riverviewlogs | [ o p e n ] it's like a test it's like a game

Entry tags:

[ o p e n ] it's like a test it's like a game

who: Tony Stark and various others
what: gotta catch 'em all
when: The month of May
where: The Quarantine (more specifically, the defence office, the communal housing, wherever you want to find him)
warnings: Tony Stark is a warning. But in all honesty probably language, I will update if anything changes.
notes: feel free to ping me on plurk (estivaate) or discord (estivaate #9914) if you want a starter! I don't plan on having Tony affected by the fireflies himself, but if you want to have your character interact with him, that works too! (Or you have an amazing idea I can subject Tony to, that is also a thing.

entry_info={ .00 span:SILVERANDGOLD, engage:TRUE, filter:LOKI }

From the information that he got out of Loki the day before, he was supposed to wait until he was sent specific coordinates before he went cavorting about the moon. Well, not specific coordinates, apparently they were 'vague astral points' or something like that, but they would work as well as they could hope in order to get Tony to the other side of the moon in his armour to locate the mineral that the god was so keen on having.

Honestly, Tony wasn't entirely sure why he had agreed to this (yes he did), but he had, and at least it got him out of his own head and out into the world around them and--

Well, he could certainly use the time to also take some scans of the moon, diagnostics and maybe some deeper scans to figure out just what the hell might be in some of the jungles. Not that all of his scanners and aspects of the suit were up and running at an optimal level just yet, but it was still better than nothing that was for sure.

Humming a quiet tune, Tony flipped the faceplate of the armour down and dialled 'Starshine' in his phone, talking as soon as the godling picks up.

"So, I am caffeinated and ready to go, I am also waiting outside patiently for you to get your sleepy ass out of bed and get down here." There is a smirk on his face, in his voice, as he speaks. "I have a present for you."

entry_info={ .00 span:TEAANDMAGIC, engage:TRUE, filter:STRANGE }

Tea. Tony had promised Stephen tea (and the good kind) for helping him out with the whole magical glitter flower bullshit, so Tony went out and got more tea than he thought any one person might possibly want to consume in a week. Then again, Stephen was known for making more than a few ridiculous life choices, so maybe he would consume it in a week.

Tony hoped not.

The point was, he was looking incredibly proud of himself for the basket of assorted teas (the best of the best here, apparently), fancy new kettle, and tentacle mug up to the common area. Honestly, he was the most proud of the mug, it did look an awful lot like the terrors that Stephen liked to consume, so clearly Tony had to get it as a part of the thank you gift.

Putting everything on the table, Tony began to get to work to make a cup of tea.

"Stephen! Your payment for glitter is here!"

entry_info={ .00 span:MACHINES_R_LYFE, engage:TRUE, filter:OPEN }

If anyone were to wander past the office belonging to Michael and Tony, they would be greeted with pure chaos and noise. And even some chaotic noise, just to make sure that everything was well rounded out.

Tony had pushed furniture to one side of the room and, in order to keep the sentient toasters and coffee makers out of the communal kitchen, had more or less turned half the office into his workshop. That meant that there was loud music (well, loudish music), pieces of scrap metal and salvaged things strewn all over, and more tools on sitting surfaces than was probably healthy. There were also scribbles of ideas plastered on every available surface, a few computers and tablets with bright blue light projecting static looking schematics (clearly, Tony missed his workshop and Friday and her capabilities, he still wasn't back up to speed here).

Oh, there was also a lot of cold coffee, half consumed, in mugs all over the place. Because sometimes Tony didn't pay much attention to where he left his mugs when he was doing something.

If you are feeling adventurous enough, you can wander in. Just watch the roomba that will probably try to eat your shoelaces.

entry_info={ .00 span:MY_KINGDOM_FOR_A_PASTRY, engage:TRUE, filter:OPEN }

Ever since the festival a few weeks back, Tony had discovered that he had developed one hell of a sweet tooth. Well, perhaps not a really sweet tooth, just a pointed appetite for the delicious chocolate pastry that he found at one of the food vendors. He knows that it wasn't one of their seasonal specialities (he made sure to ask about that) but he didn't ask where the place was usually located when not sitting in the middle of the park.

