13900/=Turnabout is Fair Play

=Turnabout is Fair Play
Date of Scene:	19 January 2023
Location:	Suite 9: Toni and Carin
Synopsis:	Toni and Carin meet in the shower. Again. It's a lot happier this time.
Cast of Characters:	Toni Ho, Carin Taylor

---

Toni Ho has posed:
Sometimes life is busy. Full of action and work and general craziness. Sometimes, it's not. Today, it's not busy at all. Toni was in the lab for a bit, but nothing really needed her attention. She set up some automated processes, checked a few things, and then wandered back to her room.

When she got there, her shiny and brand new ~Girlfriend~ wasn't there. She was, of course, a little sad about this, and drowned her sorrows in cat videos and some snacks. Feeling a little better, she decided that what was needed was a long hot shower.

Now, the water is running, the bathroom's door is closed, and muffled singing is coming through the door. Upon closer examination, it is ... Taylor Swift!?

"I don't know about you, but i'm feeling twenty-twooo..."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The problems with being a speedster are... well, absolutely multiple. You've got a metablism that's wild, you bleed off heat like an overclocked Samsung phone, and clothes just don't exactly hold up to rapid motion. So for Carin, existing in the 'slow' lane is agony, but she'd rather not tear apart her clothes when she's going to grab something to eat! She /was/ told there was food at the Triskelion, and she's basically live-in on campus now, so that's where she went!

    She's back in the shared room with timing enough to hear Toni start to sing, though, and as she closes the door behind her, she pauses, and listens. Carin's blushing, it feels like deja vu but sort of in reverse. Her shiny new ~Girlfriend~ had joined her in the shower so very recently and... just helped her through some troubled feelings after so much had happened to her.

    But the song being sung right now? It seems. So much happier!

Toni Ho has posed:
It is a much happier time, it seems. The deja vu is absolutely appropriate, but it's mirrored. Instead of tears, there's nothing going on in there but singing passably along with the music playing in there.

Okay, she's probably dancing a little too, this -is- Toni we are talking about.

"Everything'll be alright if we keep dancin' like..."

It keeps going. How long she's been in there is hard to say. She's probably going to get reprimanded over water usage.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Given the timing, Toni likely hasn't been in the shower more than a couple of minutes by the time Carin gets home. So there's no excessive water usage--yet. The redhead creeps over to the bathrooom door and rests her head against it, pressing her ear to the side. She expressly tunes her senses to, well, not slow things down. No audio distortion, no weird reverb with sound waves. Just pure sound, pure singing.

    Carin can't help but smile, it's so upbeat. This is what she needed in her life, and was missing. Well, that, and the whole having someone to take care of and be taken care of by and all that, right? Right. She can't help but put a little spring in her own step as she scoots away from the door and ponders quite deeply her next course of action.

Toni Ho has posed:
Right now, everything is great. Her work is good, her (admittedly new) relationship is good. Why wouldn't she be singing pop songs in the shower? Sure, she has all her old issues, but they don't feel so big right now. They don't loom in the background, casting shadows over everything she does, because there's a bright and shiny light named Carin there to make them smaller.

The song switches, and it ... is not a pop song. It's absolutely not Taylor Swift. A drum machine kicks on with a driving beat. Whatever this is, is not some poppy Top 40 number, but Toni sounds enthused.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin is scooting away from the door, lost in thought, as the song shifts. She turns her head, glancing at the door again, and makes an executive decision. The redhead takes a moment to strip out of her own clothes, leaving the little pile on the floor, before creeping closer to the door.

    It's plenty of time for Toni to pick up the next song and take it to the top as Carin does her best to very, very quietly and very slowly ease the door open. She totally feels weird doing this, even though she was totally fine with it when Toni did it to her. Not like she noticed until she was being hugged, though. So poor Carin is just hyper-aware of everything as she tries to be so sneaky and everything in her is just crying out to move move move.

Toni Ho has posed:
By the time Carin is ready to sneak into the shower with Toni, it's apparent that with the water crashing down and the music blaring, she will not notice. As the speedy one tries to go slowly, the chorus kicks on, and it's, uh. Aggressive. Toni yells along, because she apparently loves this song.

