4462/A Haunted Toy Story

A Haunted Toy Story
Date of Scene:	22 December 2020
Location:	Ye Olde Shopping Mall
Synopsis:	A wrecked toy store, rumors of ghostly villains, weeping female Japanese pro wrestlers waking up in the backseat of a car with a man they don't know. Just your usual tale.
Cast of Characters:	Scott Lang, Mantis, Katsumi Oshiro

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Scott Lang has posed:
By all rights Scott SHOULD be done his Christmas shopping. And in most respects he was. Cassie was taken care of, his parents, even his ex and the handful of Avengers he considered close enough to be worth getting a gift and not have it be awkward (even if they might disagree). Unforunately he had one last minute addition to his list taking in an orphaned ninja and didn't want the girl who never walked around without at least three knives on her to feel left out. So he was braving the rest of the panicked crowds this close to the holiday, bumping and weaving through the throngs of people as Christmas tunes blared from every shop, lights and wreaths sparkled, and a mall Santa cried out 'ho ho ho!' from atop a gilded throne in the center of it all.

"Ninjas. Why does my life have to be so weird it has ninjas in it?" Scott whines to himself, one bag in his hand with a small assortment of clothes he thought would fit the scarred terror that is Strix, still looking for a few more things to help her settle in. He slows up as he nears a toystore that looks like a cross between a holiday movie and a war documentary. "Oh boy. Alright you can do this Scott. You've dealt with demons and ninjas the last few days. Nothing weirder is gonna happen now," he whispers to himself as he starts braving his way into the toystore.

Mantis has posed:
The Christmas Experience AKA Shopping Bonanza was utterly alien of all things...to an alien, shocking. But it's true. Luckily, thanks to the Titans, Mantis has been given some advice on how to better blend in during this festivie time.

So she went to experience Christmas at the Mall, dressed as a Santa's elf, the cute little hat serving to hide her antennas so people won't freak out. It also helped better explain her weird eyes (by human standard) as some elaborate costume makeup. She found the cheerful red and green getup quite cute all things considered, as she moved slowly into the mall, wide eyed studying of every aspect of the aesthetic of the decorations. Looking at all the bright colors, listening to the cheerful loud music, and if she weren't dressed as a Santa Elf, she'd appear every bit a tourist.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Christmas is different in Japan. Very, very different. People give less of a shopping list to Santa Claus than they do Colonel Sanders, and shopping freakouts like this are uncommon. Decorations are a thing, but the festivities are more about romance; being with someone special.

Katsumi has grown accustomed to spending Christmas alone.

Even still, it's rather uncomfortable trying to just mill around today. Another thing the Japanese aren't big on: ploughing each other over. And though she has a considerably smaller personal bubble than most in her culture, this is getting absurd. A physical athlete though she may be, she's still technically small and on the willowy side! Every impact bumps her hither and thither, earning progressively more irritable growls. She isn't making her way through the crowds so much as being swept up in the tide urging her towards a toy shop.

"I swear-"

Bump.

"-I have never-"

Bump.

"-/ever/-"

Bump.

"-wanted to find out-"

Bump.

"-how f***ing god**** far I can THROW A GRANDMA!"

That conclusion got people to give her a little bit of space at least. The irritated expression on her face helps cement her sincerity. But the only thoroughfare will take her right by Scott, and likely Mantis, too!

Scott Lang has posed:
In most respects the girl he was gift-shopping for SHOULD be too told for toys but, she'd been a little odd when Scott had met her and had seemed to enjoy watching his car when it had been shrunk. Rather than risk his personal Accord, Scott figures a toy variation might be a safer bet. Besides, it wasn't like toy cars were exactly scarce or the 'hot new toy' of the season. He picks his way carefully through the crowds, small children running around largely unsupervised while parents swept the aisles. Demos and displays beeped and whirred, a few toys on the ground unwrapped, either displays removed from where they belonged or torn out of their packages by kids that just couldn't wait. In short it was a minefield as he moved to the back of the store where he found a small selection of cars of various sizes.

And of course the perfect one on the highest shelf that was meant for storage, not for the public to reach. Scott stares up mournfully at the baby blue diecast car model on the high shelf. It was several times bigger than his had been while shrunken but looked otherwise almost the same.

"Excuse me could..."

"Just a minute sir I'm with someone."

