MCA Lobby, Monday Afternoon

[hatesparadise]

The weekend ended much too quickly by Danny's estimation. It almost reminded him of when his custody was limited to those too short, too infrequent days when he'd first arrived in Hawaii.

Which meant the best way to not focus too hard on that was to do some work.

"I don't even know what that means," he grumbled, looking at the little AC control looking device outside that one weird room. It was the holosuite, but he was trying to maintain his sanity by not acknowledging that.

The phrase 'beanbag chair error' flashed on the little screen some more.

[open!]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

After many weird, weird, weird conversations at the Perk, Annie and her duffle bag eventually made her way to what her phone told her was an apartment building.

Adding to her doubt about this whole situation: Vought should have probably set up a living situation for her, right? Like, let alone the dimension stuff. That was just how, like, work relocation stuff went.

Whatever. Annie needed to figure this out sooner than later, so here she was, dropping her bag on the ground by her feet and calling out a little, "Hello?"

[hatesparadise]

"Yeah, yeah," Danny called, giving up on the weird error message to rub his forehead because of that stress headache that was just begging to happen here. And, because guests left yesterday, "You new in town?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"New and shiny as of this morning," Annie said with a friendly smile and a little wave. "Don't suppose you've got any vacancies? I thought my work was going to set me up with something but no one's been in touch so I guess I'm on my own."

[hatesparadise]

Danny gave her a look of wry amusement. "Yeah, you're in luck. We've got one place left. Your work sent you here?"

You poor, poor schmuck.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Supposedly," Annie said, rolling her eyes, "but no one here's heard of them, and it's just a very different situation than what I thought I was signing up for."

So diplomatic.

[hatesparadise]

Danny huffed and nodded over at the elevator to show her to apartment. "Yeah, welcome to Fandom," he said dryly. "Anyone warn you about the things here?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"So far I've heard about the aliens, about nightmare horses and snow monsters, and that I'm probably in the wrong dimension and that's why everything's weird and doesn't make sense with what I'm used to," Annie replied dryly, ticking each item off on her fingers. "That cover it?"

[hatesparadise]

Wasn't it nice when people decided to help out the newbie?

"Yeah, that covers it," Danny replied with a sage nod. "Don't think I've run into snow monsters yet, but I've only been stuck here a few months."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe the snow monsters are more of a January-February kind of thing," Annie guessed. "Can't have all the fun in the summer."

She paused, and added, "Did you say you're stuck here?"

[hatesparadise]

"Yeah, this place does that," he sighed.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Like you literally can't leave?" Annie checked, growing serious. She frowned, looking around for cameras or eavesdroppers, and whispered, "Is someone keeping you here against your will?"

[hatesparadise]

Which was, you know, sweet of her.

Danny glanced around too. "No, just the island. You'll see how it sometimes just does things."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"The island." Annie pointed to the ground for emphasis, helpfully. "Like, the place itself? What other kind of things does it...do?"

This was the weirdest day, and this guy seemed too normal to be saying weird haunted-house-caretaker crap like that.

[hatesparadise]

Danny held his hands up in surrender. "Trust me, I'm right there with you on how weird it is."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That is by far the weirdest thing I've heard today," Annie decided, shaking her head. "I thought I had it rough, but you're being held captive by an island."

[hatesparadise]

"Thank you! Each time I manage to get home for a little bit, I end up back here," Danny said, so glad to find someone who wasn't blase about it.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That is so scary," Annie sympathized. "Like, this place seems fine and all, but...free will trumps 'pretty location' for me."

[hatesparadise]

"Also, the radio thing," Danny said as the elevator dinged to let them on.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Radio thing?" Annie said, perhaps predictably, as she stepped into the elevator. "That sounds ominous."

[hatesparadise]

"They report whatever you did the day before," Danny grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest after his pushed the button for the appropriate floor.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"...are we under surveillance?" Annie asked, mildly alarmed. "What kind of place is this?"

Had she landed herself in some kind of giant Supe experiment?

[hatesparadise]

Well. That wasn't too far off, really.

"A weird one," he replied. "Everyone pretty much accepts it as normal."

When it was not.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Gotta be, like, a cognitive dissonance coping mechanism thing," Annie decided. "The Emperor has the best clothes, dude, and the island is totally normal."

[hatesparadise]

Danny nodded and gestured at her like he was so happy to have someone who understood this. Because he was. He super was.

"Danny, by the way," he said, offering a hand. "Sorry for jumping on in on the crazy here before even introducing myself."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Annie," she replied, taking that hand, "and no worries, I've been getting it all day. Nice to meet you, even with the weird-as-hell circumstances."

[hatesparadise]

"Plus side is most people are nice about helpin' you adjust. But there's also the folks who like messing with new folks."

It didn't help that Danny was just so fun to mess with.

