6187/This Was A Bad Idea

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This Was A Bad Idea
Date of Scene: 11 May 2021
Location: Avengers Mansion - First Floor
Synopsis: Power Girl brings Atlee to the mansion to meet heroes, and introduces her to Scott. There's... There's a silver lining there somewhere.
Cast of Characters: Karen Starr, Atlee, Scott Lang




Karen Starr has posed:
    It's been a wild ride since that space sojourn. Upon returning, Power Girl has seen herself do something she never imagined she would: Taken a less experienced but enthusiastic hero under her wing. Despite how long she's been at this, she has never felt quite right about passing on that experience. It helps that Atlee's attitude is what it is, even though Karen feels the girl may be getting in over her head more often than not.

    So, today, is something of a field trip. Take the girl out to the Avengers' Mansion, have her meet another hero or two, learn a thing, make some connections- the usual.

    Landing in the front lawn of the mansion and striding her way up to and through the large double-doors, she's already briefing Atlee somewhat. "I don't know who's around right now. I'm hoping it'll be Cap or Hank, they've been at this a long time and I think it'd be great if you could meet them."

    For all her usual confidence and bravado, helping a newly minted hero is something about which she still doesn't have that same cocksure air.

    "No matter who is here, you're welcome anytime, I'm sure. I'd also like to get you to the moon sometime to meet Kal and the rest of the League. They'll love you."

Atlee has posed:
Coming in for her own landing involved a bit of a different method for Atlee. While Power Girl just flies, Atlee rides. She has a rock under her feet, riding it in a manner akin to a surfboard. She had not been so sure at first about being 'helped' by someone else but then Power Girl was an actual heroine and one who actually had a good track record. Not to mention she actually helped to save Atlee after she nearly got ran over by that huge rhino like beast.

"Cap? You mean like Captain America? Wow! Our information speaks rather highly of him but I am not sure I have heard of any Hanks?" She seems puzzled even as the rock she was riding in on simply sank into the earth and then was gone as if it were never there at all and she's walking. Atlee looks around the mansion as they pass through the doors, her eyes taking in the sights with a degree of wonder.

"I've only ever read about this place bu-" She pauses and blinks over at Power Girl, "The Moon?! I can't breathe in space, Power Girl." She shakes her head.

Scott Lang has posed:
     Experience was in short supply at the Mansion this day. So was grace, professionalism, genius, and a host of other positive traits. What was there, was Scott Lang. As the two women enter the expensive looking mansion out of a sideroom steps Scott. Dressed in pajama pants, slippers, and a short-sleeved shirt featuring Chewbacca with a baseball bat. Underneath reads, "Wookiee of the Year." He doesn't appear to have shaved in a day or two and as he walks he awkwardly holds a bowl of cereal, the bottom cupped in one hand, Corn Pops gaily floating upon the milk. Were it 7 or maybe even 8 in the morning at least it would be understandable. Alas the Sun is nowhere near that close to the horizon.
     He stops like a deer in headlights as the door opens, spoon halfway to his mouth with milk dribbling off it. A moment passes as if holding still might actually get him out of this spot before his eyes flick down to his food and then very slowly he sets it down on a sidetable in the great hall, pausing a moment before he slides it just a bit further behind a crystal vase that looks far more like it belongs there.
     Clearing his throat and simultaneously wiping his hands on the sides of his pants, Scott does some semblance of drawing himself up a bit straighter, doing his best to look dignified in his undignified state. "Power Girl. Greetings. Hello. Hi," immediately stumbling over the best way to start off, an awkward little half-wave just to cap things off as he forces a smile. "You brought company I see. Hey that's great, didn't think anyone else would be around today. It's uh, it's great to meet you. Scott Lang by the way. I'm Ant-Man," Scott going from half-awkward wave to an even less called for attempt at a handshake with Atlee as he steps forward.

Karen Starr has posed:
    There's a level of hazing and, well, not-so-friendly downplaying of Scott's status that Power Girl wants to do, but fact is, she's going to have to be sincere and honest. She can't have Atlee going around with the /wrong/ opinion, despite what she wants.

    "This uh..." she pauses, pinching her brow. "This is Scott." she states, echoing the man's introduction, "He may not look like it, but he's one of the most capable people we've got. Unlike a lot of other heroes who got where they got by inventing their method or by having powers and using them, Scott got here with raw talent. Not... Decorum, or any ability to carry himself like he belongs here, but he does. Whether we... Like it or not. He's great in a pinch, and I hate to say it, extremely clever at improvising solutions."

    There is a pause. Some of this is perhaps the most painful series of words Karen will ever utter, but she's still going to say it, because it's true.

    "You could learn a lot from him."

Atlee has posed:
A slow blink at the sight of this man who is wandering around the mansion has her at first questioning if this was some kind of homless man who had wandered in off the street. Maybe the Avengers were taking care of him as a kind service to the community. She pauses upon hearing his name before looking over to Karen and then back to Scott. She looks toward the vase where she's sure she saw a bowl of something and then looks him up and down again after he had just wiped his hands off on his pants.

