revivalproject | Temba Beach Party!

Entry tags:

Temba Beach Party!

WHO: EVERYONE!!
WHERE: Temba Beach
WHAT: BEACH PARTY TIME!!
WHEN: noooooooow
Notes: Mix & Match the prompts as desired. Any format goes!
WARNINGS: Pride Birbs. It's Pride month. So. PRIDE BIRBS! Oh. And you may add your own warning labels to the respective threads, I suppose.

Isn't it amazing what people can achieve when several come together and pool their ideas and resources for a shared goal?

It certainly is in Jon's eyes, whose innate lack of creativity originally has gone as far as bringing some blankets to the beach and hoping for a good mood. What has ended up being set up on the bluish, almost purple sand of the beach is far beyond anything he would have imagined and he won't deny being glad he has reached out over the network with his little suggestion.

Of Barbecues, Grills and other Beverages

Do you remember Cobb asking for a grill to be made for him? Right. That grill can be found at the party. Kyle has offered to prepare burgers to be grilled along with whatever meat selection the diner has to offer and Clarice is the person to thank for the home made ice pops, created from native fruits such as glueberries and mangourd. Of course these are kept fresh under a parasol and in an insulated box mostly buried into the sun. That's how the majority of the drinks offered at this party are being kept cool as well.

If you want to catch one of those fat green lobsters roaming the beach as well and toss it onto the grill, you sure can try.

INTO THE OCEAN!!

You better bring your swimwear, because jumping into the water is an option. No actually dangerous creatures are this close to the shore, making swimming or potential swimming lessons very much possible.

Tony also ensured there is a little kiddie pool for the babies. And Cobb.

Someone brought an inflatable Eyeball?

Before anyone asks, it wasn't Jon. But it's there. An inflatable eye beach ball.

Any questions? Yes? Good.

Lounging in the Shade & Music

Parasols, blankets and a guitar borrowed from Cayde's bar. Sit down, relax, chat. And if you know how to play this instrument, you're very welcome to do so.

Let there be BIRBS

Have you wondered yet why those birds are in the banner for this party? It's because they are here.

At first they linger in the trees near the beach, watching and squawking and being colorful parrots. As a little time passes, they leave the safety of their trees and start coming over, sitting on parasols, hopping curiously between this oddly large amount of people gathering at their beach and in all likelihood attempting to steal a snack or two.

But if you pay close attention, you can also observe them swooping down at the nearby lobsters, easily picking them up and carry them back into the nearby forest. Apparently these birds aren't just colorful and curious they also hunt lobsters. Who could have known...

Don't forget the Caves

Actually not far from our little party waits the entrance to the caves. Take a wrong turn in them and you will find yourself in a large chamber filled with those energy crystals that make all your technology glow and go insane or result in your powers to fluctuate greatly. Take the right turn, and you find yourself at those mysterious hot springs only few know about.

To be fair, the actual party is at the beach, but who knows when the need for some privacy arises.

When it gets Dark we gather around the Rainbow Colored Fire Pit

While set up at the edge of the gathering, the fire pit Tony and Cayde have set up to have a bonfire in easily is one of the center pieces of the party. Benches and seats either brought over from Temba or crafted from different material are set up around it and once the sun begins to set and the bonfire gets lit along with the many torches set up around the party, the invitation to remain a little longer couldn't be clearer.

There's more to it than just a cozy fire, a pleasant atmosphere and the company of friends. Next to the fire pit sits a small box. In that box, wrapped in plain tissue paper, are what at first glance are little more than lumps of wax. But mixed into this wax are different chemicals and tossing these into the pit will result in the fire burning with different colors or even sparkle. Way to set the mood and linger as the party winds down.

Due to health concerns Jon does not recommend cooking any food over the chemically altered flames, thank you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I want to say yes." Jon decides while accepting the return of the sandwich and letting himself lean against Tony contently. "I rather missed swimming. Especially in an actual ocean. Haven't really been back to a beach since leaving Bournemouth. It was school and work and then- An apocalypse." That last word is when Jon's tone becomes a little forlorn and rather than continuing to eat his food, he looks down at it resting in his hand.

Then he exhales with a sigh and looks back up and into the flames before them, stubbornly deciding to not fall back into miserable dwelling. "Today was good. It was fun. It was- Good fun." He says, sounding very much like a person that hasn't had simple fun in literal years.