"You need anything, I'm in that apartment down on the main floor. Or at the Trooper Station."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Hey, Annie thought she had met a tall, imposing Latina lady named Emily today at the coffee shop, so she was right there with him.

"Oh, are you a cop?" she asked, perking up a little at that.

[hatesparadise]

"Not that there's much cop work here," he said with a wry grin. "But yeah. Detective back home in Hawaii."

And look at him calling Hawaii home without even wincing!

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That is unfortunately what I hear," Annie said, and she didn't even try to hide it like she had with Liam. "I mean, yay for a lack of crime, but - I used to work with the police back home, and I kinda thought I'd be doing the same thing here."

[hatesparadise]

"Best bet is going to Baltimore." Or being anywhere near him or Steve because ridiculous CBS police procedural level crime just showed up around them. "What'd you do back home?"

Because he was already gonna have to deal with low-rent-Ratman Diego in Baltimore, you know.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Sort of...special forces," Annie hedged, noting that this was the second time today that actual local law enforcement had encouraged her going to Baltimore to catch bad guys. "Do you guys have Supes where you come from?"

Look, she was learning to ask! She couldn't remember who was working in Hawaii these days, but she was willing to lay heavy odds that Danny didn't know them, anyway.

[hatesparadise]

"Supes? That some ridiculous branch of the military?" He needed to never allow Steve to know about it, if so. Because that man's ego did not need the boost.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I think they're working on getting some legislation going on that so that we can be involved more directly with military stuff," Annie replied, frowning a little, "but no, I mean super-abled people. Superheroes."

[hatesparadise]

Danny already had Some Opinions on gun culture and the military, one could only imagine his opinions when you add that to the mix.

"No, that's a thing I've only heard of here," he sighed. "I think if you do that in Baltimore, people might freak out."

Or start fan Instagrams.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Which would, honestly, be kind of great for Starlight.

"Oh, no, I don't want to freak anyone out," Annie said, wincing. "Including you, sorry about that. I was doing pretty good on the 'normal' thing for a minute there. I promise I'm a good tenant."

[hatesparadise]

What next? TikToks?

"No, no," he waved her off. "It's a me thing. I have this partner who only thinks he's a superhero. Much to my dismay when people start shooting at us."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That is a scary game to play when you're not actually invulnerable to bullets," Annie said, shaking her head. "Not to mention, like, powers. He should cut that out."

[hatesparadise]

"Thank you!" Friendship with Steve has ended, Annie is his new best friend now. "Wait, are you?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Uh." Well, he was both a cop and her landlord, and she had already been pretty obvious about it. Admitting she was a Supe wasn't the same as identifying herself as Starlight, anyway. "I mean...yeah. I've never been shot, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do much. Depending on the range, anyway."

[hatesparadise]

"...please try not to get shot anyway," Danny said, still managing to look pained about it. Because he didn't want anyone getting shot, okay? No one should get shot!

Well. Maybe Wo Fat. But he was pretty evil, so.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I will do my very best. Scout's honor," Annie said, holding up three fingers in the customary salute. "Doesn't sound like there's a ton of opportunity, anyway."

[hatesparadise]

"It's hit or miss." There had been the time there was a high speed rickshaw chase to capture a fox for art fraud. One day they'd get to the bottom of it and take down Tom Nook for his predatory loans. One day...

He nodded at the right door, before opening it for her to check out the apartment. Not that there were terribly many options. Sorry for the small town-ness, Annie.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie wandered in, her spirits oddly lifted by 'hit or miss' - that meant there were hits! She peeked in the bedroom, then the kitchen. "I like it," she decided. "Is the heat gas or electric?"

Not that it really mattered, but she liked to know what she had around her, in case.

[hatesparadise]

"Electric." Other than around the holidays when the island gave them fireplaces. Which Danny would have an absolute fit over, but que sera, sera. "If you're not much of a cook, the restaurants here are stupidly generous. You got a job other than the... superheroing stuff?"

Was that a job? He was so lost on it.

"You know what, it's not important. Already waived the first month for the last couple people, so you get that deal too."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You don't have to do that!" Annie said, clearly touched. "Aw, that's too nice. I'll...have to figure out the job thing, yeah. The superheroing thing is a job, but I'm supposed to keep that separate from my civilian identity if I can, so -"

She waggled a hand in a gesture of non-commitment, because that was clearly not really going to take, here. "Annie doesn't have a job, but my alter ego does, you know? Anyway, you don't have to worry, I'm, like, totally collectible."

[hatesparadise]

Well, they'd been a sad, sad homeless French teacher and a literal pirate, so...

"Don't worry about it. Get settled and try not to let the place drive you nuts."

Maybe have the occasional anxiety attack like Danny did! Because her first bit of weirdness was coming up fast with the weekend. Hopefully she liked have an daemon around?