Slowly, she looks back at Karen, her head slowly tilting as if she was checking for signs of Karen's sanity. She slow blinks at her, determining that Karen was, well, indeed serious.

"Oh." She looks to Scott, "Ok." She states simply enough, "I have heard of Ant-Man." She nods her head and steps forward, giving him a nod, "I am Atlee." She states simply enough, "I am here to help save the Earth from evil." Her hair almost seems to poof up a little as her hands stay steadfastly at her side. She isn't sure what he wiped off his hands and she knows what a handshake is, but maybe (just maybe) if she plays the not from the surface card she can get away with a slight bow of her head and a smile.

Scott Lang has posed:
     Scott continues holding his hand out just long enough to make things uncomfortable before he lets it fall back to his side. If he's bothered by it he doesn't show it, one of Scott's strengths is his total lack of shame. Or weaknesses. It's something anyway.

     Besides, Power Girl was saying NICE things about him. It was enough to actually make Scott's eyes widen a bit in shock and he looks her up and down as if checking she was in fact who he thought she was. Everything seemed to check out. Mind control? Whatever the case may be he decides to enjoy it while it lasts as his face lights up.

     "Well, the team needed someone with a bit more street smarts didn't it? Atlee don't you worry about a thing, I'll get you entirely caught up to speed around here in no time. Electrical engineering, security systems, how to crack a safe, prison survival tips...hey do you like magic? Oh wait," Scott pausing in his speech of less than heroic educational topics as he pats down his pajama pants topics and then holds a single finger up.

     "In my actual pants. I'll be back, let me just, you know, go change real quick, I'll be right back, you can uh, keep going with the tour, I'll catch up!" Scott suggests as he takes a few steps back before hurrying off up the stairs to find a pair of jeans that have been worn less than 10 times since their last washing. Notably the bowl of cereal remains on the sidetable. There was little doubt he would not remember it.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Power Girl's hand finds her face, and very shortly she is palming her face in one gloved hand. This is pretty typical for interactions with Scott, and after a moment of depression, she's back to form.

    "Yeah, I wouldn't... You just don't know where it's been..." she comments somewhat aside to Atlee, before Scott starts going off the deep end with things she can learn from him. Shaking her head, she starts speaking again after a moment, not exactly cutting him off, but heading off the points before he can properly finish.

    "Yeah she won't- She won't get a lot of that, she's not from... Here. She's from way south, in a... Manner of speaking. She's still learning a lot, but there's a lot of /hero-related/ things you can teach her. No... Burgling, no breaking safes, no prison survival- Jesus, Scott."

    Then, he's off to get his dress pants- the Scott equivalent, at least, and she turns to Atlee.

    "I know it looks- Looks /bad./ And I'm sure I sound /crazy./ But he's so much better at this than he looks, there's a /reason/ we put up with him, you'll... You'll see."

    Idly, Karen makes a note of the cereal. She's going to remind him.

Atlee has posed:
There's a long pause for her. Atlee just looks to Karen again and listens to her before saying, "Power Girl, you said that was Ant-Man." She states plainly and looks in the direction that man went. She did not speak for a long moment after that little spiel and then Karen's before she said that. She then looks forward.

"THat man seems an awful lot like a criminal and not Ant-Man." She states simply enough before she looks to the mansion, seeming to examine it more closely, "This is not what I had expected when you stated you would be taking me to the Avenger's Mansion. This is supposed to be a place where legends live."

She points in the direction of Scott, "That man is no legend." She shakes her head, "Also, is he a magic user? Is that his raw talent you spoke of?"

Scott Lang has posed:
     "Burgling is a great hero skill! We can't all smash doors with our pinky finger PG!" comes Scott's final call from near the top of the stairs before he gives the pair a moment's peace from the chaos that is him. Company, and Karen was clearly trying to teach the poor girl. Best behavior, best outfit Scott reminded himself as he got to his room and quickly changed. No holes in the knees of these jeans and he even removed the ridiculous pun shirt for a button-up...bowling shirt. Baby steps. The slippers remain though, Avenger Mansion had notoriously cold floors as Scott comes back downstairs again to find the pair wherever they've gotten to in the handful of minutes.

     "Hey, I'm back, sorry, just you know, I had to work the night shift last night so I'm a bit out of sorts," he lies smoothly enough as he claps his hands together and looks between the two women with his slanted grin. "So what's your hero experience Atlee? Stopped a few burglaries? Maybe fought a Captain Boomerang or a Toad, someone like that? He's no joke I'll grant you, that tongue hurts," Scott not helping his dignity of anyone's mind's eye given where he rubs himself at the painful memory.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen lets out a calming sigh, a little more of one than was needed. "Yeah, his... His history is complicated. Guy got into trouble for making himself out to be kind of like a Robin Hood of sorts- Have you read that one? Anyway- He stole from a bunch of bad people to give back to people they were stealing from, but got caught. When he got out, he had some trouble readjusting and Hank Pym picked him up."