"Free your hate! Crusade in the days of rage! Perilous folly, rise up against your fate!"

Yeah. She won't notice. It's really steamy in here too.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin's original reflex is to dash in and slip in behind Toni before she can notice, using her super-speed. After all, she doesn't have to worry about her clothing getting all friction-torn if she's not wearing any, right? Right. Modern problems and modern solutions!

    But the wall of steam stops that train of thought entirely, because if she zoops in, then it's going to create a big ol' swirl of steam! So she resumes slinking in, slowly, step by step, until she can actually step into the shower proper. Right when the chorus swells. She waits, waits for there to be a momentary lull, the riff between chorus and verse, before she loses her nerve -just- enough to not cling to Toni and instead gently hugs arms around her waist and leans. "...hi."

Toni Ho has posed:
The song does have a bit of a breakdown where it gets a shade quieter. Spoken word rather than the aggressive yelling. It sounds like a clip from a news program. Music is weird.

Toni is absolutely getting down, her pink hair plastered to her head, a shampoo bottle in her hand as an impromptu mic. It's probably stinking adorable. She fails her Perception check to catch Carin sneaking in, which is why she yelps when she's hugged from behind, the bottle sent spinning through the air. It takes a second for her to realize what's going on. When she does, though, her hands move to rest atop the redhead's, and she leans back a bit.

"You scared the shit out of me! ... Hi yourself."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Pink, meet red! She might be hugging Toni tight, but her reactions are so swift that one of pink-haired pretty's hands will find that shampoo bottle recovered and handed back to her. She snuggles in tighter, nestling curves to back, letting crimson hair mingle with her companion's pink locks.

    "You uh... you dropped your mic..." she manages a soft, if unsure laugh, smiling as she rests her cheek against Toni's shoulder. "..heard you singing and... I'll never get the other night out of my mind. That. That was. Too nice. Too perfect. Wanted to return the favor..?" she offers, then purses her lips.

    "Sorry if I scared you."

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni blinks a few times as the bottle is handed back. Carin is so careful and sweet that she sometimes forgets that she is also incredibly fast. She takes the bottle and puts it back where it goes before placing her hands on Carin's. "It's fine, the music was just really loud and, hold on." She turns to look towards where her phone is. "Pause music." The heavy beats die, the only sound being the running water now.

Carin will notice that Toni's hair smells freshly of bubblegum of all things. She smiles a bit, remembering. "It was nice, even with the crying. I think the crying, maybe, somehow, made it all the sweeter? If that makes any sense."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    It's a bit jarring, from that acoustic echo of hard bass that's probably carrying over to one of the other rooms, to the sound of the shower and her own beating heart. It makes her blink and she takes another long, deep breath before burying her face in Toni's hair. "...yousmellnice..." she mumbles, even if she's just about talking over her girlfriend.

    Then she peeks around Toni's shoulder, "...yeah I uh... um... it's... there's been a lot... and... you've been here... I hope I didn't.. move too fast?" she asks, laughing at the irony of it. "...cuz I really like you.'

Toni Ho has posed:
Now it's Toni's turn to mirror Carin from the other day. She wriggles a bit and turns around to face her, resting her forehead on Carin's. She smiles, her dark eyes glittering in the foggy bathroom light.

"Carin. The only time you move too fast is when you, you know, run. This? This is great. You make me happy. You put up with me being a giant weirdo who hogs the bed, and yells at the TV, and has grease under her fingernails all the time."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    Carin's bright green eyes seem to glimmer too, brighter now even at those words filling her ears. Much like the last time, she doesn't care that they're bare beneath the shower water, pressing firmly together. She's happy to bump noses and listen to Toni talk to her. There's a soft, joyful laugh as the pale girl blushes.

    "I mean... you... you being a giant weirdo is part of the charm. You're.. like.... super real. You don't try to hide the weirdness and... try to get close to people and stuff. You're just... /you/. And I love you," she says firmly, happily. "You.. don't hold back. And the real you is the you I love," she nods. She's dropped the 'L'word twice now and only just now realizes it, trying and probably failing to hide her face against Toni's shoulder.

