2013-01-12 Hangover Hangups

Josh is wandering about, looking for trouble again instead of studying. This time he's made his way to Greenwhich Village. He thought it might be interesting to check out all the little specialty shops and restaurants around here. He walks into one such shop, which appears to be a hat shop of sorts, filled with all kinds of headwear from baseball caps to wide-brimmed straw sun hats and more. 
He stops to examine his rather odd appearance in a mirror, wondering if he really had subconsciously done it to himself. And if that were the case, couldn't he change it back if he wanted to? Or change it something else entirely? He stares into the mirror, concentrating on his reflection and attempting to see if he could alter his appearance. However, nothing happens. For the time being, anyway.
The people at Le Creme de Cocoa Cafe seem actually quite laid back, as they not only don't bat an eye at the Littlest Broodling sitting at one of the tables on the patio, but they seem completely at peace with his presence and are enjoying their day. The serving staff place a huge sandwich before Broo, along with a pot of steaming hot liquid and a modest sized coffee mug. Broo idly kicks his feet and seems appreciative, tiping the waiter a few dollars, and then turning his attention to the sandwich, pulling out the extra long toothpicks that have been used to pin the many layers together.
Josh sighs and shakes his head as his attempts at using his powers in that specific way fail. He makes his way out of the hat shop, and a cafe catches his eye. Ooo, can't beat hot chocolate. The teen walks into the Le Creme and immediately notices the little Broodling about to devour a very large sandwich. He chuckles and comes over to his table. "Quite the appetite there for a little guy." he comments.
Nodding and considering the sandwich, Broo smiles, "I am still growing. I hope to eventually reach a less diminutive height. While being small has some advantages, I do tire of the limited view and inability to have my feet on the ground while I am sitting in a chair." kicking his feet a bit as to demonstrate his point. He squishes the sandwich as much as he can, and then places it entirely in his mouth, his tongue wrapping around the sandwich as he rolls it in his mouth and slowly closes his mouth, his cheeks looking over stuffed. He pours the pot partly into the mug, and takes a deep breath of the chocolatey aroma coming from the mug, letting the steam and scent fill his nostrils.
Josh laughs. "Yeah, I guess that would be annoying." he says as he watches Broo eat the sandwich in a single bite. He gets up and goes to the counter to order a hot chocolate before sitting down next to the small creature. "So, what are you exactly? I mean, like, I know your species are called Brood but what planet are you from and stuff. And how'd you come here?"
Taking time to savor the flavor of the sandwich before swallowing it whole, Broo considers how to explain matters, "The Brood have no name for our original homeworld, it was simply that, but the birth world of the species has been designated Sleazeworld by the Kree, Shi'ar, and Skrull Empires. The Brood have been interstellar travelers for several Terran Millenia, so only a small percentage of the species besides the Empress and her personal guard reside there anymore. I personally am... well that is a bit tricky. For me as an individual Broodling, this is the first planet I have ever been on, as my host was infected aboard a space vessel created for the purposes of an attempt at unified cooperation to find a way to combat and defend against the Brood. My host was a M'Ndavian adolescent who was terminally ill with a degenerative syndrome that was incurable, and who volunteered to be infected, so he was born on M'Ndavi in the B'lbwo Star System. I arrived on Terra... on Earth 34 Days ago when the United Galactic Lifeform Investigation/Experimention Sodality Ship Jhar'Ik-Eaux crashed in a frozen lake in Westchester. My mutantcy for my species triggered something that called attention to the vessel for Kitty Pryde and distress signals notified Sue Storm of the crash, Jubilee coming to aid Kitty and Sue's mate Richards coming to check on her a little while after the initial crash."
"Host?" Josh arched a brow. "So you're like, some kind of parasite?" he wonders, sipping on the hot chocolate once a waitress had brought it to the table. "And why'd the ship crash? Were you attacked? I take it the other aliens don't like you."
In the middle of that question from Josh, Broo's new little smartphone starts playing music. The tone is readily identifiable to him as the one he selected for Carol. For her part, she's running out of friends, people she's let down, people she's been nothing but trouble for. Right now, she sits atop one of the taller buildings in the city and has her phone to her ear, waiting for Broo to pick up. Sure, she's in costume, but she's seen better days, hair matted, breath reeking of alcohol, hung over...
Tilting his head from side to side, Broo considers, "Parasite would imply the host really exists still and that I am something that could be removed. Brood Queens and Broodlings are formed by an egg being incubated in them, and the egg rapidly taking over the host. All that remains of my host is his memories in me, and a fraction of his genetic code to form a basic framework for my form." he takes a bit longer to respond about the ship, downing a cull mug of the steamy hot chocolate and letting it steam out his nostrils and mouth a bit while he savors it and casts his eyes down mournfully, thinking of those aboard the ship. He finally swallows and says, "The ship crashed because of various reasons, no the least of them being that they underestimated the Brood Captives they were experimenting on, and having a Queen aboard to maintain the hive mind and create fresh eggs of non-Broodling variety as well as Broodling and Queen variety allowed for the ship to be knocked off course and many controls to be too damaged. Mistrust between the cooperating species most likely was another contributing factor. Brood are disliked in space similar to how wolves and sharks are malaligned on Earth. We are not an innately evil species, but besides myself, their is no compassion or caring, merely the need to reproduce, to cull the 'herds' of all specieses, and to fufill our Queens and Empress' desires. I, am... I am hesitant to say hated or feared, as I am the only Brood to feel these or almost any other emotions personally. but I am considered flawed and a threat to the Hive, because of my emotions, so I am to be destroyed."
Broo flips open the protective cover on his smartphone, does the swipe to answer, and sweetly says, "Hello Carol? You okay?"
Josh listens to everything Broo is saying, his brows raised with obvious interest. He nods. "So....why are you different? How come you have emotions and stuff and the others don't? Are you a mutant?"
"Broo?" murmurs Carol into her phone. The wind up there is adding noise to the pickup on her end and she just mutters, "Broo, I think I might need a little help. Last thing I remember was opening a bottle at my place.... and I woke up on top of the Daily Bugle.... in costume... with bruises on my knuckles like I Was punching something -really- hard." She sighs and lies on her back since the hangover and dehydration was making her dizzy. "You're about the only friend I have left that I -haven't- pissed off." she adds, something in her voice oddly depressed. It'd be ironic if she wanted to throw herself off a building. She'd just get a few more bruises and give the public works department some damage to fix... but she'd be fine.
There is a look of heavy concern on Broo's face, sure he likes the smell of drunk Carol, she gets this really sweet smell to her, but that is besides the point. He clears his throat and speaks more clearly, "Yes, this is Broo. I can come fly you somewhere, but it will take me time to get to you, I'm not the fastests being." he looks over, "Eddie Fisher, I may have to fly off." not worrying about addressing that he is a mutant. He speaks back into the phone, "Are you up to flying on your own? Or do you need me to come get you? If you can fly, I am at the cafe in Greenwich village, I can order you some coffee and keep you on the line until you get here."
Josh rolls his eyes and turns away while Broo is talking on the phone, irritated at being interrupted and then ignored. "Yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever. Do whatever you need to do."
"Fly here?" Carol laughs into the phone, more like a snort though. Not really a ladylike sound. "No, I don't really -want- to fly. How about I grab a taxi?" She shakes her head as she levers herself to her feet with a groan. "God, it feels like the bulls of Pamplona are running over my -head-." She starts making her way towards the rooftop access stairwell and says, "Grenwich? God... I'm a mess... but at least I can change to my civies first." And that said, she poofs, and is wearing at least mostly clean street clothes before she heads inside towards the elevator down. "I'll be there in a bit." she mutters as she hangs up.