So, whenever the genius got the time, he set out to find himself those delicious little pastries filled with chocolate.

And sometimes, in his wanderings, he looked more than a little lost.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Bird armor.

[Sam's got a piece of scrap - something that looks like it used to be a chunk of machinery - under one arm, and a tinfoil wrapped plate that may or may not have sandwiches made from last night's roast beef in the other hand.]

An alloy that's light enough to allow flight, but still capable of pro-

[Sam looks down at his feet.]

What have you done to the goddamn roomba?

Your level of jolliness increases with your proximity to that suit. Gods, but you're early.

[ A glittering, green translucent figure shimmers into life beside Tony while the real Loki sits in an equally sparkly summoning circle in their communal lounge. The astral!Loki looks just the same as his operator in a hoodie and jeans, clearly not needing his protective gear because, well, he isn't really there despite being able to interact with his surroundings, and he needs no defenses from Tony the same way he did from the parasitic Mother when last he used this spell in child form. He wanders forward, unencumbered by wards.

Loki plants a hand on a twinkling hip and gestures to Tony, a reluctantly curious smile cocked in place. ]

Where's my present, then? If you say 'it's me', I'll be unimpressed.

I made him better, he just for some reason thinks that shoes are dirty because they go in mud, I tried telling him otherwise but he has a stubborn streak in him.

[ Tony doesn't look up from what he is working on, at least not right away. It takes him a few more moments of tinkering before he grins and finally looks up from.... a remote?

Totally a remote.]

And bird armour? That's what you want? What kind of bird, and are you shooting at it because that I am pretty sure is animal cruelty. Also, do I need to add a camera to this or nah?

Am I? I actually slept for a whole four hours, so I was thinking that I might be late actually.

[ No he didn't, he is lying. He was up most of the night trying to make sure that everything in his suit was prepared for today, and that his ability to scan through varying layers of rock was up to par. Not that it wasn't before but, well, he might have gone out for some new samples and then had to raid the network here for information on different kinds of geology and--

Whatever. Point was, he was ready.

He also was fiddling with a small token, a coin of sorts, that, when Loki asked about presents, he runs his gauntlet along the way Strange showed him. Tony still gives Loki a look.]

Wow, I am a magnificent gift, and you know it, Starshine. But, no, not just me.

[ As he finishes speaking, a bunch of shimmering wildflowers, native to the moon, show up between them. They are clearly astral, though they don't shimmer green like Loki. Rather, they seem to be in muted pastels, but colours nonetheless.

Caution, Loki, when your astral form takes them, your physical self might get a small glitter shower.]

Can you be allergic to these? Let's hope not.

[ 'Surprised' is an understatement. His brow lifts and he doesn't immediately touch the flowers, instead reaching out to feel their magical signature.

His squint intensifies. ]

... Did you get Strange to conjure these?

[ And the surprise curdles into confusion as Loki, back in the apartment in his glowing circle, transmits the image of his astral body eyeing Tony warily. The 'Starshine' is encouraging, but ... ]

[ The thing with making an active tracking system is that you need to be able to test it out. And when you want it to track monsters and creatures that you don't actually have information on? It makes it kind of difficult to ensure that all the data your sensors pick up are being correlated correctly.

The last thing that Tony needs it to fuck this up and have the turrets go a little insane on him and start picking off people with blue eyes or something.

So, needing someone to play test subject to his tracking logarithm, Tony go a hold of the one person that he was trying to mend bridges with the most; Steve.

He was just hoping that this didn't somehow backfire on him and Steve (not that he didn't have faith in his abilities, he did, but he was also working with some unknowns here). So here they were, in a large area just outside the populated part of the city, with Tony having hauled a good chunk of the workshop with him. Well, no a good chunk, but he had several tablets and computers that had been modified by him to have some projection capabilities, as well as what looked to be a giant cube with a triangle on top. It was a terrible shape, but Tony would work on that later, it was only a prototype.

Looking up from the tablet that had the coding and the basic system, he shot Steve a grin.]

