6517/Earth Pizza is Tasty

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Earth Pizza is Tasty
Date of Scene: 10 June 2021
Location: Last Stop
Synopsis: Carrie and Laura catch up. Discuss things. And stuff.
Cast of Characters: Carrie Kelley, Laura Kinney




Carrie Kelley has posed:
T cryptic message that arrived on Laura's cellphone came from a phone that is at least somehow connected with Carrie. It simply said: Last Stop, 20 min. and that was it.
     Last Stop itself is practically empty at this time in t morning, it's early for pizza, but, tre is a familiar redad sitting in a booth in t back, huddled against t wall, peeking occasionally over t top of t menu s holds as if waiting for (looking for) someone to arrive.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura is no stranger to cryptic messages. Half the calls she gets are in code and the rest are made to burner phones that are replaced constantly or made to online services which require the input of a password to access the voicemails. All done in covert areas she can't be seen or tracked easily.

It's a tough life being internationally wanted for numerous assassinations.

Despite Last Stop being a discreet location it's not well hidden enough for X-23s nose. She slips in dressed in non-descript street wear. Black pants and a matching jacket. Ideal for blending into a crowd. She gives a nod of greeting as she moves over to the booth Carrie has claimed.

Sniffing the air for signs of trouble. It's only once her nose confirms there's nothing unexpected that she allows herself to relax a little and sit.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"It's fine, it's a pizza place. Come on." Carrie says, teasing the other woman just a little bit, "Do you think I would call you here to have you blown up or shot or something?" As Laura sits, Carrie pushes a menu over to her, "I was thinking pepperoni because it's really hard to get that stuff where I've been lately. But...I suspect...all the meat for you?"

As she asks this, she looks back over her menu to Laura, and brushes back some hair over her ear, "How have you been, by the way? Everything good?" she asks in a slightly lower tone.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"I've been involved in two overseas covert operations recently," Laura says with a shrug. "I always assume that someone might be looking for payback following a mission." There's a slight trace of a smile. "Besides it's Gotham. Any minute now an Arkham escapee could burst in."

She begins to skim the menu as if it's the schematic for a bomb.

"Something with a lot of hot peppers." Her love of weapons grade spicy food is well known amongst the Outsiders. "Aside from that I'm okay. Although... People have been telling me I'm no fun recently." She blinks a few times. "And you? Still busy with your other commitments?" She frowns then adds "I'm sure you can buy some cured meats to take with you. They can last weeks even without refridgeration."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley hops up from the seat as Laura makes her preference known, saying, "Be right back," and then goes to make the order at the counter. Because, the waitress doesn't seem like she's quite ready to be moving this early either. Carrie returns and slides back into the booth saying, "Peppers, pepperoni and more peppers. Good?" It would seem either she's grown indifferent to super hot spicy food, or, perhaps her palate has expanded since leaving.

"I am...err..yes..still committed elsewhere. And believe me: there's a butcher shop I'm stopping at next to pick up some things they just don't do right out there." It's then that she seems to realize the comment that Laura made about not being fun, recently, "Who said that? And, why?" she asks, tilting her head.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"That's acceptable," X-23 assures, nodding slightly. "Usually I'd bring my own blend of home made hot sauce but with the trip to Madripoor I haven't had time." It's probably for the best though. Her hot sauce is on the borderline between condiment and chemical weapon. "Also I suppose the establishment might not allow outside food."

A shrug.

"Most of the team. I do not think they were trying to be mean though." There's no sign it actually upsets her though. Her expression blandly indifferent. "They probably don't appreciate I get a lot more enjoyment from training than they do." It helps that she heals from all the injuries her absurd exercise routines regularly cause. "It was probably intended as a prompt to push me to do other more social things."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Well....what sort of social things interest you?" Carrie asks. The waitress comes by -- belatedly -- to deliver waters, and she unwraps her straw to dunk it into the glass. "I will admit, you aren't the MOST social person out there. Which, isn't a bad thing really, it's just who you are." Carrie points out.