It sounded like someone trying to convince himself about the fun to Tony, but his doting smile was lost in the anxious twist of his frown at Jon's sigh. "You know..." he started slowly, his hand coming up automatically to illustrate immediately hesitating then restricting to short, tight movements as Tony clearly did his best to hold himself still and not jostle Jon immediately off of his shoulder. It wasn't going to last, 'still' wasn't Tony's natural state, but he could at least get as far as, "You can just come out here whenever, you don't have to make a whole thing as an excuse. I won't tell anybody. Unless the fun is in showing off, in which case, listen, you know a professional, I feel like you wasted some opportunities. For starters, way too much clothes. Amateur move."

"Tony, if I wore any less, I would be sitting here naked!" Jon argues, then cuts himself off with a flustered glance away. The moment doesn't last, however, and the reprimanding scowl on his face morphs into one of ruefulness.

"I just wanted to- To share. For once I wanted to bring those around me something else but misery and never ending nightmares. I have been stuck in a world where I was the only one having a comparably good time for- God only knows how long." He pauses there for the smallest shrug he can muster, having now come to pick at is sandwich with the fingers of his other hand. "I was fine. I was healthy. I was little less than the god of that hell I had created. And all around me was suffering and pain and while I disliked it, I-- It just felt right." Another pause. Jon's index finger has pushed through the bread of his sandwich. "... and then I started recreating that same world while under the influence of Billy's magic. I made people suffer again. They weren't real, but that's beside the point. The point is that... There is this part of me that still craves that terror and misery. And-- I don't want that. I want to make those I care about feel something else than dread."

There is a short pause before he adds: "And I do come here on my own. Never for long as I feel terribly drawn towards the caves, but- y-yes."

Tony leaned in to the flustered scowling with a self-satisfied smirk, making Jon sway slowly because there was nowhere for him to escape and he was going to have to face that Tony did mean naked, yes, eventually. Tony sobered with him, though, smile falling slowly as Jon spoke and rolling back into his own space at first, fingers working anxiously through the sand like he could count the grains. By the time Jon was tearing his bread apart, Tony wasn't sure that giving him his space was the right move anymore and shifted in a very casual stretch of all of his limbs that left him propped with one hand by Jon's hip, where Jon could lean back properly against his shoulder. His bicep and chest were tense and tight at Jon's back as he spoke, but Tony was braced protectively close and not likely to move, if Jon was worried about that kind of thing, and where he could press a reassuring kiss above Jon's ear.

"That's all big stuff, I'm not saying it isn't, but I don't think you're seeing how much you already made everyone here feel," he said quietly, treading as carefully as possible because the last time he had tried to tell Jon what he was doing was helpful, it just seemed to piss him off. "And I don't think its some magic of this place making you this person, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're just generally bad at seeing it, but--look at what happened here today. If anyone else had blasted out an invitation to a beach party--" Tony raised his free hand then, palm up and offering Jon explore his wildest imagination for how lame that party would have been. It definitely wasn't just Tony, but he could say with confidence, "If I had done that, everyone would have just assumed I wanted to see them in their swimsuits and suddenly had a lot to do that day." Including Jon, but Tony was fairly confident that he could cajole Jon through his grumbling enough to sit on the beach, if only because Jon already told him about the childhood affinity. "It would just be you'n'me, no one would go to the trouble of the grill or the games. That's all you."

That gesture of reassurance and support is a welcome one. It brings a familiar and appreciated warmth and an invitation for closeness that makes up for the earlier implications. It makes Jon feel safe. It also makes him ask himself if he really deserves to feel safe.

He still hums his appreciation for Tony's words. "Thank you. I- Truth be told, I didn't expect this much enthusiasm myself. But I'm grateful for it. Everyone put all this effort into having a good time..." And he trails off for a moment, then turns his head a little to cast a glance at Tony. "Christ, you put all this work into it and here I am, still moaning at you when instead I should be thanking you. I apologize. You- You're right. I mean- I don't regret sending out that message, you know? But I also did it for everyone who needed a pleasant afternoon not just myself and wanting to feel better about my guilt. Please tell me to shut up."

Jon might have been doing weird things like hanging out and eating burgers, but his persevering commitment to not listening was still making Tony start to roll his eyes, then chuckle at its predictability. No one needed to be thanked for their natural reactions to a unique catalyst. What Jon was good at doing was talking, though, and even the spooky, magic shit that he talked so much about, or the apocalypse that Tony still held tensely in his chest didn't make him any harder to listen to. Tony took his chance with Jon turning toward him to nuzzle against his ear and promise, "Maybe later. I think this crowd has seen more than enough of that with those skinny kids making out in the water." See, a catalyst. Jon should have known he had a talent for chemistry.

