4888/Let the Right One In

Let the Right One In
Date of Scene:	26 January 2021
Location:	New York City, Cheap Hotel
Synopsis:	Via mystical measures, Nessa tracks down Katsumi. Despite an odd debate in which each tries to take the blame for causing the rift, both seem to agree they don't want to be without the other.
Cast of Characters:	Katsumi Oshiro, Nessa Donovan

---

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Night has fallen over New York City. Katsumi's upheaval of a life has seen her drift from one home to another, currently figuring things out with She-Hulk. But that means getting things sorted out at the hotel she had, for one night, abandoned. It still had all her stuff, so she couldn't just ditch it.

In the middle of repacking her belongings, Katsumi had paused to just sit at the edge of the bed. Jennifer was being kind to her. It's because she's a charity case again, right? Someday she wouldn't be. Someday she'd be back to her old self; confident, able to stand on her own two feet, not crying every two hours. She hates how weak she's become.

Duffelbag now packed, Katsumi's just looking at the room interior. Paisley, far as the eye can see. Garish. Cheap as can be - at least by New York standards. The bed is hard, the walls are thin, and maids probably take anything that isn't nailed down.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
While Katsumi might not be expecting a knock on the door, she gets one.

Visible through the peephole is a woman. Dressed in dark jacket that seems to be several sizes too big for her, she shuffles her feet in the hallway, looking downward. A grey hood peeks from beneath the dark jacket, pulled up entirely over her head. Nessa's face is visible, though, with the long slightly-tangled blonde braid hanging out the front making it pretty easy to tell it's her. Her legs are covered with black leggings tucked into sturdy hiking boots--something for walking in. And they certainly look like she's been walking in them, from the way they're worn down.

How she'd managed to find the hotel room is certainly a good question, but just as puzzling a question is /why/. She shifts from foot to foot, gaze moving from the floor, to the door, then to the hall. It resembles the way a kid caught tresspassing by the police might look right before they made a break for it.

But she doesn't run. While her gaze stays on the hallway for the moment, her head shakes and she turns her gaze back towards the door, moving close once more to knock again.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro tenses at the knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone. She-Hulk wouldn't come looking for her, would she? Is it the police? The government? Is she being deported?

Katsumi swallows the lump in her throat and carefully, quietly lifts to her feet. She pads to the door and peers through the peephole.

...

...

Emminem?

Wait, no. Nessa?

Nessa!?

Katsumi stares for several seconds longer, not sure what to make of it. She doesn't want her wounds to be reopened. She doesn't want more pain. But she /does/ want the person on the other side of the door. She misses her. She misses the way she made her feel; like everything would be alright, like she mattered. Like a /person/. But that pain, though...

The door is opened a little faster than she intended. But once it's open, Katsumi's gaze crashes to her feet, unable to look at the blonde across from her. Her own attire is comparatively simple: dark gray tanktop, black paneled skirt, chunky combat boots. Gloves and choker are basically a given.

"Um.. hey..," she says, voice quiet, guarded.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's an actual greeting, which honestly seems to surprise Nessa. She looks up quickly when Kat's suddenly there and speaking, and the way she stands there for a moment looks like she maybe hadn't thought this part through. Or, more likely, that brain was lagging a bit as to what she was supposed to be doing.

It's visible after a second that it's not necessarily the latter, but more that it was a moment or two to pause to collect some nerve. "I..."

It's a painfully awkward attempt at words and it certainly comes across as such. "I... wanted to apologize. So you don't hate me."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro isn't sure what to make of that at first. Sure, no eye contact is being made, but Katsumi can detect the awkwardness. To someone like her, it's blood in the water; daring her to strike, to bite, to drag beneath the waves. Her predatory sense of humor is triggered easily by cracks in armor. But here, it doesn't happen. It can't. It's like her soul has been sapped over the last day or so. But what she says still hits her ear oddly. She's apologizing?

