Missing (OTA)

[st_hotflashes]

Liz stood in the middle of the lobby with a quiet, panicked look on her face. She turned around a second time, surveying the scene around her, but the second pass didn't help any. She ran a hand through her hair and then headed for one of the couches. She pulled back the cushions, digging her hand into the crevice of the gaudy plush decor and when her hand emerged empty, she felt her chest tighten.

Liz's journal was missing.

She thought she had brought it back to the room yesterday after studying in the cafe, but this morning when she went to review her notes from the day before, she had discovered that the familiar book she had so many things in was gone. She had checked the library, the restaurant, the cafe, even the kitchen itself. It had to be somewhere, right?

(ooc: Find her pretty much anywhere. Also! Feel free, if your character would so choose, to find the journal and read all or some of it because I am a cruel mistress.)

Comments

[st_hotflashes]

Before Peter started to answer, Liz had casually swam a few inches away, letting herself float. When she left his personal space, she could definitely feel the loss of heat. As he spoke, she swam back to him, closing the distance again.

"I think you're just as cool." She meant that and wasn't just patronizing him. "I don't think you'd screw it up. He seemed nice." She tilted her head to the side a little. "Did you want me to talk to him and then maybe introduce you guys?"

[st_arkintern]

"I'm not that cool," Peter assures her. "Trust me. He basically saved the entire planet three times. Maybe more. People aren't sure."

There's a reason why Thor is in his top three.

Peter presses his lips together, nervous. "No," he says, shaking his head. "I mean, not right now. In the future? Yeah, maybe. But..."

Peter trails off.

[st_hotflashes]

"Okay.... but you do know you're an Avenger now, right? So you're both on the same team. You're his teammate. If I was him, I'd be excited to meet you." She might be a little biased, though.

She 'swam' up beside him, wrapped her arms around his right arm and leaned in to playfully whisper. "For the record, you're my favourite Avenger."

[st_arkintern]

Peter knows he wasn't even his own favorite Avenger... but he could appreciate Liz saying he was hers.

"Good," Peter says, giving her a kiss. "It'd be really great if more people from my world show up. It feels like so many of them have shown up all at once, so maybe they'll be more." Quill and Rocket both showed up on the same day. Thor appeared a few weeks later.

"Maybe you can meet all the Avengers eventually," he says. "Iron Man and Black Widow are definitely in my top three, too."

[st_hotflashes]

"What do you think they'd think of me?" She tilted her head to the side. She didn't realize it until she said it, but Liz would want Mr. Stark to like her. He was so important to Peter if he didn't, she'd probably be more upset than how Peter was about Illyana. "What does Black Widow do?" And she wondered how someone else named after a spider would think of Quill's name for her as Web Weaver.

[st_arkintern]

"I don't know," Peter says, honestly. "Mr. Stark's really the only one I met. I fought with the rest of them back in Germany, but I don't think any of them knew I was there until Mr. Stark signaled for me to come out."

Peter neglects to mention the part about Mr. Stark calling him Underoos. That was kinda embarrassing.

"Um," Peter says. "I think she's some sort of secret agent. Like a femme fatale. She's really good at fighting, but I don't know if she has any powers."

[st_hotflashes]

There was usually more to the femme fatales in literature - like how they seduced the people before they stole the codes or fought - at least in the books she had read. Being a secret agent, Liz had to figure she probably did something similar. Like a female James Bond. Something Liz would never be - she could be a lot of things, but a seductress was not one she thought she could full off well.

"I'd like to meet her. And all of them." She suddenly smiled dotingly. "And I like your impressions of them. They're cute." She ducked her head a little.

[st_arkintern]

Peter feels the warmth climb into his face, even despite the cool of the water. He knows most people would probably thank it's lame. He's grateful that his girlfriend isn't among them.

"It wouldn't be you just meeting them -- minus Mr. Stark. I'd be meeting them for the first time, too. It probably seems weird since I fought with them or against them, but... I guess things are just weird sometimes."

[st_hotflashes]

"I guess sometimes it's hard to meet people when you're busy fighting." She didn't exactly have any sort of experience like that, but she could picture it.

She lifted her hand, touching the side of his jaw with her damp hand as she searched his eyes. For a moment she looked as if she were about to say something, eyes affectionate and soft. She had a lot of thoughts about Peter and his capabilities. And for another moment, perhaps, it might have looked as if she were going to lean in and kiss him. But then her hand went down back into the water and her smile remained. "Even if it's awkward, I think they're going to like you. And they know you're a good fighter already, so..."

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, I guess so," Peter says. "I'm sure I'll get to meet them someday eventually." Just like he'd probably eventually say hi to Thor.

"We did get to talk, though," Peter says. "Sorta. I think they don't usually talk while they're fighting, though."

Given their reactions, anyway.