"Right but could..."

"Wait your turn sir."

Scott grumps, the noises of the busy store grating on his nerves. He looks about and slides behind the end of the row of shelves, timing things for the scant few seconds nobody else was nearby or looking at him. And then in a flash he seemed to be gone, an odd pile of clothes left on the floor, from which emerged a red-suit clad figure not much bigger than his namesake. Scott began quickly leaping up from shelf to shelf in his shrunken form, planning to knock the car down and then restore himself back to normal. A perfectly valid use of superpowers.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
How did she wind up in this store? Katsumi has no business being in this store. Nevermind that she kind of loves these things. They're so shiny. And she has a soft spot for nice cars. It makes her a little homesick, oddly. So she finds herself lingering, sparing a glance to the figure at the end of the row. She can't see a face, just a shape. And that shape abruptly ceases to have form; clothing piles on the floor.

A gasp escapes the girl, and she rushes to the scene. Oddly-colored eyes widened, she beholds the leavings of a modern day Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Aaahhh!," she spooks, hands lifting first to her cheeks, then moving quickly to her mouth.

Scott Lang has posed:
The rapid 'thump thump thump' of someone approaching has Scott on edge as he crosses the tiled floor. Getting stepped on wouldn't kill him despite appearances, at least, not by a normal person, but it was far from pleasant he knew. He leaps up onto the lowest shelf just as Katsumi in all her 5'7" glory proceeds to tower over his abandoned winter clothing. "Dammit, don't you take my coat, don't you dare," huffs Scott, looking between his clothes and left behind shopping and the car above. If she took off with his stuff the car wasn't going to be much of a bargain.

He leaps up a few more shelves while her back is to him, her gasp at least not attracting much attention in the noisy store, nobody else seeming to have noticed. Taking cover behind another vehicle, this one a toy truck on a shelf nearly level with her face, he turns his helmet's speakers on as it clicks up into place on his suit, amplifying his otherwise inaudible voice. "Hey, girl! Get away from the clothes. This is...the ghost of Christmas past!" trying to make his voice sound slightly spooky by the end as the dumb idea comes to him only partway through.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro is having a hard enough time processing someone becoming one with the Force just around the corner from her. Were they abducted by aliens? Raptured? Her mind is racing. And then a disembodied voice sounds off, insisting she leave the clothing alone. It hadn't even crossed her mind to do something with them; she was still dealing with the fact that presumably there was a person in them before!

Just as she's whirling to scan for the source, he has to drop the 'ghost of Christmas past' line. She looks more confused than anything.

"W-.. how- who's talking!?," she demands, voice considerably smaller than the aggro-shout she'd given before.

Scott Lang has posed:
"I already told you who. I am a ghost!" Scott getting into it now. The woman, girl really almost, looked and sounded adorable with the confused panic about her. Which, probably qualified Scott as a sadist on some level. But it was just a harmless prank! He leaps up another shelf, trying to time his jumps for when she's not looking. He wasn't much more than a red speck even if she was and soon he's at the top shelf with only a couple of hops that to him seemed many stories high.

"And if you don't do as I say, I shall haunt you for all eternity! OoooOOOoooooOOO!" Scott going so far as to fiddle with the reverb on his helmet's speakers this time, adding a proper ghostly sound to things. It probably only helps things more when he gives the 'massive' toy car a kick, the box it's in tumbling off the shelf to thump on the ground at Katsumi's feet. A smug smile on his face, sure the frightened little woman was about to turn tail and run for the hills.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Timing that hop isn't too difficult. Katsumi is wheeling one way, then the other to try and discern the source of the voice. She's even looking up at the cameras now. But as soon as the voice adds theatric 'ooo's and a box falls from the shelf, her hands instinctively dart out to catch the item. It lands neatly in her palms, and a critical look is shot to the shelving. "The Hell..?" A slender eyebrow arches, and she reaches up to begin pawing at the recently-disturbed shelf.

"Someone screwing around back there?," she asks, half expecting to find another hand probing around. "Knocking crap down isn't cool! Quit being such a freak!"

