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The late 50s model Chevrolet pulled up outside of Avengers Mansion, and stepping out of the back seat is one Kamala Khan. There's a glance to the occupants inside, and she gives them a grin. "Just one second. If I'm doing this, I'm so taking a friend with me!" And not at all a double date, nope. Running up to the door, she knocks on it before getting Jarvis to fetch Hope, if she's around, the young woman bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement and glancing to the car on occassion as she waits for Hope, hopefully.
Hope doesn't take too long to get up to the door, wiping greasy hands on her jeans as she comes. "Oh, hey Kamala," she greets with a quick smile, wiping a smudge of grease from the side of her nose with the back of her hand. "I was just…fiddling with some stuff." Tony will probably have a cow later, but it'll be fine. "What's up?"
"Hey. You look a mess." Kamala reaches up and brushes Hope's nose with her finger to chase away some more of the smudge with a giggle. "So look. I totally wanted to see if you were available to go to the drive in tonight. They've got a double feature - Six Guns for Sister Sam and It Came from Beyond the Stars. So cheesy. So great. But I can't drive. That's a problem for drive ins. You know. Need a car? Anyway, since my parents forbid me to drive, my brother.." she gestures out to the car where her brother, a taller Muslim sits, "..agreed, only if I chaperoned for him and Tayesha.." the black woman sitting next to him at the front. "Since they have to have a chaperone by our laws.. anyway. I totally don't want to go alone with them and listen to them make kissy face while I try to munch popcorn. Want to come with?"
"Yeah, I had to dig through some of Tony's stuff," Hope admits, pulling a rag out of her back pocket to wipe her hands again. "He…probably won't notice. Maybe. Nothing important." Totally a lie. "Gimme just a minute to wash up? This whole movie thing sounds like fun, and there's no one here tonight, so…yeah, it's that or more trying to build a time machine by myself, and if I could do it by myself I wouldn't need to be here, you know?"
"Wait. You were trying to build a time machine? Weren't even going to tell me bye?" There's a mock pout from Kamala, but some genuine concern for the girl before she nods. "Sure, I can wait." She calls out to the car, "Few minutes, okay?!" Aamir lets out a long suffering sigh. "You've waited a month, what's a few more minutes, promise!"
"Trust me, it's not getting finished any time soon," Hope calls over her shoulder, jogging up the stairs. She's back down in about two minutes, with hands and face washed and greasy t-shirt traded out for a plaid flannel shirt - fashion is really not her forte. (The jeans are still dirty.) "It's why I'm here instead of with- Well, you know. I figure if it's getting built, it needs either Tony Stark or Reed Richards, so here I am. Hi," she waves as she gets closer to the car.
"So you are." Kamala opens the car door for Hope and grins within, "Tayesha, Aamir, this is my friend, Hope. Hope, that's Aamir, and Tayesha. Now they can talk." she says teasingly as she drops into the seat and her brother groans. "Anyone else?" he asks her with a roll of his eyes.
"Nope, that's it! To the movies!" During the trip over, Kamala asides to Hope. "See, they like each other. But they can't be seen together in private. So that's where I come in!"
"Nice to meet you," Hope says to the pair in the front before she settles into her seat, smile quirking at the explanation. "Sounds complicated. But it means we get to go to the movies, so it sounds like I've got nothing to complaint about," she winks, voice lower at the last. "How've you been? Everything going okay at home?"
"Want the truth, or what I tell Abu and Ammi?" Kamala asks, her voice lowering into lighter whispers that are hopefully not heard over the rattle of the Chevy's older engine and frame. "Having a little trouble with.. my other family, if you know what I mean." The car continues on into Brooklyn and just outside of the residential area is a large field where the screens are set up for a drive in. Aamir pays for the tickets, before they pull into a spot and Kamala ohs. "It's a convertible, so we have to help with taking it off." she says as she gets out to start undoing the small buckles on her side to pull back the ragtop.
Mechanics, at least, is something Hope can figure out without much trouble. When Kamala hops out, so does she, taking a quick look at the fastenings before she's helping to take the top down without any further instruction. "What sort of trouble?" she asks, glancing to the others and pitching her voice to match Kamala's.
"It's probably my fault. I run my mouth too much." Kamala sighs a little, before helping to pull back the ragtop. Once they have it down and secured, Kamala climbs up the side of the door and sits on the back of the seat, perching on the back of the cushion to be a bit higher before waiting for Hope to join her so they can continue. "… they want me to be a soldier, and to know my place in their society. You know. Things I totally didn't ask for 20, Art." she mutters with a sigh, referencing the recently released 'Jeopardy'.
Hope hops lightly back up onto the car with Kamala, looking over the whole drive-in area very much like a soldier - marking entrances and exits, points of cover and vulnerability, suspicious characters and harmless civilians. "Well, it's not the sort of thing people pick up overnight," she replies, practical. "But if you want help, I can help. I mean, with the soldier parts. Nathan - my dad - he was the best soldier in history. And he taught me everything he knew."
