missing pieces

[advanced]

who: Bucky Barnes (MCU), Ivar Ragnarsson, Dick Grayson, Stephen Strange, Ellie, Tony Stark, Suigetsu Houzuki, Clark Kent, Fatima Merali, Eichi Tenshouin, Shai Ebbisaryn, Steve Rogers (MCU), Líadan Ní Donnabháin, Bucky Barnes (616), and Jonathan Kent
what: Various prompts
when: April 1st/2nd
where: Abandoned city
warnings: Probable violence
note: Though this log has closed prompts, if you would like to do anything with Bucky please just send me a PM or hit me up at bibbety and I will be more than happy to add in a prompt for you!

[i: Sparring partners; CLOSED to Ivar Ragnarsson]

[Bucky spends a lot of his time out in the abandoned city, even sleeping there some nights when the feel of people all around him becomes a bit too much to handle. He's doing better than he was when he arrived here, he's even spoken to Steve fairly courteously once, but he's got a long way to go and he still prefers to do it alone.

Which is why he's out in the city training himself, running between buildings, jumping and vaulting various debris fields, and occasionally testing his acrobatic skills with flips and kicks off one surface to catch hold of another. What he's not expecting, after jumping one particularly large gap between rooftops, is to land by a man on the ground.

At first he thinks it's someone hurt, until he recognises the man that fought him when he was recently arrived and remembers how he couldn't use his legs. It's pretty impressive that he got up this far, let alone out here to the abandoned city in the first place.]

You okay?

[He was just going to go, but maybe Ivar really is hurt and can't get down.]

[ii: Meals on wheels; CLOSED to Dick Grayson]

[There have been a couple of times while Bucky has been skulking around the city that he's seen the man he doused in yoghurt, still patrolling in that costume. He knows his name now, made sure to look it up based on the usernames and the apartment - Dick Grayson. Not that he plans on using it, he just likes to have all the information, it can be the difference between life and death.

But what he doesn't realise is that he's the one that's been spotted tonight by Dick, as he slips out into the abandoned city and turns into one of the nearby ruins. A sleeping bag and rucksack are already stashed there, along with a surprising array of weapons. He slides into his sleeping bag, sat up against the wall, completely unaware that he's not alone... for now.]

[iii: Magic and Mayhem; CLOSED to Stephen Strange]

[Bucky has very few things that he would count as personal possessions. His weapons, clothes, and sleeping bag were all just tools that could pass in and out of his ownership without him caring that much. Though he would never like to be unarmed, he could always find more weapons if he lost these.

But he had a book that was precious to him. Just a tattered little notebook which was a quarter full of news clippings of all the various Avengers, some information both bought and stolen from the Smithsonian gift shop, and several choppy paragraphs in his own handwriting. Notes on information he's found out, memories that have resurfaced, that sort of thing.

He's sitting on the rooftop of one of the buildings in the main city, riffling through the book, when a sudden gust of wind catches it and sends it out of his hands and over the side to land at either at the feet of, or directly on the head of, the poor unsuspecting person walking by.

Sorry, Stephen.]

[iv: Dance lessons; CLOSED to Ellie]

[The flower festival isn't exactly Bucky's natural habitat, but he keeps finding himself drawn to the dance lessons and performances in the various open park areas. He doesn't really remember dancing himself, it's definitely not something the Soldier has ever done even though he has the dexterity for it, but it feels familiar.

So even though spending so much time in the crowds goes against a lot of his instincts, Bucky keeps finding himself back in the throng.

It's where he is that morning, sat with his back against a tree to make it slightly harder to sneak up on him from behind, intently watching a couple perform an exhibition piece in the style of swing dancing. These are the ones he likes the best, the ones that feel the most oddly familiar, and he has an almost peaceful expression as he watches.]

[v: Running into you; CLOSED to Tony Stark]

[Bucky spends a lot of his time either hiding, skulking in the shadows, or moving at a carefully steady pace through crowds so as not to attract attention. But sometimes he just needs to blow off steam, sometimes he just needs to burn through the excess energy that the bastardised serum gives him.

Which is why he's running.

He's at least chosen a time when he doesn't think anyone else will be near the outskirts of the city, and he's running down side streets and back alleys rather than the main streets, but he is pushing himself all out. Running faster than a normal human could, vaulting trash cans and practically skidding around corners.

It's probably lucky he hasn't crashed into anyone before now...]

[vi: Festival Fun; CLOSED to Suigetsu Houzuki]

[This festival, much like the last festival, is a good place to gather free food. The stall vendors are often so busy that they don't notice a little something here or there going missing, and lots of people end up buying food that they can't finish and just abandon. Which is why one suspicious hobo type is now casually wandering the picnic area, stooping as if to tie his shoe every so often when he's really stealing leftovers.

Don't mind him...]

[vii: A serious talk; CLOSED to Clark Kent]

[See the comments for starter.]

[viii: Kites and trees; SEMI-OPEN to anyone plotted with on the CR meme]

[Bucky has spent most of the flower festival skirting the main events, on the fringes of the crowds, or watching from a distance. But some things keep drawing him in deeper, like leftovers at the picnic area, or dance contests, or the smell of food.

To anyone wandering, he can be found in the following places:

i) staring into the window of a bakery as if the pies on display have the answer to life.
ii) up a tree in the park, watching a dance demonstration like a skulking creeper
iii) flying a kite that he got pressured into buying, sitting on the grass in a relatively secluded area. If this kite accidentally drops and wraps around your character, more's the pity.]

[ix: Football; CLOSED to Jonathan Kent]

[Bucky doesn't look like someone who's in the park to play a nice game of football... for one, he doesn't actually have a football. He's also skulking under the trees, wearing a long hoodie and gloves despite the warm weather, and is looking around at everyone entering the park as if they might be a threat to him.

But he said he wanted to do this, so he's here.

Even after he got the message from Clark that said he had somewhere else to be that morning, he was sorry, but hopefully Bucky could still have fun with Jonathan. Which was why Bucky was skulking out of place, waiting for a kid and hoping that said kid brought a football with him. Or they might be kind of scuppered.]

Comments

I

[ragnarsson]

[Despite how slow he was rendered by necessity, that hadn't stopped Ivar from exploring as he saw fit. He just went about it usually in a different way than most people. The abandoned city had proved to be a particular challenge. The terrain there was too rocky for his wheelchair to navigate successfully.

So he'd been forced to leave it behind, falling back to his old standby of crawling to get where he wanted to go. Ivar didn't mind. It was how he'd been getting around his whole life. Exploring the city was going to take more than a single day, but Ivar was nothing if not patient.

What he wasn't expecting was the half-feral man he'd gotten into a fight with to be there as well. Ivar looks up at Bucky with a grin. He'd rather liked the nameless assassin and the challenge he'd given the Viking warrior.]

Not that I see why you care, but I'm fine.

[His standard answer no matter how he was feeling, but this time, it's the truth.]

[advanced]

[Okay, well then, the grin and the response seem pretty genuine so he doesn't have to worry about just turning around and carrying on his way. Except that he knows there are a lot of monsters around here, and he won't forgive himself if someone he has seen out here dies because of a lack of support.

So he just stays stood where he is, posture tense, but not about to leave.]

What are you doing out here?

ii

[fingerstripes]

[ Tracking a man with no trail to follow is a tall order, and if he's honest with himself the fact that he's managed it at all this time probably comes down more to luck than anything else. But if he's learned anything at all from a ten minute standoff over a carton of yogurt in his living room, it's that he needs to press every advantage he can get here.

For now he's holding onto this one, perched over the rucksack, that impressive stash of weapons. The meager possessions of someone with probably nothing else to call his own. As much as turnabout might be fair play, there's something there, as he watches the man curl into his sleeping bag, that makes him want to avert his eyes. Something that makes his heart pull at the idea of taking even a little of that away. Violating whatever sense of safety, or privacy, he has in this place.

But he has a few options. A few minutes to decide how to play this. Move too fast and he'll probably drive him to make another run for it. Too slow and he'll be running the risk of escalating the situation past the point where he can control it. Either way, it's a good bet that he won't have long to make a case for investing in a longer chat than before.

There's nothing for it. He'll either accomplish something tonight, or he won't. He takes a breath, balances the wrapped bundle of food in one arm, and shifts his weight against the line holding him, just enough for the light to fall across his lenses. Unobtrusive, but anyone observant will see the glint. ]

Knock knock. [ And he knocks politely, rapping his free knuckles twice on a protruding edge of ruined wall. Then he waves from his upside down position. ]

[advanced]

[He's never wholly relaxed, there's always a part of him waiting for an ambush or for his enemies to find him. But he had thought he was alone here, and so even while he's reacting to the sudden intrusion on instinct, he's feeling a sink of disappointment that his safety has been shattered again.

He's got a gun in his left hand, glove and long sleeve concealing the metal still, aimed directly at that glint of the lenses, before Dick has even finished pretending to knock like an invited guest.]

Grayson.

[The recognition doesn't make him relax at all, nor lower his weapon.]

III

[suckstobestrange]

[This wouldn't be the first book that had landed on Stephen's head in his life, and likely wouldn't be the last.

The lack of it trying to bite him was a nice change though.

He'd been for once minding his own business. He'd finished up at the hospital for the day then spent some time in the markets hunting down some small items to use for casting. Nothing impressive, it was mostly items to be enchanted like bobby pins, a couple packs of gum, seeds, some nails, and a nice long coil of barbed wire. It wouldn't do long term but until he'd gotten more comfortable with spellwork in this realm, better to have some backup plans prepared.

It took a bit of juggling, but he managed to actually catch the book, rather than letting it hit the pavement. He caught sight of the pages, news articles and handwriting, but his attention went up instead, looking to see if he couldn't find out just where the mysterious book had come from.]

[advanced]

[It's not hard to spot the person who's dropped the book, considering that Bucky is leaning over the side of the building at a precarious angle to try and see where it landed.

A stranger. That's not good, especially when they start flipping through it, but at least it's nobody he recognises. Not one of the Avengers (oh, how little he knows), and therefore it could be worse.

Weighing up his options, but unwilling to leave the book, he takes a chance and jumps the four storeys down to land hard in front of Stephen, gloved hand held out.]

That's mine.

iv;

[pundemic]

[Large gatherings of people kinda make her wary, you know? She doesn't like crowds, and even though she's been here long enough to figure out that things are different-- that everything is different, there are certain habits that she holds to.

She skirts around the outsides of any large gathering. She keeps her hand on her knife in her pocket. She wears clothing that's layered to make her look bigger than she is like some fucking cat puffed up for a fight, and everyone she sees gets visually shaken down for a weapon.

It's necessary, but exhausting. She's found herself some cotton candy to buy and has taken to wandering around the fringes of where people are gathered. Her guard doesn't exactly go down, but it becomes a less imminent and looming thing the longer she ambles about, and eventually she finds her way to her weird little friend.

She bites her lip, certain he's seen her before she saw him. It's not exactly out of hesitation, she's just trying to decide whether she should go get him some cotton candy too, or if he'd be gone by the time she got back. So she opts to just head towards him, plop down beside him on the ground and hold out the stick of wispy blue candy floss.]

Hey.

[advanced]

[There are a lot of people he would have run from if he saw them approaching, and some he might even have prepared to fight, but they have a sort of understanding. He's a little wary after how things ended last time, but she hadn't tried to push and he's calmed down since then.

Which is why he's still sitting there when she sinks down next to him, and why he reaches out with his ever-gloved hands to take the stick.]