Scott Lang has posed:
It had been going so well too! At least, he thought it had before the woman's expression hardens and it becomes clear she isn't buying his routine. Maybe he HAD taken it a bit too far. Scott yelps and starts to run one way only for giant fingers to slam down in front of him and start thudding towards him from that direction. In a panic he leaps off the shelf blindly, not wanting the stranger's fingers to grab hold of him. Far as that go he succeeds. Of course, a blind jump has its own dangers as Katsumi soon feels something going into her hair...and then squirming around on her scalp as Scott fights to disentangle himself from the black strands. His voice chirps out from atop her head, less ghost-like now. "Sorry, sorry!" his weight light and yet his strength surprisingly strong, and likely not too pleasant to be yanking at her follicles!

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
In Katsumi's purview, she's only pawing around at the shelf - no apocalyptic Bigsby's Probing Digits. But soon, she feels that unmistakable sensation of a bug landing in her hair. It's the worst feeling. It elicits true panic. No woman on earth is cool with the idea of a bug getting tangled up in her weave.

"Yeek!," she squeals, hand withdrawing in favor of desperately pawing, swatting, and fluffing her silky ebon locks in hops of tossing whatever just nested.

Then a voice. And her hair is being pulled /back/.

"What the f***!," she cries. "A-are you trying to Ratatouille me, you sonovab****!?"

Scott Lang has posed:
"Stop! I'm stuck! It's not my fault!" Scott hollers back as he's buffeted about, Katsumi's scalp shifting wildly under him, waves of hair tossing back and forth like stormy seas and him floating in the middle of them. And then her fingers were back, no escaping this time but they weren't clutching, they were swiping. Scott gets swept out of her hair, Katsumi briefly feeling something solid on her fingertips before he gets launched out and bounces along the tiled floor.

Other people are coming to investigate now as Scott rolls himself to a stop, and on the white tile floor of the toy store Katsumi might have a good chance of seeing, well, SOMETHING now even if it may be a little unclear what she's looking at. Scott meanwhile panics himself as a few people begin to round the corner.

"Miss are you alright? Please keep your language clean, there are childre-"

"What's a bitch Mommy?" pipes up one young child. And there amongst the mass of people Katsumi can see her tiny attacker trying to scamper away to another toy shelf!

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro makes a pitchy whine as she feels the solid object in her hair, everything in her utterly skeeved out by the prospect of a chatty bug pulling at her otherwise luxurious blueblack mane. But at last, it seems to've become dislodged! A flicker of something is seen to hit the floor, but the prospect of making out what it is is completely lost. Her mouth hangs open a second, and though she takes one step to pursue, workers have come to chide her. Normally she might have something saucy with which to retort, but in this case, they're absolutely right and she looks mortified for it.

Eyes widen, hands lift once again to her mouth, the punkette is horrified by her own behavior. "Ohsh-," she catches herself this time. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't- I mean I-" Her heart all but visibly twists when she hears a kid repeat her, knowing there's no way to quickly fix that situation. So the most she can do is give the mother a wounded, penitent look and mouth another sincere apology.

Faint movement catches the corner of her eye. The little thing has revealed itself against the tiles! "YOU!" Katsumi takes off in pursuit, not unlike a live action Tom and Jerry cartoon. She lost it somewhere near the shelf, now thoroughly inspecting the individually boxed toys. "Where are you, you little f-.. frigging... punk.." A little quick self-censorship!

Scott Lang has posed:
Circle around, shrink the rest of his clothes and shopping, get out. At this point Scott was ready to shoplift the car. It wouldn't be the first thievery he'd committed in his life and, well, he'd totally come back and pay later! Probably. That was the PLAN anyway, up until there's a shout of 'YOU!' from behind him and he looks back to see a Japanese woman for once getting to play the role of Godzilla rather than run from him. "Oh crap!" he chirps, his helmet back off so at least nobody can blame him for also being a bad influence on today's youth. He scampers into the forest of boxes, Barbie dolls and her less expensive competitors here, the shelves and decor far pinker than it had been around the cars. Even Barbie was a giant to Scott who barely came up past her ankles, and those were flinging and toppling all about him like dead-eyed smiling trees. "Crap crap crap," he squeals before he remembers something. He still had his own strength.

"Ma'am please, you need to stop or I will call mall security..." says the flustered toy manager, most of the parents and children by now putting some distance between themselves the crazy woman. And then, a Barbie doll comes flying off the shelf to thwack Katsumi in the forehead. Then another. Then a whole pink car. Even the manager has to gape now, backpedaling a few steps before he starts beating it away from the haunted doll section himself!

