( open ) I knew the waiting had begun

[rightly]

who: Steve Trevor & YOU!
what: Steve's arrival at the Quarantine.
when: August 20th-30th
where: all around
warnings: none expected
note: feel free to poke me @ extreminator or PM if you'd like a more specific starter or have another idea for a thread!


I ▹ ARRIVAL & RECOVERY ▹ HOSPITAL

[ It's a sudden feeling to him, like being pulled violently by a rope tied around his neck. Steve finds himself gasping for air and choking on the first breath that fills his lungs. Feels like a very first breath too, it hurts and makes his throat and lungs burn, his vision blurring as if confronted by light for the first time too.

It's not heaven, he reckons that much. No sort of afterlife, period. Everything here is far too overwhelming, confusing and painful for this to be supposedly what comes after death, and after he's revived and tended to, put back to sleep again so he can have some rest, only to wake up later on, mostly alone on a bed in a communal room, he soon realizes where he is.

A hospital. He's not a stranger to them, even if everything in here is completely foreign to him. The furniture is strange, the windows and the sight beyond them boggling, the various machinery and wiring too confusing and overwhelming. There's a box by the corner with moving pictures, with the very faint sound of voices and music filtering through, but it's nothing he understands.

Honestly, he doesn't understand anything at all, ranging from what this place is, to how did he even get here. But it's not like he can do much more than just lie and wait for the doctors to let him leave— well, he could leave, but at least for the first few hours, any attempts to even get up aren't very successful, and he ends up stumbling until he's leaning against the bed, finding himself forced to sit back down on it. ]

... crying out loud...

II ▹ EXPLORING ▹ STREETS

[ To say that the city's foreign to him is putting it very mildly. Once he's released from the hospital, and is actually capable of standing on his own two feet, he immediately decides to explore the Quarantine, as if that alone will suffice to learn everything he must about the city.

He's soon proven wrong, of course. Between the cars and bikes driving by too fast, the overload of information at every corner, and the odd fashion choices of almost everyone walking up and down the streets, it's not long until Steve looks like a headless chicken walking about, looking this way and that, stopping every so often and just standing in the middle of the street, staring at a screen playing out some moving picture on a store window, or a woman's skirt that just happens to be a little too short.

It's not particularly difficult to bump into him when he's out and about, and he'll immediately turn to face the person who's just walked into him, lifting up his hands to help just in case they lose their balance. ]

Sorry— sorry, my fault. Are you alright?

III ▹ GETTING LOST ▹ STREETS

[ It's also not too terribly surprising that, after long periods spent roaming the streets and parks outside, Steve finds himself losing his way on more than one occasion. As the days go on, he starts to memorize some paths and is able to place himself a little more easily, but he still realizes he needs some help to find his way back a few times, and although his pride keeps him from reaching out immediately, he eventually accepts defeat.

Approaching anyone who seems at least vaguely friendly, he smiles, tipping his head slightly. ]

Excuse me. I was wondering... could you point me in the direction of the community housing?

IV ▹ WILDCARD ▹ ANYWHERE ELSE

[ Between looking around various places for a job, having to look for shops where he can buy a few new clothes, or simply relaxing or settling in for a quiet night reading at the balcony of the 7th floor, feel free to bump into Steve or cross paths with him just about anywhere! ]

Comments

[veritron]

[ Dude, people who don't know colorful phrases for yakking are the strange ones. ]

Yeah, well, you're probably not supposed to admit when you've seen strange shit, anyway, right?

[She wasn't supposed to, but after Prowl pulled that shit? She officially DGAF.]

So, what kind of freaky sheltered life do you lead where people only speak like, you know, school English? [ Weirdo. ]

[rightly]

What do you mean? Why wouldn't I?

[ Well she's not wrong, but Steve can't help the trace of paranoia that rises. She couldn't possibly know why Steve has to keep some things a secret, after all. Can she? ]

Right, because we have it so easy where I come from, only because we speak proper English. [ Well, proper to her anyway. ] I'm from 1918. We do have turns of phrase, for the record. Just... different ones.

