I'll follow behind you on rainbow road

[paragon]

Who: CAPTAIN AMERICA WANTS YOU
Where: The Baromanogerneson Residence (i.e., 5031)
When: May 9th
What: Mario Kart and subversion, two great tastes that taste great together.
Warnings: Please warn in subjects as needed!
[Open]

The thought had formed pretty much as soon as he'd opened the box that was left on the front porch. The people here need a way to talk. There are two rooms in the house where they would be free to do so. He'd come home one day — not long after the body had disappeared from the upstairs bathroom and all the cameras he'd ripped from their wiring between there and the garage had been put back in place in their absence with a friendly maintenance note left behind that all fixtures in need of repair had been seen to, along with a bill for the expenses — to find Natasha sitting on the bed, writing a note in Sharpie. He'd leaned against the door frame and watched her hold it up to the cameras and make a deal: Steve wouldn't break any more cameras, if they give them the privacy of their bedrooms. As there had only been the three of them at the time (despite the insistence in his head that the house has always been filled by his teammates, just as he remembers of the last few years before Wayward Pines), that had meant the master bedroom downstairs, and Bucky's upstairs.

It had actually worked, though Steve wouldn't have trusted the word of whoever's behind the cameras himself if it weren't for Natasha's daily inspections, and so far the deal's held.

But it's not — can't be — a luxury only afforded to them, for their own sakes. He's told others here and there, and he knows his friends have, too. It's not enough, but nor does he have a way to get people over without arousing suspicion. But then there's the Nintendo system. A little unorthodox, as far as his own methods go, but he'll work with anything he has.

He doesn't put it down anywhere in writing, letting news of the party travel by word of mouth and hoping that's enough to keep it out of the wrong ears. At least for now. There's a chance — a good chance — that it will eventually get the Sheriff's attention, but by then it will have had the effect it's supposed to and given the people here the chance to speak to each other truthfully. And if that comes down on anyone, it's gonna be the people prepared to deal with it.

The day of the ninth is a rainy one, a good day to stay inside and play games with friends. It also provides a good excuse to use the master bedroom just off the end of the foyer as a temporary coat room. Straight ahead in the living room, Mario Kart is all ready to go, and in the kitchen next to that, snack food and drinks are available.

((ooc: THIS IS A MINGLE POST. While I will be tagging around with Steve a bit, this is mostly to give people a chance to chat with each other without the cameras watching. Per Natasha's deal with the powers that be, the cameras in the master bedroom and Bucky's room upstairs have been removed. Natasha will be greeting people at the door and taking them on a "tour" (i.e., to the master bedroom to explain the camera situation, why the party's really happening, and that they are not to discuss the lack of cameras while elsewhere in the house). Feel free to wander in there any time for a chat, or simply enjoy some Mario Kart and refreshments! Commenting around is encouraged, and please note in your top-levels whether they're open or closed. If you have any questions for me I can be found on plurk (jeeps) or discord (jeeps#9644).))

Comments

Pietro Maximoff | open

[windchasing]

[ Pietro has never actually played a videogame, not that he can remember (or even that he can't remember). So when he heard about the party, he'd been skeptical. But Allison was going, and Mr. Rogers was not so bad he supposed, and even if Pietro is very, very much not a party person - well, how bad can it be?

So far, the answer is, medium bad. Or at least that's how Pietro's Mario Kart performance can be categorized. He understands the controls well enough, but actually hitting the correct buttons at the correct time, while properly accounting for both the graphics lag and the controller lag? That takes him more than one entire minute to master. And that's terrible. ]

Why would anyone want to win a fake race? [ he grumbles as Koopa Troopa rolls to a sad halt in 7th place. ] These carts can barely break seventy-five.

[ He could go faster than that at a brisk walk. ]

[seaweedbrain]

Uh, because it's fun, dude?

[ Well, it would be fun if he won more than the one time, anyway. And so far ... he hasn't.

He's almost 100% sure he's got quick reflexes and should, by all rights, be pretty good at video games ... but so far his winning streak isn't all that much of a streak and more like dumb luck, but he'll keep his spirits high for as long as he can. ]

[windchasing]

A real one would be better.

[ Like he has a garage full of hot rods hidden away somewhere for the purpose. (Spoilers: he doesn't.) Pietro gives the other teen a sidelong glance, wondering if he recognizes him from school. He isn't exactly well-liked at school. ]

Even without the carts. A foot race. Anything.

[seaweedbrain]

[ Percy might have seen him around, yeah. But then there are a lot of kids, and Percy tends to stick with his own small group of friends, and it's pretty easy to miss out on each other's circles. ]

A foot race? Hey, what about potato sacks?

[birdcostumes]

[Sam isn't the most skilled Mario Kart racer in the world. He was never really much of a gamer, to be honest. After living in the Avengers facility, however, he kind of got used to them, and the level of competition that goes along with them. Or maybe that's just his crazy teammates.]

You want them to go faster around crazy hairpin turns with no guard rails? [He laughs.] Or over banana peels?

[windchasing]

[ Pietro gives a mildly exasperated noise, probably not the first or last of the evening. ]

I want a vehicle that can maneuver under those conditions, not drive like a tugboat.

Why would a car slip on a banana peel, anyway? I sincerely doubt that's how physics work.

[paragon]

[ It's fair to say that Steve's confused by Pietro. Nothing he's done — he's a restless teenager, which doesn't typically present with much mystery — but the mere fact of his existence. The false memories tell Steve that his name is Pietro Maximoff and that he's Wanda's brother, but this isn't the kid he knew, whose funeral he attended. He'd just chalk it up to another trick of this town making up for a lost brother, but . . . Pietro's fast. He tries not to give himself away but he's not very good at it, and Steve's caught him in moments he didn't realize he was being observed, a shift of movement too quick for even Steve's eyes to catch, broken tools, an answer that's not particularly astute but still given too quickly.

So he's been a little baffled and, things being as they are, has remained that way. ]

I'd say that's pretty good for something that small. [ Steve's elbows are resting on the back of the couch near Pietro's head as he watches the racing. ] Seventy-five not fast enough for you? [ He gives Pietro a small smile at that. ]

[windchasing]

Not even close, [ Pietro answers honestly, because he's straightforward (and a braggart) as much as he's cautious. (And besides, he likes Mr. Rogers well enough he isn't that cautious.) ]

Something small and light should be able to go faster, not slower, with the proper propulsion. Less weight to drag it down.

[ Which is a little specific for a high schooler who hasn't taken physics, but. A n y w a y. ]

Also, your controller lags.

[ Just to round out his complaints for the evening. ]