Alright, so, I want to make sure that it can track you at your fastest. I also want to know if it will be able to differentiate between friendly and hostile movements.

[ Thank god for the helmet, Loki can't see the look on Tony's face right now. Still, the armour makes his small shrug seem a bit larger as the flowers hang between them.]

Well I certainly haven't mastered the mystic arts myself, and while I could probably make you holographic flowers eventually, I was short on time.

[ There is a pause as he watches Loki again a moment before the armour goes into stealth mode, allowing Loki to see his face, one eyebrow raised.]

What, is that a bad thing? I mean, I know you were joking about the whole date thing but I --

[ You should probably stop him, or he is going to go into ramble mode. It's not a prank, honestly. Surely, there is glitter, but that is more in honour of the nickname Starshine than anything else. And he feels like Loki would at least appreciate that (he asked Strange to make is green and gold, just for the godling ).]

You got me flowers. For a date.

[ Not quite knowing how to process his life briefly becoming a sitcom where a billionaire is giving a down-and-out godling something so sweet it ought to be cheddar-based, Loki blinks between the flowers and Tony while shifting his feet on the spot. Even Verity laughed at him when he took her flowers for pizza-night, once. It's not typically something anyone does anymore, not unless they happen to be a hardcore Asgardian bard. And this isn't a date, not really. Is it? That was a line he fed Stark to try and ease them back into some sort of coping mechanism after what occurred at the rave, mostly so the man wouldn't hate him. If he knew it was a joke then why did he bother petitioning Stephen for a gift? A goodwill gesture? No, that's what this mining excursion is. So what in the name of Odin's missing eyeball is happening?

#BewilderedByFlowers, that's his current status.

Less wary and more quietly flustered in his inexperience (guess how many people have actually dated him, much less brought gifts in tow), Loki echoes Tony's shrug and doesn't quite make eye-contact with the helmet's filtered face. ]

It's not bad, I just didn't expect — Blech!!

[ Loki's astral form blanches when he finally touches the petals; his real body yelps and falls backwards as green-gold glitter (?!) explodes all around, and the connection is briefly lost. Astral!Loki vanishes into thin air mid-cough.

Tony will have to wait thirty seconds alone. ]

[ Whatever reaction Tony had been expecting, it wasn't that.

The genius blinks at the spot where Loki had been a moment before, both him and the flowers gone between one breath and the next and Tony wonders idly if maybe Loki only liked a certain type of glitter.

Also if maybe the god would take the flower and resulting glitter as being less of an actual gift (albeit one that had a twist, he is a trickster god, after all, Tony thought he might appreciate it) and more of an insult of sorts. Which was not his intention at all, and that is the thought that Tony gets stuck on for the thirty seconds where Loki isn't there and--

Shit.

He was just about to call the godling again, make sure he wasn't about to come out here and murder Tony (or turn the suit pink), when the godling's image flickers back into vision. Tony is rambling right away.]

Wait, please tell me you aren't actually allergic to glitter? I mean, I know I joked about it yesterday and I couldn't not get you more glitter, I mean you do look good in it, but that wasn't the point. And I get that it's a joke, the whole date thing this was really just me stepping up, because that is what I do, right? I just--

[ Just what exactly? Tony snaps his mouth shut.]

Um. Sorry? But

[ The newly re-appeared astral body twinkles in far more places than before as evidence of the glitterbomb lingers on Loki in real-time. His expression is resignedly flat minus any anger as Tony rambles on, already having swallowed the fact of how novel it must have seemed to prank him and brushed off the likelihood of every Avenger in the Quarantine learning of it within the week. He's more annoyed at himself for letting his guard down so easily but, no matter, he won't make a fool of himself again. ]

You're hilarious. The site we're heading to is on the other side of this moon, so can we get going? If you're done playing at comedic chicanery.

[ Floating into the air, he zooms off like a very verdant ghost and expects Tony to keep pace. ]

Well the glitter at least looks goo-- hey!

[ Part of Tony wonders if this is going to start some kind of prank off between the two of them, but he can't really find himself to be upset if that is the case. The look on Loki's face was kind of entertaining, he just hoped that the god wasn't actually upset with him.