    She offers a shrug, at that, "So appearances can be deceiving. Legends are stories, and the people that live them won't always match up, but the fuel for the stories are there. Maybe not... Maybe not so evident with /Scott/ but he's good at what he does. He deserves to be here, even if he doesn't really /act/ the part... Ever."

    Looking up at the top of the stairs, and then at Atlee, she shakes her head. "No, he's not a magician. He just does some sleight of hand, I think he got bored once and looked at some videos online. Probably while on house arrest..." she notes, guessing her best at the source of Scott's not at all mystical powers.

    "See? More presentable now than before. We just caught him at a bad time. Right?" She asks, looking pointedly at Scott, "He just was having breakfast after sleeping off the night shift of /monitor duty./" That last bit is pointed. She's not sure what Scott means by Night Shift, but she wants to make it seem like he was doing something mildly heroic instead of security at a parking lot, or whatever else he might actually mean.

Atlee has posed:
"I see." She considers and then hmms, "Well, that is not the kind of hero I wish to be for this world. There's too much at stake that even the people of Earth do not realize." She nods her head and stands up straighter, "If you say that he is meant to be here, than I believe you. As long as he seeks to save this world, than he is on the right side." She smiles and then considers something said.

"I am assuming that this Robin Hood is another hero? Is he here, too?" Before that can go too much further, Soctt returns and Atlee gives him a brighter smile now that he appears to be more normal and less hobo chic.

"I see. That is good then." She nods to Karen before shaking her head, "No, I have not fought Captain Boomerang or a toad but I did first come up here to stop one of the Empathosaurs that had a subway built to close to its lair." She nods her head.

"Also when I met Power Girl we were fighting mutated Rhinoceros that had sprouted extra horns, had a much thicker hide and was roughtly the size of one of the buses that drive around this city."

Scott Lang has posed:
     Scott rubs at the back of his head, looking momentarily confused by Power Girl's words but her stare bores the idea into his head quick that he better figure it out. "Right. Night monitor duty! That's what I was doing and not staying up till 4 a.m. playing videogames with my buddy Carlos. But Atlee seriously if you have a semi-decent K/D we could use a..." Scott's words fading on his lips as he can pretty much FEEL Power Girl's stare on him without even looking. Could Kryptonians project low level nonlethal eyelasers? He wasn't sure but his mouth dries up and he makes a hard swallow before clasping his hands together, pointer fingers pressed together and pointing at Atlee.

     "Nevermind that. Rhinos and Bathasaurs. Thought they went extinct when everyone switched to meteor SHOWERS am I right? Bath...shower..." There was that feeling of impending doom again and Scott hurries on. "So Atlee, yea, welcome to the Mansion. I guess Power Girl has gotten you some clearance or is going to? They're big on security here and all but once we get you checked in, all sorts of training can run through. Can't do everything of course, they usually make me go to an old quarry when I'm going giant, limits on the ceilings and all but it's pretty great. Power Girl here, well you know it already, none better than her. You oughta ask her to sing for you sometime too. Voice like an angel," Scott recommends in his own little rambling way.

Karen Starr has posed:
    There are a couple of nods of acceptance in response to Atlee's statement. "Yeah, I suppose that's a fair point, but even so- there's plenty to learn. Maybe just from his example of what /not/ to do." she offers, but more than that she doesn't say.

    "Robin Hood is an inspiring folk tale from humanity's past. He robs from the rich, and gives to the poor- there's a subtext that the rich only got that way by overtaxing the poor into further poverty and it's a good lesson about a lot of things."

    Nodding along with Atlee's story, Karen places her hands on her hips for a bit, taking a somewhat relaxed stance. "Honestly, I'm just happy that we managed to get it to some people that could take care of it. It was just afraid and confused. And, you know, dart-proof. That was the major difficulty. Never /really/ had to punch a Rhino out before, but it could take a hit."

    By this point, Power Girl has taken a position behind Atlee, and sure enough as Scott speaks, there's this starkly furious glare she's shooting, just shy of the kind of look that involves Scott-melting Lasers. She absolutely /could/ produce invisible, nonlethal lasers. In this case, she probably /wouldn't./

    "We haven't broached video games yet." she says through partially grit teeth, before continuing on. "But we will eventually. You'll have to get used to Scott's /jokes./ I end up running into him a lot." Sounds like there should be an Unfortunately there, but she doesn't say the word. "You will too."

    Rolling her eyes once, she drops the tone finally when she chimes in again. "I haven't gotten her much clearance at all. Just enough to visit and say hello." Then, Scott's onto something he ought not have brought up. One of her eyes twitches, and she starts hurrying Atlee forward.

    "He's kidding again, that Scott. Glad to see you. Sorry to interrupt your breakfast. Don't forget your cereal." she states, glancing at it as she does.

    Of course, that glance hides a short blast of heat vision, that swiftly curdles the milk so that Scott understands when he goes back for a bite that she will still take revenge. Once that's done though, she's ushering Atlee as far away from the man as she can take her within the mansion. For safety.

    For /both/ of their safety.