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni seems incredibly content. Here, under the luxuriously warm water with her favorite person in the world. She listens, in that blissful buzz of physical contact and emotional closeness.

Then Carin drops the L word. Twice.

The pink haired woman blinks a few times as if stunned. "Y-you ... Oh..." The expression on her face flits between a giant smile and quivering with tears. Happy tears, but still. It's been years since anyone's said that to her. Since her mother passed. None of her relationships, and let's be fair, they were flings, ever got this far, but now.

"I lo-love you too!"

Then the tears really start. Oh, Toni.

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "No.. wait... don't.." Carin panicks a little. She can see those tears forming in slow motion, the pits of Toni's eyes filling, droplets forming, and then falling independently from the shower spray. She bites her lip, but then there's the reciprocation. "...y-you do?" she asks, voice coming as if choked out slightly.

    Of course, this does nothing to slow the tears coming faster and harder from her girlfriend now. So all she can do is panic in slow motion before dipping her head in and sealing lips to lips. Another stolen kiss in the shower, riding on a wave of emotion that, this time, isn't hers.

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni's little tear fit only lasts about as long as it takes Carin to kiss her. Her brain immediately switches gears, the waterworks slowing and stopping. Luckily, the shower will make the streaks go away, but for now, she just leans into the stolen kiss. Though, let's be fair, it's freely given. She makes a happy little noise in the back of her throat.

All things must end, and Toni needs to breathe. So after nowhere near long enough, she pulls away, smiling brightly. "I do. I know people might say it's too fast but... This world is hard and cruel, and you make me happy, and all I want to do is make you as happy as you make me."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    The speedy redhead isn't exactly well-versed in kissing. No real experience, after all! But she's got something useful: Modified lungs. So she doesn't have to break off until Toni needs to take that breath. Carin rubs noses with her girlfriend, though, resting forehead to forehead again. "...it... it really is.." she says quietly. "I don't... want to regret not saying anything today if tomorrow just... doesn't come..."

    Her arms tighten around Toni for a moment and her eyes fall shut as she sighs. "...I... um.. can you.. help me wash my hair?" she asks softly. "Please? I just. Want to be close to you. Before we get yelled at for the hot water again."

Toni Ho has posed:
Toni feels warm and fuzzy and floaty. The reality that they'll have to get out of the shower and back to reality with other people is an unhappy thought. Now is all that's important.

She squeaks just a little at the squeeze, and beams at the question. "Of course I will!" It makes her tingly to think about it, honestly. It's an intimate thing. "It'll smell like bubblegum."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "W-wait, so that's really your shampoo that smells like bubblegum?" She unabashedly ducks her head in towards Toni's neck, burying her nose in the other woman's pretty pink hair and breathing in deep. "...omigosh it smells so good..." as if she didn't get a huge whiff of it earlier already.

    Then she blinks and peeks up at the other woman's face. "...is it weird if I say I want to smell like you?" she asks, voice tiny, cheeks as bright red as her hair.

Toni Ho has posed:
"It is! I think I have mostly gone bottle that smells like raspberries somewhere, but I really like this stuff," Toni says, beaming. She shivers slightly when Carin buries her nose in her hair. It's just more cuddling, and it's a nice feeling.

"And it's not weird at all. It's like...you'll get a whiff of your own hair and think about me. It's sweet."

Carin Taylor has posed:
    "...so what's next... matching fingernail polish?" Carin teases, but it's good natured. "...I um. I like this. A lot. I really hope this doesn't just.. end up being a dream.." she sounds somber now as she just clings to Toni. "...find out I'm strapped to some machine feeding me memories or something..." she sighs. "I guess you'll just have to bubble-gum me up? But what... can we do with you... to remind you of me...?"

Toni Ho has posed:
"Maybe! I'd paint my nails a shiny green. To match your eyes. Maybe even do it right with a good clear coat so they'll sparkle." Toni smiles, leaning close. "Maybe next time I dye my hair I'll do it a pretty green or something."

She reaches for the bottle of shampoo to begin the sacred washing process.