solarhippie | MCA #10, Early Monday Evening

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MCA #10, Early Monday Evening

On Halloween, Karolina and Beau had had a pretty significant conversation about something, and a decision had been half-made that was either just common sense, or a pretty big step in their relationship. Or both. Probably both, actually.

Cut to today, and Karolina finally getting enough of a reprieve from some big school stuff to actually think about it. And, no, not about whether it was too big a step or whether it was a decision they should make, because for all that she'd said they should think about it... Yeah, she'd pretty much made her mind up about it back at Mike's party.

Which meant that now she was just standing in her living room, looking around herself, and just thinking about logistics, and how much living space two people needed, and just generally how the process would go.

"... Wow, I really don't own much stuff, do I?"

[ooc: Mainly for the girlfriend, but can be open before her, too! Up early because timezones.]

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Well. Whichever apartment's contents ended up getting relocated, it would be a mix of both their stuff by now, probably. Not that Beau had much more in the way of belongings than Karolina did, but more than a few things had just ended up over here and she hadn't seen much reason to bring them back to her place.

"Okay then," she said, a faint incredulous smile spreading across her face and getting brighter by the second. (Which wasn't to say she wasn't still nervous, because part of her was convinced that Karolina was going to get tired of her if they spent that much time together.) "I'm -- yeah. We can figure this out over dinner. Not really an empty-stomach kind of process."

As if on cue, Karolina's stomach growled. The chuckle that followed was a little sheepish, as she straightened up from leaning against the couch.

"That sounds like a really good idea."

Beau didn't even try to hide her little snort of laughter as she headed for the kitchen to get silverware, because yeah, she knew to request no plasticware with their food orders by now.

"Come on, get comfortable," she said when she returned with cutlery in hand and got settled on the couch. "Because I guess we should figure out if I'm moving in with you, or vice versa."

Karolina plopped herself down next to her. She could've sat down on the other end, except for the ~~meta for~~ Pokemon plushies that were taking up all that precious space there.

She also gave Beau an exaggerated pout, while reaching for the food. "Oh come on, I thought we were starting on the big questions only after a couple of bites, at least."

Those plushies were doing Beau a favor, if you asked her.

"You don't have to answer the big questions for a couple of bites at least," she pointed out, and she could've leaned in and kissed that pout away but she was actually serious about not making this decision on an empty stomach. Which was why she'd already started making a huge dent in one of the cartons of pad thai.

"Just, like, think about it while you chew. Because, I mean, we've decided we're doing this, so the only really big question left is which apartment. And -- " She glanced toward the kitchen and smirked. "I do kinda have some really positive associations with this place." Because leave it to Beau to manage to be a sentimental idiot and have a filthy mind at the same time.

Karolina wasn't even surprised. She did snicker, however, as she snatched up a carton. "Oh, like you don't have those with your place?"

Sure, the kitchen here had been the first time, but what about literally everywhere else?

"True," Beau conceded, thoroughly unrepentant. "We have kind of a lot of those too."

Especially after that one week.

"But if we want to -- so I was thinking about it earlier," she went on, poking at her food with her fork in a nervous sort of fidget. "And if we decide to move into my place, there's like ... the spare room is technically supposed to be a study, and I thought, y'know, with your school work and everything, that could be your space? It's not like I really use it."

That was not entirely true. She had a single shelf full of books she'd been collecting in there, on various esoteric subjects like the evolution of the schools of magic, multiversal theory, things like that. Like she was an adult or something.

Karolina blinked at her. "Wait, kind of like an office?" That was kind of what a study was, Kar, yes. "You wouldn't want that for yourself?"

"What do I need it for?" asked Beau, as soon as she'd finished (mostly) swallowing a mouthful of food. "I mean, I wouldn't mind coming in and hanging out with you sometimes or whatever, but you'd get more use out of it. If we decide that's where we're going to be, I mean. Which ..."

Beau glanced around the apartment and laughed softly.

"I guess would mean we'd have a lot more space, if we did."

"That's... kind of what I was thinking, too," Karolina admitted, with a similar glance around. "And, I mean... I've really liked this apartment? It was the first one I ever had that was just for me."

After her parents' house, and the Hostel, and the dorms at the school and then the Hostel again.

"But I think it's kind of, like, served its purpose."

“Yeah, I feel you. I never really had my own space either.” It had just been the house in Kamordah and the Archive for her, but the principle was the same. Beau leaned very slightly into her — not much, just enough to make contact.

“What purpose was that?”

"Just..."

She trailed off for a second, her fork stopping mid-air while she frowned a little because she'd thought that was a clear enough question to answer, but guess not.

"Letting me feel like I could do it? Be an adult, living on my own, away from everyone." Her friends in LA, anyway. Obviously she'd then made new friends while living on the island again. "Now I know I can."

Beau nodded and turned her head to just sort of nuzzle at Karolina’s shoulder for a second.

“And now you know that, and you’re going to come live with me, and holy shit, babe, I’m still kind of having a hard time processing this.” She sounded incredulous, yes, but there was a kind of ... giddiness, almost, in her voice.

"But in a good way?" Karolina asked, giving her the tiniest nudge. She would've gone ahead and wrapped her arm around Beau, but she was kind of attached to her eating, too.

She was also teasing, mostly, because she could hear that tone.

“The best way,” Beau assured her, and just because they both needed their hands for eating it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to scoot a little closer and press the side of her knee against Karolina’s. “This isn’t something I saw myself wanting, I have to be honest, but yeah. I want this. I want you .”

She lapsed into silence for a moment, so she could have a couple more bites of food.

“I had enough of being alone most of my life anyway, so …”

"And now you're moving in with me," Karolina replied, half in a murmur because she had feelings about Beau being on her on, okay. And about being wanted. But then her smile turned a little more teasing again. "And our fuzzy children."

She nodded at the Pokemon, yes.

Aaaaaand yeah, Beau's eyes went wide for a second as she nearly choked on a mouthful of noodles.

"And them too," she agreed once her mouth wasn't full, coughing just a bit. But smiling as well, because speaking of things that she had positive associations with, those plushies had a few attached to them.

She nudged Karolina's knee again. "Kar. Babe. Don't do that while I'm eating." The complaining tone was probably a lot less convincing given her sheepish laugh. "There's definitely space for them on the couch, though. And -- " She used her fork to gesture toward the prints on the walls. "Do you want those up in the living room? 'Cause I kind of do."

Her living room walls were bare as it was, right now.

It was good that the complaining didn't sound very genuine, because Karolina also didn't look the least bit apologetic. Not unless a mischievous grin counted towards that, anyway.

Then she looked up at the framed posters, and her expression softened considerably.

"I've actually had the one with the flowers since I was a student here," she said. "So... Yeah. I would really like that."

“It’s going to be your living room as much as mine,” Beau said, and maybe her face brightened a touch more, just hearing herself say that. “It should look like it. So yeah. Absolutely.”

She stuck her fork into her food for a second, so she could reach over and put her hand on Karolina’s knee and give it a light squeeze.

“Do they mean anything special? I don’t think I’ve ever asked, but like do they have significance beyond sentimental value?”

Karolina nodded at the one with the flowers. "Poppies are the state flower of California," she said, setting her carton in her lap for a moment so that she could cover Beau's hand with hers. "I got it to remind me of home, when I was first sent here." Her smile tilted a little wry, quietly amused at herself. "Of course, the state flower's actually a different kind of poppy, but..."

But, she'd been a teen with major issues who'd been sent across the country on the orders of Captain America. Being particular about types of flower had not been a priority.

She shrugged. "It's still bright and warm and colorful, and it feels like home, you know?"

“That’s nice,” Beau told her sincerely, smiling at the warmth of Karolina’s hand against hers. “I really like that. I have no idea what would remind me of home, symbolically, but I don’t really want the reminder anyway.”

She paused and bit her lower lip. “Do you miss it?”

"Sometimes," Karolina replied with a little shrug, before pressing her shoulder a little more against Beau's. "Not as much these days. I mean, I already lived here for three years before, and now I've already been here for a couple more."

“Well, you’re kinda stuck with me now, so …” Beau squeezed her knee again. “I liked it, what I saw when we were out there.”

Granted, Northern California was practically an entirely different world from the southern half of the state, but still.

“Hey, Kar?” she asked suddenly, because it was something she’d been wondering vaguely for a while anyway. “Do you think your friends would — I don’t know, I guess it doesn’t really matter, but would they, I don’t know. Approve of me?”

"What?" Karolina asked, her eyebrows climbing a bit. She didn't think there was even a question of that, and was honestly momentarily baffled to hear it.

Didn't mean she wasn't going to give a clear and sincere answer, though!

"Of course they would," she said. "You're amazing." And also kind of a brat, just like the rest of them.

“I don’t know why I’m so curious about it,” Beau admitted, although she looked pleased by the answer. “Just, I don’t know. I’ve never had anything like that?”

She would totally have liked them. Though maybe her and Chase being in the same place for an extended period of time might be a lot. And now she felt weird and self conscious about asking.

“But I was thinking, maybe we can start moving things over a little at a time? Like clothes and all that?”

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