Perhaps he will make it up to him later if he was.

IN the meantime, he was busy playing catch up to the flying form, catching up with a pulse from his repulsors, voice loud enough over the speakers to be heard.]

Is this where we play tag? Or would it be cheating with the whole non-corporeal thing you have there?

[ Flying is better than anything even when it's fake and astral-based. Through his projection's eyes Loki watches the moon go by in houses and civilisation, forests thickening at a rapid rate below like a dark blur. ]

Can't you keep up? I'm not even really here and I'm winning.

Uh-huh.

[Sam looks unimpressed.]

Make the robot move, my hands are full of your shit.

[Not that Tony asked for the sandwiches, but he and Michael are getting sandwiches anyway, because Sam likes to keep them fed. Deal with it, Stark.]

I'm not shooting at a bird! [Sam looks slightly horrified at the thought. Why would you even, Tony?] I just want him to be safe, that's all. And no camera. Maybe a tracker? [Although he seems to know where the bird is at all times anyway, but a tracker still might come in handy.]

[ It felt like old times.

Steve didn't want to dwell too much on that thought since he'd clung to it before and knew just how damaging it could become, but being called out by Tony to help him adjust his latest project felt a lot like work they used to do together. Help that he could offer even outside of Avengers business had been one of the things that had grounded Steve in the present time. It had given him a place, a home, and this reminded him of those better times. He looked almost happy to be the potential target for a fixed arm. Then again, he always did look forward to a challenge. Steve returned Tony's grin with an easy smirk. ]

If you think your over-sized toaster can keep up with me, I'll be impressed. Just tell me what to do. I'm ready any time you are.

[ He couldn't help the familiar banter, slipping into it like an old shirt. Teasing Tony about his machines and advanced programs, competing in a way that wasn't bitter and violent, those were things Steve missed. ]

Should I be armed or just stay in my jeans? You want to try to confuse it?

[ Re-L had made the spur of the moment decision, this morning, that she was going to go and find the office of one Tony Stark. Curiosity killed the cat, she supposed, but there's a fair amount of curiosity involved with a man that offers to make defensive weapons and the like over the network for people. At least in her eyes. They'd had a fairly involved conversation involving AI, too, and even if she'd told herself she wasn't going to discuss Iggy and Autoreivs in depth with everyone she met, it seemed to be an inevitability when it came to people mechanically inclined. They seemed just as curious as she was, when it came to technology from other people's worlds.

That's how she ends up zipping up her boots and making a determined path to the office, the sound of her heels in the hallway giving her away before she comes in to view. The office itself seems to.. shock her for a moment. Mainly the sheer disarray and the fact that there are coffee cups every where she can see with differing levels of drink left in them. She's carry a bit of black iced coffee herself, but those always get thrown away -

Regardless of all of that she steps in, dauntless as usual, even stepping on the roomba should it try too hard to get at her shoes. ]

Tony Stark. I didn't expect.. this one to be your office..

[Sometimes, after the splint fiasco, Bucky stalks Tony through the city to try and gather more information on him. Usually it's not for long, Tony seems to know where he's going whenever he goes out.

Not so much today.]

You're lost.

[It's not so much a question from the silent ex-assassin who's just popped up out of nowhere. Well... he does owe Tony for the splint, maybe giving him directions with cancel that debt out?]

Tony had cleaned up the office as best as he possibly could considering the amount of shit that had begun piling up in it. Maybe he should have looked into a palce of storage for all the useful bits of scrap and tech that he ended up having hauled in here, maybe. But he didn't, and really he wasn't going to because then that would mean going to more than once place for things that he needed and -- no.

So things were in more or less organized piles for the arrival of Wanda and her mice, a specifically sectioned off part of the office (which was really just the daybed that was haphazardly shoved in there during an all-nighter, with lots of plywood on top) to house the mice with the smaller things to be looked into and taken apart. He even had digital displays in the area that rotated and showed the important things that needed to be removed from the scraps, and where things should be sorted to.

He hoped that it was enough to keep chaos from erupting. Hoped.

