2013.04.19 - Drying Out

A cloudy day can erupt into showers at any moment, and that's exactly what happened to Fern and Jubilee. Heading back to Fern's apartment after meeting for some foodage, the pair were halfway between the subway station and 28 Macombs Place when the skies opened up and dumped water onto the city. Drenched, Fern giggles as she leads Jubilee up the dimly lit staircase to her fourth floor apartment. "Well, I guess someone thought I needed another shower today. I'm getting a little sick of getting drenched though, this is the second time in a week." She leads to her own door, her keys jingling as she takes them from the pocket of her jeans, and proceeds to unlock locks three, four and six, out of the six locks lining the wood. 
Even in a raincoat, Jubilee got a pretty good wetting. This is probably owed to her habit of wearing the silly thing open instead of shut. She's sharing Fern's contagious case of the giggles as she follows her friend up the narrow stairway, standing back so Fern can open the door. "I'm pretty sure I /didn't/ need one. Standing near you is bad luck when it comes to weather, Red!" she teases. "Let's get inside and get out of these clothes before we both come down with pneumonia... if we ever get past all those /locks/. Wow, six?"
As the last lock clicks open, Fern pushes through the door and sweeps her arm out in an invitation to Jubilee to enter. "Well, I only keep three of them locked," she explains. "That way, if someone tries to pick them to break in, they're always locking three." She giggles again, but still, she puts faith in her logic. Once the door is slammed shut, Fern engages two of the locks again, and extra security can be seen in the form of two metal plates, one on the floor, one in the center of the door, and beside the door leans a metal bar that snugs into each plate to brace the wood. "Let me get some dry clothes for us to get into, and I'll put up the heat, we can put our stuff on the radiator to dry out." 
"Smart!" Jubilee agrees. Seeing that sweeping arm, she smile and throws her head back, stepping through the open door like a posh lady entering a luxury suite. She can't hold the impression, of course, but apparently Fern's not the only girl here with some acting talent. "Here, get out of your stuff, and I can be hanging everything near the radiator while you find some dry stuff," she suggests. "Might get us dry a little quicker." She's already pulling off her coat. "Though I think these coats could use some drip-dry time in the bathtub. Which way's that? I could get us some towels while I'm there!"
Fern has already peeled off her wet sweater and passes it over before plopping onto the sofa to start unlacing her boots. She points to one of the two interior doors, "That one's the bathroom." It's such a small apartment there was a 50/50 chance of Jubes getting the right one without instruction. And, luckily, all four of Fern's towels are clean and folded on a shelf next to the tub! "I'll put on a pot of coffee, too." 
"Oh, good. I was worried I'd drip all over your bedroom by accident," Jubilee replies through giggles. She steps into the bathroom with her two outerwear burdens, draping them over the shower's curtain rod, and pauses to slip off her soaked tennies and set them in the bathtub. "Be right back!"
She returns with a pair of clean towels. She drapes them over the back of the couch so they don't get dripped on, then unfastens her jeans, which are so rain-drenched from the mid-thighs down that they're two different shades of blue. She manages to get them down to her knees. "Oh, fudge... these are clingy. Help?" she asks in a small, pleading voice, plopping her blue-pantied backside down on the couch and holding up her legs, just in case Fern's agreeable to helping her get those jeans off.
Fern's kicked her boots aside and shucked her own jeans before darting into the closet to get some warm, dry clothes for them both. T-shirts, flannel pants, even dry socks. She laughs and moves to help Jubilee, grabbing both wet legs by the other girl's feet and giving them a pull. "I swear, if it's not sudden downpours, it's smashed fire hydrants. I think I have a cosmic target painted on me." There's a moment of resistance as the jeans cling, and then they pull free, and Fern plops again, this time onto the floor on her behind, and she laughs. "If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all," she quotes. 
Jubilee holds onto the back of the couch, so they don't both end up on the floor. As it is, it only works for her. Fern's laughter turns her instant concerned expression into more giggles, and she stands, offering Fern both of her hands to help her up. "At least there aren't any fire hydrants in here! Which is good, 'cuz we're wet enough anyway."