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro grope-grope-gropes about the boxes, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in cartoonish determination. She saw a thing! It talked! She doesn't know what it is, but she's determined to find out! It can't go breaking her understanding of reality and expect to get away with it! No matter how tiny the ass, it can be kicked!

The concerned voice of the manager gets her to pause, however. She turns a wearied look to him. "Look, I saw-," a rustle! Her head turns, right in time to get beaned by a box. It bounces harmlessly to the side, leaving behind a mentally stunned diva. And then more begin to rain in. "Gyaah!" Her arms raise defensively against the onslaught of plastic commercially-licensed goods cascade against her, battering her forearms, shoulders, head. Her stance deepens, bent at the knees, and like a martial artist, begins to push through the onslaught slowly. "You'll.. run outt'a ammo.. before I give in..!," she calls defiantly.

Scott Lang has posed:
Playtime in the toy store was over! After a few more wild shots make Katsumi turn her head to avoid catching a corner to the eyeball, there's the briefest of lulls, a second or two as Scott needs time to properly pick up an entire house. A glance shows an entire pink Barbie dreamhouse (with real working lights) teetering a moment before it beelines at her head. This time Scott doesn't stick around on the shelf but instead hops off as the plastic architecture explodes above him. Walls, furniture, dolls, all sorts of debris like a whole town had been destroyed litters the floor and he hopes obscures his movements as he tries to run directly between Katsumi's feet. If he can just lose her again he figures he'll be safe enough, not wanting to risk shrinking subatomic on something as ridiculous as this. Surely there was enough debris and chaos by now as he passes under the shadow of the looming Wrestle Goddess.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro braves the poltergeist of the toystore like Wonder Woman wading through a hail of bullets; same body language, different stakes. At one moment, she has to brace her stance. And when she refocuses, she sees a dollhouse moving. Eyes widen. "No. You wouldn't. You're a /monster./" She had one of those as a little girl! It's almost painful to think of it being damaged!

But damaged it is. Pieces fly, scatter across the tiled floor. Workers are confused and frightened, and children are probably a mixture of that and highly entertained. This will be a last-minute Christmas shopping story no one is likely to forget.

To his credit, it would seem that the gambit is paying off. Katsumi has lost any semblance of track on the speck of a troublemaker. But when she takes a step forward, Barbie's pastel pink convertible finds its way underfoot. Her leg flies out from under her, pitching the starlet into the air. Her hair flutters around her face as she stares up at the ceiling, momentarily feeling weightless - and down she goes, landing flat on her back on the tile with a hard *WHUMP*, dazed.

Scott Lang has posed:
Except it couldn't be JUST tile could it? The shadow Scott had passed under suddenly looms again. And larger this time. Growing bigger and dark...he barely has time to look up before Katsumi's upper back crashes down on him like a poorly executed senton bomb. Scott is thrown flat under her, pain lancing through his tiny frame. But despite what looks like impossibility he isn't crushed. Laying atop a few other toys, the micro-pressure of Scott along her spine might not be noticed at first...not until he moves at least, teeny hands poking into her and Katsumi finds herself sliding along her back on the floor as he haphazardly tosses her, going for distance rather than height. Her weight off him he coughs and works to catch his breath, leaning against Nurse Barbie as he rubs his sore chest with one hand. "You're heavier than you look," he can't help himself from quipping at her, his helmet briefly back on again. Well, at least he didn't say she LOOKED fat.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Guh.." She did not breakfall properly here. Katsumi's having a rotten day. An unusual day, for sure, but a rotten one.

At first, she's pretty sure he'd gotten away and left her with the bill. She can hope management won't blame her; something undeniably weird is going on. But feeling a few bumps pushing into her back tells a different story. Her focus suddenly returns, sharpened. But she finds herself sliding along the tile, bumping harmlessly into another aisle. With a blink, she sits up. And with another blink, her expression shifts into a toothy scowl. Had she fangs, they'd be bared now.

"I am /so/ gonna find a magnifying glass and melt you, you little.. whatever the f-" Oop! She catches herself again. There's a quick look shot to the onlookers, then back to wherever she assumes the speck has blended into. "-frig.. whatever the frig you are!"

