tushanshu_logs | rough winds do shake the darling buds of may

Entry tags:

rough winds do shake the darling buds of may | open, with starters

Characters: ~~Eyebrow Squad~~ Gene, Jackie, Deon, and you!
Date: Throughout May
Location: Keeliai and the rest of the shell
Situation: General May drama and doings for Eyebrow Squad.
Warnings/Rating: None initially, but subject to change.

A. [Gene] Midnight Hotel | May 2 | closed to Tony

Gene hadn't taken the disappearance of the new influx of Foreigners well. But he'd taken it better than he'd expected; he'd always known, in his heart, that Bianca being back had been too good to be true. And Amelia hadn't returned, either. He'd been seized with a rather unusual and rather unfortunate sensation of missing all his friends who'd come and gone from Keeliai.

And it occurs to him that Tony might be feeling even worse. Howard had been swept away too. Gene hadn't been particularly heartbroken to see him gone - he still isn't too sure where he stands with the man - but he knows Tony's devastated by it. So he's tried to be as supportive as possible. He doesn't like seeing Tony upset.

B. [Gene] Sky Sector | early-mid May | open

Gene's been going around the Sky Sector and helping finalize some of the construction, making himself known among the kedan in the area, checking out the stalls in the artisan area. Sometimes he's putting the finishing touches on the little house he'd built for himself and Tony, and if he's not actively using tools - or secretly using the orange ring to manipulate matter, honing his control of it - he's probably open to talking.

C. [Jackie] Teahouse in the Water Sector | early-mid May | open

When he's not doing Snake stuff, Jackie's become quite fond of hanging out in a little teahouse in the Water Sector. Most of the time he has his Snake badge off, not wanting to intimidate any of the kedan, and just enjoying a quiet cup of tea. Tea had never really been his...well...his cup of tea, back home, but here he was starting to enjoy it.

D. [Deon] Metal Sector | early-mid May | open

Deon, meanwhile, is scouting out any technology he can find, buying up scrap wherever he can find it and writing out code by hand in a cheap notebook. Even if he can't test it, it's at least a decent exercise.

He's been dissuaded from dismantling a console - but he really wants to know how they work. Not worth pissing off the kedan, though; he's heard they don't take well to that.

But it looks like he knows what he's doing, or at least what he's after, either sitting on a bench and going over his handwritten code, the end of a pen in his mouth, or haggling with some kedan over some busted piece of looted Foreigner tech.

E. [Deon] Fire Sector | May 16 | closed to Shay

Deon's tired, and in need of a drink. He doesn't normally drink, but he's interested in seeing more of the kedan culture, and he figures that's worth the price of a beer or the local equivalent. Thus he sits at the bar, drinking an oddly sweet concoction that still has a mildly alcoholic fire to it, occasionally writing in his notebook as more ideas occur to him.

F. [Gene] House Iron Dragon | May 8 | closed to Tony

Tony's been acting weird the past day or so - more cagey than usual. Something's up, but Gene hasn't deduced what yet.

"You okay?" he asks, setting a mug of tea down in front of Tony, some concern in his voice. Still mopey over Howard, perhaps? The grief happens in waves, he knows that well.

G. [Deon] Stark Industries | late April | closed to NPCs

The staff at Stark Industries has been busy of late, but not too busy to finally see Deon for a job interview. He hasn't had one since college, so he's a little apprehensive, and visibly fidgeting.

H. [Deon] Wood Sector | mid-May | closed to China and Shay

Deon should really know better than to cut through gang territory by now. As it is, he's been cornered by some kedan from a smaller gang who are pushing him around and demanding his juulan. For someone so tall, he's a bit shit at defending himself or being at all imposing.

I. [Gene] Sky Sector / Earth Sector | early May 9 | closed to Skul

Once Gene manages to get his heart down from pounding like hell in his head, he grabs his radio and makes a call to Skul, like he'd promised Tony.

"Skul? I know it's late, but I need your help."

OOC Note: If you want another starter, please hit me up over at

Chatvert and I'll pull something together for you! :>

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Gene hesitates. "I want us to remember, more than anything," he says at last, pain and fear in his voice. "I don't want to lose you again, Tony."

In some ways, it would be a blessing if they didn't remember; at least Gene wouldn't have to live with this constant fear of something so precious being lost to anything so capricious as chance.

Gene's had his soul hanging around outside his body for the entirety of his time in Keeliai. Now his heart is walking around outside of his body, too, and he doesn't know what he'll do if one day he wakes up and Tony is gone.

"If I thought it would work...I think I would," Gene says fiercely. "Damn the consequences."

Tony nods. That had been a pretty leading question - he hadn't really been expecting a different answer. Still, hearing Gene say it gives him the courage to open his hand, and hold out the tenth ring to Gene.

"The rings - all of them together, they could do that, right? If you used all of them, you could make sure we keep our memories."

