I'll follow behind you on rainbow road

[paragon]

Who: CAPTAIN AMERICA WANTS YOU
Where: The Baromanogerneson Residence (i.e., 5031)
When: May 9th
What: Mario Kart and subversion, two great tastes that taste great together.
Warnings: Please warn in subjects as needed!
[Open]

The thought had formed pretty much as soon as he'd opened the box that was left on the front porch. The people here need a way to talk. There are two rooms in the house where they would be free to do so. He'd come home one day — not long after the body had disappeared from the upstairs bathroom and all the cameras he'd ripped from their wiring between there and the garage had been put back in place in their absence with a friendly maintenance note left behind that all fixtures in need of repair had been seen to, along with a bill for the expenses — to find Natasha sitting on the bed, writing a note in Sharpie. He'd leaned against the door frame and watched her hold it up to the cameras and make a deal: Steve wouldn't break any more cameras, if they give them the privacy of their bedrooms. As there had only been the three of them at the time (despite the insistence in his head that the house has always been filled by his teammates, just as he remembers of the last few years before Wayward Pines), that had meant the master bedroom downstairs, and Bucky's upstairs.

It had actually worked, though Steve wouldn't have trusted the word of whoever's behind the cameras himself if it weren't for Natasha's daily inspections, and so far the deal's held.

But it's not — can't be — a luxury only afforded to them, for their own sakes. He's told others here and there, and he knows his friends have, too. It's not enough, but nor does he have a way to get people over without arousing suspicion. But then there's the Nintendo system. A little unorthodox, as far as his own methods go, but he'll work with anything he has.

He doesn't put it down anywhere in writing, letting news of the party travel by word of mouth and hoping that's enough to keep it out of the wrong ears. At least for now. There's a chance — a good chance — that it will eventually get the Sheriff's attention, but by then it will have had the effect it's supposed to and given the people here the chance to speak to each other truthfully. And if that comes down on anyone, it's gonna be the people prepared to deal with it.

The day of the ninth is a rainy one, a good day to stay inside and play games with friends. It also provides a good excuse to use the master bedroom just off the end of the foyer as a temporary coat room. Straight ahead in the living room, Mario Kart is all ready to go, and in the kitchen next to that, snack food and drinks are available.

((ooc: THIS IS A MINGLE POST. While I will be tagging around with Steve a bit, this is mostly to give people a chance to chat with each other without the cameras watching. Per Natasha's deal with the powers that be, the cameras in the master bedroom and Bucky's room upstairs have been removed. Natasha will be greeting people at the door and taking them on a "tour" (i.e., to the master bedroom to explain the camera situation, why the party's really happening, and that they are not to discuss the lack of cameras while elsewhere in the house). Feel free to wander in there any time for a chat, or simply enjoy some Mario Kart and refreshments! Commenting around is encouraged, and please note in your top-levels whether they're open or closed. If you have any questions for me I can be found on plurk (jeeps) or discord (jeeps#9644).))

Comments

[paragon]

[ Steve's expression on BB-8 as he rolls in is both lower to the ground and more considering — the concept of artificial intelligence isn't a new one to him, so the question, after observing him downstairs, of whether the droid qualifies isn't the main one to Steve — what he can't help but wonder in his habitually tactical way is whether those behind the cameras are able to understand him.

He files it away for now and looks back up when Poe speaks. Normally he'd prefer to be on the same level as the person he's talking to, but something keeps him seated for now, possibly having to do with the other man's tension, and after the last he lets out a huff of his own. ]

I'm not in the habit of hitting men for things they haven't done. [ Which rules out only a small subset of reasons to punch a man. ] That was all Natasha. She's good at negotiating. [ Understatement. ] Better than me.

[ Truthfully, it never would've even occurred to Steve to try, and it probably shows in the small, wry smile on his face. ]

[volitaunt]

[ Poe shifts, thinking of what he and Caroline very nearly did do, in this man's bedroom no less.

That's awkward.

And it's better than thinking about how real the fights with Caroline feel and how close they fall to what he actually told her. He doesn't like strangers knowing him that way, planting seeds so believable in the half-empty fields of his mind.

Flowery, he thinks, deciding to stick with the metaphor while making fun of himself for thinking it in the first place. He's letting farm work get to him.

BB-8 rolls over to Steve, chunnering away in Binary. Poe's smooths a hand over his mouth to try and hide a smile (not well). ] He's impressed with your body mass compared to the human average and wonders if you achieved it chemically. Manners weren't really a priority with his programming.

[ BB-8 makes a rude noise in Poe's direction, and he outright grins. ]

[paragon]

[ Steve keeps his eyes on Poe for a long moment before letting himself be distracted by BB-8, the corner of his own mouth pulling upward at that apparent exchange even as he exhales in a soft huff. ]

Can't be too offended if it's the truth, can I?

[ It's not a question he tends to acknowledge, let alone answer, but that's because it's not a question that's ever needed an answer, in his experience — and commentary on it, he's found, isn't usually for his benefit anyway. But he was able to glean plenty from the lack of recognition in people's eyes early on, regardless of the rules. And if he's brought them here to talk, well . . . it's something they probably ought to know.

That still doesn't make it the most comfortable topic for him. ] He's an AI?

[volitaunt]

[ That raises fresh questions, but Poe... Well, unlike Cassian, he doesn't feel the need to know everything about everyone. He goes far more by what people do while he knows them, for better or for worse. Steve confirms, shrugs it off, and that's enough as far as Poe's concerned. If Steve wanted to say more, he'd say more. ]

Yeah. [ Normally he'd list BB-8's specs at this point, blather out statistics and model numbers and improvements, but even he is getting tired of having to explain what BB-8 is, and then having to explain what he means when he explains. ] He's an astromech droid--my flight partner.

[ BB-8 chirps a noise that sounds very much like "yep" and tilts his head dome backward to get a better look at the man on the bed. ]

[paragon]

[ Well, Steve doesn't need BB-8's specs any more than Poe needs Steve's. He doesn't have the background or context to make much sense of them anyway; that's Tony's area of expertise, and it certainly occurs to him that Tony would love to have a look at the droid. But for his own part, Steve just wears a thoughtful expression as he turns the statement over in his head, then says, ]

You fly a spaceship.

[ There's no hesitation over it, save for a small pull to the corner of his mouth to indicate that it's a little out of his wheelhouse. Mostly. He's seen spaceships (and gods and monsters) but routine spaceflight is something else entirely. Hell, he wasn't even around for the moon landing. It still feels a little ridiculous to say. ]

[volitaunt]

I fly a spaceship.

[ Poe salutes, somehow managing to do it sarcastically. ] Which isn't weird where I'm from. Interstellar travel, faster than light speed. [ He waves a dismissive hand. ] The weird part is a whole town full of people who think it's weird.

[ BB-8 tilts his head dome, apparently Unsure about Poe's choice of words.

This is familiar enough that Poe ignores it. THIS IS A GRIEVANCE HE'S BEEN BOTTLING UP FOR A WHOLE WEEK. ]