The Perk- Friday afternoon

[throughaphase]

It was a dumb day for the Perk to discover mood lighting.

Or rather, they'd had a couple lights go out while Kitty was sitting there, keeping most of the place dark, which looked worse thanks to the sky. She'd been trying to get paperwork done, which she'd meant to do days ago and things had just been terrible and distracting so now she was just... here. Waiting for them to fix the lights.

This week was stupid.


[Expecting one but open!]

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[imafuturist]

Tony just wanted coffee to make it through the day. And to not get his issues all over Steve again.

"Seriously?" he asked, sighing as he looked up at the lighting situation.

[throughaphase]

"It's how this week is going," Kitty said with a sigh.

[imafuturist]

"Safe for me to order?" He was being kind to Kitty and not wanting to make it terrible for her here.

[throughaphase]

"Yeah. Far be it from me to deprive anyone if lifesaving caffeine." Especially this week, good god.

[imafuturist]

"Oh thank god," Tony said, immediately going to order the largest cup they sold.

[throughaphase]

"I'm surprised they have any coffee left at this point."

It wasn't even helping at this point. It was only an idea of help.

[imafuturist]

Tony let out a wry little laugh. "That bad for you too, huh?"

[throughaphase]

"Whatever's causing this, I want it dead," Kitty said flatly.

[imafuturist]

"You and me both," Tony replied, clutching his cup to his chest protectively. "I've gone longer without sleep, but for much different reasons."

Well, sorry for the shadow of Galactus and the Skrull invasion creeping over his mind and to you, Kitty.

[throughaphase]

See, that was new! It was one thing when she shared a nightmare that she and Clint didn't talk about directly, but this was unexpected.

And worse when she actually knew what Skrulls were.

[imafuturist]

Oh, mashing up 616 and 8096 and you get some weird things.

Tony cursed under his breath, backing away from her to make it stop spreading at least. It was social distancing for all new reasons!

[throughaphase]

"Okay," Kitty said, "wasn't expecting that. Didn't like it."

[imafuturist]

"Me neither," Tony said, putting his coffee down to fish out what was essentially a portable night light to turn on. "I didn't mean to--they're getting worse. I had to be touching Steve when it happened with us."

[throughaphase]

"Does that means it's getting stronger?"

It sounded like it!

[imafuturist]

"Sounds like it?" Look, it was magic. And neither of them were Stephen Strange, okay?

[throughaphase]

"I'm too tired to deal with this," Kitty sighed.

[imafuturist]

Weren't they all? "Have you heard any news about it?"

[throughaphase]

"Just what's on radio," Kitty said, frowning. "Sounds like people trying to figure it out but not having a read on things yet."

[imafuturist]

"Probably be easier if there was literally any safe spot," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Have you heard anything about the library?"

That was a good guess of locations for people to research at.

[throughaphase]

"I swung by earlier but it doesn't look like this is that kind of situation this time," Kitty said, casually, because she'd been through these sorts of things too much.

[imafuturist]

They'd been here too long, hadn't they?

"Great," he sighed. "Well, we'll get it figured out. Won't we?"

[weirderthanthou]

"Please be good," Jesse said, as she pushed through the doorway in the Perk. "I just need coffee."

[throughaphase]

"Get your coffee before I buy them out," Kitty said, only half joking.

[weirderthanthou]

"If you're buying that much caffeine, there's probably better substances to do what you're trying to do," Jesse said, but she did hurry on up to the counter.

[throughaphase]

"Anything else would probably make me either phase through the floor or vibrate through time and I don't have the energy for either of those things today," she said.

[weirderthanthou]

Jesse ordered her basic-if-big coffee at the counter. "That's... actually a problem for you?"

[throughaphase]

"Phasing through the floor, yes," she nodded. "I just wouldn't count vibrating through time out as a possibility."

[weirderthanthou]

"I try not to count out anything," Jesse said wryly. Then her expression grew more serious, and she looked up at the ceiling. "Though I have to say, I didn't expect this one."

[throughaphase]

"Right on time, though," Kitty bored, sipping her coffee. "You were right."

[weirderthanthou]

"Weirdness always comes in patterns," Jesse said, and took her coffee. "Mind if I join you?"

[throughaphase]

"If you don't mind the potential for weird and invasive stuff, sure," Kitty said, gesturing to the seat.

[weirderthanthou]

"I think that's unavoidable at this point," Jesse said dryly, and sat down.

As her foot scuffed against Kitty's for a second before settling into place, there was a flash of a bald young man, something off about his gaze, in a cell muttering, "I'd like to tell you about a dream I had last night.""

"Ignore that," she said.

[throughaphase]

"Gonna do my best," Kitty said immediately. "It's like having a viewfinder with slides of everyone's brain."

[weirderthanthou]

"I'm trying to keep it out of my head," Jesse said, taking a sip of her coffee and eyeing the cup.

(At least she had Polaris, helping out.)

"But it's... stubborn."

[throughaphase]

"Have you found anything that works?" Kitty wondered.

[weirderthanthou]

"Nothing permanent," Jesse said.

Her eyes were drawn to the lights again. Was that a flicker?