Gene freezes, staring at the ring in Tony's hand. He hadn't given it more than a passing thought in a while, just accepted that he'd given it up and it had been forever lost to him. And that it was probably safer in Tony's hands than his.

And now it's in Tony's hand, and Tony's trying to put it back in his.

He feels a bit faint. There isn't that pull from before - whether it had been the intoxicating influence of his destiny or Malicant's hooks deep in his brain, he did not know, but it had been nearly a year since he'd seen the jewelry currently resting in Tony's hand.

"Maybe," he says, his heart pounding in his ears, his voice that of someone halfway in a trance. If he takes the ring, he can fix it, fix everything, make it so they'll never forget their time in Keeliai even if they do go home one day. It's all he wants. It's everything he wants, everything he thought he'd never have, and Tony is giving it to him.

So why hasn't he taken it yet?

"I don't...I don't know if it would..."

"But you could try," Tony urges, with something like desperation starting to creep into his voice. "If it doesn't work, then we're not any worse off than we are now. But if it does work, maybe, when we go home... we can still be together."

He knows what he's offering; the significance of the ring, as well its dangers. Gene's track record with wielding ultimate cosmic power does not inspire a whole lot of confidence.

But Tony knows he's changed. He's better. More responsible, more stable, more humble. The angry, dangerous teen who had tried to make the world kneel before him has become a repentant man who Tony trusts with his life, and his heart. Can't he trust him with the tenth Makluan ring?

This is a test. It has to be a test, Tony would never give him back the ring otherwise, never ever. And he finds himself reaching for it all the same, his hand shaking. He wants it. To feel that kind of power again...!

Suddenly he gets a hold of himself and snatches his trembling hand back. "I can't," he says, fear in his voice. "You don't understand, Tony, it...changes me." All that power flooding ito his veins makes him something else, something inhuman. He remembers how he'd thought of Tony and Pepper and Rhodes and Howard before, and the rest of the world - as ants. He's spent so long here trying to reclaim the shreds of his humanity, and he's worried that the ring will undo all of his hard-fought work.

"I'm not ready for it yet, I'd...lose myself." He can think of nothing worse than putting on the ring and finding out that with it, he sees Tony as just another ant again.

Edited 2015-06-03 11:35 (UTC)

Tony hesitates for a moment, remembering thinking the same thing when he'd seen Gene with the tenth ring - that the ring does something to him, gets inside his head and messes with him. But that was back when Gene was still struggling with himself, before he'd proved himself a changed man over and over, before Tony had forgiven him.

"No you won't. You're different now. I trust you, Gene." He holds the ring closer. "Please, Gene. Can you... can you just try? I'll take it right back if you don't want to keep it."

He's practically begging. He can see that this is freaking Gene out, and part of him is getting really uneasy about the whole thing. But he's scared: scared of losing his memories, and losing Gene. He isn't thinking straight.

Gene smiles wanly, with no amusement in it. "If you give it to me, what makes you think I'll give it back?"

How can he explain it to Tony? How can he explain the addictive rush of pure power turning him into a god made flesh? How can he describe the best thing he's ever felt with the worst consequences? How can he tell Tony that he's worried that he won't control the ring, the ring will control him?

"Please, Tony, I'm scared too. But don't...don't ask me to do this. I don't want to forget this either, it terrifies me that I could wake up and you're gone," he says, and much to his horror he can feel tears pricking at his eyes. "But I don't want to put this on and have it turn me into a monster again. I don't think I can handle it."

He takes a shuddering breath. "I hate this. I hate that...that if I do this I risk becoming a person I hate. I know the future is uncertain and it seems like now or never, but...I can't do this yet, Tony," he says, his voice cracking. "I can't be trusted with it."

And he covers his eyes, because he doesn't want Tony to see him cry.

It's probably a good thing Gene's crying, because that's the only thing that stops Tony from letting his fear and frustration get the better of him. For a moment, that fear and frustration transmute into anger— after all the risks Tony's taken for Gene, Gene won't take just one for him? How invested is he in this relationship, if he won't even try to make it work back home? Does he care more about hating himself than he does about loving Tony?

But all of that is so, so unfair, and instead of lashing out, Tony clenches his hand around the ring and draws it back.

Still, he's hurting, and dreading going home and losing Gene, and he can't stop himself from asking, "What if there isn't another way? Are you... are you ever going to be able to handle it?"

And that's the million-dollar question.

"I hope so," he says after a moment, wiping his eyes and looking at Tony. "I want to do this, Tony, I want it more than anything, which is how I know I can't yet. I don't know if what I want is to make it so we remember, or if it's just me being...conniving enough to get the ring back from you. I..."