"Do I want to be a soldier though?" Kamala asks. "I mean, I want to defend myself, and I'm totally going to come to you for that." Her hand reaches and takes Hope's for a moment, squeezing it before starting to release. "But is this all part and parcel with wanting to make a difference? I want to help people, not hurt them."
"Me too," Hope smiles faintly. "But sometimes that means protecting them. Sometimes it means fighting for people who can't fight. Soldiers aren't all about hurting people," she points out. "When you're good, it's about knowing how to hurt, how much to hurt, and how not to hurt. But…it's also your life," she agrees. "And from the way it sounds, things aren't…end of the world dire for people here yet. You may not have to fight. That…could be your choice," she says, though she sounds reluctant about it.
"There's a statue of me. Under the sea. I mean. Like five years from now. A lot of statues. It's weird. And it's overwhelming." Even while the previews are playing, Kamala's not really paying attention, preferring the conversation with the redhead next to her. "And you think you can show me all that?" she asks, a lift of her brow in playful challenge. "Karnak.. she's one of them. She's been trying to help me train, but she's all 'use your powers differently'. I barely know my powers."
"That's what I was doing, back in my time," Hope says quietly. "Me and the Lights. I mean, there were people who didn't…exactly agree with me or how I was doing it," she admits. "Not everyone should be a soldier, they said. But we didn't have a lot of choices, either. There were barely a hundred mutants left, and people still wanted the rest of us dead, so. We had no other choice. But yeah. It was my team. And learning to use your powers is definitely the first step."
"It's not that I don't agree, Hope.." By now, movie? What movie? Hope has Kamala's full attention as he girl keeps close so that her over the moon brother and his girlfriend can't hear the conversation. "I mean, I get that. And I do want to use my powers. But just punching things isn't always the answer, you know." she says with a small frown as she glances down. "Though.. you didn't get that option, from the sounds of it. And I don't envy you that."
"Oh, I know it's not always the answer," Hope smiles ruefully. "You go in trying to punch everything and everything punches you back, frankly. Understanding people is part of being a good soldier, too. That's part of the knowing when you need to get into a fight or when it's not something you should do. Soldiers work as part of a team, too. So being a good soldier means knowing the rest of your unit, knowing their capabilities, knowing your own."
There's a little frown and Kamala glances down. "I must sound like a child to you, Hope. I mean, here I am. I have a good life. And I'm complaining about powers. That I sorta asked for. Sorta didn't." she says with a small sigh. "And I'm totally ruining our evening out."
Hope quirks a brow, smile tugging at one corner of her lips. "Ruining? There's nothing childish about it," she shrugs. "It's a huge change in your life. It changes the way you see things, the way you see everything. The way others see you, sometimes. There's nothing childish about not being sure how to deal with that, or wanting to talk through it, and it doesn't ruin anything," she adds, looking back toward the screen. "This is the easy version of normal. It's kind of my purpose in life," she grins.
"You do it really well, Hope. I mean. I like spending time with you." Kamala shrugs her shoulders, he cheeks red for a moment before she looks back up to the screen. "Oh. Popcorn. Want some?" she asks, "I can go get us some snacks and stuff."
"Snacks sound good," Hope agrees, swinging her legs over the side of the car. "I'll come with you. Or, uh." She pauses, looking back to the front of the car. "Someone has to stay and keep an eye on them, huh?" she smirks, amusement in her voice.
There's a glance at the front seat, where Aamir and Tayesha have a rather large distance between them and eyes on the movie. There's a peek over the seat to make sure they're not holding hands and a scolding look to her brother as Kamala grins. "Save some room for Allah." she teases in soft Urdu before hoping down and waits for Hope to join her.
Hope hops down to follow behind Kamala, head tilting slightly at the foreign tongue. Not one she knows, at least not without the assistance of someone else's powers. "So, this is what the drive-in is," she muses, looking around as she walks. "It's neat. I can see where it's fun."
"It really is. Usually, I end up watching the movie while my brother talks. It's nice to turn the tables on him." Kamala winks over at Hope and bumps her shoulder gently while moving to the trailer that has been converted into a concession stand. The smells of the popcorn machine are sensed even as they get in line, along with the steady rumble of the sno-cone machine. "So. I take it you have never tried movie food before?"
"That would be a no," Hope laughs, pushing up on her toes to get a good sniff. "I've eaten a lot of strange things before, but usually that's been a…sort of necessity thing. And once we were back in our time…I haven't had a lot of free time for things like movies. Or the chance to go out in the city, that sort of thing. So what's good?" she asks, watching people come and go from the concessions.
"Just everything!" Kamala offers with enthusiasm, bouncing to the front of the line. "We're going to have three popcorns, some chips and cheese, oh, a couple of sno-cones, two RCs, a pickle on a stick. Some M&Ms, and and.. how about.." she taps her chin for a moment. "Extra butter on one of those popcorns!"