Hey.

[He pulls off a piece and puts it in his mouth, nose immediately wrinkling.]

That's disgusting.

vi, oh god

[liquidate]

(when it comes to food, suigetsu is what the kids like to call... extra.

there's a wide variety of sweets piled on his plate, as well as strange foods he's never seen before. but the second he looks away, he feels an absence. looking back confirms it: his snacks are gone. which is cause for immediate alarm, making him rocket from his seat on the bench and whip his head around. ready to accuse.

and who better than this nomadic-looking shoelace-tying—)

Hey, you! Yeah, you! (all volume, all bluster,) I'm gonna need you to empty your pockets, 'cause I got a bone to pick with the thief who stole my one-bite cheesecakes!

[advanced]

[He's usually been contenting himself with taking the things that people have definitely left behind, but how could he ignore this opportunity? There was so much food there, and the guy is clearly oblivious to what's going on around him, it's almost laughably easy to hoover up the snacks into various pockets.

Except then he's being accused.

He straightens up, gaze level and voice neutral.]

If I'd stolen your food, do you think I would still be hanging around nearby?

[It's better to bluff his way out, than run or fight and just cause a manhunt over some food.]

v

[amelioraate]

[ You would think that a high-tech piece of armour like Tony's would at least warn him of an incoming object when he is standing in stealth mode while surveying a fucked up generator on the outskirts of town. You would think, but no. With Friday not fully operational here thanks to things Tony hasn't bothered trying to figure out, and him not having the damned time to fix her up, Tony has been running the suit on the barest minimum of an AI.

And right now? All of that is focused on the generator, how it's connected, and--]

Mother fucking--!

[ Part of the reason Tony puts the suit in stealth is to avoid confrontations, to avoid monsters seeing the red and gold and attacking on sight. He just wants to get the damned work done.But part of the problem is clearly shit can hit him and not realize.

Sorry, Bucky, it probably hurts to hit the suit at the speed you're going.

And the shock of Iron Man armour flickering from stealth mode into the usual red and gold probably doesn't help either. Even if said red and gold armour is now laying sprawled on the ground and sputtering robotic curses.]

Holy shit that--Bucky? [ The faceplate retracts when Tony catches sight of the familiar arm, and while he doesn't looks scared of the other, he does look a little weary.]

[advanced]

[He doesn't even realise that his long sleeve has shucked up a bit around the wrist to display metal between fabric and the leather of his glove, until he's called by name, and then he's yanking it down again quickly to hide the tell-tale shine.

Of all the people he could run into, it has to be goddamn Iron Man. The only one worse would have been Steve, either Steve. It's why he's on his feet again as soon as he can, despite having bounced off hard enough to hit the sidewalk and give himself a fair few bruises.

Instead of responding, he just backs off a step and then takes off running in the opposite direction, obviously wanting to get away from Tony. Or tries to. But the collision damaged his splint, making it bend and warp, which just causes him to go crashing to the ground again a few meters down the road.]

[signifies]

[ There's only so long Bucky can go being tense before his Kryptonian ally turns his attention fully on him. Clark overhears enough to know they should talk. Lois and Jon are his current priorities but he hasn't forgotten his responsibility to Bucky. Clark doesn't make promises he can't keep.

So Clark goes looking for Bucky just before sunset, waiting until he's isolated. He approaches on foot instead of descending slowly from the sky. ]

Hey. How're you doing?

[advanced]

[He doesn't want to see Clark.

It's stupid to feel this slight betrayal, he knows better than to trust, but he didn't think somehow that Clark would tell people about him. Which is why his expression is distinctly unimpressed when Clark approaches him.]

Fine.

[Just that, brusque and final, before he turns to start trying to walk away.]

VIII; iii

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima's feeling a little partied out. As much as she enjoys any excuse to dress up, she's fully aware of the fact that these parties are just a distraction. A means to placate and calm the prisoners in the nuthouse. And she doesn't want to be calm. Or placated. She wants to go back home.

So as the party wears on, she finds herself drifting away from other people, a bottle of rum dangling from her fingertips. It's either that rum or the frustration talking, but maybe, just maybe, with all the festivities, the perimeter isn't as heavily guarded?

Worth a shot, anyway.

But she becomes distracted when she sees the lonely kite flying in the distance. And all at once, she's veering off course, walking toward it like a beacon of some kind. Maybe she needs this. The chance to investigate anything, no matter how small. To feel like herself again. To feel like she has some goddamn agency in her life right now.

It's a nice thought...]

[advanced]

[The kite is an odd little thing.

He doesn't even really know why he gave into the pressure and parted with what little money he had left to buy it, it's certainly not useful, but something in the colourful diamond of fabric seemed to remind him of better days. He's not that good at flying it, it keeps dipping and falling, but he's engrossed in the task until far too late.

She's too close by the time he realises that someone is near, and the yank he gives on the string is too sudden, sending it crashing to the ground.]

VIII iii

[finethanks]

[Eichi has been around so much that he hasn't even had time to look up and admire the kite flying through the sky. It's not until the wind dies down and the toy takes an unfortunate dip that the shadow catches his eye, and he looks up just in time to have it land on him, tangling instantly as he stumbles.

He reaches up to hold onto the kite, but another gust of wind just has this getting messier. Help him, before he crashes to the ground or ruins this lovely kite...]

[advanced]

[Why is this happening? He just wanted to spend a few peaceful hours in solitude flying his kite like a completely well-adjusted grown man, and now there's a stranger all caught up in the string.

He considers just abandoning the kite, but something inside him digs its heels in at thinking that. This is the first thing that he's really bought for himself for a long time, something that isn't necessary or useful, and he doesn't want to abandon it. So he jogs over and takes hold of the kite itself.]

Hold still, you'll break it.

[Like Eichi chose to get tangled up this way.]

viii like that one video game with gunblades

[greyjane]

[She is absolutely sitting beneath that tree he's skulking in.

She's been there for a while. He's been there for a while. She's starting to think they've got a Bond of some sort, like when you sit beside the same person on the trolley for the entire, awkward length of your transit time. He's like some charming little tree barnacle that probably thinks he's being altogether sneakier than he is.

(To be fair, the only reason she knows he's there is because she can sense electricity and like energies. The impulses in the heart. The strange pulsation in one of his limbs. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have realized.)

The dancers are the only thing nearby except for her, and she hazards a guess that he's watching their little procession, same as she is.]

You can't possibly be comfortable up there, darling.

[It's said idly, not loud but in a tone meant to carry. Her accent is strange, not quite earthly - some bastardized mix of South African and Australian, with emphasis on certain syllables that paints her as something other than a native speaker.]

[advanced]

[Of course he noticed her sitting at the base of the tree he's in, but he's incredibly careful to remain still and silent, so he thinks that he hasn't been noticed. He's good at being still and silent, he can go for almost two full days without moving from a single stance, he's been tested on it before.

But somehow she knows he's there. How? Is she like Clark, can she hear his breathing? Can she hear his arm? He feels himself tense up completely, though he isn't stupid enough to deny that anyone is up there.]

More comfortable than down there.

viii - let's go fly a kite

[starspangled]

[it's been a long time since he actually saw a kite in the sky. it's just another one of those things, something that was once a part of every kid's life. Something that's been replaced by something that will in time be replaced by something else.

but he's not going to dwell on the bad today, wonder if kids should go outside more, or if it's even safe for them to do it. he's just going to sit down and enjoy the sight of it soaring high in the sky.

you know, before it gets caught on the wrong breeze and comes crashing to the ground. steve scoots back a little, and then stands up right before it slams into his chest. he's fine, but now his eyes are following the path of the line. steve's pretty sure that he owes someone a new kite.]

Sorry, I couldn't get out of the way fast-

[it ends there.]

