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WHO: Billy Kaplan, Loki, Kate Bishop, John Mandrake, and some girl who goes by "Lizzie"
WHERE: At a stakeout which is actually a confrontation
WHEN: Saturday;
WHAT: Billy and Kate are tired of being lied to, Loki is being a stellar teammate, Mandrake is around to deal with his world stuff, and Lizzie is being confronted.
WARNINGS: Will add as needed

[Billy is there with Mandrake, half of his focus going to keeping the disguise - yes, he picked Teddy, but that's because he is really familiar with Teddy's face okay there is no other reason stop implying there's another reason - on Mandrake up and going, and the other half of his focus looking out at the place where Kate implied the Hornet might be.

The Hornet, of course, not being a real Hornet at all, but being a certain young Asgardian god.

He looks over at Kate, his eyebrows up a bit.]

Here's to hoping this works.

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I'm already learning.

[ Kitty says that with a frown. If she takes pride in anything, it's her ability to learn and to adapt. She's certainly not angry about that comment, and there's nothing in her manner that suggests that she's particularly offended; there's just a fierce sort of assertion in that one fact. That she's learning. ]

Everything I can, I'm learning. And I'm going to take it all back with me. [ To Billy - ] Which is why I asked about the Porter - and I wasn't hiding that I'd spoken to Kate, by the way, I just didn't mention it, so that's not shadiness, that's just...Well, I thought it was conversational efficiency, but I suppose you think it's rudeness or shiftiness or something. [ But she's being defensive, and that's pointless and will just lead to arguments again, so she waves her hand and shakes her head, a clear indication of forget it. And she takes a breath, trying to get her thoughts a little bit more in order, trying to speak rationally and reasonably. ]

Look. If I was shady, it was because I did have to be. I'm trying to get us home with our memories intact, because...that's necessary for things to change back home for me. So I couldn't have Mandrake knowing about me, because if he did, he'd make sure the death sentence that didn't get carried out three years ago happened soon as we were back. [ She gives a shrug that she tries to make look casual. ] But all that effort's worthless now, so I guess you can look forward to a bit less secrecy, yeah.

Edited 2014-12-16 00:03 (UTC)

[None of the tension in Billy's body unwinds itself, but his face eases a bit, and when he speaks again, it's definitely not as annoyed. He's really not here to fight. He's just here to clear this up.]

Yeah, we get it's important to you. Obviously there are things we don't understand. I just-

[He makes a noise, slightly frustrated, but not at Kitty, really, more at himself.]

I wasn't making you wait to prove a point. I was making you wait because I had things I had to work out. Things important to me and my world. Just-

I'm not going to get where you're coming from if you don't tell me, okay?

[Okay. Okay, this can work, right?]

Besides, that's a really useless effort if you don't work with people.

[For Kate's part, the agitation is clear. She knows that if something like that were possible, it would be done already. A number of people wouldn't want to forget entire lives that they lived. That Kitty thinks that she can manage it, even with the limited amount of information she has, is extremely usual.]

And if you'd been talking to people, you could've learned that sometimes ... the dead does get brought back here. You could've told John that this world made you alive again, and you don't know how. And any catches to that could've been worked around.

[It's not a strong point, but she hopes it's an obvious enough one for Kitty to follow: she's only shooting herself in the foot with the way she's doing things. And that action is what's coming back to bite her in the ass.]

Either way, it's hard to accomplish anything alone. You won't accomplish that alone. For one, you can't rely on Skye changing your name all the time to get us all back home with our memories intact. I think you have quite the mountain to climb there. [While Skye hadn't confirmed it directly, it was pretty obvious. If Mandrake, a man of some power, had been lost when it came to technology here, then it would be much the same for anyone else.]

She didn't tell you -

[ Kitty's eyes go just a little wide, and the look that crosses her face for just a moment is one of real hurt. Confirmation enough that she's been relying on Skye after all - and that from Kitty's perspective, it's certainly more than just an arrangement of convenience, but instead something like a real friendship. But she gets control of herself a moment later, and shakes her head - though there's still an upset tilt to her lips, and her eyebrows are knitted in unhappiness.