Pushing back up to her feet, Fern peels off her wet shirt, reaching for a dry one from the pile of clothes she tossed onto the sofa. "Help yourself to whatever, I'll start coffee." She starts walking as she slips the dry t-shirt over her head, padding barefoot to the 'kitchen'. Her voice drifts back over her shoulder as she goes. "So, I went by the Baxter Building to visit your Ben a few days ago." 
"Thanks, Fern," Jubilee says, stepping back and claiming her soaked jeans from the floor. "I'll start hanging stuff up." She watches as Fern peels off her shirt and stifles giggles. "Pink? Did they have a sale?" she teases, collecting wet things and finding hangers for them.
The mention of the Baxter Building draws her attention just as she gets the first shirt hung up. "Oh? What was it like? I've only been there once, and just on a public tour at that."
Fern wrinkles her nose at Jubilee's comment on her pink bra and panties. "No, they didn't have a sale. I ... put a sock in with the whites, ok?" She tries to sound exasperated, but ends up giggling again. "I have a lot of pink things now. They don't go with my hair at all." She works easily in her space, getting the coffee machine started, and returning to perch on the arm of the sofa. "It's a nice building. Huge." There's a pause, before Fern goes on, casually. "So, Ben... he's not like... delusional or anything, is he?" 
"No, but it's a change from white," Jubilee replies, hanging up the last pair of pants and shrugging out of her own top to hang it up. She catches up one of those towels and begins rubbing the damp chilliness off of her skin. "Ben... you've met Ben? Ben Reilly? I've never known him to be delusional, but he... he's got some self-image issues." Along with another person's image, she knows, but she doesn't say so.
There's a thoughtful frown as Fern thinks back, "I though I'd mentioned we met in the park, but I might have just thought really hard about it. It was pretty brief. And he came in to the restaurant for a pizza." She slides off the arm onto the cushion, reaching for the other towel to fluff her hair. "The reason I hunted him down was because he left a -huge- tip. Jubes, I thought he did it on accident. But he wouldn't take the money back." Her lips twitch, an unconscious gesture when she's a little piqued by something. "So, I try to give him the money back, and it turns out that I'd met him, sort of, in this weird thing... you know those weird things I walk into." Of course Jubilee does, having been involved in that whole Middle Earth comes to Our Earth thing. 
Jubilee does indeed know. "He can be generous sometimes, if he thinks somebody deserves it. You /don't/ want to know what he got me for Christmas," she says, flushing at the memory and smiling. "So... you know who he is? On the job, I mean?"
Fern sighs, draping the towel over her head and sitting back, covered. "Yeah, I know who he is. I mean, I didn't at the time, of course. He dropped a hint at the restaurant and then spilled the story when I went to see him about the money." Fern's voice drifts out from under the towel as she adds, "Jubes, he said he thinks I should think about doing the whole costume thing." Finally she pushes the towel back, giving her friend an incredulous look. "Have you ever heard anything so crazy?" 
Jubilee winces as she towels off her hair. "Ugh... I don't have any mousse with me. Fern, be honest, do I look like a broom?" she asks, turning to look at her friend. Her hair's a bit wet for broom-hood, but it's not going to be easy to style into anything resembling order. "Maybe I should grow it out some."
She pulls on one of Fern's offered tees, with its Twilight Sparkle and Spike front image. It's big enough to be a dress on the Chinese-American kid. "I dunno what he was thinking, Fern," she admits. "I mean, you don't have powers, other than being such an awesome friend. I've never known the bad guys to be scared by that." She takes a seat on the couch next to the redhead.