With Carol on her way, Broo closes the protective case over his phone, and puts it away, he then looks to Josh, "I am sorry, Eddie Fisher. That was Carol Danvers, she is a really lovely lady, and she was in need of some help. She is on her way, so I will order her some coffee and maybe something nice to eat, so it will be ready when she gets here. As for my being a mutant, I did mention Kitty Pryde arrived at the crash site because my mutantcy was detected. Seeing as I am relatively standard physically for an pre-adult Broodling, and only my emotions and intellect level differ from the norm, I would have to say that at the very least they are part of my mutantcy, though it would be nice to know I am more special then merely emotional, and smarter then most beings."
Josh nods again. "It's fine. And by the way it's Josh, not Eddie." he corrects the Broodling. "So you're a mutant like me, then. That's why they took you to the school. Guess it makes sense. Hm." He is silent a moment, examining Broo more closely. "Yeah, you're definitely pretty smart...so...pre-adult, eh? What /does/ an adult Brood look like, anyway?"
Peering at Josh, Broo tilts his head, "Did a new being take over you? You were Eddie Fisher when I did your homework, now you are Josh?" he shrugs, "For the most part, just bigger, full grown I should be about eight feet tall. I will grow extra arms or perhaps manipulative tentacles, a pair of barbed tails will grow, my wings will become larger and more powerful, and my teeth and claws will be come longer and sharper. Other changes could be triggered then or even sooner by a Brood Queen or the Brood Empress, but thankfully they're no where close to this world."
"Sweet." Josh responds, forming an image of the thing Broo is describing in his mind and thinking it looked awesome. But he looks a little disappointed when the little alien mentions that there aren't any others anywhere near Earth. "Aww, why not? They don't like it here, huh?"
So, it's been a few minutes, and a taxi pulls up in front of the cafe. Carol may not be -rich-, but she can afford a taxi now and then. "Keep the change." she says to the driver after handing him a twenty. She takes a breath and steps out onto the sidewalk, hand coming up to run through her hair. "God, what I need is a shower but... yeah." she mutters to herself as she meanders towards the cafe Broo mentioned.
The waitress brings the order for Carol just in time, and Broo pays for it before looking to Josh, "Oh, I'm sure they'd be quite satiated here, plenty of powerful beings to subsume, and plenty of life to consume, but I would be terrified, and Carol would be enraged, and most life on this planet would be herded for food, converted, or slaughtered as a threat." he looks down mournfully, "There were actually eleven initial survivors of the crash, including myself and Kitty Pryde's 'Flock' friend, but Jubilee, Kitty Pryde, and Sue Storm eliminated four of the others in combat, and the other five were killed when the ship's implosion self destruct device eliminated the ship's remains. Four of those five were infected scientists who would have become new Queens, so your planet would have become a quatruple hive, with each Queen competing, and the planet being divided between them. Thankfully Sue Storm talked sense into me, and then she returned the scientists to the center of the ship. The final one was a Strontian converted Broodling who would have slaughtered millions by himself. Thankfully he went to find the old Queen and was eliminated in the implosion."
Josh laughs, shaking his head at Broo. "No, I just... never mind." he doesn't really care to explain everything. "Eddie isn't really my name. It's Josh. That's all you need to know. And that sounds like one hell of an epic fight...you know, you mentioned you wished you were taller. I could probably make you taller." 
He looks up as Carol enters the cafe. Wow, she had a serious hangover, he could tell that without even getting close. "That your lady friend?" he asks, gesturing generally in her direction.
"Gah, the smell of food right now..." mutters Carol as she takes a breath. "But coffee.. coffee smells awesome. The blacker and more bitter the better." Yes, she's talking to herself.. something she doesn't really do very often. But Broo is not hard to find, and she slowly nods to herself as she heads his way. She stopped inside the Bugle building and bought a cheap pair of sunglasses, which are worn over her blue eyes.
Sitting down, she mutters, "Coffee..." ... "and maybe a bottle of ibuprofin."
Placing the Pot of Coffee and a large mug in front of Carol, Broo smiles, "Bottomless Pot, so drink as much as you like. As for the isobutylpropanoicphenolic acid, I have chocolate, but no nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics." he pours his own cup of liquid from the hot chocolate pot and then pours that into his mouth, letting the steam flow from his mouth and nostrils, bubbling and churning in his mouth as he savors the flavor.
Josh tilts his head at the newcomer, seeing that her body is aching from too much alcohol. "Hangover?" he asks, before holding out a hand. "Here, give me your hand."
Too much alcohol, and too little water. Carl just raises a brow towards Josh. "Hang on a sec... priorities." she remarks with a smirk as she pours herself a strong cup of coffee. She just eyes Broo as he rattles off the chemical compound that makes up part of ibuprofin.... and then says, "If you don't have a bottle, that's fine."
She slugs down her first cup of steaming coffee like it was a shot of vodka.. the heat apparently not bothering her. Indeed, the mild burns that would normally scald a human, help her to feel more invigorated. It's something that Josh would -definitely- notice. Something about this woman isn't... normal biologically. 
After that first shot, she pours a second cup and then turns her attention towards Josh, "Okay, you were saying?" she asks, "Oh, name's Carol." she says as she offers a hand.
Swallowing the cup of Hot chocolate, Broo smiles, pours himself another, and then downs it, allowing the steam once more to plume out his nostrils and mouth. His tongue can be heard splashing around in the hot chocolate, and it is obvious he doesn't get scalded either. He lets the two get acquainted, letting Josh's offer of changing his height go unanswered as he is in no hurry to get that issue remedied.
Josh quickly takes her hand, though it wasn't for a handshake. Immediately, a golden glow radiates from his hand and suddenly the alcohol poisoning is gone. Ibuprofen won't be necessary now, because the hangover is completely gone. He lets go, now, arching a brow at her. 
"You're Ms. Marvel." he states. "Half human, half something else. Alien, I'd imagine." He doesn't know much about aliens, so identifying the Kree part of her isn't within his expertise.
With the sudden -vanishing- of her hangover... Carol narrows her eyes and says clearly. "Hey, careful kid." Josh is lucky she was hung over, or she might've reacted violently to a power being used on her. "I -highly- advise that you ask permission before you just go miracle-curing someone. For a sec there, I thought you were doing something sneaky." She doesn't even acknowledge the hit about her moniker -or- her physiology. She just holds Josh's hand and reaches with her other hand to remove the shades so her blue eyes can stare into his... she's serious here.
Josh holds up his hands defensively. "Hey now, I just thought I'd help you out. Didn't see any harm in it. I mean, sneaky? Seriously? I'm no villain here, Ms. Danvers."
Swallowing the yummy chocolate steamy goodness, Broo smiles, "The other half is Kree Warrior, and very good quality genetics. I can practically smell how elite and superior her Kree genetics are. I am still learning about human genetics and scents, but I would say those are high quality as well from all observations." he look to Josh a bit skeptically, "Even when helping someone, one should ask permission, because some beings will take offense, even finding it insulting that you helped them. It could be seen as diminishing their worth, or implying their inferiority that they would need assistance of any sort. Even offering can sometimes be insulting, but at least offering you can claim cultural ignorance, by helping without permission you could be making a seriously insulting act that could lead to having to kill you to restore their honor."
Shaking her head, Carol sighs. "The Psyche-Magnatron granted my wish.. it made me potent enough to save Mar-Vell.... I think it was -his- genetics that it used as a sample, so yes.. that would be what I would call... excellent genetics. I am no expert on such things though." She holds Josh's eyes for another moment and says, "You did not acknowledge my point. Next time... ask. Do not assume permission to simply meddle. Ask. Understood?" she asks.
"Yeah, yeah, sure whatever you say." Josh waves a dissmisive hand, smirking. He didn't really care for other people's egos. He's had to deal with /that/ enough back at the Institute. "Next time I see you mortally wounded on the battlefield, I'll be sure to ask your permission to save you before you bleed out."
Funny, this is not about EGO, it's about principle. "You and I both know that you're splitting hairs now. Semantics. There is a world of difference between healing the critically injured, and interfering with self induced discomfort. Now, can the snarky passive agressive crap, and just acknowledge a simple point." That said, she turns her attention from Josh, as if dismissing him a bit. Then she looks towards Broo. "Interesting friends you have made little one."
Josh doesn't reply, just rolls his eyes and mocks the look on her face with an exaggerated version of his own as she turns her gaze away from him. Yeah, he's kind of a snobby kid sometimes. He kind of grew up that way.
Pondering the comment, Broo nods, "Yes, I have been making many interesting friends." speaking matter of factly, "Perhaps we should try to piece together what you did after you opened the bottle at your place. Perhaps someone drugged you and made you dress in your costume and fight their champion to test his skill in combat? Or perhaps you were sleep fighting a wall of reinforced adamantium?"
Shaking her head, now Carol is clear. She's fine... she's not drunk and not hung over... "Oh, don't worry. I'll be fine." she remarks. Worst thing for her, to feel fine. Now her addiction can go on feeling like -she- is in control subconsciously. She was miserable, and seeking help with the addiction. Now she feels fine and she even smiles to Broo, "I appreciate the offer of help. But I think I can handle it. Thanks for the coffee though.."
"Fine?" Josh says incredulously. "Oh no, lady you are /far/ from fine. There's a reason why you were hung over today. Your body's been bombarded by way too much ethanol in the past several weeks. If you were human your liver would have called it quits by now. You might have superior genetics but you're not invincible. Plus your neurotransmitters are screaming that you're /miserable/." he says pointing a finger at her for emphasis. "You need help. And I am /going/ to give it whether you want me to or not, because if you go on like this, you're gonna get someone killed. If not yourself, then someone you care about." 
He once again reaches for her hand, attempting to grab her wrist.
Well, that's not going to happen. Carol is a skilled combatant and she doesn't launch an attack. She does however, reach for the coffee pot and intercept the incoming hand with it. "I got this." she remarks once more. "Now, kindly leave me the hell alone you arrogant, presumptuous child." she doesn't raise her voice, but it is -the voice-. That one she learned to use in the military... it doesn't work on everyone, but there are times when even the most uninitiated can sense the -command- in the voice of a Colonel who has given orders in combat situations before.
Carol steps back and sets the coffee pot down before saying to Broo, "I'm going home. You know how to reach me if you need anything little one."
The coffee pot successfully blocks his attempt and he withdraws, glaring at the half-Kree. "I may be arrogant, but that sure as hell wasn't presumptuous and you /know/ it." he's as serious as she is, now. "I could sense your body's chemical imbalances when I touched you. You're just in denial. Addicts are almost always in denial." he sighs and glances down at Broo. "Come on, Broo. Tell her I'm right. 'Cause you know I am."
Hm. Maybe he can make her fall asleep without touching her...he'd always wondered about contact being necessary.
"Oh and for the record, if I'm arrogant, I wonder what that makes /you/."
"It makes me out of here. That's what... Now... kindly grow up and stop being such a whiny little PA teenager." Uh.. saying that to a teenager.. riiiight. As it stands, she turns and just stalks out the door. She does pause to carefully open the door so she doesn't shred the thing on her way. I mean seriously, ninety tons is a lot of pressure to put on a cafe door.
The Littlest Broodling looks on a bit in confusion. He doesn't want to take sides, and frankly doesn't understand the concept of denial enough to make a decision. He just waves goodbye to Carol, sort of sad to see her go, but he doesn't want to bug her while she is angry, especially when the conversation has touched on many sensatives subjects. Likewise, he has no idea what a PA Teenager is, so has no ideas if being a whiny little one is actually a bad thing, so again he has no real comment. To avoid the conversation Broo takes the pot of hot chocolate and downs the entire thing, then puts up his little clawed hand and says, "Chweg pwriz?" toward a waitress, the scalding liquid bubbling in his mouth, as he gets up to avoid any further part of whatever that was...
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