She pops to all fours, and suddenly-

        That's it.

Arms and legs give out, and Katsumi drops flat to the tile again, this time on her front. It almost looks staged, with how neatly she's collapsed - stretched flat, arms at her sides, her chin poised on the floor and her eyes shut. But indeed, there is no fakery here. The girl is out. Limp. Motionless.

Scott Lang has posed:
Hop, hop, it didn't take Scott long to get around to his dropped clothing and shopping. With everyone's eyes on Katsumi there's little trouble reverting back to normal size, adjusting his clothes and picking up his shopping...along with the toy car he stuffs in one of his bags. He rounds the corner like he's just some innocent shopper who got trapped in the fracas back there, and stops mid-step as he sees his former opponent down on the ground. His heart skips a beat, what had he done?! And now mall security and police were starting to arrive, getting the crowd out of the store and back away from the doors.

"Sir! Sir we need you out of the store and away from..."

"Uh it, it's alright officer! I'm an Avenger! This, young woman here was on assignment with me. We're tracking a...ghost together. It looks like it got her."

"A ghost? Sir are you..."

At this point Scott flashes his Avenger identity which shuts up the police officer, Scott scowling and biting his lower lip as he looks down at the fainted woman. Crouching down he puts a hand to her neck, relieved to feel a pulse and breathing. "I'll need to take her with me, seems it just knocked her out," he explains.

"Yes but, Ant-Man it says right? We really need..."

"There's no time officer! Do you WANT GhostFang the Starstalker to get away?!" Scott bellows out making the officers step back and look around nervously as if the made-up villain was about to burst through a wall. Awkwardly slinging the bags on his arms Scott slides his hands under Katsumi and picks her up with a grunt. "I'll take care of her, you all just, clean up the crime scene and uh, can get reopened. I'm sure it's safe by now," Scott encourages as he starts awkwardly hurrying out of the store with his shopping AND Katsumi, even drawing a few rounds of applause while two police officers hold the crowd back and help escort him outside the mall.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
It's peak irony, really. Katsumi, the would-be heroine trying to thwart a spectral nuissance who seemed to have ill intentions, currently being damsel'd in the arms of said ne'er-do-well to the applause of onlookers. What. A. Day.

True to presentation, Katsumi is limp and offers nothing in the form of resistance or struggle. Easily manipulated and sporting a slight build, she makes for an unobtrusive last-minute shopping item to be picked up and stowed. She doesn't seem to be stirring just yet, either. Poor thing seems all tuckered out.

Scott Lang has posed:
She was on assignment with him as an Avenger. That's what the police had heard Scott say. So leaving her laying on a bench outside the mall probably wasn't the best choice. And it was cold out to boot. Scott fidgets nervously looking down at the passed out figure in his arms. What the hell would she think if she woke up? OK don't panic Scott, just, put her in the car and drive someplace warm and safe to leave her. You could dump kids in a basket at a Church, was there an age cutoff?

He works her into the backseat of his Accord like another bit of Christmas shopping and really tries his hardest not to think what it looks like, thankful the police are there to explain, well, his lie. Taking care to buckle her in he throws his shopping in next to her and peels out of the mall parking lot like a bat out of Hell. He had to get someplace safe before she woke up.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro continues to offer zero resistance. When he dumps her into the backseat, she ragdolls off to the side. It requires a little tugging, but she's pulled into position to be strapped in via seatbelt. And just like that, her head drops forward limply. The tresses of her hair, one sleek, smooth, and shiny, are currently tangled and frizzed thanks to the panic of feeling Scott rummaging about her scalp. But the obsidian falls about her face in a near-perfect veil, not unlike a ghost of Japanese lore, herself.

She'll make for a quiet, compliant passenger in this stranger's car.

Scott Lang has posed:
Only a few days before Christmas in New York traffic. Scott wasn't really getting anywhere all that quickly but he tries his best. The problem is, anytime he see someplace that seems like it would be safe to take her in, there's also a crowd of people that are going to want to ask questions about the passed out young Asian woman. How did the mob get rid of bodies so easily?! Soon he's out of the city and into the burbs of Queens, getting closer and closer to home. Less people, but also less places to dump an unconscious woman. Still unconscious, Scott gnaws at his lower lip and looks in the backseat a moment. Maybe medical attention WAS needed. A clinic not far from his house, he takes a detour and starts that way. If he parked around back he thought, he could still make this...

