fandomhigh | Exploring American History, Wednesday, September 18, 2024

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Exploring American History, Wednesday, September 18, 2024

"I know that Washington, DC, might not be particularly exotic for you," Steve began with a smile, "because it's so close to the island, but it is the nation's capital and is therefore filled with historical monuments."

"We'll be taking a break from the Revolutionary War and going with World War I," Tony added. "A brand new sculpture that someone wanted to see."

"I'm excited about all new sculptures that don't feature me," Steve said with a tiny little smile, "but yes, my father died in World War I, so I have a personal interest in seeing that conflict memorialized properly."

"So, let's get there and we'll turn you all loose," Tony replied. "And maybe there will be time for a half-smoke too."

"Just please don't get them from the stands by the Washington Monument," Steve said, sounding disapproving. "They mark the prices up to prey on tourists."

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Patriotically!

Lydia Bennet

Kamala Khan

Eleanor Zarrin

Brand new, so most tourists haven't discovered it yet. Feel free to ask Steve and Tony questions about World War I.

Lydia was not admiring the memorial.

Lydia was staring into space trying to process the implication that: 1) there had been a war that involved the entire world and 2) there had been more than one of them.

On the bright side civilization still seemed to be standing, so...there was that.

"You look like you might have a few things to ask about," Steve said with a tiny, sympathetic smile.

"The whole world was in a war?" Lydia more or less whispered. "And there was more than one of them?"

Steve nodded. "The first one was fought in Europe," he said, "but because Great Britain had so many colonies across the globe, it became all-encompassing. It was a little like dominoes falling: one country declared war against another and because of different treaties and alliances other nations had to choose sides. It lasted four years and all but wiped out that entire generation of young men."

"O-oh," Lydia said. "And--and then there was another one?" God be good.

Steve nodded again. "That's the one I fought in," he said. "That one truly was world wide, with both European and Pacific theaters. We'll spend time at the World War II memorial for that one."

A memorial that didn't have a spot about the Howling Commandos, if Steve could swing it. That would just be awkward.

"We learned belatedly that if you really rub your victory into your defeated enemy's face, it fosters a generation of resentment that leads to war very soon afterwards."

You can't get all the way to Ben's Chili Bowl, unfortunately, to get one with the best chili in town, but the ones around the Mall are perfectly acceptable!

Kamala didn't sneak out so much as got distracted by the food truck selling half-smokes.

She wasn't ordering because it was most likely not halal by any circumstance but she could at least smell the food and torture herself as her stomach grumbled.

Eleanor had done her usual quiet, scholarly thoughtful consideration of the monuments they were here to see, but she, too, was distracted by the smell of the half-smokes, perhaps even a little more so than most, which meant that she was even more distracted that normal. Of course she tried to stick through it as long as she could, though, before finally realizing she was going to be driven crazy if she didn't at least get one.

But at least she wasn't the only one, and there was some comfort in knowing that it wasn't so bad that she was the first one, either.

"Hey," she said, coming up next to Kamala and leaning in to nudge her a little with her shoulder and give her a faint smile.

"Heyyy," Kamala said happily, a smile spreading as she felt Eleanor beside her. She nodded toward the food truck. "Are you thinking of grabbing one? I'm just kinda soaking up the smell and how good it all looks."

Edited 2024-09-18 19:25 (UTC)

"The smell," Eleanor stated with a wistfully hungry sigh, and her stomach was very quick to agree, "is very distracting. I was kind of thinking about it, but it feels a little unfair. Because you probably can't have one, right? And I know you're probably going to say something like 'don't let that stop you' or 'I don't mind' or 'then you should have extra to make up for the both of us,'" she paused a moment to look at Kamala as if daring her to challenge her on the truth of any of that, "but I'd still feel bad."

"You also missed, 'You don’t have to stop yourself from getting one on my account,’" Kamala added with a playful laugh. "But don’t worry, I think I spotted a gyro truck just a block down. So, if you’re craving one, go ahead! You can grab it, and we can walk to the other truck together."

That look lingered a little longer and skeptically on Kamala, to try and seek out even the slightest hint of reservation hiding in there, but she must have come up empty because then she nodded, huffing out a faint laugh of her own. "If you're sure you don't mind," she said, already knowing full well that she didn't. "But that does sound like a pretty good plan."

Even if now she was wondering if it was haram to even kiss someone who might have been eating pork, in which case, maybe she should consider the gyro instead, too...

