2019-12-04 - Fuzzy Pickles

Summary:

While shopping in the market, Kamala runs into one of her heroines - and a familiar face. Dinner plans are made.

Log Info:

Storyteller: None
Date: Wed Dec 4 01:41:51 2019
Location: Mott Street Market

Related Logs

None

Theme Song

None

lydia-dietrichzatanna-zatarakamala-khan

The market, as always, if pretty crowded in the early evening. As the street vendors are hawking their wares and trying to get the attention of passer-by, Kamala Khan is more than a little lost in it all. The crowd's much bigger than the one she's used to in Jersey City, and as she glances at the list she carries and then back to the stands and booths, her lips pull into a brief determined frown.

Dressed in a leather bomber style jacket with wool-lining, a rainbow colored woolen cap, a cotton sweater embroderied with the Avengers 'A', warm leggings and a pair of boots, she doesn't try to stand out in the mulling and standing shoppers and may be doing too good of a job of it as she is trying to flag down a vendor. "Hey!" she calls out over the din. "Do you have any amchur?"

Shopping for a Pakistani spice in a Chinese market. Someone obviously made a wrong turn as the old man that runs the cart yells something back in Mandarin and points at the various spices that are listed in Chinese alphabet without English translation.

Zatanna has a good reason to be at a Chinese market: she needs to buy a mogwai, quick.

Okay, that's a lie, and probably a racist joke to boot (it's hard to tell the difference between an eighties movie reference and a racist joke, honestly), but it puts a little smile on her face as she walks down the street in a long, brown overcoat she doesn't admit is inspired by someone she'd rather not have her fashion sense inspired by. Her hands are deep in her pockets against the coldno warmth spell todayand her hair is tied back with a blue ribbon to keep the wind not from whipping it around, but at least from whipping it around in an undignified fashion. She actually has no business here today, she's just on her way home from a date and needs to get back to where she left her car. She smiles politely at Kamala in passing, and nods at her.

One of the things that living with an overbearing mother teaches you is how to negotiate, which really comes in handy when you're at a market. You can usually haggle the vendors to get a better price. Also, being a glowy ghost girl helps. Right now, she's haggling with one of the fish vendors over a couple of slabs of fresh cod that she plans on using for home made fish sticks. This seems to be one of the few vendors here that isn't put off by her glowing aura, which is a breath of fresh air for the young woman.

Glancing atthe spices, Kamala was about to repeat her request, when someone brushes by. The native New Jersey girl was about to accept all of this in stride when she turns and notices who it is that bumped into her. The mind sparks and competes, and she totally forgets that she's shopping. "Waitasecond are you her?!" she asks, gasping loudly, catching her hands together in front of her, as she blinks several times as she tries to wrap her mind around..

"Zatanna?" she asks curiously. "I mean, if you're not, I'm so sorry, but I caught one of her vimes and you look just like her!" There's more to be said, but on the edge of her sight, she sees the green glow and waves her arm wildly. "Lydia!"

Zatanna smiles politely at Kamala. "I get that a lot, but no, sorry. I mean, if I was Zatanna, I'd probably do something corny like pull out a deck of cards" Her hands emerge from her pockets, seemingly empty, and clap together. When they part, a deck of cards is pressed between them. "and then do some completely unnecessary trick with them while you watched and maybe took a selfie." As she speaks, her hands weave in and out in tight circles, cards still suspended between them, the deck dividing into four lots that form a perfect black square in the center, each lot seemingly balanced on the mere corners of the cards bordering them. She circles again and the cards divide into eight lots, forming an abstract sort of sunburst or sawblade pattern, maybe, still seeming to move on invisible pivots at the corners of the cards; another twisting circle of her hands and some of the lots flip into the hollow space at the center while the rest spread out in a jagged, uneven fan somehow weirdly evocative of a drawing of flame. Zatanna smiles. "So I must not be Zatanna."

Lydia sees somebody waving out of the corner of her eye, and when she turns, she sees her new bestie, Kamala. She waves back, and turns to the fishmonger and just accepts his latest offer, getting the fish all wrapped up and ready to go.

"Kamala!" she shouts once she's within earshot, and rushes to give the girl a hug. "How have you been?" She turns to see who Kamala was talking with and discovers that Zatanna is there. This brings back a flood of memories from That Day, and she grimaces. "Hi, Zatanna. Did your friend ever figure out who made that sonic grenade thingie? I… I still have nightmares about that day."

While tingly, Kamala gladly accepts the hug, looping her arm around Lydia to pull her snug and remains there as she turns to Zatanna. Who is doing her level best to prove and not prove at the same time that she's not the Mistress of Magic. The young woman watches with wide eyes as she summons the cards out of seeming nothingness and then starts to play them around in random patterns, and the girl is just enchanted for a moment.

And then Lydia is /saying she already knows Zatanna/. "Oh my gosh, I', so jelly, Lydia! Do you like know everyone? I'm going to have to hang around you more. If you let me." There's a moment of bashful, then she's back to Zatanna, her brown eyes big. "I'm going to take a selfie with you and Lydia if that's okay? And…" she bites her lip. "Can I have your autograph?"

Reaching into her messenger bag, she pulls out a small leatherbound notebook. Most people collect the autographs of singers or actors or artists.. Kamala? The first page has Captain Marvel and Carol Danvers autographs. She has the autographs of several heroes. Most she's stood in line for hours on end to get the signature from. She's very much down to earth on that part.

Zatanna is taken aback by Lydia just mentioning out in the open the attack that took place, but regains her composure quickly enough. After all, it's not like Lydia can hide her involvement in much of anything, which means she'll most likely have told her friends about it, which Kamala clearly is…

But that doesn't mean Zatanna has to show all her cards (rimshot) in front of this girl whose name she doesn't even know.