Katsumi shakes her head stiffly, scattering her bangs. "I don't hate you," she says, voice still hushed. "I hate me. I messed everything up. I ran you away. And I'm too... f***ing weak to not be able to just, just deal with it.."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Probably the only real visible amount of skin other than her face is Nessa's fingertips, because instead of full gloves, they're fingerless. They, however, quicky disappear into her pockets as she shoves her hands into them. She's about to say something else, her lips parting, but she freezes and her brow furrows in confusion.

"... hate yourself? Why would you hate yourself? /I/ ran away." While her voice is soft, it's a little stronger because confusion doesn't seem to be the emotion she was expecting to experience at the moment.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro doesn't have pockets. Her hands have to fold in front of her lap. And being pressured to explain herself causes the Japanese girl's head to lower a little further. "I ran you away," she repeats. "I had something really good. And then I pushed you into something you didn't want. And now I can't take it back. A-and I'll always remember it. The way it felt. How happy it made me. But how miserable it must've made you. And how I can't.. be around you because it hurts."

She raises a hand to brush her fingertips against her cheek, as if scratching.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Who told you that? Did someone tell you that?"

Nessa looks around for a moment, as if she's expecting someone to have somehow changed the narrative. She can't focus on the incorrect narrative, though, because she has things to say. "I wanted to say I was sorry because I know I'm messed up and I can't really just fix it and I was scared and stupid. I didn't know if you'd even hear me out, but I just wanted to at least let you know I was sorry. And I was really hoping to hear that you didn't hate me."

There's a shakey smile. "Mission accomplished, right?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Y-you di-," Katsumi cuts off as Nessa pushes forward with her intended purpose.

Finally, those inhuman eyes raise to Nessa, confused. They blink once, then twice.

"Nessa, you were.. already messed up. I knew that going in. But I don't care. I never cared. You're... ugh, come on." She steps aside, giving Nessa access to the shabby hotel room. "...I don't hate you. You were," she pauses, glancing to her feet again, "the most important person in the world to me. You didn't care that I was going through things, or that I'm messed up, too. Or that I've been anything /but/ impressive. You were just this... amazing, beautiful person who made me feel like things weren't so bad. You didn't have to tell me you had powers to know you were magical."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
They're both confused.

Not exactly how Nessa pictured this going. When Katsumi steps out of the way, she seems for a moment still unsure if she should run off and avoid the situation entirely, but instead she heads into the hotel room. It's not a great place, and there's not a lot of places to sit, so the blonde moves to the bed, her head a little to knock the hood down. Her hands stay firmly glued in her pockets.

"You really don't have to say nice things about me, Katsumi. I really don't deserve that. I just..." She looks down. "I don't know how to do any of this. I don't know how to deal with people, I don't know how to deal with people I care about, I don't know how to have anyone close without everyone getting hurt. This is just... it's what I hoped wouldn't happen. I don't want to hurt anyone and I never wanted to hurt you in any of this. I shouldn't have..."

She trails off, swallowing hard and looking at the floor. "I shouldn't open up to people. Because it's not necessarily the cold that I'm worried about."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro peers at her curiously as she talks. She makes her way to the bed and turns to sit beside her. "Nessa," she says, first with a pause as she tries to form some coherent thought. "How can someone who made me so happy think she doesn't know how to deal with people? You dealt with me. You just..." Changed? Stopped caring? "...I- I dunno what happened. But up until then, I didn't wanna spend any time away from you."

