Catch-All For August | Open

[highprofilerichkid]

Characters: Tony Stark and OPEN
Date: Throughout August, and possibly the tail-end of July - basically any time since Tony's arrival.
Location: Anywhere! Tony's likely to be spending a lot of time in his new lab at Stark Industries, but he'll want to get out and do a little exploring as well.
Situation: Whatever shenanigans a teenage superhero might get up to after arriving unexpectedly in a new dimension. Possibly accidentally blowing things up.
Warnings/Rating: None yet, will edit as necessary.

If you want to set up something with Tony, hit me up at Plurk cinnamon_anemone or AIM (tawny.sparrow@gmail.com). I'm open to just about anything and I'm eager to get more CR for Tony!


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Tony hasn't been quite his usual outgoing, confident self since arriving in Keeliai. Between his jarring arrival, the lack of the friends and family that he depends on so much, the drama with Gene, and the general unsettling nature of the entire situation, he's been finding it a little hard to settle in. But he's gotten his lab set up - a very important first step - and he's starting to get a handle on things.

The more he sees and learns of Tu Vishan and his fellow conscripts, the more curious he gets. He'll be very interested in any advanced technology any of the foreigners might have brought with them, and he's also intrigued by - though a little wary of - the different kinds of magic that so many people wield. He has a special interest in the mechanics of how the foreigners get here and how they get sent back.

Although he's been dumped into the middle of a war full of the kinds of secrets and subtle politics that normally go over his head, he's definitely caught on that there's something fishy afoot with Evandau. Being naturally inquisitive and, uh... straightforward, it's certainly possible that he'll soon get himself into trouble.

Comments

[looksfine]

Aya was not versed enough in this version of Tony Stark to take note of any subtle chances in personality or demeanor. She was, however, a prime example of this advanced technology that he often seemed so interested in, which was occasionally enough to initiate conversation.

Of course, there was also the matter of Stark Industries. She had essentially been "running" the Science Department for some time now, and would happily relinquish power should he request to assume command. Should he ask.

Until then...

"Is there something I may assist you with today, Tony Stark?"

/groans/ GOD I FORGOT ABOUT THIS TAG I'M SUCH A NIMROD. hope this is ok x(

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony has the frazzled air of someone trying to do ten different things at once. Looking at the numerous pieces of machinery around the lab, all in various stages of construction, it's easy to see why.]

Oh, Aya! Hi! Um... No, I don't think... Wait, y— no. Oh! Yes! [He scurries off to another section of the lab and shuffles through some papers. When he finds the one he wants, he hurries back to Aya, practically vibrating with energy. (He's been drinking a lot of that fake coffee. He doesn't really know how much caffeine it has. Maybe he should test that. It might be a little more than he assumed.)]

Do you know where to find any of this stuff? [He hands over a page full of dozens of hastily-scrawled materials, ranging from reasonable (wire in various gauges and compositions, and oxy/acetylene tanks, for example) to unlikely (several rather exotic polymers) to baffling (kylight) to absurd (uranium-235).]

it happens! 's all good to me

[looksfine]

[Her scanners were registering a slightly higher than normal result in terms of artificial stimuli and adrenaline in Tony's systems, but hardly anything to warrant more than a single glance. His life was not in any danger. So far.]

If it can be located within these walls, I would have knowledge of the precise location, yes.

[A faint glow as her visual receptors scanned the page, reading the otherwise exhaustive list in only a matter of seconds.]

The first twenty three can all be located in the nonhazardous waste scrap storage room, which is located on the second floor. Although I believe we are currently out of the wire specified in item number seven, and should be restocking within the next thirty-six hours...

[Likewise, she listed off at least three more items that were somehow also made available. As well as informed him of the sad news of a lack of three polymers, the kylight, and the uranium.]

[highprofilerichkid]

[Don't OD on the alien coffee, Tony.]

That's great, thanks. [He looks a little startled when her eyes glow briefly, but before he can comment on it, she hands the paper back and starts rattling off what supplies are where. He puts the paper back down on the table and crosses out items or scribbles in their locations as she talks.

When the list is updated, he scans over it again, nodding thoughtfully to himself. He turns back to Aya, hesitates, and then asks,] So... this might be kind of a weird question, but... What are you? Are you like an android?

[Is that a rude thing to ask? That might have been rude. But he's been dying of curiosity, and all this caffeine is lowering his inhibitions.]

[looksfine]

[Contrary to his concerns, Aya actually smiled at the question. She never minded talking about herself. The information that was not designed classified, at least; Kyle might no longer be aboard the Turtle city, but she still honored and respected one of the few commands as her superior he had ever given.]

[In fact, it pleased her greatly when people displayed curiosity, rather than animosity or even indifference.]

I am a living Artificial Intelligence. The memories of my birth are not within my possession, but I have received multiple confirmations of my status as an organic being.

However, in the form you see me now...then yes, you may consider me to be a robot of sorts.

[highprofilerichkid]

That is... so cool. That's amazing! [Tony scrutinizes her with intense interest. The work that he'd been so focused on earlier has been temporarily forgotten in the wake of this fascinating new information.]

Wow. I've dealt with AIs before, but nothing so advanced. What kind of hardware are you running on? Quantum, optical, some sort of wetware? Something else?

[looksfine]

[His reaction was pleasing. Though not entirely unexpected, given the previous' Tony's very open admiration of her systems. Though he had been slightly less enthusiastic with his chosen vocabulary.]

I would not echo the sentiment entirely.

JARVIS was very similar to myself in every way except for our base code power source. We spoke of many commonalities to one another in the past.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Jarvis? Jarvis... Why does that name sound familiar? ...OH RIGHT. HA HA.]

Oh. Yeah. Well, JARVIS hasn't, uh - happened? yet, in my universe. Not exactly. Not sure he's going to happen, honestly. [For so many reasons.]

[looksfine]

[...oh.]

[There was a moment where Aya looked almost...disappointed. JARVIS had been one of the first friends she had made in Keelai. His was one of the few presences (along with the older Tony) she truly missed.]

It is my opinion that, should you already be considering the basic outline for his eventual design, then you will be able to succeed. Eventually.

let me know if you'd like me to edit at all

[everylittlegirl]

To say Hayley's been in poor spirits would be a severe understatement. This is one of the few times in her life she's felt any sense of real loss or grief and, always being one to shoulder things alone and avoid wherever possible, she's been resorting to strange hours and even the occasional silently crying herself to sleep. Tonight is one of the former, so she finds herself at Stark Industries around midnight, working on some random project without much significance.

The problem comes when she makes her way towards the break room. She stops dead at the sight of the younger Tony down the hall, silently cursing herself for getting anywhere near the lab she normally avoids - it's not as if they got on well in their first interaction.

Her mind briefly flashes back to a similar meeting with the older Tony, after her issues with Clark, when he gave her permission to stay and built the plasma rifle for her. It was a rare moment of intimacy between two people, purely platonic and amicable, yet holding such great vulnerability and meaning between them. It was a moment only possible because they had shared the greatest vulnerability before that, when they had awoken from death together, murdered by the same man.

Hayley calls her attention back to the present and makes an active effort not to simply turn and walk away. Maybe this Tony can be like the other. "Hey."

[highprofilerichkid]

Tony's walking back into his lab after a visit to the stockroom when he hears someone call out to him. He turns, and sees Hayley standing in the hallway.

"Oh, hey. What, uh... what's up?" He shifts awkwardly, readjusting his armful of supplies. He thinks she works here, but he doesn't run into her a whole lot, so he's a little surprised that she's going out of her way to talk to him. Honestly, Tony had gotten the feeling that she was avoiding him.

He hasn't been doing anything mad-sciencey, has he? He hopes she's not here to yell at him again.

after Hayley's entry

[everylittlegirl]

"Thanks again for the sandwiches," she offers, trying cover for their potentially stifling interactions in the past. The more she talks to this Tony, the more she has come to almost like him in spite of herself. He's not exactly a great guy, but he's not bad either and Hayley's pretty short on friends, so it becomes easy to justify her acceptance of him. "It helped."

Solomon and Skulduggery both brought her food the same night, one a porridge she found bearable at best and the other a brownie she actually enjoyed. But Tony's was the only food actually resembling a meal that had been delivered to her. That means something, even if she doesn't know what.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony brightens.] Oh! Yeah, of course. I'm just glad they turned out better than my first three tries. You would not have wanted to eat those. [He grins self-deprecatingly.]

Wanna come in? There's nothing radioactive or on fire, for now, [he jokes. There's a beat, and then he turns and looks over his shoulder, just in case. He turns back.] Nope, all clear.