Fern's eyes widen and she leans forward, taking Jubilee's hands in her own, "I know! What am I gonna do, throw cannolis at them??" She flops back, releasing Jubilee. "Thank you! Jeez, as it is I've started carrying a hammer around with me. What kind of superhero does that?" Thor not withstanding. "I don't even know how to defend myself properly!" There might be some relief that she herself isn't the crazy one in this case. "He's a really nice guy, but I think he's way off on this one." There's a pause, as Fern assesses her friend's hair. "No, I think it'll be fine. Sorry I don't have anything for you to use." Not much need of extensive products with Fern's hair. 
"Somehow I don't think there'll be a super food fight anytime soon," Jubilee agrees, giggling and hugging Fern, even if it involves leaning over onto her. "But how'd you end up with a hammer? I know Thor has one, but I never thought he was in the habit of loaning it out."
She sighs. "It's okay. But I think I really need to talk to Ben. He's getting some strange ideas. I mean, partnering up with me is one thing, but hauling a bystander into the mess is something else."
The hug is returned with a tight squeeze, and Fern has a wry smile at the question. "I found it a couple doors down. There was... something weird going on, and that was the first thing I found to use as a weapon." Something weird around Fern? No way! "It's not even a very big hammer, I can slip the handle down into my boot. And Warren said he'll get me some mace and a taser." 
 
Her sigh echoes Jubilee's. "I mean, it's really cool that he would think I could do something, but I'd probably just get people hurt, and get hurt myself." She stands as the coffee maker lets out a strangled wheeze. "Coffee's done!" 
Jubilee pushes herself up and clear as she hears that wheeze, so Fern can move. "There are /way/ worse things to have in case of trouble than a hammer," she agrees. "Ben probably likes you, but I think he'd know better than to endanger a friend. I guess not."
She stands and stretches, wincing emphatically. "Wow. It doesn't hurt to get wet and cold, but thawing out sure does make you stiff!"
Fern finds her grin again, tossing back over her shoulder, "Well, I did save the world. Well, I had a small part in an alternate time...." She pauses, then shakes her head, "Never mind, it's just too weird." She goes about getting their coffee together, adding some day old cannoli from the restaurant, a light frown taking over her features as she works. She brings everything to the coffee table and sets it down, still frowning. "Jubes...." There's a hesitation as she picks her words, her attention fully on adding sugar and milk to her cup. "If someone is out of your life, do you think it's usually best that they stay there?" 
"I want to hear that story sometime," Jubilee calls into the kitchen, stifling giggles. She does, too! It's not every day that your best friend does something like that, right?
She smiles at the sight of cannolis, and frowns at the question, looking wonderingly at her friend. "Who do you mean, Fern? I'll admit, there are some people I'd be glad to lose from my life, but lots more I wouldn't. You're on the second list, just so ya know."
Fern doesn't look up to meet Jubilee's eyes, but studies the tan coffee in her cup instead. "Well, like... if you found yourself thinking about an ex a lot. It's better just to leave sleeping dogs lie, don't you think?" There's a note that's almost hopeful that Jubilee will just agree with her on the point, and her eyes lift to her friend's face. 
"An ex." Jubilee's eyes widen. "I suppose it'd be good to not have them around. I mean, serious emotional baggage. Unless you think you made a mistake, or something." She shakes her head, making a silly face. "I'm totally the most helpful person on Earth, don'cha think?"
Fern leans sideways, bumping her shoulder lightly against Jubilee's, "You are the most wonderful person on Earth, helpful or not." Her voice is lightly teasing, less serious, and she nods decisively. "You're right, it's not a good idea to bring any emotional baggage back around the carousel. It's done, that's that, say goodnight Gracie." 
"Goodnight, Gracie. See? Helpful!" Jubilee teases back, leaning over and bumping Fern back. "And I promise I'll talk to Ben. I don't want someone getting hurt because of his idea. He's a great guy, but sometimes his heart speaks before his head starts working on the idea."
There's a smile as Fern stays leaned against Jubilee. "What would I do without you, Jubes? Besides being sitting here drinking coffee in my underpants alone." She clinks her mug against the younger girl's, letting the conversation stray to different topics as their clothes dry.
Category:Log