010 :: Voice

[hulkbusted]

I'm down one physics student, which leaves me with a lot more ticking time. I hate to admit it, but it's getting pretty hard to tolerate.

I guess... what I'm trying to say is that I could use some company. I'm going to find a decent, Cage-free restaurant and lunch will be on me.

Comments

[fe_male]

[ Tony's just been sipping at his. Although you might have an idea there. ]

I think I've seen him on the network but I haven't talked to either one of them. What do they do?

[hulkbusted]

I was hoping you'd know, since they're carrying on secret research under what's kind of your roof. I don't feel good about people who think they need secrets in a place like this.

[Maybe he sees Tony appraising his add-ins, maybe he's just being nice. Either way, he pushes the dishes over to Tony.]

[fe_male]

[ pause. ] Really? [ ..huh. ] That's pretty ballsy. I'll have to look into that.

[ He'll add stuff like Bruce did, because hey, why not, trying stuff, it's usually pretty fun. ]

[hulkbusted]

Yeah, I know you're inheriting this stuff from another you or a future you or some similar City weirdness, but it's in your lap now.

[A pause for some broth.]

Better you than me.

[fe_male]

I'll look around and see what I can find. [ Which hopefully should be a fair amount, because it's his company and he's Tony Stark. Like really. [subject to player approval ^TM etc. &c. ]

Is your lap less safe?

[hulkbusted]

[He probably doesn't actually glance down at his lap. That must be a figment of Tony's imagination.]

I don't need to be in charge of other people.

[fe_male]

[ Okay sure ]

Except for where you're pretty good at it.

[hulkbusted]

Where have I ever been in charge of people around you?

[fe_male]

Figuratively. In my head, you would be. [ right? ]

[hulkbusted]

I'm in charge of people in your head? Is there curse activity today that I didn't notice?

[fe_male]

[ what ]

You are taking me way too literally or something.

[hulkbusted]

No, mostly I'm wondering if I need to get a translation program.

[fe_male]

To what?

[hulkbusted]

Forget it. Tell me what you think about the soup, the Nicolas Cages, or somehting unrelated.

[fe_male]

[ did he actually miss something there, or ]

Soup's good. Cage's are weird, although I'm surprised more scenes from Adaptation haven't shown up. How's Pepper?

[hulkbusted]

[or Bruce is just trying to steer things to more solid ground]

The Cages are disturbing. I don't see the point of it, even more so than randomly locking people in rooms.

Pepper? I talked to her earlier, she was fine. Not Caged. Why ask me?

[fe_male]

I just heard you and she got close.

[ what are you talking about tony's totally nonchalant this is great soup ]

[hulkbusted]

[This is nothing like solid ground. Bruce tips his spoon to let the broth spill slowly back into his bowl.]

I guess she told you about the curse.

[fe_male]

[ sorry bruce. ]

Yeah.

[ sip sip sip ]

[hulkbusted]

Yeah.

[Gee, this is all kinds of fun.]

You know it was this place, but I guess if you want to hit me or something, I can take it.

[It'll be like Brazil with his aikido teacher. Yeah. Only not so much.]

[fe_male]

[ there are probably better times and places to bring something like that up than when you're in someone else's house eating food they made and gave you

not that there are really good times for it in the first place ]

Wouldn't that be a singularly bad decision? That seems rife with potential blow back.

[hulkbusted]

I know you don't know me that well, and I... [least appealing admission he's had to make in years] ...did sleep with your girlfriend, which doesn't really speak well for me, but I wouldn't make an offer I thought the Hulk would make us both regret.

[fe_male]

[ He's just sort of going to look at you a little bit, because. Okay. Generically uncomfortable but interesting, at least. If for no other reason than this is still a friendship being worked out kind of backwards or something.

Back to the bowl with a small shrug a few seconds later though. ] If I wanted to hit you I would've done it back when I first found out.

[hulkbusted]

Just give me a little warning if you change your mind about that. We don't need to bring the Other Guy into it.

[He lacks Tony's sang froid to just go back to eating and has a sip from his cup instead.]

I'm sorry. That's not the kind of man I try to be.

[fe_male]

[ well if he doesn't keep eating what else is he going to do

it's just like how he doesn't know what to say to that. there aren't really any protocols he knows of for how to handle 'sorry i was legitimately cursed and screwed your girlfriend' ]

And here I'd thought the extent of the Jekyll-Hyde thing was obvious.