Hope's brows rise at the list of food, looking between Kamala and the concession stand, then back again. "You're helping me with that, right?" she asks, wry. "Because I can pack it away, but, uh. That might be a little much even for me." She half turns as she waits, glancing back toward the giant screen and the sea of parked cars. Strange, but so oddly peaceful. And peaceful is always a nice change of pace.
"What.. this is all just for me." Kamala waits a moment in dramatic pause and then winks at Hope. "You help carry it back, you can help me eat it." she says with a warm laugh as she reaches into the bracelets around her left arm and takes out a few dollars to pay for it all. "You're sorta my date, so I'm buying. Well, Aamir is. But still."
"See, I could get used to this chaperoning thing," Hope chuckles, folding her arms on the counter and watching the prep. "Get to go to the movies, get snacks, spend some time with a friend. All for the low, low price of making sure your brother and his girlfriend don't get…inappropriate. I mean, I'm pretty okay with this."
Kamala grins. "…I'll have to let them see each other more often." she says with a laugh. "Though that shouldn't be the only reason to want to hang out." the young woman comments, a slight shrug as she turns her brown eyes to look inside the trailer. "I mean, I like hanging out with you. We could do things together."
Hope smiles easily, turning back toward Kamala. "Hey, I'm not saying it has to be chaperoning," she agrees. "I'm just saying it's not exactly a burden." She winks, letting out a slow breath as she relaxes a bit. "I'm not very good at just doing things, just to warn you. I don't have a whole lot of practice."
"Well, good news." Kamala responds as the tray is presented to her, and she takes up one of them, moving out of the way for Hope to get the other one and offers a swift smile in response. "I have a little practice, and I'm more than willing to tug you out to do normal things. Consider it a trade for you showing me how to fight?" she asks, a hopeful glance in her eyes.
"Sounds fair to me," Hope laughs, picking up the other tray to head back to the car. "So, is this something you do often?" she asks, stealing a bit of popcorn from the edge of the container.
"Once a month or so. I'm not some party animal." Carrying her tray back to the car, Kamala doles out the goods, before moving to settle back in place. She leaves room for the pair of them to sit together, the tray sorta between them. "But I like coming here. And the bowling alley. Oh, and skating." she says with a nod.
"Those both look like fun things to do," Hope muses as she settles in, taking a handful of popcorn and dropping it into her mouth. "I'm in favor of trying more things in general, you know? There's a whole world out there, and I've got a lot of waiting to do, so…I might as well enjoy it, right?"
"Yes, you should. I mean. There may even be a boy or something you want to spend time with." Kamala teases lightly as she takes up the snocone to take a bite out of it. "I can just live vicariously through you." she offers with a wink and swift smile as she glances down into the frozen concoction.
"Eh, that seems like trouble," Hope wrinkles her nose, reaching for the other snocone. No sense in letting it melt, after all. "I mean, I'm going to go home eventually. Then it turns into a complicated question of if they come back with me, or if it's all over then, and…I don't really have time for a relationship back home. Too many things are happening, too many important things that need my full attention."
"Maybe." Kamala shrugs a little as she draws out a breath. She wanted to say something more, before turning her attention to the food, and takes in some popcorn. "A careful balance of what you could have here, and what's waiting for you there. I mean, someone would need to be really strong to take that leap of faith, either way. Or to let you go. I get it."
Hope works her way through the ice, munching away pensively. "It just wouldn't be fair," she concludes after a moment. "To me or to them. But. In the meantime." She looks over, smile crooked, before bumping a shoulder against Kamala's. "It's nice to have a little bit of fun."
The bump gets a grin. "Hey, fun's what we do." Kamala says, offering a grin back to Hope and linking arms with her. "…I think we've totally missed the first movie. Maybe we'll have better luck with the second feature." she offers with a laugh as she glances towards the front seat. "…they get to stay home next time we go out. You have a license to drive?"
"I have nothing that even remotely resembles an ID," Hope snorts, wry. "As far as this world knows, I don't even exist," she points out, finishing off the snocone. "And I never really learned how to drive. I mean, I've driven, but it's mostly been in the context of getting out being more important than any crash we might get into."
"Then we're totally doing public transport. And this may be our one chance for a drive in." Kamala says with a grin. "Skating and bowling.. tell you what. You pick the next time we go out. I can't drink, so bars.. well, they're off limits." she murmurs, apologetic.
"That's okay, I don't really care much for drinking," Hope shakes her head, reaching for the popcorn to get another handful. "I don't like losing control like that. Not something I've had a lot of in my life either. But music. Music is great. If you let me choose, we're likely to end up going to a run or something," she chuckles, rueful. "Free time's not something I'm really good at."
"Run? Like a marathon. Eww." Kamala curls her nose a little playfully. "You just want me all stinky and sweaty." she teases before she turns her attention back to the movie and spending time with the redhead. "Well, as long as you're here - I want to make sure you get to experience whatever I can think of."
"Thanks, Kamala," Hope smiles faintly, bumping shoulders again. "I appreciate it. Now, let's appreciate this whole…movie thing," she grins, turning her attention back to the screen and the popcorn.