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley's eyebrows raise, painted with skepticism. It's difficult to tell if his self-deprecating and tentative nature is an intentional facade or if the guy really is as insecure as he seems. She supposes the other Tony had his share of insecurities as well, if their encounter with Hannibal was any indication.]

Sure. [She agrees halfheartedly. His jokes aren't exactly reassuring, after all. As her own joke, she adds:] No goat sacrifices?

[highprofilerichkid]

Not unless that's what was in the cheesesteaks, [he replies cheerfully.

He walks into the lab and dumps his load of supplies on a table.] Want a sugar icosahedron? [He picks up and offers to her a bowl full of sugar "cubes" in a variety of improbable and intricate geometric shapes.]

[everylittlegirl]

[Hayley rolls her eyes, but follows him through the doorway. She moves around to the opposite side of the table, eyes darting around the room with unfiltered curiosity. Although it's not exactly off limits, the girl has never felt comfortable looking into Tony's labs - this Tony or the last - without him there and the old Tony wasn't much for company.]

No thanks. [She answers before she even looks back to what he's talking about. A look away, a double-take back to what he's holding. Hayley takes it from him and rolls it around her fingers, having never seen anything like it.] You have way too much time on your hands.

[highprofilerichkid]

[This Tony doesn't mind company in the lab - he's used to Rhodey hanging around while he's working, and he couldn't keep Pepper out if he tried.

Her double-take makes him grin again.] I needed to test out the 3-D printer's software, [he explains, trying to sound nonchalant. The effect is somewhat ruined by how pleased he looks with himself. He takes one of the tiny sugar sculptures and pops it in his mouth.]

Frank;

[highprofilerichkid]

It's the first day after his arrival, and Tony is sitting in the kitchen of his new home, nibbling morosely at a slice of plain bread.

The blackened casualties of several attempts at making toast are scattered across the counter. Tony's clothes are rumpled and dirty (he's still wearing them because they're currently the only clothes he has), and he looks like he hasn't slept well. His hair is sticking up in all directions, and it's obviously an "I don't have a brush" hairstyle rather than "artfully messy."

All in all, Tony Stark is not having a great morning.

[iguanasolution]

Alright, Frank has to admit he wasn't expecting that when he woke up on his free day. He's familiar with the look of a kitchen that's fought and won, so now he only has to find whoever was defeated when making breakfast. Mostly so he can help out and make sure their kitchen doesn't have to go through another battle.

Judging by the plain bread, he's found him. "Uh... hi. I'm Frank?"

[highprofilerichkid]

Huh? [Tony looks up from his rather pitiful breakfast.] Oh, hi. I, uh, just got here yesterday, and this is where they said I was living. So... I guess I'm your new roommate? [He looks sheepishly around at the breakfast disaster.] Sorry about the kitchen. I'll... buy you some new bread. Oh, and, I'm Tony, by the way.

[iguanasolution]

Don't worry about it. [He makes a dismissing movement with his hand.] You should have seen how the kitchen ended when I first tried to cook, you'll get the hang of it.

So, welcome to the turtle then Tony. Do you have any questions about the turtle?

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony chuckles halfheartedly.] Yeah, cooking's not really my strength. I could build a breakfast-cooking robot, maybe, but people keep telling me that's overkill. [He's starting to seriously consider it, though.]

I've got about a million questions, but the only one I care about right now is: is there coffee on this turtle?

[iguanasolution]

Well, it's not actual coffee but there's an equivalent plant that gets close enough to it, most people take that. [Frank included, even though he only takes a bit of it in the mornings.]

But were you serious? About the breakfast-cooking robot? Because that wouldn't be overkill that would be outright amazing.

RELEASE THE BREAKFAST BOTS

[highprofilerichkid]

No coffee. This place sucks, [Tony grouches. Then he sighs, resigned to his fate, and asks,] is there any of the fake stuff around?

[Frank actually sounds thrilled at the idea of a breakfast-cooking contraption. Tony immediately decides that he likes him.

Looking gravely at his new roommate, Tony says,] Dude. Robotics is what I do. If you give me the go-ahead, I will absolutely make a breakfast bot.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG

[iguanasolution]

[Frank actually laughs. If Tony pays attention he'll notice there's a slight pang of sadness in that laughter, but he wouldn't just admit he misses Leo.]

The 'go-ahead'? Consider this me basically begging you to make them. Or cooking robots in general, if you're feel up to the dare. Actually, have you asked people in general if they'd like one? I mean, simple cooking robots are pretty popular back at home so if you manage to do one here you might end up rich.