Tony Stark (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
in_extremis) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
revivalproject2022-07-02 10:21 pm
in_extremis) wrote in revivalproject2022-07-02 10:21 pm
Mesh
WHO: You, your favourite person, your least favourite person, and someone you've never met. Open!
WHERE: The library garden, Temba
WHAT: Putting the plants in order, for fun and...fun. Tony's been building a hedge maze.
WHEN: A lovely summer evening.
WARNINGS: Mark it if you get nasty. This is an open invitation function, and the sheriff can't stop all of you at once.
NETWORK // un: ironman // TEXT
Come to the library. Try to find your way out.
It's better with a hand to hold.
What was supposed to be a much more gradual project had rapidly become unmanageable. After being released back into the sunlight, Tony was sure he was going to return to a yard that was parched and languishing without care. He had never been much of a botanist, if he could help it. What he found instead was a snarl of plants that were threatening to take over any progress he had made on this project, while he transformed the room in the library basement into his workshop and repurposed the gutted parts, and beating the stems and petals back was only getting him so far. The ring he had been carrying around, telling himself he needed just the right place to reveal it, might have still been missing, but this garden was not going to tolerate being tamed for long.
Even on the terrace wrapping the back of the library, the greenery broke through the flagstones in wild tufts of grass and thorny weeds that had to be hacked back. Much of it now was burning sweetly in the firepit, ringed by the last of the intact stone benches that were found here. Maybe sitting under them was more comfortable, though, like the few, cuddling mothcats that could be found there, because the benches were clearly Agrii design. The yard back here was braced in by a few tall trees along the edges of the property, obscuring most of the road beyond and sending fluttering seedpods skipping across the stones with every summer breeze.
Dominating the space now was a maze. It was imposing, particularly in low light, after the sun had set and Tony had sent his cryptic message. Not much could be seen peering into the structure from the entrance; the depths darkened rapidly, and the first path to choose came quickly. Flanking the entrance were torches, though, and with them baskets of lumpy, oily candles that could be lit on the flickering braziers to carry into the dark, and become floating points of light that whispered past each other in the soft grass and between the fragrant, lusciously flowering walls of the maze. Even now, the branches and vines that determined the structure seemed to be stretching voraciously, leaving beds of petals where they had crashed into each other, and sneaking across the paths to catch uncritical toes. Even experienced maze-solvers might find some challenges within, with some tricks of the eye and secret doors to discover, but they might also find there was no rush to the exit; the myriad blind alleys and cul-de-sacs weren't simply dead ends. In one, a set of swings, flat wooden boards hung close to each other and maybe tall enough to peek over the maze wall with an enthusiastic enough push. In another, a shallow pond, thick with small flowers that swam over the surface of the water that glowed eerily. A particularly lucky and industrious explorer might find a puzzle box, waiting patiently in a nest of purple sand, that rattled when shook. There was definitely something in there. What else might be hidden in the dark?* Around only a few corners, the whole experience might be over, breaking back into the open garden of the library from a surprising nook just a few steps away from the inviting entrance to the maze. It would probably be better not to get too impatient.
*Feel free to make up some fun, weird stuff, I'm sure we can all be cool. If you're really not sure and need me to say yes, you can dm here or @ me on discord.
WHERE: The library garden, Temba
WHAT: Putting the plants in order, for fun and...fun. Tony's been building a hedge maze.
WHEN: A lovely summer evening.
WARNINGS: Mark it if you get nasty. This is an open invitation function, and the sheriff can't stop all of you at once.
NETWORK // un: ironman // TEXT
Come to the library. Try to find your way out.
It's better with a hand to hold.
What was supposed to be a much more gradual project had rapidly become unmanageable. After being released back into the sunlight, Tony was sure he was going to return to a yard that was parched and languishing without care. He had never been much of a botanist, if he could help it. What he found instead was a snarl of plants that were threatening to take over any progress he had made on this project, while he transformed the room in the library basement into his workshop and repurposed the gutted parts, and beating the stems and petals back was only getting him so far. The ring he had been carrying around, telling himself he needed just the right place to reveal it, might have still been missing, but this garden was not going to tolerate being tamed for long.
Even on the terrace wrapping the back of the library, the greenery broke through the flagstones in wild tufts of grass and thorny weeds that had to be hacked back. Much of it now was burning sweetly in the firepit, ringed by the last of the intact stone benches that were found here. Maybe sitting under them was more comfortable, though, like the few, cuddling mothcats that could be found there, because the benches were clearly Agrii design. The yard back here was braced in by a few tall trees along the edges of the property, obscuring most of the road beyond and sending fluttering seedpods skipping across the stones with every summer breeze.
Dominating the space now was a maze. It was imposing, particularly in low light, after the sun had set and Tony had sent his cryptic message. Not much could be seen peering into the structure from the entrance; the depths darkened rapidly, and the first path to choose came quickly. Flanking the entrance were torches, though, and with them baskets of lumpy, oily candles that could be lit on the flickering braziers to carry into the dark, and become floating points of light that whispered past each other in the soft grass and between the fragrant, lusciously flowering walls of the maze. Even now, the branches and vines that determined the structure seemed to be stretching voraciously, leaving beds of petals where they had crashed into each other, and sneaking across the paths to catch uncritical toes. Even experienced maze-solvers might find some challenges within, with some tricks of the eye and secret doors to discover, but they might also find there was no rush to the exit; the myriad blind alleys and cul-de-sacs weren't simply dead ends. In one, a set of swings, flat wooden boards hung close to each other and maybe tall enough to peek over the maze wall with an enthusiastic enough push. In another, a shallow pond, thick with small flowers that swam over the surface of the water that glowed eerily. A particularly lucky and industrious explorer might find a puzzle box, waiting patiently in a nest of purple sand, that rattled when shook. There was definitely something in there. What else might be hidden in the dark?* Around only a few corners, the whole experience might be over, breaking back into the open garden of the library from a surprising nook just a few steps away from the inviting entrance to the maze. It would probably be better not to get too impatient.