She toes her boot against the carpeting self-consciously. "Do you remember what I said that first day I kissed you? How I'd find some way to make you feel as special as you deserve?" She might not've worded it exactly like that. "I meant it. I wanted so bad to make you happy..."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's a bit of a pained sound in Nessa's voice. "I don't /deserve/ anything, Kat. I hurt people. I either freeze them because I'm careless with my magic or I hurt them because at some point everyone expects me to know what I'm doing and carry on like I know how to interact or be close to /anyone/. I was really, really stupid opening up because I knew this would happen and I knew that I'd ruin things. I don't know what I'm doing and it's /terrifying/. I don't know what's worse, losing the ability to connect with someone or being too afraid to after you get a chance."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"H-hey.." Katsumi's head tilts forward at an angle, then aside to try to look at Nessa's face. "Stop stealing my schtick. And I don't expect you to know what you're doing, we were both just... feeling it out. And I was okay with that. With figuring it out with you. Hell, I didn't even like other girls before you. And I was terrified of hurting /you/, too. I just didn't say it, 'cuz I didn't want you to be afraid of me. But I was. Until I figure out what's causing my... 'powers'... to activate, I wanted to be really careful."

She pauses a beat, then looks forward to her knees.

"As long as we were together, it didn't matter. All I needed to know is that we were okay. And anything else, we could work through. Whether it was the cold, or.. you being scared of the new, um.. situation.."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"... hurting me?"

For a moment, Nessa looks confused. As if the thought of the roles being reversed hadn't crossed her mind at all. "No, why would I be afraid of you at all, Kat? Just because of you finding your powers? That'd be like me turning my back on myself. I don't like the idea of anyone being alone in that position. It was /awful/ figuring out what to do on my own. No one deserves to go through that, especially not you."

She shrugs her shoulders lightly, pulling her hands from her pockets to look them over. "I haven't been normal for a long time and I haven't figured out what new normal yet is either. I'm sorry I was an ass, I don't know what I'm doing right now and it's like I'm a stupid kid again who's figuring out how to live all over again. I didn't expect you to even talk to me, I just wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry and I didn't want you to hate me for any of this. Because I never meant to or mean to hurt you. At all."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Y-yeah.. Nessa, I put a girl in the hospital by accident. With severe injuries. She's /still there/. She may never be right again. I have no idea what my strength really is, or how fast I can actually move, or.. or /anything/. But I knew that with you, I was always on guard. Being really careful. Really gentle. Only letting myself hug you just a tiny bit. Not doing the stuff I might normally with someone I.. um, wanna be close to. Cuz it'd kill me to hurt you."

Katsumi's hands settle over her bare knees.

"This version of you is the only version I've ever known. You /are/ the normal version. I knew that going in. I just... you made me happier than you could've possibly known. And I wanted to make you happy, too. I- I guess I just... misunderstood what would make you happy."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Sounds like you know what it's like to be me," Nessa notes with a wry smile. "That's... what it was like when I first started. It's terrifying, figuring things out all over again. So I understand where you're coming from." She fiddles with the edge of her gloves. "It's not really a matter of misunderstanding what makes me happy. It's me being unsure of how to approach any of this. I've always loved having you around. I feel more like an actual person who isn't all messed up all the time. You treat me like I'm not just... some chick who can't touch people. It's not something I'm used to."

She lets out a breath. "I guess I'm just frustrated that I'm not where I'd like to be with a sense of being normal. It's like learning to walk again but forgetting how to use my legs. It's painful and terrifying and people are walking by and expecting /me/ to walk. I guess I'm just kind of scared of you being disappointed because I can't just somehow get over all of this, both with the cold and... completely uncharged territory."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"S-stop it," Katsumi replies, turning those inhuman irises onto her again. "Okay? Stop expecting me to see you like everyone else. If you didn't change at all, I'd be okay with it. Because it's you, the person you are, right now, that I- I fell for. Not what you /could/ be. Not what you /might/ be. But the Nessa Donovan who made /me/ feel normal. The one who kept me from unraveling when my life was falling apart. The one who was always supportive, and nice, /way/ past what anyone could've expected. Way past anything I deserved."

"Th-.. the only thing that disappointed me, was me pushing you into dating me. That ruined everything. I'm so sorry I did that to you. To us. If I hadn't done that... if I didn't kiss you that day..."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa blinks a few times. "Pushed me into dating you?" There's a bit of a laugh. "Kat, if you hadn't kissed me we'd still be doing exactly the same thing other than me suddenly realizing that this is ridiculously uncharted territory. Kind of a bucket of water making me realize what things were."

