revivalproject | Indictment

WHO: Absolutely everyone.
WHERE: The diner.
WHAT: A decision has to made about threats to the community.
WHEN: After an attempted murder, a chaotic rescue, and an awkward reunion. Now.
WARNINGS: Nothing yet. Mark it if something comes up because...
NOTES: Structurally, this is a mingle, so you can decide what part of this is actually important to you. What you talk about in here doesn't have to be directly Beck-related, but for details about the incident, further organizing, and if you want to determine what your characters might have done/seen/heard in the meantime, this post is still good!

[NETWORK//text @ everyone]

Come to the diner. We have to talk.
If you don't show up, I'll assume you agree with me because you're incredibly intelligent and graceful. The city of Temba thanks you for your contribution to our justice system.

This was the last thing Tony wanted to do. The diner at least felt familiar, neutral--somewhere he could be in control, without having all of the attention on him. Being able to bask in the attention would have been so much easier. As it was, that felt like he would be inviting everyone to really examine the cracks in the armor. They were here because he had already lost control.

As if that didn't already feel enough like an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Tony found himself standing in a circle of seats that he had arranged, the tables pushed up against the walls, and couldn't honestly say how much that had been intentional. He raised a lip, and looked to Felwinter as though he would have any illuminating insight about productive interior design. He seemed like he wanted to be here even less than Tony did. Beck was his charge for the time being, though, and as awkward as it was to stand in his stupid chair-circle with the pair of them, Tony did appreciate having Felwinter there to keep an eye on their...problem. Even if having witnesses to his restless energy made it all the more humiliating. Felwinter couldn't sit on Beck forever just to make sure he didn't lure anyone else off the edge of a cliff, so they were all going to have to survive a little humiliation.

"I think the coffee's done," Tony declared, with absolutely no idea what state the coffee was actually in and readily moving toward the kitchen regardless. "Do you want one? I'll get you one. Do you do that sort of...?" He was still talking, and what Felwinter did or didn't eat and drink might have otherwise been something Tony pushed him about, but he was already mentally in the kitchen and trailed off as he went, flapping a hand to wave off any refusal of his offer or explanation about Felwinter's digestive situation. Maybe he would just stay in the kitchen and listen, let Beck hang himself.

Tony took a deep breath, pushing his sunglasses up his nose and squaring his shoulders, readying himself for a performance.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Steve, up on his feet again and heading straight for Bucky as he walked in, flopped into the seat beside him. Just in time to hear the question and snort a laugh.

"Ever the optimist, Buck?"

Okay, the chair was uncomfortable. He was happy to be out of bed but maybe not that happy if this was the alternative.

"I dunno. Everyone else seemed to be gettin' along around here. Unless you have some insight on the vendettas here that I don't?"

"Human nature?" Bucky posed with a shrug, but he gave a half smile. Steve's optimism was infectious.

"Are you sure you're ready to be outside?" he asked, brows creasing faintly, and he pushed his coffee into Steve's hands. He wasn't drinking it anyways, and it would do him some good.

"Nope," Steve answered with sarcasm dripping off of it. "I figured I'd just take the chance and say 'whoops' if I kicked the bucket after breathing in too much air."

He sipped the coffee because, fine. He needed something warm and the energy would be good. Still, he bumped Bucky's shoulder with his own, rolling his eyes. And maybe smiling fondly. Just a little. Maybe.

"I'm fine, Buck. Healthy as a glow horse. Now... Have you been able to make heads or tails of all this business?"

That earned Steve a careful swat, biting back a grin. "You'd think I'd have to worry about you less in a place like this. It's like you go lookin for trouble."

He settled a little more comfortably, shifting closer to Steve. "Mm, you know that big giant hole? That guy threw Stark in there. That part doesn't seem to be up for debate. People are mostly just undecided about what to do with him now," Bucky explained, "Stark's fine-" he added belatedly, "...somehow."

Steve grinned at the swat. It was nice getting back to normal once again. Or as close as it got to that around here.

"Do we know why he did it?" Steve sipped on the coffee before handing it over to Bucky so he could have some, too. "Not that I think there's a good reason to toss a fella off a cliff. Just seems a little odd to just decide on murder one day..."

Bucky shook his head, accepting the coffee and taking a swig with a far less sour face than he had before Steve arrived.

"Not really. Something about revenge for some project back home, but this Stark isn't even the one he's mad at. Far as I can tell they didn't really interact much. The guy's not right in the head, clearly."

"Gosh. And if you're the one who's callin' that out? Expert talkin'." Steve grinned at Bucky to underline the joke. But as soon as he had, his smile dimmed into something a bit more serious.

This was a murder trial, after all.

"Seems like a lousy reason to kill someone at any rate. 'Specially if this ain't even the right Tony Stark." He frowned a little, considering. "What sort of punishment's being debated? Jail?"

He grinned, laughing softly and ducking his head, glad to have someone who shared his sense of humor.

"Mm. Jail, yeah. Not that this place has one. Heard someone mention exile. And there's a few who seem pretty inclined to remove the threat all together."

Steve's eyes went sharp at that. "Killing him? They're seriously thinking about just killing him?"

He moved forward in his seat, suddenly a lot more attentive to the proceedings.

"That's no way of dealing justice. They can't do that. And exile on an uninhabited world is cruel, too. Humans aren't meant to be alone... It's torture."

He frowned, mind already whirling away along familiar lines that normally ended with him getting punched.

"They can't do that..."

Lips drawn into a thin line, Bucky glanced away. This was one of many points in which his opinion on things has seemingly changed overnight to Steve. After everything he'd been through since he'd first shipped off...Bucky's mind was definitely leaning towards doing away with Beck.

Steve's outrage helped center him, feeling a guilty flush, though he still wasn't sure what was right.

"He'd be alone in jail too, Steve. It's not like we have a population of criminals to put him in with."

Steve glanced at Bucky and then back to Beck. He was right, of course. They weren't set up here for meting out justice. No matter what this was going to be ugly.

He leaned back, disappointed at the limitations. But like all limitations Steve came up against, he was sure there was a way around it.

"Killing people is a bad precedent to set. But... You're right. Options here are limited." He frowned deeper.

"There has to be some answer, though. Without anyone else needing to become a murderer themselves..."

"I mean...unless someone wants to volunteer to play sheriff..." God help him, Steve was going to do exactly that, wasn't he?

"Whatever we decide, this is bound to happen again. We need to have a system in place to deal with it."

Oh. Oh, Bucky. You idiot.

Steve slowly rotated his head to look at his friend and then snapped it back toward Beck and Tony.

"You're right. We do need a system in place. We need some way of keeping people safe and rehabilitating anyone who comes here and does wrong. We don't have the luxury of prisons or anything like that. We have to do it ourselves..."

"Steve..." Bucky groaned, posture slumping with an exhausted sigh.

Why did he always have to throw himself into the line of fire at every opportunity?

But it was clear from that look alone there was no stopping him now that the idea was in his head. Steve Rogers was about the only person in the world more stubborn than Bucky was.

"Should I start looking for spurs and a big hat so you look the part?"

"Jerk," he shot back as he got out of his chair.

He turned and planted his hand on either side of Bucky so he could loom over him. All 95 imposing pounds of him. "Save the hat for you so it can hide that ugly mug. And consider yourself deputized, Buck."

His smile was wide and excited.

"Who better than us, huh?"

Bucky naturally put on a very impressed and intimidated look that wasn't at all teasing in nature.

He snorted in amusement and tilted his head in consideration. "Well, tell the people, Steve," he encouraged with a smirk and a salute, "Go stake your claim."

Indictment

Idle Chatter

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject