Kenzi Malikov (
onteamdyson) wrote in
pineslog2017-05-18 03:51 pm
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What even is my life anymore?
Who: Kenzi Malikov-Rumlow, Matt Miller, Poe Dameron
Where: Bucky's room, and then around town!
When: Matt's thread is on May 4th after this. Poe's thread is May 14TH
What: Kenzi "borrows" her "cousin's" room to talk to her "ex-boyfriend" about what the shit is going on. Later, Kenzi sees a very advanced roomba rolling around the street and NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE!
Warnings: Probably strong language. Some heavy topics? Mostly stupidity. Will update as needed.
[Closed]
May 4th - Matt
So Jefferson hadn't been at the tea shop Kenz had sent Matt to, that's fine. Probably better, actually, considering she doesn't want people to know about them. Not that any of it actually HAPPENED! Except... it might have happened? But probably didn't. Whatever. Either way, she doesn't want to go spreading the news that she was associated with this giant nerd that barely knows how to talk to girls and somehow managed to get into her pants for what proved to be an UNDERWHELMING ENCOUNTER! How the hell did that lead to a brief relationship? Who knows. The less people it gets around to, the better.
Kenzi drags Matt from main street, all the way to a house. Not her house where she lives with her husband, though. That would be STUPID! Seriously, really dumb. Especially when there are cameras everywhere. No thanks. Instead, she brings him to her cousin's house. Specifically, his bedroom. A place they can talk without being ratted out to the popo and locked up for disturbing some shit! Because that is a thing that keeps happening and Kenzi is way too cute to go to prison. Again. Shut up.
Tugging Matt by his wrist the entire way, she pulls him into Bucky's bedroom and shuts the door behind them with a huff. She doesn't want Steve or Nat to see this guy. It's bad enough she had to tell Bucky! He gave her that stupid half smile he does with his stupid face and she wanted to punch him. It's not LIKE that. God.
At least now they could talk.
"Okay, spill. What do you remember? Let's start there." Because it's probably not much and she needs to know which blanks need to be filled.
May 14th - Poe
Whaaaat the FUUUUUCK is that thing? It looks like a rice cooker sitting on top of a beach ball. Seriously, what IS that? Just rolling down the street-- is this some kid's science fair project? Kenzi has to investigate. She's gotta see this thing up close.
Of course, when it's like... almost a block away and on the other side of the street, she ends up looking like a crazy person chasing after this WEIRD CONTRAPTION, but that's fine, probably. It's cool. Someone's gotta be around here with a remote control for it, right? Maybe if she just... gets up behind it and shouts--
"HEY! WHOSE THINGY IS THIS?"
Where: Bucky's room, and then around town!
When: Matt's thread is on May 4th after this. Poe's thread is May 14TH
What: Kenzi "borrows" her "cousin's" room to talk to her "ex-boyfriend" about what the shit is going on. Later, Kenzi sees a very advanced roomba rolling around the street and NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE!
Warnings: Probably strong language. Some heavy topics? Mostly stupidity. Will update as needed.
[Closed]
May 4th - Matt
So Jefferson hadn't been at the tea shop Kenz had sent Matt to, that's fine. Probably better, actually, considering she doesn't want people to know about them. Not that any of it actually HAPPENED! Except... it might have happened? But probably didn't. Whatever. Either way, she doesn't want to go spreading the news that she was associated with this giant nerd that barely knows how to talk to girls and somehow managed to get into her pants for what proved to be an UNDERWHELMING ENCOUNTER! How the hell did that lead to a brief relationship? Who knows. The less people it gets around to, the better.
Kenzi drags Matt from main street, all the way to a house. Not her house where she lives with her husband, though. That would be STUPID! Seriously, really dumb. Especially when there are cameras everywhere. No thanks. Instead, she brings him to her cousin's house. Specifically, his bedroom. A place they can talk without being ratted out to the popo and locked up for disturbing some shit! Because that is a thing that keeps happening and Kenzi is way too cute to go to prison. Again. Shut up.
Tugging Matt by his wrist the entire way, she pulls him into Bucky's bedroom and shuts the door behind them with a huff. She doesn't want Steve or Nat to see this guy. It's bad enough she had to tell Bucky! He gave her that stupid half smile he does with his stupid face and she wanted to punch him. It's not LIKE that. God.
At least now they could talk.
"Okay, spill. What do you remember? Let's start there." Because it's probably not much and she needs to know which blanks need to be filled.
May 14th - Poe
Whaaaat the FUUUUUCK is that thing? It looks like a rice cooker sitting on top of a beach ball. Seriously, what IS that? Just rolling down the street-- is this some kid's science fair project? Kenzi has to investigate. She's gotta see this thing up close.
Of course, when it's like... almost a block away and on the other side of the street, she ends up looking like a crazy person chasing after this WEIRD CONTRAPTION, but that's fine, probably. It's cool. Someone's gotta be around here with a remote control for it, right? Maybe if she just... gets up behind it and shouts--
"HEY! WHOSE THINGY IS THIS?"
no subject
It definitely doesn't help that this woman that he swears he knows, God he knows her, and the more they talk and the more she holds onto his hand and drags him around the more real it feels. He also knows this place, knows that it's where her all too intimidating cousin lives, but he can't for the life of him place why he knows all this. The incongruity of it settles rocky on his stomach like a tidal wave.
"I remember you," The words pour out of his mouth along with his nausea. It's not what she means and he takes a deep breathe through his nose.
"I remember a big city, bright neon lights. I remember," He trails off, worrying about her perception of him if he continues. Stupid. It's stupid! "Are you sure it's safe to talk in here?" He shuffles uncomfortably around, his eyes focusing on everything except Kenzi's.
no subject
"Yeah, dude, I promise. Bucky's room is clean. Listen. I can tell you things but it's kinda gonna rip up your entire existence like its confetti. We gotta establish a baseline or something." That sounds like something Rumlow would say. She's trying to be reassuring so he stops freaking out, and the most reassuring things she can think of are the times when Rumlow pulled out his secret agent tactics and mind-tricks and when Bucky told her the truth about stuff.
"Don't freak out." He's freaking out. She sits next to him on the bed, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on top of them. Close, but not touching. Watching him, but giving him a little space. She doesn't want to have to tell him she was never really there. That the memories aren't real.
"You gotta tell me the before stuff. Like the prequel material. Anything you remember that didn't happen here"
no subject
Matt has to close his eyes and take another long, deep breath. This is fucking with him so bad.
"That's reassuring!" Matt barks out in a bitter laugh, shaking his head and refusing her weird attempt at comfort. "This is some follow me if you want to live double oh seven nonsense." But the dull ache at the back of his skull tells him it's not as ridiculous as he wants to think. The fact that he's not getting up and walking away is enough to prove that he's willing to listen, and the way he sighs and tries to ease into it shows that he buys into it.
"It's really hard not to freak out." But she understands. She's been there, the way she reacts and treats the whole thing... She knows about it. This happened to her, and who knows how many others. Small connections are made in his head. He briefly wonders if anyone is actually here natively, or if those more dedicated are just incredibly brainwashed. The passing thought makes him shiver.
"I was in a gang. The leader of it. Certainly not something that would happen in a place like this. We were... Cyber criminals. Hackers." Matt's brows furrow in thought, as he tries hard to remember more. "I... I ran. I went back home," He pauses again, as if he can't remember where 'home' is.
"It wasn't here," A moment, and then a bright exclamation, "London! Oh - So that's the same, at least." He guesses it makes sense, then, why everyone else talks so differently from him. It seems like things are getting easier to remember for a moment, a slouch growing in his spine as he mulls over his memories and what they mean.
"I was... Accosted by MI6. Because of... You know. The gang thing. Cyber.. Terrorist... It was an issue, but they gave me amnesty. I... Kenzi, I think I'm an MI6 agent?"
no subject
Until he talks about being in a gang. No, not just in a gang, IN CHARGE of a gang. She's super impressed for about five seconds, until the cyber part comes in. Ugh. Figures. No wonder she's embarrassed to talk about dating him. HE'S JUST A HUGE NERD! A huge nerd that ran away. Okay, maybe there's more to it than that. She's not giving him any slack here.
... Immediate redemption. Kenzi stares at him, mouth hanging open, eyes bugging out of her SKULL. MI6? FUCKING... MI6? "Fuck, is everyone I know some kind of secret agent? This is BULLSHIT!" Wait. Wait, recover this. Totally... she could totally lie right now and say she's one, too. He probably wouldn't even KNOW!
"Because... yeah, I mean, same. Totally an agent. Canadian kind. That's probably part of the conspiracy here! I can't reveal my sources, but..." She kinda just did. Considering she just said EVERYONE SHE KNOWS! Which is actually pretty accurate.
It's a good starting point, though. The info. Lived in London, total nerd, panicky, sarcastic smartass all adds up with what she SUDDENLY remembers. They keep the stories pretty true to character. Smart. Makes them more likely to be believed.
"That stuff? That's probably all real. The rest of it... not so much."
no subject
The recovery isn't as smooth as she thinks it is, and it leaves Matt more than a little suspicious of her. He believes that she knows more agents, that much was obviously genuine, and it's worth pursuing. The part about it being a conspiracy? Well...
"That's worth investigating," What, he just came back to the memory of it and now he's pulling weight here? "Why would a group of agents get taken to a small town and made to forget everything they know? It's a cover up." Duh. Obviously. It's easy. Too easy. For as obscured as everything else is, the solution seems too simple, too sloppy. It's all he has, though.
"What about you?"
no subject
It's all either of them have, really. There's nothing to compare this to, no similar situation she remembers hearing about. It's not fae related! At least, that's what she thinks. If it was fae bullshit, they'd be smug about it. Sloppy. Less clinical and ... 90'sish.
"Me?" The question catches her off guard, shakes her out of a tangle of thoughts. Pulling her knees even closer to her, she shrugs, smile starting to shrink a little. "I remember everything now. It's temporary, the amnesia shiz. It'll start coming back to you. That's when you start to have... conflicts. NOT-- Not physical ones, internal ones. Mentally."
What? Kenzi avoiding the question? Noooo waaaaaaay. Make Matt talk about everything and avoiding saying anything about herself? That's crazy talk. It's not like her level four backstory is totally insane and unbelievable or anything! Secret agent is a billion times more likely than the real thing.
no subject
There's no protocol for this. There's nothing in any of the manuals - none of what he remembers - about unreality. About simulations. The concept rolls around in Matt's mind like a lead ball, heavy and toxic, leeching away his attention. The brainwashing was terrifying enough, without the weight of his unspoken memory hanging over his shoulders. He struggles with where it fits in, or whether it's relevant at all to the place he finds himself - But it almost has to be. It's too much to be a coincidence.
"Can you stop dodging long enough to answer something? I'm serious," He certainly sounds like he is, "Do you remember being taken? Imprisoned anywhere?"
no subject
"It doesn't work like that." Blunt. Truthful. "They leave that part out. Seriously, ask anyone! At your own risk, obvi. There's the beforetimes, your actual life and whatever you were doing before you got here, then there's the fake backstory, bullshit, synthetic life they give you when you wake up from the," Actual air quotes, "Accident."
She adjusts, folding her legs up beside her and turning to face Matt more directly. Now her hands can grip the comforter beneath them. Keep them busy. This topic makes her kind of squirrely. Makes her wanna run.
"I was in a gang, too. A real one, not computers and shit. A street gang. That's, um... where I lived, basically. In Toronto. No summers with Bucky, no meeting you, no..." Happiness. Not until she met Bo, basically. And now that's been taken away, too. But she's hopeful! Bo won't stop until she finds her. She will come for her. No matter what. Just gotta bide the time.
"I stole shit. Like, a lot of shit. Not because I wanted to, because I had to. Like, up until a year ago, basically? That's when-- ... I was recruited." Yeah. Secret agent cover story is a million times more believable than being adopted by a secret, magical race of fairy creatures living in downtown Toronto. "One day I was there, the next I was waking up in a hospital full of people that wouldn't tell me a damn thing, no idea who I was, no clothes. It sucked major balls."
no subject
The answer eats up at him. They leave that part out. Then why does he remember? Was that just a completely unrelated memory? But that seems so... Implausible. How does someone get held in two separate fake realities? Honestly. Matt's face scrunches up at her denial and he settles firmly on him just having privileged information. If she doesn't remember... Well, no use discussing it further with her. It's a dead end.
She mentioned getting more back as time went on. Maybe he could try it again, later.
"I didn't know Canada had street gangs," A laugh, quiet, almost casual. What would the point be? "Oh no, we're here to sell the legal weed and patrol with, what, show shovels? What piece would you even carry?" Like he had any room to talk. But he doesn't mock her when she talks about stealing to survive, he actually tightens back up and goes quiet. It's serious. "What er... Agency? Branch?"
no subject
"Weed's not legal everywhere! And none of the other shit is! You think we're all just drinking maple syrup in our igloos, letting our pet beavers out to piss on the neighbour's snowbank and then say sorry a lot?" STEREOTYPES! STEREOTYPES EVERYWHERE! So vicious. Shows what this Brit knows about the overseas country that has his queen on their money.
The playful vibe dissipates and they're left tense and silent again. He asks a question that she answers with only the slightest delay. "SHIELD. It's... they're not government so it's okay if you've never heard of them." That part is true! Actually not lying! It's the whole... being a member thing. The agent aspect. She doesn't work for those guys. Brock does. So does Steve! Bucky... works with Steve, so technically?
"Is James Bond a real dude? Are you guys keeping him in a glass display case like Lenin, only ... British?"
no subject
"SHIELD?" he repeats, an eyebrow arching curiously up. "Sounds like something from a comic book." But he's not... Denying it. He knows agencies can have ridiculous names, he's heard some of the mission names and field calls back in his day. His day? God, no. Not even. Stop that. "What does SHIELD do?" It's not pressing or accusatory, just curious.
Unlike her question, which definitely isn't a real question.
"That's classified."
no subject
"Yeah, well. We're just that cool." Um. Excuse you. She was two seconds away from making up some awesome alternative facts about the organization she is very much not a part of until Matt cockblocks her Bond inquiry. "Huh. What a coincidence. It's also classified. Need to know basis. You don't need to know."
It's not like she totally has zero idea what she's talking about or anything. Can you introduce her to your boss, Judi Dench?
"Look... no one's supposed to know about the lack of surveillance spy bullshit in here, so we only have a few more minutes. Is there anything else you need to know that we can't talk about out there? Also how good is your acting?"
no subject
... She has him there. Tit for tat and he can't even argue, just grin and nod in acknowledgement of being matched. He'd come out with it and give a proper answer, if only to get information, but she comes out with a good point.
"My acting?" Matt repeats, but he already has some clue where she's going with it. They need an alibi, some reason to have a rendezvous away from prying eyes. Two exes, suddenly reunited under sudden, stressful circumstances...
"How deep in is your er... Husband?" Look, he doesn't want to get the shit beaten out of him for the sake of research.
no subject
Until he says husband. The bubble has BURST! Moment over.
"He's, um... I mean he's in pretty deep." Ha. In more ways than one. Damn. "He knows this is fake. Fuck, even our fake marriage is fake." Wait, that needs more explanation. "It's supposed to be a green card marriage. Not a real one. So basically none of it's real, but I still thought--..."
She liked him. Loved him? She's not sure anymore. Not with what Steve told her. She's not sure who to trust and she may literally be sleeping with the enemy.