She shakes her head. "It's not you doing anything wrong, Katsumi. You didn't. You did what felt natural. I just freaked out because I don't know what that means for me and how to handle it. It's not for lack of feelings. I'm just /scared/. I opened myself up to you in a way I haven't with anyone and I'm terrified that I'll hurt you and I think I'm also scared of hurting myself. I'm usually pretty good about people /not/ being close."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro studies her in contemplative, cautious silence for a few seconds. Her hand lifts to draw her hair over her far shoulder to paw her fingers through the silky black, a subtle manifestation of tension; a need to interact with something, to spend energy.

"Not for a lack of feelings," she repeats quietly. That one little sentence has so much weight and implication. "Nessa... t- um. Tell me what you want. Can you do that? Did you-.. do you.. want.. to be with me?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I don't even know what that /means/, Katsumi," Nessa frowns, fiddling with the edging on her gloves again. "When people say that whole 'be with me' thing, I know what that means for other people. I watch movies, I people watch, I see what that looks like. But I don't know what that looks like for me."

The frown gets deeper. "I can try and tell you what I do know. I can try and tell you things I know for sure." There's a deep breath. "I know that you're incredibly important to me. You have been. I took a huge risk letting you be close at all because I trust you. I risked potentally hurting you, potentially hurting both of us. And I've been really happy about having you around. I'd forgotten how nice it was. Thinking you hated me has been killing me. All I wanted was to just shove the world away and not deal with anyone ever again. Because why bother anymore?"

She's not sure where to look, so the gloves get fiddled with again, and then she just pulls them off and throws them on the ground in frustration. "What am I supposed to do, Kat? What do I do?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro watches intently, every shift in Nessa's face, every little cue - she's trying desperately to work past her personal difficulties reading and understanding other people to not miss anything. The gloves are removed, they're thrown down. That's frustration, right? Her eyes lift to Nessa's face again.

"All you have to do is tell me one thing. If the cold wasn't an issue, if you weren't afraid of hurting me, would we be together? The.. way that I wanted us to be? If it were safe, is that what you'd want?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"That's a hard question, Kat, because I don't know. I don't have any frame of reference. If everything was normal, if I wasn't going to hurt you with my powers and you weren't going to hurt me and I felt like somehow I wasn't going to mess up everything because I don't know what I'm doing?" Nessa kicks at one of the gloves on the ground.

"How am I supposed to know what that's even like?" There's pain in her voice, frustration, and there's certainly tears coming. "I don't know what that means. I just... I just don't want you to go. I don't want to lose you. I don't know what to do without you. Things just... things are just wrong. My life's not the same." The frustrations bubbling to the surface, and she's crying.

"I don't know what to do. Please just don't hate me, Kat. Even if you want me to leave and go away and never see you again, please just don't hate me. /Please/."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"But you.. knew you wanted to be with that other guy, right..?," Katsumi asks, heart sinking. "It's not the same with me, though, is it?"

She exhales a low sigh, and the Japanese girl leans forward, huddled over her knees. Her forearms rest against her legs, head hanging. "I don't hate you. I don't think I could ever hate you. I can't tell you how much everything you've done means to me. I.. suck at putting it into words. But it's complicated for you, and not for me. Maybe that's why I'm always screwing things up. I just- I want something, and I go for it. Stupid, f***ing impulsive. It just.. felt right. Being with you felt right. For the.. day or two that we were."

She shakes her head and reiterates, "I don't hate you."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"No, I mean. That's just it. It was /normal/. That was the closest I could get to normal. But that's not the rest of the world. You're the rest of the world. You're /risking/ something. I'm risking something. In the other case it was easy because I was the only one getting hurt. There was no risk."