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Nnh.."

It's a quiet, throaty sound; the sound of someone starting to register the world around them.

Her neck hurts. That's the first thing she realizes. Her neck hurts, and her back is stiff. It's warm where she is. She's sitting. Her fingers shift a little, feeling the fabric of the seat beside her.

"Nng."

This sound is followed by a soft, hissing wince as she slowly lifts her head. The gentle sway of the vehicle makes it a little more difficult to steady herself, and she winds up semi-propping her head against the window. There's a window. Things are moving by. She's in a car. She feels the seatbelt before she looks at it. This is nice. It's different from the buses she's been having to take, the public transport, the noise, how cramped it feels. This is almost luxury.

Who the Hell's car is this?

There's a sudden gasp, and despite the pain, her neck straightens immediately. "Where am I!?," she demands, her unusually-colored eyes widened substantially. "Who are you!?"

Scott Lang has posed:
Scott has to keep himself from whimpering when he hears her beginning to stir in the backseat. So much for the easy way out of this. His grip on the steering wheel tightens enough his knuckles turn white and he raises a hand to adjust his rearview mirror to better look at her. His chuckle is dry, nervous, forced.

"H-hey, look remain calm alright? You ain't tied up or in a trunk or anything right? No need to panic. You uh, you passed out back at the mall and I volunteered to drive you over to a clinic was all," Scott tries to calmly, rationally explain to her. Nevermind there were at least a half dozen other medical facilities closer, the fact they were in the suburbs perhaps a sign of as much. "I'll just let ya out up here and you can be on your way Miss. Name is Scott by the way. What's your name?" he questions back. Keep calm, keep steady, nothing to freak out about.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Where they are hasn't really registered. They could be all the way in Westchester, and she'd have no idea. She's only processing information piecemeal. And what information she gets seems to be devastating. Her face pales and her expression becomes troubled. She has no verbal response to what he says at first, but that isn't to say she doesn't make a sound. Because there definitely is one: a sniff.

"I-.. I passed out..?," she asks, voice small. The eyes have become clouded, glassy, and starting to water. Her head lowers quickly, suddenly very aware of the tilt of the rearview mirror.

"Oshiro..," she replies, her volume nearing murmur-levels. "Or just, just Katsumi."

The sniff sounds off again, and she hurriedly brushes the back of a wrist against her cheekbone.

Scott Lang has posed:
"Uh, y-yeah? I mean, you were in the middle of fighting with m...some sort of creature. Or ghost. Nobody was quite sure what it was or, uh, what it did to you. Hey, hey it's OK. Everyone said you seemed very brave fighting that thing off, you might have saved some people!" Scott quickly beginning his white lies, attention flitting from mirror to the road and back again. Why was she upset about passing out?!

The clinic was there then, Scott pulling into the parking lot and stopping the car, twisting around in his seat after unbuckling to look at her. "Hey. Katsumi. C'mon now, you alright?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro has no response to the attempted encouragement. Her face has found its way into her palms, hiding her eyes. When the car stops, she doesn't bother moving them. It isn't even the strangeness of the situation that's bothering her so much as what she's been told.

The last question finally gets a reply! Not a verbal one, but her head nodding unconvincingly against her hands. No, she's not alright. She's obviously crying and trying to hide it. Another sniff sounds off, and as though it startled her into realizing she can't hide what's happenined, she spares one hand to paw blindly for the doorhandle. The other hand pulls a little further across her face like a visor, clearly trying to hide.

Scott Lang has posed:
DAMMIT! Scott felt guilty as sin and he didn't even know what he had done exactly. Well, stolen a toy car and bopped a young woman in the face with a Barbie doll but, that shouldn't cause THIS. "Katsumi. Oshiro! Hey c'mon hon there's no reason for the waterworks! I..." Scott pausing, unsure in his words as he looks at the clinic and back to her. Finally with her head down she might hear the driver side door open, Scott opening the passenger door across from her and sliding in beside her.

