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

[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.

[hulkbusted]

[Ouch. All that trust he'd forged - will forge - might forge is crumbling, and the Jekyll and Hyde comment hits like a low blow.]

That's not fair. I'd never do something like that outside this place. I have more than enough reasons to hate myself already.

[fe_male]

[ when he said it, he'd mostly been referring to the more obvious, physical difference between Bruce and the Other Guy. Physically, mentally, outlook-on-life-in-generally. But you know, now that you've mentioned it, he's not that sorry. maybe he's more bothered than he initially thought.

although that last comment rings a pretty solid bell. ] You know what, this is great soup. I can't make anything like this, but I'll send you a few pizzas or something. [ Because he needs to leave. Like. four minutes ago. ]

[hulkbusted]

Yeah. Sure. [Conflict averse, that's Bruce, and this? It doesn't matter if it's not actually his fault, it still feels like it is, and that's enough.] The soup's no big deal.

[fe_male]

[ tony's not particularly conflict avoidant himself, but how perfect, two people who don't like to talk about things. that'll likely be at the very least attended to in some degree here shortly

maybe ]

Well. [ what do you really say here. he hasn't had that many genuine girlfriends to merit bothering with this whole situation. ] I can recognize something good when I find it. Regardless. [ which may or may not be a... well, not really apology, but at the very least a modicum of intellectual understanding, even if the emotional is far, far behind. ]

[hulkbusted]

[He's not sure what that was, but he'd never mistake it for an apology. Hell, it could be an oblique reference to Pepper. A minute ago Tony was throwing out the Jekyll and Hyde card.

Clearly what they need to be is mind readers for a day. Or something.]

You can come raid my fridge when you get sick of pizza. There's usually something good in there.

[fe_male]

[ slight pause, as he extricates himself from the seating area, having eaten most of the bowl he was given ] But I was sending you pizza. If I'm tired of pizza, why would I come to the guy I've been sending pizza. [ aside from wanting to hang out with the guy himself, of course. unspoken. ]

[hulkbusted]

To talk anti-electron collisions, I guess.

[It's kind of an invitation, since they've exhausted all the direct conversation in five minutes of discomfort.]