[rightly]

[ He might just, if and when he sees her fight. It might even be a half-serious question, honestly. ]

Yes. [ He confirms with a nod, both unsurprised and amused by her reaction. 'Wow' has been the general consensus thus far, among the people he's met. Apparently he's a piece of past for most of the people here. Steve, on the other hand, has gotten fairly used to some people being from nearly a hundred years in the future— or more, even. ]

I'm not sure if to feel flattered that you called me polite, or bothered that it's so unheard of in the future. [ Time is no excuse to lose one's manners— and Steve isn't even the most proper and polite of people in his time, mind. ]

Is it very different here, compared to where you come from?

[rightly]

[ Well... that's a mouthful. Steve wants to ask how he should address the fella, but it occurs to him it might come off as rude. So for now, he'll simply avoid saying his name. ]

Honestly, I'm just trying to get used to the sights. It'll take a while, I think. I've heard there's a park nearby, though— would you know the way?

[rightly]

[ Steve has no idea if people all simply have wings where this woman comes from, but he's relieved she doesn't take his staring to heart. At least she seems friendly enough, and he doesn't feel particularly threatened, even less so when she returns his smile. ]

'Very' doesn't quite cover it, honestly. [ He chuckles, shaking his head. ] That's an unusual name you've got. Bit long, though. What should I call you?

[rightly]

[ The fella coming at him had been enough of a surprise. Steve was prepared already to take off running and find a place to hide, but apparently the day isn't done surprising him quite yet. The small figure comes out of nowhere, and for a flicker of a moment, he doesn't even process what it is, nor does he realize it's just a young girl until she manages to throw the man to the ground so effortlessly, drawing to a halt above him.

But it's when the claws push right out of the skin in her hand that he startles the most. ] Holy Christ—!

[ He'll just... take a moment to process that. And he may tense up a little when she looks back to him, even if she doesn't look threatening towards him, and her claws are still pointed at the other man. Eventually her words sink in, and he cants his head to the side. ]

You know what, I'm— I'm good. [ Besides he's not exactly in a state to be issuing credits through the phone, which he is yet to know how to use properly. Not having a physical currency is a bit of a hassle to him, admittedly. ] Just let him go.

[first_summers]

[ Being an Amazon would be so much cooler than being a Slayer. Not as demony, and with much less wardrobe destruction.

If he'd said he was 2518, she'd have been so much worse, honestly. There would have been no end to the stream of questions. Are we in space yet? What's the food like? What's the fashion like? ...are there vampires in space? But as far as 1918 goes, she already knows a bit about that time. It sucked, really, with the war and the flu epidemic and the lack of women's rights. She enjoyed her right to vote very much, thank you. ]

It's... yeah, kind of. Not all the surface stuff -- we've got tall buildings and sprawling cities, but the architecture is different for the most part. There's shopping and apartments and movie theaters, we still have to work to make a living, but it was California. There weren't any fences keeping the dangerous things out.

[ That was her job. ]

[rightly]

[ Steve wouldn't say it's an ideal time either, and he agrees there's still a lot that can change for the better. But then, if not for the past there would never be a present, and will never be a future either. People would have no bad experiences or ill decisions to learn from. He doesn't know very much about how things are in the 21st century yet, but he's learned enough to know that there's plenty that's changed for the better.

That's a comfort, albeit small. Knowing that mankind changes for the better, given time. That it learns from its own mistakes. It gives him hope. ]

Maybe it'd come in handy. I hear it's been getting plenty of tourists these days. Well... my days.

[first_summers]

[ Some things have changed for the better. Some things seemed a whole lot worse, at least in her world. But she did tend to have a rather skewed view of things, living on the Hellmouth and all. ]

It has. I keep hearing about more new people joining the perimeter guard and sometimes I wonder if I did the wrong thing by taking a normal job.