"He won't find out. We just gotta make it look good for the camera. There's a lot of things I don't tell Brock."
no subject
There's not much he can say to it - To how she reacts, to how she cuts off and chokes. It's uncomfortable, all of it. The weird bubble that sits in his chest at the thought of it all being fake - Hope for something to happen? No. His feelings aren't even real. Worry for her? But he doesn't even know her. And she seems to have something for her spouse, doesn't she? Matt takes a deep breath - Tries to push all the conflict from his head.
She's an ally. Someone stuck in the same bizarre hostage situation as him, suffering from implanted memories like he is. Nothing more, nothing less.
"I'm sure there are," He mumbles as he ruffles his hands through his hair, messing it up. "How far did we go, hm? Impassioned reunion, 'oh Mr. Miller, I can't, it's not like that now?" The laughter behind his voice is choked back as he messes up his clothes and reaches into his pocket for his lipstick.
no subject
When she closes her eyes, she can still see Matt's face. Closer, a different expression, and his hands--
Again, he pulls her from her thoughts and she plasters a smile on before she realizes what he's saying. Shit. He's funny. Is he always this funny? Dammit. Is he always this tall and within reach and wearing makeup?
"I would never call you mister Miller. Like, literally never in a million years." Meme or not, he isn't a mister anything. "I'm gonna say... this was probably enough time for super hot and heavy reunion makeouts but then I got totes ashamed of my life choices and kicked you to the curb."
It's better if they don't hang out. It's better if she just cuts him off completely right now and never sees him again. But like hell is that gonna happen. She already wants to be around him more, get to know him. See if he matches up with the new memories in her head or if he's something else entirely. She fell for it once already, she's not going to be played again. He'll stay at arms length... but she's not going to stay away.
no subject
He is more entertained by 'whose thingy is this' than the droid.
"He's with me."
no subject
"He? It's a he..." Why isn't that as surprising as it should be? "What's... his name?" Because she's clearly a very polite person and it's not polite to call someone a thingy if they have pronouns and stuff.
"Also, what... is he?" Sorry if she looks skeptical, Poe. She's never seen whatever this is before.
no subject
The Thingy makes a noise that seems to be the electronic equivalent of a raspberry.
"He's not normally rude. A little tired of being singled out, maybe." He shifts his grip on the groceries to offer her a hand. "Poe Dameron."
no subject
"That's. So. Cooooooooooool!" She bounces excitedly from one foot to the other before taking the offered hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "Kenzi Malikov." No hyphen. Just Malikov.
"Also, Poe? That's a cool freaking name. This is a cool freaking ROBOT! Is his name some kind of inside joke? Because... Because... BB-8. B's and an 8... they're all the... the shape of him?" She's smirking, trying not to laugh at the hilarious joke. This is one nerdy first impression, now he's never gonna think she's cool.
no subject
He squats down next to BB-8, resting a hand on the droid's curved side. He grins up at Kenzi. At least BB-8 himself seems mollified by how impressed she is. "Could be a joke. I never actually thought about it."
Poe glances at the droid. "What'd'you think, Bee?"
no subject
"You're a droid!" She gestures to BB-8, just... throws her hands out in his general direction. "You're like what I always wished my Tamagotchi would be! HI! I mean-- oh, that was loud. Hi!"
She's talking. To. A droid. This is AWESOME!
no subject
"He wants to know what a Tamagotchi is, and I have to say, I'm pretty curious myself."
no subject
"They're like... these little virtual pet guys in this... egg-shaped device?" So far so good. Sounds legit. "And they beep at you when they want stuff and you have to feed them and play with them and clean up their tiny, digital poop--...." Now it's weird. You made it weird.
"They were big when I was a kid. Like, everyone had them." Except her. She wanted one! Her friends let her babysit sometimes, and that was enough for her. Especially after she forgot about it over the weekend and it died...
no subject
(Of course, he's imagining holographic creatures projected from egg-shaped devices, not... pixels on a screen. So close.)
BB-8 peeps that he's far more useful than any Tamagotchi, which Poe chooses not to translate. He's gotten a lot more cautious about sharing BB-8's abilities. "He's my flight partner."
That much he's said in proximity to cameras already.