6668/Didja Hear That

Didja Hear That
Date of Scene:	26 February 2019
Location:	Avenger's Mansion
Synopsis:	Jessica and T'Challa investigate sounds that are either Hydra or the icemaker.
Cast of Characters:	Spider-Woman (Drew), Black Panther

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Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Full of nachos and lulled by a cloudy night sky and the railing of the wind, unbidden, against the sorrowful panes of glass that held it at bay from the warmth of the food and fire inside, Jessica shifts a little in her sleep. Had she fallen asleep? How would she know...she's asleep. But in the darkness, there is a growl. Something possibly sinister...possibly just wild. It is lurking in the shadowy recesses of her sleep, and try as she might, Jess cannot uncover it. Her flashlight cannot shed light upon the creeping and growling thing. If she prods it, the response is sharp, and the gnashing of teeth almost tangible.

Almost. But for once, she isn't alone.

"It's here,"she tries to cry out. There's comfort in T'Challa's presence, but she cannot call out. Her voice is a whisper. "IT'S HERE!" But her voice is a whisper upon that mournful wind. She can only take his arm and try to pull him, to show him the thing that she herself cannot even see. The snarling is louder than her voice, and he wouldn't hear her now, even if she screamed it. Clinging to his arm, she pulls with all her might, but he is steady. He is unconcerned. Of course he is. /HE/ isn't afraid of anything.

With a gasp of breath, she opens her eyes as she grasps his arm, tugging it ever so slightly. "Aren't you afraid?" She has found her voice. But it is he who is asleep. Not her. Was it just a dream?

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther's eyelids open, blinking once or twice only before his gaze grows steady, falling on Jessica's face. Catching sight of the emotions that grip her. His heart seems to skip for a moment at the sight of her distress. "Not so long as you are around," T'Challa tells her quietly. He doesn't try to reach over, just stays there for her.

T'Challa recalls the night before. His jet lag. He must have fallen asleep by the fire, he realizes. A glance towards the windows tells him it is morning, but long before the sun will rise. The dark brown eyes look back to Jessica, gazing at her steadily despite surprised to find her still here.

"We can go together and take a look," T'Challa offers softly. He gazes over towards the door to the room then. Watching. Listening. Along with Jessica, one of the few other people in the mansion with any choice of hearing the sounds of loud machinery in the kitchen from all the way up here. He looks back to her, expression confident. Confident in her as well.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica's green eyes are wide in the firelight. Unfocused, as she listens intently. There is only silence, save for the steady ticking of the grandfather clock down the hall. She looks then back up to T'Challa's eyes, still gripping his bicep. "You think I could protect you from the fridge monster?" she asks with a sleepy smile and a soft laugh. "I couldn't even scream to warn you. I wanted to. I tried to. I was afraid. It's there. I couldn't show you..." She rakes the fingers of one hand through her hair, unwilling to let go with the other. Somewhere beyond his chamber door, there's a click. "Didja hear that?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther's eyes look to the side slightly at the sound of the click. Acknowledgement that he heard it before even his nod and his softly, "I did. Do you wish to investigate together? Or I could go and take a look if you prefer," he offers Jessica softly.

T'Challa swallows quietly. He's tried to take the advice to just be a friend to her. Pushed any other thoughts from his head. But his heart once again stirs as he sees how wide her eyes are. Feels how much he wishes he could help her.

"You did warn me," T'Challa tells her softly. "I'm awake because of you," he says, reminding her quietly that she HAS changed the situation in a manner she wished. She has some control over it.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"It's silly. It's probably the wind." But no sooner has her protest been uttered than there is a growl from downstairs. Jess gasps, squeezing his bicep again. "THERE!" She holds her breath, watching the door. "Was that up here or down there? I think it's coming up the stairs."

Black Panther has posed:
"It was downstairs," T'Challa tells Jessica quietly after listening again. He reaches over to gently touch her hand where it grips his arm. "I will go and see what it is, yes?" he offers, though waiting for a moment to register Jessica's reaction to this offer. He has not seen her in quite this state before, but then he has mostly only heard her speak of these issues in the night. Never witnessed one in full flight.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
"No! I won't let you go down there by yourself. What if it's an ambush? What if they're only using the sounds to lure me down so they can take me again?" She lets go of his arm to go to his door, her movements automatic, as if this is something that has been repeated so many times, it is now muscle memory. On her way, she slips on the mismatched slippers by the fire. Pressing an ear against the door, Jessica scarcely dares to breathe as she listens. "Do you hear anything?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther rises and slips on his own shoes, stepping onto them and the vibranium forming around his feet. He walks over silently and listens at the door. "I do not," he tells her softly. "Do you have your dart gun?" he asks her quietly, an eyebrow on the well-groomed face going up.

T'Challa moves to the fireplace to turn the gas off, and then back over to the door to listen again. He looks to Jessica, watching her. Letting her lead, letting this play out for her as it has so many times.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica's heart is racing so fast that she can feel it pounding in her ears. She is afraid to breathe, so her breath comes in light gasps. "I don't think Hydra cares about stickydarts," she says softly, her words carrying a tone with no hint of humour. There is a whir and a groan again from downstairs, and her hand, reaching for the latch, is completely frozen, and trembling. "There it is again..." There is a /kachunk/ that sounds suspiciously like an ice maker dumping a load of cubes, and she startles, quickly withdrawing her hand from the latch. She moves away from the door slowly. Perhaps her bravado in going to investigate has been greatly exaggerated in stories of adventures past.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther looks over towards Jessica and he does his best to not let show on his face the emotions that stir in him as he wants to help the young woman. "I will check on it," T'Challa tells Jessica. He picks up his necklace and slips over his neck. "I'll be extra safe," he tells her, and then extends his suit. The nice shirt he was wearing ends up turned into a rain of cloth confetti about his feet as the Black Panther suit deploys. T'Challa leaves his head exposed though, bringing a finger to his lips for silence. He pulls the door open enough to peek out of it. First one direction, and then the other. Barring Jessica stopping him, he then slips through the door, closing it behind him.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica blinks in disbelief as T'Challa shuts the door. She panics, grabbing the door and fairly ripping it from its hinges as she dashes out the door after him, finding him directly outside it. Her expression looks as though she expected to find him gone forever. "No....I'm coming too." She takes the lead, then, seemingly unwilling to let him walk into danger on her account. She slips quietly down the hallway, to the stairs, and slowly descends them, one by one, in excruciatingly slow procession.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther glances back, not surprised by Jessica joining him necessarily. Though the rush perhaps does catch him by surprise. Well, probably best. Others might have been upset if they found he went down alone and unplugged all of the appliances in the kitchen.

T'Challa falls into step behind Jessica. watching the care that the woman takes as she moves stealthy along. The graceful movements that a prima ballerina could watch with envy are effortless for Jessica. T'Challa forces himself to look back up as he follows along behind her.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
When she arrives in the kitchen, Jessica stands in stealthy silence for a long moment. She doesn't need to turn and look for T'Challa. There is no doubt in her mind that he is right behind her.

Once that long moment has passed, Jessica straightens up. She looks around the kitchen, and then turns back to T'Challa with am expression that betrays comfusion. She looks utterly bewildered. Her eyes ask questions that her lips cannot seem to form. She can't find her voice. It is as if she has awakened from a dream.

"Did...you hear it too?"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther moves over nearer to Jessica. Not that he was ever far away. Almost touching her, but not. "I heard it too," he replies to her in that quiet voice of his that almost gets smoky when he speaks so softly. "Have we scared it away for the night?" T'Challa puts the thought out there for her to consider. "I do not think it would risk the two of us, Jessica," he offers quietly as he takes a moment to let her see him looking around the room.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica considers his question, looking around the empty room again and sighing deeply. "If they were here, they've gone. And if there's anything..." She narrows her eyes suspiciously, reaching for the refrigerator door and opening it quickly to reveal....milk which may gave gone bad, at worst. "Yeah, it's gone," she replies with quiet resignation. She turns toward T'Challa, and if he doesn't move, she'll hug him tightly, burying her face against his suited shoulder.

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther watches Jessica's suspicions about the inside of the fridge in silence. His thoughts go to Hydra and what she must have gone through. And not for the first time. Nor certainly the last.

The sudden hug from the dark-haired woman catches T'Challa by surprise. But his arms are not slow in slipping about her. Letting her feel that he is there. Holding her just tight enough to be supportive, but not enough that she won't feel like she can pull free at any time. T'Challa doesn't say anything. Just holds her in the quiet of the kitchen. Feeling feelings that he told himself he would not allow himself to keep having.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica stays in that hug for a moment longer before suddenly startling, blinking as she steps back and looks up at him wide-eyed. Her thoughts are racing, and she narrows her eyes as if she's trying to remember something that's just beyond her grasp. With a gasp, she finds it.

"I think I broke your door!"

Black Panther has posed:
Black Panther's arms slips back to his sides as Jessica moves away out of the hug. "I shall have it replaced," T'Challa comments with a shake of his head. "It is no great loss. I did not care for that door much anyway. I prefer straightforward and honest. And too often I found that door to be... closed to me," T'Challa tells her in straight-laced, Oxford English.

Spider-Woman (Drew) has posed:
Jessica stares at T'Challa for a long moment, trying to make sense of his deadpan delivery. It takes a while, but a slow smile tugs at the corners of her lips. "Okay...okay, you got me that time..." She sighs, and looks around the room, then goes automatically to one cabinet and opens it, pulling a plastic-wrapped packet of popcorn out and shutting the cabinet door. She unwraps it and sets it inside the microwave. Originally setting the timer for two and a half minutes, she thinks better of it this time, and corrects the time to two minutes even, then presses start and goes to throw away the plastic. It is starting to become clear why the kitchen always smells like popcorn in the mornings.