*Feel free to make up some fun, weird stuff, I'm sure we can all be cool. If you're really not sure and need me to say yes, you can dm here or @ me on discord.
no subject
That being said, he can appreciate that she seems to understand the crux of his concerns - that trust isn't given, but earned. And how could she earn it if he never gives her the opportunity to try?
After a long bit of quiet staring-down, eventually Dustin relents there, sighing and dropping back into a crouch on the ground. "Your word doesn't mean anything to me," he says, grabbing his abandoned shoelace so he can start threading it back into his loose shoe. There's no venom behind the statement, though, because-- "I don't know your organization or what it does. A 'kansen' could be a sales rep. Or a mercenary for a sales rep, since you apparently specialize in--"
Dustin shakes his head once. Getting too far in the weeds. "--Whatever. Describe your organization and your job priorities."
The teenager braces himself for an obvious answer - something along the lines of 'being a ship' or 'saving people.' He's hoping for more details, though; Reno has already dropped little nuggets of interesting intel, implying heavy combat details against other 'kansens' and 'Sirens' and some group called the 'Crimson Axis,' but those names still don't mean anything to him. Additionally, none of them directly correlate to the US Navy organization that he's studied from his world's past or present or their enemies (aside from a vague connection to the WWII-era Axis powers and aliens, apparently). More context is required.
no subject
There's a pause and a hopeful lilt of her head to see if he's been keeping up. Though maybe he's kept up a bit too much given some of those names.
no subject
But appearances are deceiving. "Some of that tracks," Dustin says, breaking the pause in Reno's explanation. "I'm familiar with the ships you've mentioned - I mean, I'm familiar with the ships from my world. They're not...people. Kansen." Which is what he's inferring that word means - some kind of anthropomorphized military ship. Or maybe the term just refers to ships in general, and those of the Eagle Union and similar are the ones that do the fighting?
Getting ahead of himself again. "They're all historic vessels, World-War-Two-era. Turned into tourist attractions or scrapped for the GTP by now, probably." Dustin finally glances up, having finished fixing his shoe to his exacting standards. "I guess that would be your 'Azur Lane?' And the 'Eagle Union' would be the US branch?"
no subject
"As for my role, I normally escort carriers and shoot down aircraft mainly, but I also fire on other ships and kansen since there's a lot of those too."
no subject
"Sixty-two years," the teenager clarifies after a slight pause. "From my perspective, anyway. I would say that's where our timelines likely diverged, but there's, ah..."
Dustin gestures vaguely in Reno's direction with a wave of his hand.
"...Obviously other factors to consider."
no subject
With that, she turns her attention to him, "What's your world like? It sounds like its like my world in the past!"
no subject
Her question gives him more pause. How do you explain a world that seems normal to you but might not be to others? It's a problem he's considered before, but not spared too much thought on; that would require accepting the possibility of actually sitting down with someone and wanting to talk details. Why would he waste time even pretending something like that would happen?
Kicking himself a little bit now. "Same differences as you've noted with the others," Dustin ventures, quirking an eyebrow. "On top of the year, from the sounds of it. How far is 2007 in your past?"
no subject
"I'm from 2020, so that's thirteen years back. I couldn't really tell you when our worlds diverged, I didn't get that history book," answered with a sheepish grin. "I bet you don't even have an iPhone and- oop, forget I said that! No spoilers!" Jazz hands engage!
no subject
Dustin's other eyebrow rises to meet the first, far into his hairline.
"--No no no, you can't just say something like that and not follow up on it." The teen shakes his head and holds up a hand. Interest thoroughly piqued now. Is this some kind of special military phone? Sounds juicy. "Why shouldn't I know about it? Is it dangerous?"
no subject
Even if its not our timeline! Probably!"
no subject
His expression turns sour.
"Maybe they're letting us trade info like this because putting us back where we came from isn't part of their plan. Wouldn't matter then, would it?"
no subject
no subject
He nods along at Reno's descriptions, egging her on with small, impatient rolls of his hand. Cameras, flashlights, internet connections, nothing new there--but what the fuck is a Juustagram? Probably some social media or basic photo sharing website, Dustin figures. Which, if that's her priority with this iPhone thing, probably means that's not critical technology, either. Damn.
Looking a little deflated, Dustin falls back into a more comfortable crouch. The last straggling mothcats, so full of energy just a few minutes ago, have coalesced into a dozing pile near the heat of the bonfire. Their exhaustion is contagious; just looking at them forces Dustin to stifle a yawn.
"How convenient," he says languidly. "As convenient as how I 'left' all my shit back home, too. You know they did that on purpose, right?"
no subject
The yawn doesn't escape her, and perhaps oddly, she picks herself up and dusts off her knees. "It is getting kinda late, isn't it? If you want to head to bed, that's okay, I want to check around here some more. The maze sounds kinda exciting!"
no subject
"It's not that interesting," Dustin replies dryly, picking himself up off the ground as well. The twigs he hasn't yet shaken from his hair would tell a different story, but. He doesn't really want to get into that. "Whatever. Have fun I guess. I've gotta return these books, anyway."
With a lazy shrug, Dustin shuffles his way back towards the library.
no subject
Will she turn this sour?