"Do you guys have fictional superheroes where you come from? Before the real superheroes started showing up, we had them. They still exist, but they just aren't as popular as the real thing."

[st_hotflashes]

"Yeah. There's, um. Lots of comics, actually. Alex was really into the Green Lantern for a while and my dad still brings up Flash Gordon." She looked a little sheepish. "I was sort of into the Power Rangers when I was younger, too."

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, me too," Peter says. "I was old enough to remember what life was like before superheroes were a thing."

Just barely, but he was. "I had an Iron Man lunchbag when I was 8 and Thor bedsheets when I was 10. It's just -- it's hard to talk to someone whose merchandise you collected, you know? I mean, imagine you could meet the Power Rangers."

[st_hotflashes]

Liz very quickly pushed aside the thought that Peter's 'when I was young' was very different than hers and he, in fact, was born when she was still in high school herself. She pushed the thought deep deep down inside.

She considered that for a moment, tilting her head a little to the side. "So... you know how Roswell has these like, festivals and stuff for aliens? Sometimes we get celebrities that show up. Johnathan Frakes sometimes comes, and Patrick Stewart once. They're, um. There's from Star Trek the Next Generation? Anyways, the Crashdown usually caters and whatever and I've noticed that, most actors.. they're just people who like to be talked to as people. And when someone talks about like, normal stuff, they almost seemed relieved instead of talking about an episode or a stunt or something."

She smiled just a little. "I know it's not the same... I don't really know what it's like to be around superheroes except the ones here and I never had Spider-Man bed sheets." Liz flushed just a little because maybe she kind of wished she did and maybe then her brain went somewhere less about bed sheets and more about who was in them.

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, I mean, I'd feel the same way, too. If anyone knew my secret identity, I mean. Which might happen when I'm older. Maybe." Peter's not sure if he'll ever actually go public with it.

"It'd really be weird if I had bedsheets. People already talk about me online. And post videos of me on YouTube."

[st_hotflashes]

"Why would it be weird?" She let her legs go so she was 'swimming' again and tugged him a little, playful. "You deserve bed sheets and lunch bags and Halloween costumes for little kids who look up to you. I think you deserve all of it." She really did, though maybe it was a little obvious with the clothes she occasionally made for him.

[st_arkintern]

Peter smiles as his girlfriend tugs him along.

"I don't mind kids looking up to me," Peter says, even though it feels like he needs to do more to be worthy of it. And careful. "But the more famous you are, the more people talk about you. A lot of people online say some really mean things about the Avengers."

That didn't stop him from wanting to be one, even if it meant that people might say crummy things about him. But knowing that didn't stop him from feeling some anxiety over it.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz had no idea about online culture or trolls or any of it. Myspace was still two years out.

She frowned just a little. "Why would they say mean things? Don't they save the world a lot?"

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, but sometimes stuff gets messed up," Peter says. "And Mr. Stark can be opinionated sometimes and people don't like his personality because he's so direct, so..."

Mr. Stark's probably the most public-facing member of the Avengers. Minus Captain America, and he's kinda a former Avenger.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz began to worry that Peter might start to spiral into worrying. While she might lack confidence in herself sometimes, she had complete faith in Peter. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned up and kissed him, long, but soft, her lips lingering and then lightly tugging on his own as she moved back to look at him. She stared at him for a moment.

"If people can't see how amazing you are, then that's there loss." She knew that didn't make things better when stuff was said, but it was true.

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, I know," Peter says. He smiles at her. "Thanks for listening. I know that it might be awhile until I get back there and have to deal with any of it, but I still think about it sometimes."

Ned didn't really get it. He wanted to be famous. Peter didn't.

[st_hotflashes]

She nodded. She got that. "Well, if anyone says anything here... then I'll have to kick their butt." Liz gave him a 'I'm super serious and totally a bad-ass' look which included slightly pursed lips and a furrowed brow - and most definitely was not bad-ass at all. She even lowered her voice to sound extra super serious and kick ass. It also didn't work in her favour.

[st_arkintern]

Peter smiles.

"I don't think anyone would say anything like that here," he says. They're all really good people.

"But thank you."

Peter leans in for a kiss.

[st_hotflashes]

Liz playfully backs away before Peter can connect the kiss. She tried to keep a straight face, but a small giggle escaped. "Just because I'll kick someone's butt for you doesn't mean I won't give you a hard time." Her expression was playfully challenging and maybe, maybe looked like she might be considering splashing him.

[st_arkintern]

"I can take it," he says, solemnly. He moves back in for the kiss.

[st_hotflashes]

She let out a suddenly playful yelp as she backed away again. It was harder to move in the water as deep as it was. Liz's expression can't remain serious despite herself. It never could when she was pretending around Peter. And then suddenly she tried to splash him.