now. [Kamala purses her lips. She always doubts herself so she hesitates to share. Kamala is certain of this if nothing else.]

I think he's right. I know from my world alone anyone who went up against us would be totally screwed. Doctor Strange can do things we can't even begin to understand.

[She doesn't mention Wanda to honor her wishes. The ability to move things with your mind can't be discounted.] The truth is I don't know what half of us can do. I'm willing to bet it's enough to scare anyone into thinking twice about messing with us.

Confusing and dividing us is all well and good, but at the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We all want to go home.

[For better or for worse.]

As long as we don't lose sight of that, he can't tear us apart completely.

[It's the best thing Allison could say to her. That goal is never far from her mind. She thinks they all share it so it's instantly reassuring.] You're right. We're going to be okay as long as we remember why we're together.

[Kamala exhales audibly.] All that said, permission to be super clingy for like a week? I feel so burned out right now. I need Allison time.

Permission granted.

[She drapes an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close.]

In fact, let's stick together until we get to the next place we're going, okay?

[Kamala smiles big. This is pretty much the game plan always. It's especially what she needs now.] Okay! I love this plan.

Good. Now, c'mon. Let's go get you settled.

[And with that, they will head off to prepare for hopping on the train.]

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video | un: slothbaby - after hell is sealed/on their way to safety

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