Nessa nudges Katsumi with an elbow. "Why do you keep thinking /you/ screwed this up? I was the one that freaked out. I'm the one that doesn't know what I'm doing. This has nothing at all to do with you. I know that sounds weird, but that's the truth. You did nothing wrong." She lets out a deep breath, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm glad you don't hate me. I'm sorry I made you feel like you weren't important to me. You mean everything."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
The nudge gets a sullen glance from Katsumi. "But I asked if things were normal, if it'd be different. And... but... now you're saying I didn't-.." Her hands lift to her face, rubbing against her features. "You're like a damn sphinx, y'know that?," she chides, voice weak. "I'm just asking if you want to be with me the way I want with you. T-that's all. It's not complicated. It's- think of it as a hypothetical if you have to. You promised you wouldn't leave me squirming, but this is me, squirming!"

Turning a little, Katsumi props a knee over the bed to face Nessa more directly. "If I didn't do anything wrong, then that means I didn't pressure you into being with me. Right? Not knowing where you stand- or, or where /I/ stand with you, that's killing /me/. When You say I mean everything to you, what does that mean?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I don't know what to say, Kat!" Nessa sniffles, the tears welling up again. "I don't know how to explain anything. Because you wanting to be with me and me wanting to be with you isn't in question. I just don't know what that's supposed to look like. I don't want you disappointed because I don't know what I'm doing or that I know what a relationship would be like. It's not at all about feelings, it's just like..."

She scrunches up her face. "Like, you really enjoy painting but you also don't know how to paint and you have a hand tied behind your back. So even if you paint, you have to figure out a way to paint with that. So it looks differently but you still enjoy painting. Does... that make any sense? I'm sorry if I'm awful at explaining. I'm trying really, really hard to make sense."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro thinks she got her answer. It wasn't direct. It was a little buried in there. But Katsumi got her answer. Her arms reach out to hook around Nessa's upper-arms, careful to avoid skin. Her head tilts to rest against whatever fabric she can find around Nessa's back or collar. There's no pressure, but she's certainly holding onto her.

"You paint anyway. You don't worry what anyone else thinks of your painting. You paint because you love it, and nothing else matters. And the paint's not gonna suddenly say you're not good enough, or you're not welcome. The paint is just..." Her arms tighten marginally. "...the paint's just happy you want to be with it."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"... I just don't want the paint being disappointed cause I don't know what the painting's even going to look like..." Nessa says softly. But it's being hugged is all it takes for Nessa's words to dissolve into sobs and she responds with abruptly slumping in against Katsumi. There's an attempt at dialogue, but it's hard to really make out anything she's saying between hiccups and sobs, but it does sound like the word 'sorry' was in there somewhere.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"T-the paint doesn't care...," Katsumi assures, following the ridiculous metaphor. But hearing Nessa break down is all Katsumi can endure. Anything else she was going to say is lost to her own breath catching in her throat, and warm tears falling. Feeling Nessa's heard press against her urges her to huddle in a little closer, redoubling her secure hold on her. Her head tilts a little further to press her cheek against her, accidentally dampening her outerwear. Every time Nessa vocalizes an apology, Katsumi pets a hand against her arm and shifts her head - likely intended to be a shake, but lost in their close proximity. She manages to give a few quiet, "Shh,"'s in response, but no more.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
It's a good couple moments of apologetic noises and shushes before Nessa eventually seems to calm, her arms now tight around Kat. She tries to breath deeply a few times, just to control her breathing and to regain some sense, /any/ sense, of composure. "I don't want to ruin your life in any way, Kat. I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not you. All you've been is good in my life. I'm getting pretty good at being a mage, I don't think I'm great at being a person."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Maybe-," Katsumi sniffs, "-that's what I /like/ about you. I never get along with- with normal people."