Hesitantly he lifts his arms, the sort of awkward hover hand a boy might use before touching a girl unsure how she might react. Finally though he does at least loosely grasp hold of her and try to pull her against his side in an attempt at hug in the cramped backseat. "Let it out. It's alright. Everything is OK now, I promise you," he assures with a practiced paternal tone of reassurance that has made boo boos stopped hurting and banished monsters from under the bed for centuries.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro finds the doorhandle and gives it a halfhearted tug. It doesn't open. Is it locked? Did it get stuck? She makes a disquieted little noise and tries the handle a couple more times pointlessly. Was it even the doorhandle she had? It might've been the door brace. But then, a door does open! It's just on the wrong side. She doesn't know what he's doing, just that she hates to be seen like this. So the hand goes right back to hiding her face.

She finds herself awkwardly tugged while still wearing a seatbelt. She never disengaged that. She'd forgotten about it. And though normally she would protest these things, it just makes her more miserable and defeated. "You can't promise me that," she quietly rebuts. "Doctors can't tell me what's-" Sniff. "-wrong with me, no one knows, people think I'm f***ing /cursed/, I just.." Her palms twist in an effort to subtly wipe at the eyes.

Scott Lang has posed:
Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all, and once in a while even Scott can do something right. He holds Katsumi for a while longer against him, resting his chin atop her head, TRYING his best to make her feel safe and secure with the human contact. Waiting till the sobs have slowed before he says softly, "I don't see anything wrong with you. You got worked up and passed out was all. There's nothing to be ashamed about Katsumi and nothing cursed to it," he tells her, his fingers squeezing at her upper arm, perhaps slightly surprised at how damn solid it is for such a lithe girl. Finally though he slides his arms off her and scoots back a couple inches giving her space. "C'mon, it's Christmas. Cheer up," he tries, flashing a wide smile, leaning over into the front seat to turn the radio on. Alvin singing about his desire for a hula hoop fills the air.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
It doesn't help that her entire body tenses when he says he can't see anything wrong with her. Did he not notice? Is it possible? Everyone seems to notice. Or maybe they don't, and she just fixates. Though in fairness, the Japanese girl is certainly toned. She's not a bulgy bodybuilder by any stretch - but she's trim.

Nevertheless, when the radio kicks on, she lowers her hands from her face and finally lifts her visage up to Scott. Tear-stained cheeks, water eyes, these are predictable facets. But the eyes themselves, possibly not so much; the irises are a distinctly inhuman color. The natural green has given way to a near jewel-like magenta, with only flecks of the previous still found lingering in those pools of otherwise perfect pinkish purple. "Really? You don't see anything wrong? Because these aren't my eyes!"

She wasn't really thinking about the way she worded that in the moment, much less how it might've sounded a little Lovecraftian.

Scott Lang has posed:
Scott has seen demons, aliens, giant bugs on a near regular basis. Sparkling eyes don't even get a flinch out of him as he just gives a crooked grin and tucks some of Katsumi's hair back behind one of her ears. "They're very pretty eyes whoever they belong to. You got no reason to hide them lil Miss Katsumi Oshiro. And no reason to cry," Scott resisting the urge to give her another squeezing hug. He barely knew her, he'd spent more time fighting her than talking to her even if she didn't know that.

The song on the radio changes. 'Oh the weather outside is frightful...' perhaps reminding Scott to look out, the Sun beginning to set already, one of Winter's biggest detractions. He frowns and looks back to her. "Look you don't seem a big fan of doctors. Is there, someplace you'd rather I take you? I can drive you home or your parents, wherever you want," he kindly offers.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro blinks a couple times at him. How is he not getting this!? In a mixture of disbelief and frustration, Katsumi squirms against his grip. Her body feels sluggish though, like she still hasn't quite recovered yet. "I don't care how they look! Eyes don't just change color!," she blurts. "And I don't just pass out! Or collapse! Or..!" She runs out of steam quickly. Being frustrated takes more energy than she thought. Her shoulders sag, her head bowing. "Maybe I'm dying." Someone once suggested there might be something wrong with her brain, like a tumor. It's horrifying, and the thought causes her breath to hitch again. Scott's efforts to calm her seem to hardly even be noticed.

"Doctors can't fix what's going on. They can't even figure it out."

She's silent for a moment.

"Gramercy Park Hotel. That's- that's where I'm staying."