She leans back into her seat a little, letting the cushions do their job as she confides, "One of the things I've found being away is that there is something to be said for being part of a larger team. Just the social aspect of it. I've heard just about every story the Commander has by now, because we spend so much time one on one on patrol or whatever."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney says, "There's a few moments where Laura looks blank. "What social things interest me?" she repeats. "I don't really know. I enjoy physical activity. But that is often discounted as being 'training'. I run, swim and climb frequently."

She sniffs the water when it arrives before taking a drink. "Working with a team has benefits. I do find it helps to have people who can make up for my own weak spots. But I do find some of our mutual friends can be a little loud. Some situations would be more easily resolved if I just went in alone."

Her lips shift into a rueful smile. "I do not think many of my own stories make for especially fun retelling.""

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley ponders Laura's description of what she enjoys, and then grins a little slyly, "Any chance you've found a significant other who is able to drag you out to things?" she asks, before she takes a sip of her water through her straw. Maybe she's trying to see if Laura has loosened up at all in her personal life, or if it is still clamped down.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura Kinney shakes her head. "I am not currently dating anyone," she answers. "I find it simple enough to take care of my own needs in that regard." She is probably talking about socialising. Or has misunderstood the question. "I do not feel as if I need to rush into anything though. As if I follow a similar pattern to my father it'll be several hundred years before I look thirty let alone feel old."

It's almost an afterthought when she asks "And you? Have you been seeing someone? Perhaps this Commander you mentioned?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"I see..." Carrie replies, blushing mayhaps a little bit at the way Laura answered that. It's a pretty obvious blush. The red hair, pale skin, she looks like a tomato when the pizza arrives. It is covered in peppers and there look like there may be a few pepperoni hiding in there somewhere. Carrie grabs a piece and then regrets it as the pie is still HOT. "ow ow ohh ow..." she whispers as she brings the slice to her plate. "It's hot," she says, stating the obvious.

At Laura's question, she shakes her head, "No. No...no not the Commander. Not my type." What her type is is left to the imagination for now. "And, there's....not a lot of opportunity to meet people out there. At least not really in the way you'd expect. We sometimes work with other mercenary groups but..." she shrugs.

Laura Kinney has posed:
The pizza might be hot but it's no real trouble for a healer. Laura scoops up a slice, does her usual sniff check, and digs in. The food napalm that is molten cheese proving no barrier to her enjoyment. "Yes it is," she agrees. "I would wait a few moments for it to cool if I were you."

The blush gets no comment. Not because X-23 didn't notice it but because she almost certainly doesn't know why Carrie is blushing in the first place. The pheromone cues her nose can pick up help with many social situations but they're not an exact science.

"I don't really expect to meet people in any situation," she points out. "Usually I am engaged in stealth and recon activities. So when I meet people unexpectedly it usually results in violence."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Yeah...that's fair..." Carrie comments. Whether that's about letting the pizza cool, or the meeting people unexpectedly part is unclear. "How is it?" she asks.

She then chuckles a little at the sort of obliviousness of Laura, or her discretion, "Not that I...can't take care of things on my own. But, sometimes, it's nice to cuddle, you know? Or..maybe you don't."

Laura Kinney has posed:
"It's enjoyable. I don't know how well it compares against other establishments in America as a whole. But certainly better than the usual Gotham fare," Laura says with a smile. "But then one of the few things we don't have back at the Roost is a pizza oven. So that's to be expected." For various complicated reasons X-23 doesn't order delivery food or go out to eat a lot..

There's the slighest twitch of her nose, then she adds "Cuddling and hugs are not really things I do often." A pause while she thinks back. "Hugs I can recall a few examples of but cuddling? No.. The closest thing I can think of is wrestling and that is very much a different situation." Given who is talking it almost certainly involves a weapon and the other individual winding up dead or severely injured.

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley might blush a little more as she comments, "Wrestling can be fun too...yeah," And then the pizza is cool enough to eat! She picks it up, and takes a big bite, saving her from saying anything else for a good while, until the peppers hit. And then: well, she grabs for her drink and downs most of it very quickly, "Hot...hot hot hot..." she gets out.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"Fun? I guess some people might find that sort of thing enjoyable," Laura informs solemnly. Clearly thinking back to some sort of violent struggle with a supervillain. "But I would worry about their state of mind. Still I suppose I'm not really one to judge. As I don't really get the value in most of the usual social events people partake in."