She isn't keen on relinquishing her grip on Nessa. It almost feels surreal, having her in her arms again, feeling her be raw and emotionally bare. It's cathartic. Cleansing. It's like medicine. "You won't ruin my life. You make my life better. Understand? Just- don't push me away again."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The grip on Katsumi feels more like a cling now, Nessa seeming unwilling to move from her position now. "If... if I'm scared of something, be patient with me. Please. I'm not going to be any good at this, but my life's better with you here. And please don't run back to Japan and get yourself captured by weird scientists who experiment on you, okay? I said we'd figure it out."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro shakes her head, this time more easily felt as she buries her face against Nessa's collar area. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right where I wanna be," she murmurs into her shirt. "If you're scared, just talk to me.. tell me what's wrong. Let me help you. Somehow, someway, I dunno, I'm not a f***ing witch, but I wanna help..."

With another sniff, Katsumi finally lifts her face to look towards Nessa's. Or perhaps the top of her head, if she's still clung. "You made me think life could be okay. And it /can/ be. For both of us. Together. Okay?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa seems content to just rest her weight against Kat. She doesn't look up, not yet, just still keeping her face buried against her. "Life is okay. You're gonna be okay. I still wanna make sure things are okay for you, I just... don't know how to handle /me/. It's easier to pretend that the only thing wrong is just the whole cold thing. I don't mind helping others, it's figuring out how to help myself that's the worst. I think that was why a lot of it scared me. I could look from the outside before and now you were right there looking back at me."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"Nessa, it... it's not..." Katsumi catches herself, pausing. She isn't sure she understands. She's impulsive, as she mentioned. It's caused tremendous damage in her life. The only one it hasn't seemed to hurt is the girl crying against her now. Which, in a way, she's pretty sure is still her fault. But she doesn't understand Nessa's internal struggle. Katsumi's confidence contrasts Nessa's uncertainty. But rather than tell her how to feel about it, she gently sighs. "I know how to handle you," Katsumi concludes, her voice softening.

Her hand runs down Nessa's arm again, petting her.

"Like this. Just like this. You don't need to be anything other than you. And when you're worried, or afraid, or upset... I'll always have this ready for you."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's something incredibly comforting about the words, so much so that Nessa relaxes almost immediately. "Okay. I'm okay with that." Her voice is soft but audible, doing her best to fully regain her composure. She doesn't make a move to pull away, though, as clearly the hug seems to be doing her some good. "I always knew you were pretty strong," she murmurs, her voice momentarily sounding amused.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
There's a small sniff, and Katsumi squeezes Nessa just a little tighter. "Psh..," she scoffs. "I've been crying, like.. all day past few days.." After a beat, she adds, "..ruined your shirt. Sorry."

Finally, Katsumi withdraws an arm from Nessa to quickly wipe the back of her wrist beneath her eyes to clear the moisture.

There are things she wants to ask her. Things she wants to clarify. But she doesn't have the heart to risk rocking the boat. She's terrified of making a mis-step, of saying the wrong thing, or putting pressure on her. So she stays quiet and contents herself with what they have.

The arm loops Nessa's shoulders again, and the Japanese girl begins to rock gently with her; side-to-side.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I feel bad. Even if things weren't great between us because I was busy freaking out, you were /alone/ in a country you're not used to yet and that was kind of /mean/ of me," Nessa murmurs, but the mention of ruining her shirt gets her to lift her head. "You don't ruin anything, Kat. Okay? You're good. No apologizing." She shuts her eyes, just for a moment. It's always a struggle to fully get her composure back and feel like she's got a good grip on what's going on around her.

"Can I do anything to make it up to you?"

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Find a way to alleviate the cold.

Never hurt her like that again.

Kiss her.

There are a number of things that instantly jump into Katsumi's mind when prompted like this. But none of them seem like the right thing to say. Everything feels like it's adding pressure or stress. She doesn't want that. She hates that they went through this, and chancing it again feels like a horrible prospect.