She takes a breath, then says to Billy - and her tone, now, is more modulated, more respectful as well - ]

I'll tell you where I'm coming from. In full. In my home, things are bad and getting worse. The rebellion and the magicians are egging each other on, and it'll keep getting more violent, more horrible. The only way it can be stopped is if something happens to stop it - and me, being here - I have some way to make something happen. But if I get Ported out before that happens, it'll all just... [ She shakes her head. ] That's why I've got to push, and keep pushing, until I get there and accomplish my goal. Because otherwise, they'll kill us and we'll kill them, and the whole cycle of hatred and violence will just continue on.

[ She hesitates, then says: ]

And I don't know who I can trust with this. You say I can't accomplish anything alone, but...I don't know who I can trust to help me, and not to take advantage of all this.

[ Especially since it sounds like Skye - who she trusted completely - spoke about her. ]

Well, I think you can trust Kate.

[He says it with honesty, and a definite level of pride.]

As long as you aren't messing with her or her team, you can trust Kate with anything.

If Skye gave me anything, we wouldn't have had to trick you. [It feels like an important thing to add after the hurt crosses Kitty's features.] She said you were a good, if impulsive, person, and didn't want to be involved with this. [And in a way, Kate regrets not trusting her judgment, but right now, she knows that she's not trusting Skye's judgment for other reasons. She can't beat herself up too much over it.

Right now, anyway. Later, though. Later she will, when she's not in the presence of her best friend and Kitty Jones.]

As it is, you can trust me. And I can do what I can to help you. But right now, you have to see that your mission is also individually focused. And sometimes, you have to count on people you don't think you can trust to broaden your opportunities. [It's a nasty truth, but "I want to go home with my memories" doesn't seem like a bad path to take.]

[ There's no hiding the relief that crosses Kitty's face when Kate assures her of Skye's honesty. (Though she does try; immediately after that revelation, Kitty reaches up to fiddle with the cap over her bobbed hair, trying to pull it down to shade her face a little better. She doesn't like it when her heart is so obviously, openly on her sleeve.) ]

You tricked me, cornered me, and exposed me to my enemy.

[ She looks up at Kate when she says that. She wishes she were able to say that haughtily, or angrily, or something, but instead her voice is just a little bit quiet and sad. And her face isn't angry, now; it's just confused, and a little anxious. She's not saying this to throw it in Kate's face, but instead just out of genuine indecision. ]

I don't know if I can trust you. Not yet.

[ But it's clear enough that she wants to, because a moment later, she says: ]

I'm sorry. I - need to think about it.

[Billy is about to say you didn't really give us any choice and it's not like we knew Mandrake was your mortal enemy but really, he's not going to force this issue. Nope. He is going to just internalize it and remember it.

For you know.

Later.]

Hey, it's up to you.

I think we'll go around in circles if we drag this out anymore. Kate?

You tricked us, manipulated us, and we accidentally exposed you to your enemy. Please stop making it into what it wasn't. As far as we knew, you were a threat. [After all, no one uses and manipulates people without good reason. And Billy did loudly announce his status of power to everyone.

And though Kate would have recommended that he didn't do that last bit, she's used to Billy's show of theatrics. (Even if they were confusing at first.]

But you can think about it. Billy's right, you're obviously planning on sending us in circles until you think about it first.

[ Kitty at least smiles, and the smile is at least apologetic. It's a quiet little you've got me pegged quirk of the lips, and she says: ]

Yeah. Sorry. I really haven't got anything else to give you until I do.

[ And I need to take a moment to go feel sick in a corner for an hour or so is something she is not, under any circumstances, going to add. Because a girl's got to keep a little of her pride. ]

Anyway. It was nice meeting the two of you in person.

[Billy raises a hand.]

Sure. Pleasure's ours, all that.

[He extends his other hand to Kate]

Ready to go?

[Because hell yes they are making an exit.]

Yeah, it was nice.

[If far more tension-filled than either of them bargained for. Kate reaches out to take Billy's hand.]

Let's go.

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