Not that it matters now, because Tony hears the familiar cadence of Wanda walking before he sees her in the doorway, he smile lighting up his face.

"Welcome to the chaos, lovely."

It hadn't taken much for Wanda to convince the mice to come with her and enlist them to help Tony. They were eager to meet everyone that Wanda knew, and easily bribed by cupcakes and the potential for scraps for them to take back to the colony with them.

Wanda, meanwhile, is simply pleased for the opportunity to see Tony again.

She arrives with her arms full. There's a pink bakery box in one hand, held in place with the white string tied around it, and then something akin to a canvas pet carrying case in the other. Wanda sets them both down on the nearest available surface, smiling, genuinely pleased to see him.

"Thank you, Tony," she replies, offering him a brief embrace paired with a kiss to his cheek. "It looks like you have a lot to work with, however. You must be pleased."

She notes the piles of things, the cot, the scrap, the holographic displays and everything else. He may call it chaos but it's prepared chaos.

[ There is a scoff at that as Tony pulses forward, turning his head back to look at Loki. You can read the amused look in the tilt of the armour's head.]

You don't have to worry about drag, non-corporeal form is cheating I tell you! And how far are we going out, like actually other side of the moon?

[ There is a familiarity to this that makes Tony's chest ache; the easy banter, the pending testing, the open space with just the two of them. It was like-- it was like before; before everything was burned to ash and then tossed into the vacuum of space. Before there was more barbed wire between them than there was hope, and Tony was left with ghosts and memories and regrets. He knows that he should treasure this second chance (third chance? He does even know anymore), make sure that he doesn't fuck it up.

He won't fuck it up.

The basic coding, however...

Tony tapped a few more commands in, snorting at Steve's easy confidence.]

Hey now, leave Cake here alone! He hasn't done anything to deserve your comparing him to toasters!

[ Even if he could see a slight resemblance. Maybe. If you squinted.]

Mmm, first I just want to make sure it can lock on and track your movement. Start off slow, almost normal human movement, before speeding up. Just like... I don't know, run around. Pretend you're lapping me on a track or something.

[ If it wasn't in chaos, there could be no creativity. Or something like that. Honestly, the place looked like this because Tony had taken to just jumping from project to project when an idea struck him, which-- wasn't his usual form. But there was still a restless sort of energy thrumming in him since being stranded here, and there had been enough happening that he had yet to find a way to settle down and let it all go.

So, messy head, messy workspace.

Also, a teapot that whistled a Disney tune at Re-L as she wanders in. Which makes Tony more aware of company than anything else honestly.

Pushing himself back from the pile of scraps (not really, it was a prototype for a training robot, it just looked like a mess right now), Tony brightens a little when he sees who has wandered into his den. At least she wasn't going to physically drag him away from his work like some other people might try.]

Hey! Nice t-- wait, is that an insult? Are you trying to say you expected more or less of me? Because this is-- well it is a bit chaotic I suppose but it is still functional. And, hey! ZIppy! Leave her shoes alone!

[ The roomba that had been inching closer to her boots (and probably its own death) backed up and vanished under a desk.

Tony smiled and scrubbed at his face.] Again, sorry. Can I help you?

[ Really, it is his own fault for not paying attention to the name on the vendor, he really should have as soon as he realized how much he liked the damn pastries, but--

Live and learn, right?

And he has lived and learned enough about living with stupid, sneaky assassins that he doesn't startle too much when suddenly he finds Barnes right next to him.

He does blink a few times though.]

Uh, I think that is a usual thing for me honestly, but a little. I'm looking for... a bakery? Cafe? I don't know, a place that sells tiny puffed clouds of heaven filled with chocolate.

Hey! Leave Zippy alone, he is just... well he's trying okay.

[ Tony taps a screwdriver on the ground a few times and the roomba whizzes over, like a whistle. For robots. Whatever, it works and it leaves Sam roomba free to come into the space, scraps and sandwiches and sass.]

Uh huh, why do you want bird armour-- wait, nevermind. Okay, armour. And a tracker, I can do that.

