But Still We Fall Down ((open))

[Nailah Weaver]

Nailah is pacing around the couch in the common room, smartphone held up to her ear. Her tail is swishing around behind her and every once in a while her wings rustle and shift as if she's moments from taking off.

"It's not...

"No, I'm..."

"He would've killed you if I hadn't been there!"

"That's not fair!"

"No, Dad, no one is making me do anything. I'm just not gonna hide and let bad things happen. He would have blown up so many people if I hadn't stopped him and now he's in prison and everyone is safer for it."

"It was just a broken bone..."

"..."

"I love you too, but I'm not going to stop, okay? I'm good at it! I'm helping people."

"I'm hanging up now." she sniffs, trying to sound decisive but instead coming off small and chided.

She lowers her hand holding the phone, shaking a little and finally hurling the phone into the couch with a frustrated "Gosh darnit!" And when the phone bounces back from the excessive force and bouncing at an unfortunate angle her hand shoots out to barely catch it out of the air before it can go sailing past her and slam into the wall. She wants to feel awesome but she mostly just startled herself with the move, breathing a little too hard, frozen in the moment as a pulsing headache traces the cracks and angles of a broken phone-screen reflecting the numerous scenarios of how the glass shattered through her mind, edges sharp and painful to dwell on for too long. She lets out a second, much softer "Darnit..." as she spins around slowly and lets herself fall backwards into the couch cushions.


((open))

[Janice Gilbertson]

Janice first hears the tossed phone bouncing off the wall as she walks in.

"That wasn't m-" Then she spots Nailah on the couch.

"Whoah hey, are you alright?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Oh! Hey..." she says, seeming to try and pull herself together some and mustering a grudging smile. "Yeah, just... stupid parents s'all."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Woof. I'm there for you on that one. I still haven't told mine about the whole... shrinky thing."

She sits down next to Nailah.

"Wanna vent, or would you rather talk about anything but that?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"It's just so dumb!" she starts as if she'd just been waiting for the excuse to. "They're blaming me for that nutjob attacking them! Not, like, directly, but I could tell..."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Oh wow, so something happened back home? I've been mostly hoping nothing here makes the news, and all."

[Nailah Weaver]

"There's this guy who... I don't even know what exactly his deal his but he has a major bone to grind with me for some reason. He is just completely off his rocker, like, homicidally so. He held my parents hostage and sabotaged their car. They... almost died. They would have if I hadn't been there. I freakin' saved them! And all they can say is how it never should have come to that in the first place..."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"...you just went from zero to Batman in like six seconds."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Sorry. I... that's not how I thought it'd be, you know? Punch the bad guy, save the day. Got the newspaper-clipping to prove it. Instead it was all... ugly and messy."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"No, no, you're not bothering me here, just..."

"...well, your mum and dad probably aren't ready for the Batman thing. Who is, really?"

[Nailah Weaver]

She let's out a long sigh.

"Yeah... They didn't even know I was doing it and I get that. It's a lot. But it's a lot that I'm handling. Pretty well if you ask me. I'm good at it."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"I'm not... disagreeing there?" She says delicately.

"But like... maybe there's a reason Batman doesn't have any parents."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Eesh. Dark." she jokes.

"And maybe I'm just jealous... Onyx' mom had her back, Will's supporting his kid being a hero. I dunno, I'd just hoped they would at least be proud of me."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Well I mean... not that way. You can tell more Batman stories because he doesn't have to worry about the fallout so much?"

"And I don't know about Onyx, but Will's a superhero already so he's kinda... used to it?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"I knowwww. I get it. It just feels bad..."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Okay, okay. I'm not your mum, barring some weird time travel stuff that I don't want to think about."

"And in all fairness I think you're... pretty cool?"

[Nailah Weaver]

"Only pretty cool, huh? Guess I still have a ways to go."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Maybe I left out a comma between those words," she smirks.

[Nailah Weaver]

"What do you... oh. Thanks?" she mumbles awkwardly. She knows how to be boisterous about being a hero and the vague notion of being 'cool' but this she has absolutely no idea how to handle or respond to. "You too." she adds in the same way someone might respond to a 'Have a nice day' even though it doesn't really work.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Do people like... not flirt with you much?"

"I mean, I know Drake was hitting on you nonstop at lunch."

[Nailah Weaver]

"He what? No, he was just... Oh! No way..."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"He was totally doing it."

"He was either hitting on you, or your wings," she chuckles.

[Nailah Weaver]

"I mean, he just... cause of the flying... Oh jeez. You're probably right."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"It's not your fault. Dude's kinda got... a thing for mutations, I guess. Might be how they do it in Genosha."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Really? That's... not weird but also a little bit weird, right?"

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Well, think of it this way. Isn't being a mutant a status symbol over there? Like there's a lot of them getting taught that people with visible mutations are beautiful."

"Heck, being able to fly is kind of the jackpot of mutations. Maybe he thinks you'll be a power couple."

[Nailah Weaver]

"I mean he's nice and all, but... oh butts, I hope that's not the only reason he's being nice." Nailah frowns.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"I don't know the guy all that well," she shrugs.

"You've definitely got more than just the wings going for you."

[Nailah Weaver]

"And you got one thing right, flying really is the jackpot."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"That's what I like about you. So humble," she laughs.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Nooo, that's not what I meant!" she chuckles. "It's just absolutely amazing, is all."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Can you carry anyone?" She quirks a brow.

[Nailah Weaver]

"Not through, like, sick loops or anything, but I think so. I've been working out a lot..."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"That'd make a helluva date."

"If you wanted to," she smirks.

[Nailah Weaver]

"He's got wings himself, so I don't really get the--Oh!"

"You mean... Yeah, that makes more sense, doesn't it?" she laughs nervously. "Yeah, we could... we could do that, if you want."

[Janice Gilbertson]

"I mean, if you're more into scales and horns, don't let me keep you from your bliss."

[Nailah Weaver]

"No no no, I just didn't... Yes, Date Flight... thingie. Yes. You and me, yeah?" Very eloquently put.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"Means neither of us has to worry about a dress."

"At least, I think that'd probably go lousy with flying."

[Nailah Weaver]

"Yeah... My costume's got a skirt, but I got one of those bike-shorts underneath cause who flies around in just a skirt, right?" she goes off on a mild tangent simply because it's more comfortable conversational territory for her.

[Janice Gilbertson]

"You know any places in town that won't give us flack for... dropping in?"