"Stay with me," Katsumi says. "I just want you around. I can be happy with that."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I can do that," Nessa replies. It's a confident, genuine answer, and one she doesn't have to think about. "But you've got to stay with me too, okay?" She rubs her face with her hands a bit. "I've been really worried about you. I didn't know where you were or what you were doing... and you don't even want to know what I had to do to track down where you were staying."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Now that Nessa has withdrawn her arms, Katsumi loosens her hold on her and leans back a little to get a better look at her. "Well," she begins, "I was gonna go fight. But I ran into a mugging, and thought I, um, might actually be worth something if I did just one good thing for someone. So I went'n got into a fight with the muggers. There was like.. I dunno.. four of'em? Five? I was doing okay until they got their guns out."

She is determinedly leaving out the part where she was lowering her defenses and awaiting a bullet-riddled death.

"...they were crappy shots, and the mutants they were hassling finished'em off." She gently prods an index finger against Nessa's ribs. "What /did/ you do to find me?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa sits up sharply, her eyes wide at the mention of /guns/. Regardless of the mention of 'crappy shots', she's already looking to try and double check and make sure no one had actually hit Kat. "You could have died!" There's a squeak of panic in her voice. Certainly she /isn't/ dead, but it doesn't change the reaction at all.

When she's poked, Nessa turns red slightly. "Well, it was a combination of good old detective work and some magic. I tried to make a list of places that seemed realistically cheap enough that it wouldn't take a lot of your money, and then once I got those listed I sort of... walked." She looks down for a second. "With magic, it's like flavors of something. You know how you can taste a smoothie and know there's banana in there even though it's all blended up? When I'm sensing things, it's like that. People are kind of their own magical fingerprints of flavor. If I've felt it before, I can usually find it again. So I walked by every hotel I could find just hoped I'd sense you." She nods down towards the scuffed hiking boots.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro ducks her head sheepishly at the mention of her dying. "I-.. I know...," she says quietly, guiltily. At the time, she wasn't sure it would've been so bad. Couldn't have been worse than how she felt while alive, could it? But then they wouldn't have had this moment, and things improve.

"So anywhere I go, you can just... find me?," Katsumi asks. "Wait, because I'm magic? I'm just always flaring up for you?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I mean, it depends. I know what you feel like, so to speak. But I didn't really have a huge sense of it until the night of the fight, so that's just what I looked for," Nessa shrugs. "It's gotta be something I can sense, though. So like, uh, I can't find the pizza guy or something just cause I've met him once unless he's a mage with pizza magic or something."

She grins. "But yeah, if you get lost... there's a good chance I can find you. Provided that you aren't hiding yourself in some magic-proof bubble or something."

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"No. I like that you can find me." Katsumi lifts a hand to set gently to Nessa's back. "That's a good thing."

Her gaze dips briefly in thought. "...this is really happening, right? I'm not.. dreaming, or something, am I? You actually did come here, and we're together..."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"... do you want me to pinch you or something? Cause I thought you understood that whole, I don't want to hurt you thing..." Nessa raises an eyebrow, but her lips curve into a grin.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
Katsumi Oshiro sees the smile, and it's instantly contagious. "I just don't want this to end. Is there any way you can.. or we can.. like.. stay.. tonight together? I won't try anything, promise. I just- I'm not ready to back off yet."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I mean, yeah, this is kind of a shitty hotel room, though..." Nessa points out. "But I'll stay with you. If you want me around and that's okay. Besides, I have to make sure you don't go getting yourself shot. Apparently you /nearly get shot/ if I'm not around." There's a bit of humor creeping back into things.

Katsumi Oshiro has posed:
"It matched my mood," Katsumi mentions in regards to the hotel room.

At last, the Punk Princess is giving a grin of her own. "Yeah? Thanks for letting me know what gets your attention..." As if she'd throw herself into danger just for that. Actually, her entire career is based on it. Nevermind.

"Was there somewhere else you wanted to go?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa takes another look around. "No offense, but anywhere but /here/. Paisley's not my thing. I could go build you an ice castle or something." There's a hint of amusement there. Especially because of what happened with the last ice palace she was associated with. "Let's just go somewhere, okay? See a movie or something?"