[ Whoops, she hadn't meant to let her existential woes come out in casual conversation. ]

[verflair]

[ For what it’s worth, X’rhun doesn’t balk at a little rudeness. So far, so many people here have been taken aback by his appearance— if not his dress, then his slit-pupiled eyes and facial markings, and the distinctly feline tail that sometimes pokes its way out of his ridiculous coattails. If there are other miqo’te in this city, he hasn’t found them, and the other people here haven’t either, apparently. ]

Ah, I do! [ This, with a smile and a delighted twitch of the aforementioned tail. ]

I would be happy to show you the way, if you’d like.

[shoplifter]

[She takes a step back, looking with some grimness toward the fallen foe. Well, if he's good... She nudges at him with a foot, and the guy rolls and dashes off. Laura will be responsible and wait until the guy's out of view. Just in case. You never know if people decide to get stupid-brave.

Appeased, she turns to Steve. The claws slowly slide back into her hands, leaving nothing but a smear of blood on unscathed knuckles. Right. It's good to be... nice... ish. She's not used to talking to many adults, mostly just nurses and Charles... Logan had been a lesson in warming up. But Steve doesn't feel like he's similar in character to the surly, unhappy mutant from home.]

............

¿Estás bien?

[seductless]

[She finds herself laughing in return, a light, friendly sound.]

I find myself in a similar situation. But I'm eager to find what all of the differences are.

[A pause as she cocks her head slightly to the side.]

You may call me Grace, if you find it easier.

[veritron]

I don't know. Probably get unpleasant visits from brick-faced guys in government suits or some scrap.

[The Machination was bad enough. Last thing she needed was like, the CIA or something getting on her tail. ]

Really? 1918? [ SQUINT.]I thought you guys all had like, you know, weird mustaches and hats and stuff. [ So, dude, that was Charlie Chaplin she was thinking of. Close enough. ] So, I mean, all this is new to you, huh? You should check out the indoor plumbing. [ No outhouses! Welcome to *~the future~*! ]

[rightly]

No, you're— you're fine. Not getting any unpleasant visits.

[ If anything he'd be the one getting into trouble for sharing classified information. Not that it matters one way or the other here. The war is over, anyway. Or so he's been told. ]

Well, I do like hats, for what it's worth, but I've never had a moustache. [ He gives her something of a flat stare, if also amused. ] It may be hard to believe, but I'm no stranger to indoor plumbing. [ Well, it is pretty nice that it's just about everywhere here. At least he won't have to pick and choose where to live so he can have a bath whenever he wants to. ]

[rightly]

Why is that? [ Steve raises an eyebrow, glancing over at her. ] It's not wrong to not want to fight, even if that's something you've done your whole life.

[ He has, for certain, but he's not eager to get back to fighting, not unless he has to. Granted, if there were trouble and not enough people to keep the Quarantine safe, then he'd be the first to jump straight to the front lines, but he's not raring to do it. ]

[rightly]

[ Steve's just trying to take everything in stride here. And really, some fella that looks a bit different is no stranger to him than these computer devices or the cellular phones everyone uses around here. Not to mention that meeting the Amazons, and getting to know Diana especially, has eased him into the idea of different folks out there.

This just requires some... minor adjustment, is all. ]

I'd welcome the company, if nothing else. So lead the way. [ He tips his head down the road, trying not to stare too much at the tail. Again, just a matter of time for him to get used to it. ] You can tell me a little about where you come from, if you'd like.

[rightly]

I'm curious, at least. Not so sure about eager, but we'll see how I feel in a week or two.

[ He tips his head in a small nod. ] Alright. Grace, then. More fitting. [ Down, boy. ] Steve works just fine, for the record.