[advanced]

[Why did it have to be Steve?

He's on his feet without realising how he got there, the end of the string still clutched in his gloved hand. He doesn't want to relinquish it, this is the first thing that he's chosen to buy for himself, genuinely purchase, in so many years and it's his. Even if it's broken now.]

...I'm out of practise.

[Like they're actually going to stand here and talk about kites.]

VIII.

[leadintheyoung]

[ When one is accustomed to the very real possibility of predators several times one's size taking stock of one for a meal quietly and unseen, one tends to take stock of one's surroundings and very, very often. For all that Líadan is passionately engaged in things, she's observant and that much more so for that inherent curiosity of hers that so often sees her into trouble in some form. It's her curiosity that's stirred by the sight of the man at the window in front of one of the shops as she's flitted from shop to shop, new acquaintance to new acquaintance. A sweets shop? And when she's glimpsed his face in passing, he's worn quite the expression!

Curiosity stirred, it doesn't take long for her feet to carry her to his side. She steps into that place as surely as though she belonged there and leans in slightly, looking at the baked delights. They look familiar in a way, but that won't stop her from turning her gaze, and a smile, up to him and asking -- ]

What are they?

[advanced]

[Of course he knows that there are people passing by, this is a fairly busy road, but he's learning to tune out most of them as probably not a threat. But when someone comes and stands right next to him, speaking to him, he jolts a little in surprise.]

Uh.

[Wait, that's a fairly innocent question. It takes him a moment before he looks like he's not about to bolt.]

Fruit pies.

viii b, late af

[anotheroldsoldier]

[When he cuts through the park on his way to the main street, it's hard not to notice the other Bucky, perched in a tree. Namely because people perched in trees set off his sixth sense for potential snipers, and he just can't turn off the way his attention sharpens. He thinks about moving on like he never saw him, but by this point, Bucky has probably already noticed him too.

He can at least be civil.

Bucky stops near to the tree, and remarks almost blandly, hands loosely shoved into his pockets as he turns his gaze to a group of dancers,] I used to be able to Lindy hop like no one's business. Think if I tried it now I'd just embarrass myself, though.

[advanced]

[The other him is probably the person here that he's least sure of. It's someone who potentially knows most of his secrets, if not all of them, but different enough that he doesn't know where they diverge. It's awkward as hell, and he can't deny that there's also a slight thread of jealousy underneath that he's managed to somehow get rid of the Soldier to live a proper life again.]

I think I remember that.

[No point trying to run now, though he doesn't come down from his perch.]

Smokey dance halls and dames with curls.

[ ix ]

[supersweet]

[ "Be good, Jon," His father had said, ruffling Jon's hair, "And be kind."

Adjusting his hat, Jon enters the park casually, one arm wrapped around his football and the other scanning the distance. His super-sight isn't as good as his hearing, but Jon isn't familiar with the people of Riverview to distinguish their heartbeats. His dad had a lot of friends, apparently. Jon didn't know what to make of it. On one hand, it's great to know there are people he could trust.

On the other hand . . . Jon was lonely. He missed Kathy. He missed Krypto. He even missed Damian. Kicking the grass petulantly, he surmises that at least playing football will be fun. Jon never had the chance to play sports with others. Finally, he spots the man . . . hiding by the trees. What a weirdo. Jon approaches carefully, recognizing him as the tense man from the flower festival. ]

Hi. Mr. . . Simon?

[advanced]

[Now that he knows what he's looking for it's a lot easier to see the resemblance between Clark and this kid, no wonder he was cagey about who his father was and if he might show up. Bucky isn't sure how he feels now, knowing this seemingly innocuous looking kid has power that could pose him a problem.

He doesn't smile, but his scowl softens a bit as he steps up to meet Jon.]

Jon, right? Your Da tell you about me?

[It is a seemingly innocent question, but he wants to know if anything has been said beyond "this is a friend we can play football with".]