He exhales. "I would use the ring wanting to help us. But I don't know if I can be trusted with it yet, or if I would..." He swallows hard. "The first time I wore it, I...you...everyone was like an ant to me. An ant I could crush too easily, if I only willed it. It made me...something not human," he says, his voice cracking again. "I don't want to be like that again, Tony. I don't want to see you like that. You're too important to me."

Edited 2015-06-07 00:47 (UTC)

Tony looks down, at his hand that's still clenched around the ring. Gene's description of putting it on for the first time is disturbing. Tony's afraid of seeing that side of Gene come out again - but he thinks he'd rather risk that than never try, and spend the rest of their time together dreading the inevitable end.

"You're important to me too," he mumbles thickly, through impending tears. He sniffles, trying to fight them back. "How will you know? When you're ready?"

Gene looks down, thinking. He wants this, he'd said as much to Tony, but he's also afraid, so afraid, of losing himself and Tony too.

"I need to think about it," he says heavily after a long minute. "I need to make sure that I'd be...using it for the right reasons. Not just to feel that power again." Because if he goes in wanting that power, even a little, he's terrified that the ring might coax out his darker side.

Deep down, he's afraid that he hasn't really changed - that he's the same monster he'd always been.

"Give me a little while," he says, "and then I'll let you know. If I'll ever be able to use it for the right reasons...this is the best reason there is. If I can't control myself for this, for you, then...then we'll both know what I really am."

Edited 2015-06-23 02:47 (UTC)

"Okay." Tony doesn't look up, but he nods slowly. "Yeah. Okay."

Inside, he's both frustrated - it has to be now, we don't know how long this will last, we may not have time - and relieved. He knows that what he's asking for is huge. And even if he doesn't want to admit it, he knows there's a small chance that Gene will lose himself again when he puts on the ring. Forcing Gene into this before he's ready will make Gene resent him, at best. At worst...

If Gene needs time, Tony will give it to him. No matter how much it chafes.

"I'm sorry," Gene says quietly. He knows Tony is disappointed in him, but he'd rather have that than use the ring prematurely and ruin everything. His experiences with it have made him cautious, and even now, there's still that paranoia tickling at the back of his mind, that Malicant had wormed its way into his head before, and there might be a scrap of it left, a shadow on his soul, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

He's even more afraid that the shadow on his soul that would ruin them isn't Malicant - it's him.

"It's fine," Tony says quietly, wiping his eyes and then lifting them to meet Gene's. "You're right. You should think about it first. I'm sorry. I should have asked you before..." Before springing the ring on him. In retrospect, ambushing Gene with the tenth ring was a dick move.

Tony stuffs the ring into his pocket - he'll wait till he's alone again to return it to its hiding place. Then he leans in to hug Gene. "I just don't want to lose you."

Gene sighs, hugging Tony back and resting his forehead on Tony's shoulder. "I don't want to lose you, either." That's why I can't do this yet. He's also worried about what will happen if he does use the ring - that Tony will be reminded of who he is, what he is, even if he overcomes the impulse to conquer, and that Tony will get cold feet and leave. Or worse, ask Gene to make him forget.

He knows the fear is irrational, and tries to force it down. Tony wouldn't do that to him. Not after everything. This is as much about trusting Tony as it is about trusting himself.

"I'll try and make a decision as quickly as I can. I don't want to risk..." He's gambled so much on Tony before. Gambled and lost, gambled and won.

He's not sure he can predict where the chips will fall on this one - for him or for Tony.

"Don't— don't do anything before you're ready," Tony says, trying not to sound reluctant.

It's so hard not to listen to his reckless impulses - but if Gene can change his ways for Tony, then Tony can do the same for Gene. He won't rush this. He won't ask Gene to try it until he's ready.

"And I promise I won't go anywhere until then."

It's not a promise he has any power to uphold, but it won't be for lack of trying. If sheer stubbornness can tie him to this universe, they won't have anything to worry about.

"I promise, too," Gene says, and kisses him gently. "By whatever power I have, I promise I'll stick around. Besides," he says with a bit of a grin, "I've been here almost the longest out of anyone. Keeliai's tried hard to shake me off, and it hasn't yet. I'm not going anywhere without you."

What he doesn't say is I'm bad luck to know, everyone I get close to disappears, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen to you, too.

It's a bit shaky, but Tony smiles back. "Yeah, I guess you have." They've both been here for a long time, relatively speaking. And that's a little bit heartening.

He snuggles closer to Gene, clinging to him like the physical contact alone will keep him here. "We'll figure it out. We'll be okay."

He hopes it's true.

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rough winds do shake the darling buds of may | open, with starters

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[kid pix undo guy noises]

strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. such a little thing

Don't tempt me, Frodo!

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Understand, Frodo, I would use this ring from a desire to do good...

But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine!

look at these sobbing morons.

what idiots

will they ever get their happy ending? who knows

YES, DAMMIT /slams fists down on table/

i'll fight a makluan berserker to get them their happy ending

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