She takes another bite of her slice. Heedless of the heat. And then slides her own glass of water closer to Carrie in case she needs a second glass of cooling water. "Typically water doesn't really help with spice. It just spreads the heat sensation around. You should drink milk before hand if you are worried about the spice level. The fats in the milk provide a protective barrier against the chemicals which cause the burning sensation."

There's a touch of amusement to her voice at the outburst. "Try not to focus on the heat. Instead concentrate on the rush of endorphins and adrenaline the pain causes. It's the closest thing to intoxication I can get without a quite frankly absurd amount of effort."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
Carrie Kelley laughs, "I mean, obviously not to the death or anything but...power exchange? Seeing who can be in charge? No?" she asks, before she shakes her head, "Nevermind." And then, another bite of the hot hot hot pizza. This one she seems to be expecting things, and leans back to, as Laura puts it enjoy the 'rush of endorphins' the pain causes. She takes a few shaky breaths as she lets the heat bathe her mouth, and ignores her runny nose, before she nods, "Yeah....I can see that..."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura's nose twitches as she picks up on something. "I've never really been in a situation of that nature where I needed to exert my dominance," she points out. "In the case of wrestling I have received a lot of training and have superior physical abilities to regular humans." She gestures with the slice of pizza she's holding. "It would not really be a contest you see."

She finishes the slice off like it's nothing.

"I would also recommend being very careful with what you touch for a while. And wash your hands very carefully."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Oh, believe me...I was planning on washing my hands repeatedly after this. I did some cooking at home once when I was a kid and it called for jalapeno peppers and...well..I learned a very important lesson that day about rubbing your eye with pepper oil on your fingers." Carrie replies with a laugh, adding: "I mean...yes but maybe you'd find someone who doesn't mind losing all the time." She shrugs, and then takes up Laura's water and has a drink of it as well.

Laura Kinney has posed:
"When I was growing up every meal was purely balanced with nutrition rather than taste," Laura laments. "But I did have training in which I was exposed to chemical agents. So I understand the discomfort you are referring to." She tilts her head to one side and smiles. "Should we order more to drink? If you're having trouble do not feel you have to force yourself. I can easily finish what remains."

The enhanced metabolism of a healing factor mutant can be rather unfair. Laura can eat pretty much whatever she wants without worrying about gaining weight.

"I find it hard to imagine engaging in competition without trying to win. There is a saying about it being about taking part which is important not the winning or losing but... are you really participating if you don't intend on winning?"

Carrie Kelley has posed:
"Maybe there's something after the wrestling to make it more enjoyable." Carrie suggests, before she takes another bite of her pizza. She shakes her head, "I mean, yeah I want you to take this home or eat it all now or whatever but...like..I can handle this. This isn't too much. It just caught me off guard is all. Sometimes food is a bit bland out there. Different palettes and the like, so what's spicy for someone isn't for another sort of thing."

Laura Kinney has posed:
"Like some sort of penalty game?" Laura replies with a frown. Clearly the concept of intentionally losing isn't something which has ever crossed her mind before. "Anyway if you are comfortable with the level of spice I am happy to split it evenly if you're hungry too. I will likely have several smaller meals throughout the day anyway."

She takes another slice. Specifically going after the one with the most peppers on, probably so Carrie doesn't end up having to struggle through eating it.

"Now that I think about it I don't really train my grappling skills very often. I tend to strike quickly and with overwhelming force." IE Snikt things. "But it's a skillset I should probably still work on improving. There are bound to be situations where it's more important to take a target down. Abilities that trigger when exposed to high levels of force perhaps.."

Carrie Kelley has posed:
It looks like Carrie is about to answer one of Laura's comments when Carrie starts beeping. She puts down her slice of pizza, looks at a small device she seems to be carrying in a pocket -- and not displaying for the world to see -- and then she curses and stands, "I gotta run. Commander needs me on the ship in twenty minutes and...well...I'm JUST about in range to get there on time." She tugs out her wallet and tosses two twenties on the table, "That should cover things. It's been great seeing you, next time I'm in town I'll give you a ring and maybe we'll see about wrestling training," she winks, and then is gone. Heading out the door quickly.