[ he peers at the things in Sam's arms, clearly curious.] What ya got there? Anything fun?

What did you think I meant when I literally said, 'the other side of the moon'?

[ He zooms ahead sometimes, lingers behind at others. Does he need to? No. But it's satisfying to pretend there's a race going on and it'll hopefully keep Tony entertained. ]

For my bird.

[Duh.]

Sandwiches and...hell, you'll have to go through the scraps to see if there's anything useful. Might just be more metal to melt down.

[The plate gets set down carefully on the desk next to Tony, and then he bends down and puts the assortment of junk on the floor.]

[ She doesn't recognize the jingle that the teapot begins to whistle, turning to glare at it as if it could stop the annoyingly cheery tune all by itself. Provided the teapot cared, it might have, but considering she's barging in to Tony's work space it's pretty much guaranteed not to do a whole lot. A girl could attempt, though, right?

This kind of workspace would no doubt give her a nervous breakdown - after all, Vincent having perfectly good pairs of socks and yet insisting on wearing pair where his toe stuck out nearly made her head explode. There's just something about order and cleanliness that soothes the soul of a former resident of Romdeau Dome, where order and having everything in its place was more valued than, probably, human emotion. The jury is out on prying Tony away from his work, just yet, but considering all of her actual effort in personal training lately (and probably Gladio's involvement) she might be able to actually drag him away if she wanted.

But only if she wanted to deep down. ]

It looks like a garbage dump. [ And that's being kind, in her way of looking at things. At the very least she's pleased he can command the roomba, since it was about to get over turned on it's back just so she could watch the casters spin ineffectually and chuckle to herself about it. ] The near hundred coffee cups scattered around don't really help with the room appeal either.

I was curious to see where you worked, was all. [ Normally at this point she'd be leaned on a desk, but.. there's no way in hell that's happening now. ] I wasn't anticipating a hyperactive vacuum or a teapot that whistles a particular tune to be the first things I ran in to, though.

[He grunts in acknowledgement and gestures down the street to the left.]

I've seen you go in before.

[Because he's a big inappropriate stalker.]

I'll take you there, payment for the splint. Then we're even.

It was honestly a little bit of a surprise that he was in the dorm in the first place. He’d finished the spell Tony had asked for, and it had given him an idea for another one, that while didn’t pan out as well gave him framework for something else, which required research which led to another idea…

Needless to say, he’d gone down the rabbit hole of research and how, only moving from the library to go to work, gather anything he needed for his current spell, or to stop and maybe take a quick shower so he wouldn’t get booted from the library. This didn’t mean he was keeping up on the ‘don’t look like a disaster’ initiative though, and Tony would doubtlessly notice the additional scruff starting to grow in again when the sorcerer finally came into the room to see him putting the kettle on to heat.

“So I take it everything went well then?”

[ The test run is something they haven't done in a long time, but Steve finds it almost too easy to slip into the routine. He nods to Tony, taking the direction like he's done hundreds of times before, and doesn't even blink when he finds out Tony has given his system a name. That's just typical Tony in action.

He faces Tony directly so he can give him a salute, and if that's too familiar, at least it's over in the next second as Steve starts jogging around the open area, going off twenty yards and then returning like he's just going out for a light run, although aimlessly. And then he takes off, running at full speed and veering to the side to jump some obstacles and give the tracking system a challenge. He leaps and lands right in front of it like he's ready to fight. ]

Something like that?

[ Tony hums, soft smile still on his face as he notes the salute in his peripheral. It brings memories to life, makes something warm settling in his chest as he recalls how often they used to do this, how often it would be the two of them and some idea and some tech and-- yeah, yeah Tony missed this. A lot.

It takes a moment for Tony to shake the memories free, to focus on the data and feed that the turret provides him with in order to ensure that he gets optimal readings from them.

The program is able to track Steve's movements with minimal glitching, which Tony considers a great success. He flashes a grin over the coding at Steve.]

Perfect. Mind running it again? It snagged a bit when you initially took off. So maybe more slow than fast? I need to figure out why it's doing that.

[ Oh for the love of... there is another annoyed noise before:]

You are known for embellishing tales there, silvertongue. Can't blame me for asking.