If asked aloud, Kamala was definitely taking that question to Sheikh Abdullah to see if that would either stump him or make him laugh.

Most likely both.

“Totally sure,” Kamala said with a firm nod. “This happens all the time back home. Besides now I can enjoy it vicariously through you.”

There did seem to be some very fine splitting of hairs inherent in the question, really.

"Just because it happens all the time," Eleanor countered, although it was sort of a last ditch effort to cover her bases, especially now that her stomach was making it increasingly more difficult to remain standing on some sort of moral ground here, "doesn't mean that's a good thing, but..."

One last look to pick out anything other than certainty in Kamala's face, and then Eleanor grinned a little and leaned in to get in at least one good uncomplicated kiss before she went laced any further ones with verboten influences.

"Well, then, I'll be right back," she said, "and then we'll go get your gyro."

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” She said gesturing El towards the truck…

After the kiss of course.

She smiled and watched her girlfriend get in line, just happy to be here in a new place with a girl she was crazy about.

There was at least a few times, while she was in line, when Eleanor glanced back over toward where Kamala was as if expecting to catch some form of disapproval or second thoughts, but bolstered herself into accepting that it really was okay after the third time and just then paid attention to balking a little bit over how expensive it was, when she was trying to save as much money as possible right now, but then she reassured herself that modern inflation was staggering and while she was spending way more for it than she might have back home, she was also making a lot more than she ever would have in her current job than she was back home, too.

The soft groan that escaped her once she had the half-smoke in her hands, though, was a good indication that the money was very well spent. And while the temptation to just completely devour a good portion of it almost immediately, she just breathed in deep the aromas and held herself off as she returned over to Kamala and nodded.

"Okay," she said, holding the sandwich ~~or was it technically a taco?~~ up as proof of a successful mission, and nodded, "your turn."

Kamala smiled the entire time Eleanor was in line and maybe a little more when she looked back at her. “That smells so good!” Kamala said when she came back. “Now I’m really hungry. Let’s find that gyro truck.”

She started off in the direction she saw and fell in step with El. “Hey, is this your first time in DC?”

Eleanor's resolve continued to be tested as she just held onto her food for now, wanting to wait until Kamala had hers before eating it, leaving her somewhat distracted and thinking again all about carrying eggs in your mouth.

She nodded. "It is," she said. "St. Brigid's wasn't exactly big on field trips, and my family's not really big on vacations." She gave Kamala a rueful smile at that. "Have you been here before?"

She wouldn't be surprised, really, if it had even been in a superhero capacity in some way...

“Yeah, my school did this whole weekend field trip in middle school,” Kamala said with smile and a shrug. “Nakia and I wanted to go to the modern art museum and poor Bruno never got to see the air and space museum because we dragged him along with us. Everyone else went there to see the rockets so it was us three and Mrs. Greeley the art teacher who was just thrilled that someone wanted to go here. We did the other standard stuff though, the monuments, the capital building. It was all really rushed though so we didn’t get to appreciate it. Or get to sneak away and get food.”

Speaking of which, Kamala sighed happily at the sight of the gyro truck she spotted earlier. “Go ahead and dive in,” she urged Eleanor. “It’ll just be a second.”

Well, that was one way to get Eleanor's mind off of her half-smoke, a good classic Kamala ramble about something that she'd clearly enjoyed. And as much as Kamala could go when she really got her momentum going, it always did feel slightly not long enough, because Eleanor was pretty sure she could just listen to her unendingly. It did make her wonder a little bit if Kamala's friends from home would like her, too; she was sure Kamala would say they would, but friends were different than parents. Parents were easy, you just had to be polite and well-behaved, and she had that down in spades, but peers were and always would be a strange and unexpected beast that she would never feel confident in understanding.

And then she shook her head and waved Kamala off toward the truck. "Then I can wait just a second more," she said. "I don't mind. I'd rather eat them together."

Because she was pretty sure if she started now, there was no guarantee there'd be much left by the time Kamala got back from getting hers.

The line for the gyros was shorter than the half-smoke so not much later, Kamala returned with her gyro and some falafel. “I got falafel!” She said cheerfully. “Have you ever had it before?”

Which probably didn’t smell as good as El’s sandwich.

It was totally normal for a guy who looked thirty to have a dad who died in 1918.

Bummed to not have seen this memorial yet!

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Exploring American History, Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Sign in 9/18

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Admire the new memorial!

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Sneak off for a half-smoke!

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Talk to Steve and Tony!

OOC