[rightly]

[ Right, because that's not strange at all. Even when the claws retract, there's still blood on her hands, and Steve keeps staring at her knuckles like he can't quite believe what he's just seen. Granted, he knows to expect strange and different people around here, but that's still... she's just a girl. It's a little much, is all. ]

Yes. [ He nods as he answers. He can understand some Spanish, enough to know what she's saying, but not enough to answer in kind. Still, she was speaking English before, so he figures she'll understand him well enough.

Cautiously, he gestures towards her own hands. ] Are you?

[first_summers]

[ How do you explain destiny to someone who probably doesn't have any real concept of it? ]

I've spent the last seven years keeping people safe. I had to, it was my duty, it's part of who I am. [ Her voice quiets somewhat and she meets his gaze for a moment before looking away again. ]

I guess sometimes I just doubt whether I'm capable of having a normal life. Fighting seems so much easier than trying something new, even if it's what I want.

[rightly]

[ He does have some concept of it. Whether he believes it or not, or if it's real in his own world, that's a whole other matter entirely.

As for the rest, though, the words may as well have come from his own mouth. His expression is knowing, even if he doesn't say much in the way of explaining it. If she's bright and observant enough, she likely can figure it out on her own anyway. ]

No harm in trying. I'd say this is as far as you can get from home, so if there's ever a place where you can do it...

[verflair]

[ What better way to get acquainted with the oddities of the Quarantine than with a rapier-toting cat man, right? ]

Very well then, but only if you return the favor.

[ He turns, trusting Steve will keep pace as he heads in the direction of the park. It’s a spot X’rhun rather likes, not as wild and dangerous as the forest beyond the perimeter fence, but far enough removed from the bustle and passing vehicles that he feels a bit more at ease. A little slice of home amidst the technology and chaos. ]

To start, I’m from a star known as Hydaelyn, the region of Eorzea to be specific. Were this city of my home, you would find the structures might not reach nearly as tall or contain half as much glass. The vehicles, if any, would be carts pulled by hand, or if they’re large enough, by chocobo.

I’m sure you can tell why I find myself so out of sorts in this place.

[shoplifter]

[... Oh, yes. She looks at the back of her hand, then wipes it off on her jeans.]

... Yes.

[She pulls a new piece of gum from her pocket.]

You should be careful.

Some people like their food a lot.

[seductless]

Steve. [She echoes it with a smile. An unusual name, but it seems to suit him.]

But what will happen in a week? Do you think things will change?

[It's an interesting idea, though Grace wouldn't mind more of a chance to see things as they currently are. She wants to go out and experience everything, but even she can be overwhelmed eventually. In all her years, she's never been in a place quite this alien. Best to take things slow, if possible. That way she can truly understand.]

[legendary_hands]

[He starts to say 'with that face, I believe it', but he bites the words back. This isn't Jim. They don't even have the same name. Where there are different versions all over of people, this guy isn't James Kirk.

So he simply sets the tablet down and moves closer to start running a few scans with his tricorder to check his vitals and get a good handle on where he is physically.]

Hopefully that doesn't mean you lack in common sense. Seems to be an epidemic 'round here.

[Snorting softly, he pauses and glances at the man.] Nice t'meet ya. And being dragged here from where ever you're from can leave you a little off for a while. Tell ya what. You take a walk around the hospital, if your legs start to feel better, we'll discuss dischargin' ya. If you're anything like the guy you remind me of, you'll be trying to find the fastest path of escape even if it's scalin' the side of the damn building.

[Hopefully the guy will spare him that, though. He doesn't need two people with that face making him miserable with their poor sense of self preservation.]

[rightly]

[ Well, that is true. Can't get much stranger than that. Probably.

He starts down the road, easily keeping up pace, as he listens to what X'rhun tells him about his world. It's all a bit too much for Steve to memorize on a first go, though, and he lets out a faint amused huff once he finishes. ]

Well, I can't say I recognize half the words you said, so yes, I can imagine why all this is so weird to you. [ He knits his eyebrows together, though. ] you lived on a star?