[ are you-- Tony levels a look at Sam. no shit, for your bird, that wasn't what-- whatever. ]

Uh huh. And here I thought it was for your beanie baby collection.

[ you are lucky you bring him food, Wilson. Tony looks curious about the metal, more so than the food. he was horribly good at ignoring the need for food.]

Looks promising actually, thanks! I'm trying to get enough shit together to make a prototype for a defence turret, this is good.

Not those to my benefit, Man of Iron.

[ The flight is going to take as long as Tony wants it to, with Loki able to keep up in his astral form. As the Quarantine falls away into Jungle, the godling twirls around and pretends to ride the wind that can be seen rustling the trees below. ]

Silvertongue isn't used as a compliment, usually.

[ Just to point that out. ]

[ that... is something that he is going to touch on later. much later.]

Uh huh. Well that's ridiculous, how is that an insult? Is it because it isn't gold?

No, because it's a nice name for a nasty tool. Irony, Anthony.

[ Soft laughter isn't necessarily happy as Loki zooms ahead, his form translucent like a much too glittery hologram. He keeps his gaze ahead. ]

It's like you expect Asgardians to be base-level pleasant just because you've seen Thor on his good days.

Well, I mean, they could use some protection from the mice.

[Sam just rolls his eyes, though.]

Let me know when you wanna take measurements, I'll get him to come in. He's not crazy about most of the buildings around here.

[Just nudging the food closer to Tony. Eat, you dumbass.]

You'd think they'd give you what you need for that instead of having to beg people on the network for scraps.

You want me to walk so your machine can keep up?

[ Steve grins, which is the first real grin he's offered Tony since arriving. The little smiles and expressions he's shown have been friendly enough, but he's had trouble being content and happy around Tony with the strange tension between them and the memories of fights affecting them both. At least while running tests he can focus on the action and not on the doubt he has in his relationship with his friends. This time Steve starts off at a slow jog, letting the pace ease into a run after he does a few wide laps around the area. He speeds up gradually, finally breaking into a full run and dashing straight at Tony, stopping short but a little too close--because Steve, much like a racehorse, revels in the challenge. ]

Was that better?

[ the look that Tony shoots Steve at that is tinged with far too much amusement for him to really cover up. this was what he missed; easy banter, camaraderie, creation.]

It isn't the one up for hip replacement surgery there, grandpa. It's just too young, fails to grasp object permanence at this point.

[ which is mostly true. the program is tracking and tracing Steve easily when he is moving quickly, it is just having a hard time processing initial movement. the second time that Steve runs the track though goes far smoother. the program is able to follow Steve with ease, even manages to project four possible directional possibilities based on his prior movement and current trajectory.

it brings a bright smile out of Tony. a smile that he turns up from the program to Steve's face with a quirk of his brow and amusement in his eyes.

he doesn't move back, just meets his gaze head on.]

Perfect. Cake even managed to pitch potential movements for you. He's learning.

Uh-huh.

[ The friendly teasing gets Tony a smirk. Steve's eyelids lower, half-shuttering his eyes with easy confidence as he walks up to the machine to get a better look. The smile he gets from his old friend is one he hasn't seen in months, and seeing it now just brings that to Steve's attention. It's been too long. ]

You should teach him to play catch. We could have a game.

[ That might be flirting with risk, but Steve is having more fun helping Tony test out his tracking system than he has in a while dealing with the man. It feels nostalgic, and he can't help being swept up in the moment. ]

[ Tony can't quite keep the smile off his face as Steve goes up to inspect the turret, huff of laughter at the idea of teaching it to play fetch. ]

I can teach it to stun you rather than track you if you want, think of it as laser tag with actual lasers.

[ a pause, a few moments of him fixing a few different coding logarithms before he is turning his attention back to Steve, amusement still on his face.] Now, that can be for the next testing round, think if we turn this around to the ruins and forest there and see if you can sneak up on it?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ o p e n ] it's like a test it's like a game

04

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

for Steve (616)

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

iii

no subject

for Wanda (MCU)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject