[semi-open]

[wheelhouse]

WHO: Nancy Wheeler & YOU
WHERE: All over
WHEN: January 8th-ish and onward!
WHAT: Stuff and things, multiple open prompts + one closed to De Chima #006
WARNINGS: probable swearing

I. INDOOR PAINTBALL ARENA; HEROPA

[ The building is huge, filled with shouting and the echoing rat-a-tat-tat-tats of paintball guns. Every surface sports multi-colored splatters, even the front desk, behind which is a line of gear available for rent to those who aren't dedicated enough to the grand art of paintball to own their own equipment. Guns, helmets, goggles, vests, elbow and knee pads, etc.

The arena itself is sectioned off behind tall chain link fences, and provides a wide array of cover. Tires taller than Nancy herself, metal drums covered with peeling toxic waste stickers (for effect, of course), rough multi-level wooden structures, and even an old pickup truck are strategically placed about the area.

Nancy's twenty-something slacker supervisor likes to cut out early, as she's learned, leaving her to cover the counter and moderate the players by herself. At first she felt very out of her element--she's never had a job before--but soon it's second nature to snatch up her handy megaphone and shout things like "Hey! No powers!" and then go right back to cleaning one of the guns. ]

II. JUNKYARD; ANYWHERE

[ The limits of her new super strength are as of yet unknown to Nancy but she's very keen to familiarize herself with them, thus the junkyard plan. She got permission to be here, because she refuses to be arrested in an alternate universe thank you very much, and now all manner of loud crashing and crunching and metal-twisting noises can be heard coming from the yard as she lifts, tosses, and smashes to her heart's content.

Refrigerators? She can lift those over her head now, apparently. Rebar folds in her fingerless-gloved hands. She chucked a tire at a garbage mountain like it was a giant frisbee. This whole situation is categorical bullshit, but the powers are pretty badass.

She tosses the loose strands of hair back from her face and spots something intriguing: a rusted old car, yellow, the kind that still has wheels on it. Hmm. ]

III. DEPARTMENT STORE; DE CHIMA

[ She's been here a week, and she's tired of feeling like she's wearing someone else's clothes. If she's going to be stuck in another universe, she's at least going to buy a few proper sweaters.

Everything is going fine until she hears two other girls nearby, talking and giggling. She glances up just in time to see one of them pull a top from the rack, hold it up to herself, and ask the other, "What about this one? Do you think he'll like it?"

And suddenly Nancy grows cold. She goes still, staring at the girls as though in a trance, unable to take her eyes off of them. In her mind, a tape replay of the same conversation--different girls--starts to play, like a fuzzy recording. Snap her out of it? ]

IV. STRANGERHAUS; DE CHIMA

a) arrival: day 1

[ When she finally gets to the right house, Nancy forgets all about the lingering off-balance feeling that porter travel left her with; she marches right up to the door and starts knocking frantically. ]

Mike! Mike, it's me. Let me in!

[ She makes a grab for the doorknob and, in her impatience, accidentally wrenches the damn thing right off of the door. Cue a second of perplexed staring, and then she shoves the door open with her other hand, carrying the doorknob inside with her. ]

b) oops: day 2

[ She spends part of her second day in a new world on the front porch with her hair tied back, blocking the entrance to the house as she fights with a screwdriver to install a new doorknob. ]

c) any other day

[ After searching through kitchen cabinets and finding NOTHING WORTH ACTUALLY EATING, she turns to the nearest kid. ]

That's it, we're going to buy some real food.

V. WILDCARD Hit me!

Comments

junkyard!!

[curiosityvoyage]

[Dustin likes the junkyard plan. Dustin thinks the junkyard plan is amazing, and came along with Nancy with the express purpose of documenting everything—that's why he's got a notebook and a pen, and is now perched on the hood of a rusty red car with two wheels left over, an awed look in his eye. If he thought Nancy was kind of a badass before, this just seals the deal.

He looks at the car. Looks at Nancy. Grins.]

Betcha a burger you can't lift that. [It's light and teasing, and made in the full awareness that he's absolutely going to be buying her a burger. He considers this a small price to pay to watch Nancy lift a fucking car over her head like Superman.]

[wheelhouse]

[ Dustin's behavior right now is not endangering his position as "Nancy's favorite of Mike's friends" in the slightest. Being the princess for years was fine, but being the badass is kind of addictive, and she's glad to have him along. ]

I'm holding you to that, [ she promises with a grin of her own, pointing at him. (But maybe she won't.)

She downright saunters over to the car, flexing her hands at her sides in preparation. ]

What do you think is the best way to pick up a car? [ she asks, partly because she wants him to let him feel involved and partly because he's Dustin and probably has an answer. ]

[curiosityvoyage]

[He grins back at her, fully aware that he's going to be giving up a burger. Honestly, he doesn't mind, he considers it a small price to pay for being here and for getting an opportunity to watch what happens when someone who's super-strong really lets loose with it. He wonders, idly, how many calories super-strength possibly burns.

Yeah he's gonna have to upgrade that burger.]

The same way Superman does. [Wait, he'll have to clarify that.] If you want to lift a car over your head, you'll want to pick it up by its sides between the wheels, kinda like this. [He demonstrates, holding his arms up above his head in a perpendicular manner, lets them drop to his sides.]

[wheelhouse]

[ Good thing he clarified. Nancy nods once like "got it", plants both hands on the side of the car's roof, takes a breath, and gives the car a controlled shove. It lets out a metallic groan of protest but the tires near her lift off the ground as the vehicle tips up and sideways, exposing the rusted underbelly.

Quick as a flash, Nancy drops to one knee underneath the car, grabbing it by the sides like Dustin suggested, testing out some of the weight onto one of her shoulders.

Ohhhh yeah, she can totally do this. The car gives a few more creaks and groans, mirroring the strain in her legs and she forces them to straighten, baring her teeth with the effort, but a few struggled seconds later there she stands: Nancy Wheeler, superwoman, her feet widely planted and an entire freaking car hanging in the air over her head.

She could seriously get used to this. ]

[curiosityvoyage]

[in an awed whisper that says a lot about how many ranks Nancy just skyrocketed on Dustin's list of Most Badass People He Knows:] Holy shit.

[Yeah this is even better than Superman, and Dustin spends a moment just staring at her in awe and delight. He has to shake his head a little to grab his notebook, scribbling it down so he can record it for, you know, science. And also so he has proof when he tells Mike that his sister just lifted a whole car over her head.

Hold on, he needs to text this to Mike. Man, he owes her a burger now. Probably a giant burger.]

Hey, how far do you think you could throw a car? [he says, looking up from his phone.]

strangerhaus.

[micycle]

[Mike patters down the stairs just in time to see Nancy walk inside, doorknob in her hand. He's got a too-big sweatshirt and a bird's nest of bedhead, and his expression is both annoyed and gently astounded.]

What the hell did you do to our door?

[wheelhouse]

[ Oh thank god. Something un-knots itself in her chest when she sees him, looking like kiiind of a mess, Mike, but also ALIVE and okay. She exhales, sets the doorknob down on the entryway table with a loud thunk. ]

I didn't do anything; it just came off in my hand.

[ Is she resisting the urge to grab and hug him? Yes. She is. ]

[micycle]

Of course you get the cool powers.

[He sounds supremely annoyed by this, but there's something softer beneath the jab, even as he steps off the staircase to demonstrate. Sighing, he claps his hands together twice.

The lights in the living room turn on.]

[wheelhouse]

[ She looks at the lights in surprise, then back to Mike. ]

That-- [ Keep a straight face, Nancy. ] That's your power?

[ She can't do it. She's relieved to see him, and she's kind of relieved that he has a power that he can't use to hurt himself, so she laughs once and grabs him for a mercifully quick hug. Mike can write it off as his older sister being over-emotional as usual if she wants. ]

strangerhaus day one

[umopepisdn]

[ Eleven doesn't know Nancy very well, having only met her briefly last year, but she knows she's on her way over to the house thanks to Mike, and she's determined to make a good impression. When she hears Nancy banging on the front door and yelling for Mike, Eleven starts to head toward it, planning on opening it herself—no demonstrations of strange powers to freak Nancy out—but then Nancy rips the doorknob out and opens it herself, leaving Eleven standing in the entryway with her mouth open. Oh. Okay. ]

[wheelhouse]

[ If Nancy had the opportunity to plan out her second impression, it would not have gone like this. Sorry, Eleven.

She freezes momentarily at the sight of a strange child, and then her brain catches up with her. ]

Eleven? Wow... It really is you.

[ This is probably a weird reaction, so she latches on to their most common ground. ]

Mike said you were here. He's around, right?

[ She's still holding the doorknob. ]

[umopepisdn]

Yes. He's here.

[ Somewhere. It's a big house for two teenagers.

Eleven looks at the doorknob, frowning, wondering if she can reattach it by herself or if she's going to need help. ]

You're strong.

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy looks down at her hand. Oh. ]

Right. This is... um. This is new.

[ Just gonna discreetly set the doorknob down somewhere now. ]

Don't worry, I'll fix that.

Have you guys been living here by yourselves?

Department Store - De Chima

[cadbane]

Excuse me, little lady...

[The voice is kind of creepy. It has a rough, alien rasp to it almost as if it's manufactured more than real. The first strange thing she could notice may be his outfit - he's dressed as if he just stepped off the set of an old fashioned Western film, complete with wide-brimmed hat. But then one look at his face and that's obviously no human. He looks like Earth's typical idea of an alien with those big eyes but they are red and his skin is blue. At a little over six feet tall, he may be a startling sight. At least, at first.]


[ooc: Short clip of Bane if you don't know of him. It gives a better idea of what he sounds and looks like!]

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy doesn't even hear him, consciously at least, but unconsciously she senses his presence and seems to know she's being addressed, because her eyes tear away from the two girls and lift up, up, up to his face--

Record scratch.

She yelps immediately, one hand flying up to cover her mouth, which emits exactly 1/2 of a swear word before she gets control of herself. She forces a breath. ]

You-- you startled me. [ It's unclear whether she is blaming him or apologizing for her reaction. Probably a little bit of both. She's been here just long enough to know that not everyone is human, or looks human, but this is her first... close encounter, if you will. A bit too close for comfort, actually.

But at least she's not having a painful flashback anymore. ]

[cadbane]

[Like most who arrive here, he can change into human form in he wants to - but generally he doesn't want to. Her reaction isn't all that surprising to him and he remains stony faced.]

You seem distracted... Do you work here?

[Down to business. No apologies for his appearance.]

[wheelhouse]

[ Well... Nancy wouldn't ask someone to apologize for the way they look, but she would expect them to apologize for sneaking up on her. ]

No, [ she answers, guarded. ] I'm shopping here.

[ And having painful flashbacks. The other girls, by the way, seem to have gotten distracted from their shopping by Bane's appearance as well and are now whispering at each other, throwing glances his way. Nancy doesn't notice them anymore. ]

I was just-- thinking about something.

department store

[couldbebeautiful]

It's generally a little rude to stare, you know, [comes the voice from somewhere behind Nancy, belonging to a young woman who bears a startling resemblance to a certain Joyce Byers—only, her hair is a shade darker, her eyes shaped just slightly differently, and obviously she's much, much younger than Joyce.

Veronica tucks a strand of hair back behind her ear.]

Unless you're planning on giving them unsolicited fashion advice, in which case, it's just plain rude.

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy likes to think that she doesn't care what other people think of her, but the words "just plain rude" drag her back to reality and her instinct is to smooth everything over before she has to try to explain anything personal. She gives a hard blink as she remembers where she is, pushes the old memory aside, and turns around, molding her expression into something soft and gracefully sheepish. ]

I'm sorry--

[ She stops, soft and gracious wiped away as a look of supreme confusion scrunches across her face. There have been a lot of weird moments in her life, but coming face to face with Mrs. Byers' much younger sister(?) is a uniquely weird one. ]

Do I know you?

[couldbebeautiful]

[In contrast to Nancy, Veronica doesn't really notice anything familiar about her. Maybe she recognizes the look of someone who's out of place and out of time in a world that's almost thirty years away from her own, but otherwise? She just raises an eyebrow at the confusion on Nancy's face, like she's not sure what she did to warrant it.]

Definitely not. I'd remember you if we ever met. [She'd write it down in her diary, for one thing. She glances at the girls, now talking about a different top, and one of them says, I don't know, Heather, it clashes too much, don't you think?

For a moment she sees a red nightgown, a cruel smile. She looks away.] They've got a sale on selected items here, did you notice?

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy closes her eyes and gives her head a small shake, then opens them again and pulls her face into a smile. ]

Right, of course not. Sorry.

[ The resemblance is still strange... but she's going to try to pretend it isn't. Just act like everything is normal, Nancy. Forget about Barb for a minute, forget about Mrs. Byers, and have a normal conversation with this woman. ]

Yeah, I saw that.

[ She follows the glance to Heather and her friend, and then rather deliberately turns away from them to pluck a random top from the rack, looking over it with a critical eye. ]

This is the first time I've been here.

[ The top goes back on the rack with a little clink from the hanger and Nancy moves one rack further away from the other girls, this time picking up a jacket--dark blue wool with patches on the elbows. Promising. ]

strangerhaus, changing up "any other day" a bit

[heisenbitch]

[ All Jesse hears is some girl snapping in frustration - sounds like frustration, anyway - about buying some real food, along with a cupboard door banging shut, and he wonders if this is a good time to have been invited over. He approaches the kitchen, poking a wary head around the corner to peer through the doorway. A girl, a teenager perhaps, banging through more cupboards, her back to him. When she turns around, she'll see an older, skinny guy with a buzzcut in very un-80s clothes standing in the doorway with three large pizza boxes piled in his arms. Surprise? ]

[wheelhouse]

[ This is as good a time as any to be invited over, Jesse. If only Nancy knew you were coming.

She smells the pizza before she senses him behind her, when she turns around to find a strange, grungy-looking, terrible-pants-wearing man in their house and kitchen, her first reaction is to snatch the nearest weapon from the counter (a metal ladle, and who the hell knows what it's doing there because no one in this house does enough cooking to need a ladle), draw her arm back as though she's going to throw it straight into his skull (which she could do, easily, fyi), and shout-- ]

What the hell are you doing in here?

[ Welcome to Strangerhaus! ]

[heisenbitch]

[ Jesse startles, one hand clumsily clutching the pizzas, other hand shooting out in surrendering defense. Please don't shoot. Or, you know, please don't throw kitchen utensils. ]

Hey, whoa, whoa! I'm Jesse, I'm— It's cool, yo, it's cool, I swear!

[wheelhouse]

[ Nancy gives this "Jesse" an up-and-down glance, her heart racing. What kind of pizza delivery guy walks right into someone's house? Is it a ruse?

She isn't afraid for herself, but the kids are upstairs. ]

What-- [ she asks again, making no move to lower the ladle ] --are you doing here?