Nudging Jon back again with a brush of his nose so he could continue more seriously, Tony said, "Every addict I've known hates who they are when they're using, and none of them have had a clean break. Yeah, that's going to make me an asshole who hurts people, but that doesn't make the hunger go away. I don't know if it's really the same, maybe one day you'll be--whatever you were, before this thing got to you, but until then you should know that the craving is just part of you. A small part, that makes itself feel very big at the worst times, and one you can't pretend isn't there, but just a part." Tony had already pulled Jon's shoulders back and given him a list of plenty of other parts worth considering, but that was before the whole apocalypse thing and a boyfriend who actually understood any of it was there to help Jon through it. Maybe Tony just wasn't equipped and hadn't figured out how to listen, either.

“Later sounds fine by me.” Jon agrees with a small nod. “Someone brought a tent here after all…”

And that promise is left as such as Jon finds himself treated to Tony’s voice in turn. What he has come to appreciate is how normal, how manageable Tony can make any weird and complex issue sound. Just methodically disassembling a problem and boiling it down to its core issue to make them palpable. Make them real.

He just isn’t sure how to feel about being called and addict. It seems like an odd choice… Still. They can stick with that allegory for now.

“Hmm.” The sound is a thoughtful one and followed by a simple question. “Will you help me get through it?” And maybe the tone makes it clear that Jon considers this question to be rhetorical. But confirmation is still nice to hear.

If Tony had been more forthcoming about his own addiction problem, Jon might have caught on to the device he accessed to make sense of most compulsions, and a lot of what Jon did was compulsion. Like any time he asked a direct question and sent a staticy tingle up the back of Tony's neck, white noise prickling at his brain, only this time it...didn't. It was possible that Jon's process had been streamlined to directly reading Tony's mind instead of compelling him to blurt out his embarrassing thoughts. Maybe he had always been able to innocently ask questions and chose not to. Maybe this was just another weird, unfamiliar thing for Tony to feel out, cautiously stiff but nosing behind Jon's ear again like he could smell the changes on him before any more could catch him off guard.

It felt like Tony was hesitating, he was suddenly very aware, and he breathlessly replied, "At your service, boss," before properly processing what the not-compelling question actually was. Feeling both awkwardly exposed and giddy at Jon's easy reassurance, he had to quickly fill some space, "I happen to know a willing outlet and some creative techniques for inflicting misery, if you're craving a fix. You know, maybe you just haven't had a place to put all of that energy, that's never healthy. This is good, too, though, hey, this could be your thing, party planning. Ikora wants to help organize the library and catalogue everything we figure out, so you can just leave that to her, you've got a new calling. Maybe invest in some sunscreen, this isn't sustainable, but a strong beta test."

"Tony, forcing someone to live through their worst nightmares over and over again is not something you should be talking about like some common kink." Jon says with a small frown on his face, though his tone doesn't make his words sound angry or even irritated by Tony's suggestion. Much rather is he stating a fact. "I... Still appreciate the idea of finding a safe approach to quenching certain... Demands."

Jon is trying to consider how the Eye might react to any such attempts when Tony mentions Ikora, making Jon look back at the other man with a raised brow. "What. Does my library not meet her standards?" But before Tony can answer, Jon raises a halting hand. "I know, I know. It's hardly up to my standards and I try running the place." The complaint is a lighthearted one. Jon is well aware that the library hardly deserves being called that. The halting hand makes a little circular gesture in the air. "And please don't expect me to arrange any further parties any time soon." Maybe at some point in the future...

Jon could appreciate it all he wanted, that didn't make it any less frustrating for Tony to be gently rebuffed once again for even joking, kind of, about trying to help. He released it in a sigh over his shoulder and a restless tugging at the his robe over his chest to work the fabric through his fingers. He wasn't used to being this slow at figuring out the right angle, never mind the solution. As Jon turned back to him, Tony's look to meet his eye was sidelong, until Jon's question had him furrowing his brow with a lopsided smile to turn his own confusion on him. "I promise, if she was judging the place, I would come to your defence," he said sweetly, anxious hand smoothing flat against his chest. "We were just talking about putting more stuff in it. I told her about the tapes we were trying to make before--the thing with Billy, and it all went off the rails. We've got the bodies now, and the power's on, we can start doing proper research."

"I know you would have." The words are spoken softly and with a knowing nod from Jon. "I also know that I could use that help. I mean- All this time here I kept doing all these recordings on tape, inadvertently playing the Spider's game. And yet audio recordings remain our best bet. Text written on paper does not auto translate to anyone unfamiliar with the language here, the spoken word does. Yet I still feel reluctant to store these records on the network, where they could be meddled with from the outside." He doesn't doubt that the Atroma have full access to their network.

Jon leans his head back against Tony's shoulder, but keeps glancing over at him. "I just wonder why Ikora would want to do this sort of work. She's a Guardian after all. She's strong and can easily head out to explore and face the dangers of this planet." He lets out a small, hollow laugh. "Heh. I know I would prefer doing that. Yes, I'd probably be terrified most of the time, but- It just might do the trick. Be this fix of experienced terror and satisfied curiosity."

That detail about the translation hadn't occurred to Tony, who hadn't seen anyone with this problem so far and made a small noise of interest at the limitation. There was a partial equation there where this data met the lack of native written materials. Jon's rare display of paranoid caution had Tony putting that aside for a small laugh of approval, though, his wry smile lingering while Jon continued. There were some things he wouldn't just tell people, then, as long as he could put them on tape to be found later. It was a start.

"You'd have to ask the boss for permission," Tony agreed with a slow nod of understanding for this completely irrational limitation Jon has put on the boundaries of Temba library management. "He can be a bit of a hardass, but if you embarrass him enough, you can get away with anything. Don't worry, I'll talk to him for you."

It may be a bit of a niche problem based on the simple fact that not many people here are either taking handwritten notes or exchange handwritten letters when the network is faster and much easier accessible. But Jon has seen the wonder on the Agrii's faces when he was writing on actual paper, puzzling over the strange symbols he produced. And on Coruscant he has encountered a large number of new languages in their written form. Languages Jon could understand, if not due to the Communications specialization he has by now settled with, then due to the Eye landing at least that level of assistance.

... Coruscant feels like it has been ages ago.

Jon nods, with the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Aight. I'll leave that conversation to you. Try not to be too mean, though."

Tony's expression suggested that he took that as something of a suggestion, tongue between his teeth as he flashed Jon a not at all reassuring smirk. It might take being a little mean to make sure Jon was exploring the dark corners of the city with Tony, instead of skulking around on his own, being attacked by spiders and tempting himself with the caves.

"Do you think that's all it takes? You can scare yourself, done deal?" he prompted. That would be an annoyingly obvious solution for Tony to have missed this whole time, but he hadn't spent much of his problem-solving considering changing Jon's behaviour or comfort by much. Deliberately frightening him didn't sound ideal, so Tony still looked skeptical that it was a worthwhile solution.

"It's not ideal." Jon admits, tipping his head a little to one side. "And not quite as simple as you make it sound, I'm afraid. The Eye is curious and seeks to observe and experience things and fears it doesn't know yet. I have kept it fairly satisfied by exploring the city and any alien planet we came to, giving it new things to know and sometimes new dreadful experiences to learn about."

Jon turns the mutilated sandwich in his hands thoughtfully. "You know what's funny? It can't even comprehend any of these things it learns. It only knows. It's piling pure information without being capable of bringing any sense to it. It needs me to understand these things in its place."

When Tony gave it some thought, he did see how there might have been some things he technically knew but didn't understand, and also how hungry that made him to get to the understanding. Over Jon's shoulder, he clicked his tongue thoughtfully, tipping his head back to look up at the alien stars and the sparks that the fire threw out among them, all containing a multitude of new, strange and most probably dreadful experiences for Jon to explore, if they were allowed to reach them. In some ways, this situation that they had been dragged into did seem ideal to Tony, despite Jon's despondence. It didn't sound as likely that Tony would have the opportunity to invite Jon to explore the stars with him if they had never left their respective Earths. Space travel didn't seem to be on Jon's radar.

"Like the cave," he provided. "Or when you got your...DDoS attacks." In fact, it sounded like the caves could be a very different experience for Jon now that he already knew, as far as Tony understood it. "Are you sure it needs you to understand? That could be just...you." That didn't make it any easier to deal with, Tony was sure, but maybe some awareness could grant some serenity.

DDoS attacks sure is one way to describe that overload of information and the comparison makes Jon chuckle softly for a moment. But Tony's assumption may not be wrong. Jon has acquired a great deal of control over his powers by now.

"It probably doesn't, right. I still prefer to make sense of what's happening. For the Eye I'm... A focus. One to control its power." And feed it. "I admit I'm surprised I haven't lost them when-" And Jon cuts off there with a little squirmy motion. Would it have been better to just lose them? Tony certainly would be less concerned about him had he just shown back up entirely human.

Leaning his own head back and fully against Tony's shoulder, Jon casts the man a gently apologetic look. "I'm sorry I keep presenting you complicated issues." The words are less an apology and rather a promise to make up for Tony's efforts somehow.

The uncomfortable squirming made Tony tense with an expectant frown, free hand tented in the sand where it had dropped and waiting for Jon to draw away with the regret of how much he was letting Tony know, so when Jon leaned his weight back Tony readily welcomed him with a pat down his shoulder where Tony's restless fingers could resume their work against the soft underside of his arm. If he would stay, Tony would stop pressing him; Tony didn't have to always be the one to spoil a nice day, and hadn't entirely spent his playful energy on everyone else.

"Please, this is nothing," he tried to dismiss, like he wasn't obviously out of his element. "Hawkeye wants arrows that explode but don't make a sound, Wasp needs a helmet that doesn't ruin her hair, Quicksilver's looking for someone to tell him that suit was a good choice..." Alright, not entirely out of his element. The magic thing wasn't Tony's scene, but he was no stranger to making impossible realities and solving difficult problems, and no one else thought he deserved and apology for putting himself in that position. He flicked a finger up, to invite Jon to consider the stars with him as he continued, "Most of the people I've run into as an Avenger have no idea how to deal with their powers, and are trying to figure out their place in the universe. The ones that end up on the team--that's one of the most gratifying parts of the whole thing."

The stars, right. Jon has often looked up at them and tried to spot anything familiar. Which has been a somewhat foolish thing to attempt since he knows none of these stars and planets and constellations were among those visible from Earth.

They were still pretty to look at.

Hearing Tony speak behind him, that low rumble of his voice so close to his ear being both soothing as well as reassuring: Tony won't simply push him away. And this reassurance from within is just as warm as the fire before them. "How has the team building been going so far?"

It wasn't clear what Jon intended by the question, and at first, Tony's hand on his arm drew gingerly away and Tony seemed to hold his breath. He had never been the Avenger to inspire the others to the gates of hell; that was Wanda, who had clearly been avoiding him since he got here, and Cap, who resolutely refused to return despite the Agrii finding it prudent to send them another of his not-so-boyish partners. What was it about Bucky? What Tony could offer with confidence was a flick out toward the beach, where these people plucked out of their lives from across the multiverse and who had no reason to trust each other, had shared food and played like the world here hadn't already ended. "You have that under control," Tony pointed out.

"Let's call it a team effort." Jon decides while taking hold of that indecisive hand. As much as Tony tries to give the credit to him, this day wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it has been without the work so many others have put into it. And this has included Tony as well.

While Tony's hand in Jon's was clearly tense, he didn't immediately make to draw it away and deliberately tried to release the pressure, from his anxious glance around the fire and from the guilt that he had read into Jon's question and Jon's hold was clearly trying to redirect, in a sigh breathed down Jon's shoulder. He slipped away slightly, hooking one finger around Jon's instead, and he thanked Jon for his inclusion in the team in an abrupt kiss to his hair; not mechanically different than the one Tony had delivered before, but functionally more intimate, in Tony's estimation. It wasn't like anyone didn't know anymore, it had been made very clear to Tony that he didn't have the luxury of hiding, but that didn't make it feel any better to be exposed.

"Do you want to find out which esteemed member of the team blows their hand off with a firework first?" he offered, low and sultry near Jon's ear like he wasn't presenting an opportunity to mangle the beachgoers, the growing slant of his smirk clear in his voice.

Tony's voice this close to his ear is undoubtedly pleasing to Jon, especially combined with Tony not having entirely let go of his hand. It's the words that have him blink and glance back at Tony. "You brought fireworks?" Maybe he shouldn't be too surprised if Tony did indeed bring fireworks. But this is the first time Jon hears them mentioned.

"I hope no one does get hurt! By whichever means." Not today, not ever if possible.

Tony's answer was a very self-satisfied grin, sure that shouldn't have even been a question. Jon should have been very aware of what a fan Tony was of fireworks, and he had already done half the work for Tony with his colour-changing compounds. It had been a team effort, which Jon should have been proud of.

Tony gave Jon's hand a tug of warning so Tony could bounce up to his feet, then tip his head back toward the scattered mess that Tony had made of his things around the tent to invite Jon to come along and make his safety assessment. "We'll handle them very professionally," Tony blatantly lied. "And if it looks like its going off the rails, we'll give them to Cayde."

"You want to trust Cayde with explosives?" Jon asks with a hint of bemused teasing in his voice as he follows Tony away from the fire to the tent that he now can only assume to having been converted to a storage area for these fireworks. When has that even happened?

Granted, it could have happened when Jon has been busy enjoying his time in the water or during the general madness of that water fight taking place all over the beach.

"Alright. How dangerous did you make them? Do I need to worry?"

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