"Let's talk about that another time," Zatanna answers Lydia diplomatically as she makes the cards collapse back into a single deck (which she fans out just to make sure they're still in correct deck order; they are, which is satisfying), then changes the subject by nodding at Kamala. "Sure, happy to. Not many people want autographs these days, but keep it retro!"

If Kamala is content to keep in contact with Lydia, she's not going to argue. She likewise loops her arm around Kamala, and looks a bit better now that she has. "I wouldn't say I know her. We met once and…" upon hearing Zatanna's caution she nods and just says, "I'll tell you later."

When she spies Kamala pulling out her autograph book she just kind of boggles. "You take that with you all the time?"

"We're in New York, you never know when you'll meet a hero!" Kamala explains to Lydia and gives her a smile. "I sorta asked her out but…" she trails off, a glance aside at Lydia, then a playful shrug and she waggles the book at Lydia. "Should I ask you for your autograph?" The question is clearly teasing. "It sounds like the two of you had an adventure together." And she's more than happy to keep it retro as she offers the book and pen to Zatanna.

Once the autograph's done, she's taking out her phone. "Okay, close together!" gathering in, Kamala reaches up, and her arm stretches out a few feet. Because it's awesome to have a built in selfie arm. "Say fuzzy pickles!"

Zatanna nods at Kamala's explanation. "An autograph book isn't much use at home unless you expect people to come to your door," she observes. "Great way to get an autograph from the UPS guy, though." She throws out a quick signature with a practiced flow, and tries not to look surprised when Kamala just stretches her arm out three extra feet in the middle of a crowded marketplace full of witnesses. "Fuzzy pickles!" she says agreeably.

Lydia looks a bit dumfounded when Kamala asks her for an autograph, but takes the book and pen and scrawls out her signature. Then she's gathered in for a selfie, so she grins, makes a peace sign with her fingers and says, "Fuzzy pickles!" when Kamala would take a look at the results, the ectoplasm just doesn't show up on film.

Kamala offers a bright smile and a 'Fuzzy Pickles' as she snaps the photo of the threesome and then pulls back the camera to take a look. "Oh my gosh, Lydia…" she breathes as she looks at the picture. "You're even prettier…" then she pauses and her dark cheeks color. "I mean, you already are. Just no glow. It's not photostatic?" she asks curiously. Then she's nodding to Zatanna. "I totally didn't mean to interrupt your walk, though! What has you in the market?"

Zatanna has experienced the tingle of Lydia's physical closeness before and isn't upset by it. It's just ectoplasm, and at least it doesn't get slime on her clothes. Once the photo is shot, she straightens up (why do her instincts tell her to bend forward for selfies?) and says, "Kamala, right? Nothing important, I was just headed home." She doesn't say what from, which might be a clue. "What about you? What're you two doing here?"

"Ectoplasm," Lydia explains with a shrug, as if that answers all the questions about her powers weirdness. When Kamala mentions how pretty she is, she blushes deeply, and shuffles her feet a bit. She seems almost relieved to change the subject. "I come here to buy fish from time to time," she says motioning at the paper wrapped cod. "Gonna make me some fishsticks for dinner tonight."

"I was going to make something for dinner tonight. Ammi sent me a list of ingredients, I was gonna try my instapot." Kamala admits as she notices Lydia's change and she glances down. "Sorry." she manages, pulling back slightly. Then chuckles at the mention of fishsticks. "Baked or fried?" she asks Lydia curiously. "When I was little, I used to get those pre-packaged ones and lots of ketchup and Kraft dinner."

Zatanna laughs. "I think everyone did. It's like a law of childrearing. But hey, I don't want to interrupt your… good time," she says, with a barely perceptible pause and a knowing look, "so I'm gonna get on my way. Kamala, it was nice to meet you. Lydia, good to see you again, and I hope the police didn't bother you too much. Have a good visit, you two." She tips her imaginary top hat and gets on her way.

"Fried, of course." After all, only a monster would bake fish sticks. Then she gets an idea, "Hey. You want to come over for dinner? I've got enough for two!" She nods to Zatanna and says, "Hey, it was really cool meeting you again. This time under better circumstances. The police didn't give me a hard time I just told them what happened and they let me go. Have a good day!"

"It was nice meeting you too, Zatanna!" Kamala calls after the magician as she leaves. "Okay. That was cool. And you didn't tell me you know all these people." she laughs a little, and then her attention turns to coming over for dinner. "I'd like that." comes the response to visiting for dinner. "I can bring a dish and we can talk and stuff." She puts her phone away, and fidgets. "Sorry. I'm probably like.. way too forward."

Lydia waves a hand, "Nonono. It's oaky. I'm just not used to it. Usually people keep their distance because of this," she motions, indicating the swirling mists, "so it's nice to have somebody who isn't put off by it." She nods and admits, "I like talking with you. We have a lot in common and enough differences to make it interesting."

"Okay. Just didn't want to make you uncomfortable and all." Kamala gives Lydia a quick squeeze on the side and a smile. "Totally not put off. Already said that. What time should I come over? And where am I going?" she asks with a smile as she moves her hands in front of her, linking them together. "And we do. It's pretty cool. And you're nice to talk to, and it's always interesting and.." she trails off.

Lydia nods and looks glad that her feelings are mutual. She pulls out her phone and quickly texts her address to Kamala. "There. And, um…. how about 7? Give you a chance to get home and come over. I don't know how long it'll take you to get to my place."

Taking out her phone, Kamala considers. "Not too long, I'm not far from you on campus." she finally decides. "And it'll give me a chance to clean up a little." There's a swift smile offered to Lydia and she nods finally. "Alright. I'll see you at seven." And before she can chicken out, she pulls Lydia into a hug, snug against her tingle for several moments. "See you then."

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