Scott Lang has posed:
"You're not, hey, alright look the eye thing is maybe a bit strange but I don't think that means a tumor!" Scott says with less certainty than he'd like. Now the doctors were sounding like a better option, but she said she's already seen them anyway. He turns about, sitting in the backseat proper facing forward away from her as he thinks, a hand raising up to rub at his brow as if a headache is coming on. "I guess the accent was a giveaway you're not from around here," Scott admits, his hand dropping as he lets out a heavy sigh. Don't do this Scott, you're NOT well enough equipped to handle the ninja you have already. His brain never did have as much say as his, well he'd call it heart, others might say stupidity. "What are you doing for Christmas anyway Katsumi?" he questions, closing his eyes as he waits for her to answer. Please say flying home and spending it with her huge loving family, please, please, please.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Boy is he not going to like the answer.

"Same thing I've done every Christmas since getting disowned." She folds her forearms over her knees, head lowering. Her body language couldn't be more clearly miserable. "Nothing." For someone like Katsumi, Christmas is one of those days where it feels more natural to just stop existing. "Look, I-.. I get what you're trying to do," she says, her voice edging on lifeless. "It's fine. I'm not a charity case. Nothing's been normal about this trip to America," she pauses to run the back of a forearm against her eyes, "but that's not your problem. If I passed out and you got me away from the press, cool. Th-.. um, thanks. I'll just go now, though."

She finds the doorhandle this time and pops it open. An effort is made to lift, and the seatbelt - still in place - catches her, bearing her back down to the chair with a pained grunt. She freezes afterwards, cheeks rouged. That was embarrassing.

Scott Lang has posed:
Scott tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling of the car. He doesn't seem to notice Katsumi's embarassment at least as he lets out a sigh so heavy it might qualify for sumo. "Yea I know it's obvious. Yea I know you don't want the charity. You've got a lot of pride in you. But I've been down before too and I know being alone isn't going to help," Scott sounding oddly wise for a change on the topic of being alone and miserable. His head twists to look at her and he lifts one arm, his fingers curled in a loose fist. Slowly it comes up and then just barely grazes her chin.
    

"Pow. There, I defeated you and I'm kidnapping you home with me if that helps your pride any," he jests only for his nose to crinkle at how that sounds. "Look if you really want me to drop you off at your hotel alone I will but...I'm going home to make dinner right now, I've already got one guest over anyhow, it's less than five minutes away. Will you at least come for dinner? I make a mean chili, perfect for a cold Winter night. I'll call you an Uber or drive you back anytime you want, Scout's honor and all. Swear I'm not a creep," Scott tries to assure her. Yes, go home with the guy whose car you just woke up unconscious in. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?! But Scott at least, seems genuine in a way if nothing else.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
She might have called someone she hadn't seen in a while. But her mind isn't really there. Instead, Katsumi just blinks at him as he grazes her chin, having no idea how to take it. She's usually the one violating those personal bubbles. She's not used to those tables being turned. Her mouth opens, possibly to protest the proposition, then closes and glances down. Chili? Had she ever even had chili before? It's that thing Sonic has on hotdogs, right? Why would someone just eat that straight? That's just bizarre.

"...If you were, I could take you anyway," she low-key boasts. She's a peach. But her decision seems to be made, uncomfortable as she visibly is. She reaches aside, hooking slender fingers into the doorhandle to tug it shut again.

"Okay. But for the record, my accent's perfect." Almost perfect. Basically perfect. There are some faint traces of not-from-around-here-isms that sneak in on occasion under duress, but her accent is remarkably clean and metropolitan. "And your name is weird. Scott. Like the candy. Butterscotts."

Almost perfect.

Scott Lang has posed:
"Sure you could kiddo," Scott going right for what he figured would bother her most. She wasn't the only one that enjoyed needling others after all, smiling as he gets out of the car and climbs back into the driver seat. His head turns around again though it's as much to help him back up as it is to look at her. "And for the record you may be right, not the first person to call me a butt at least," the car back up out of the parking lot and starting to his home now. "Sorry Cassie won't be there tonight, she's my daughter, off with my ex-wife right now. Cutest little thing you ever met though. She got cast as a sheep in the Christmas pageant you know! Oh my god it's freaking adorable..." It's too late now, the child-proof locks have kicked in with the car in motion. At least it's a short ride home as Katsumi finds herself trapped with an overly proud father, the ice broken enough to regale her with every tale he can cram in about his 6 year old on the way. What terrible mistake has she made?!