Steve Rogers | OTA

[pursuitofcappiness]

WHO: Steve and You?
WHERE: Agrii ship in the water area
WHAT: A pool party!!
WHEN: Around debates time
WARNINGS: Not sure, will edit!

Steve has been trying to get in touch with the Agrii for days now without any luck. So far it's mostly just been hanging out by the water. And a few of them can really hold their breath a long time, it seems. They seem uneasy if he swims too far, so he sticks by the shallower bit of the pool for now.

If nothing else, the lush greenery is a nice change of scenery, and some days there's all this bountiful delicious food, such that he hasn't had better since before arriving here.

So, one day, after fruitlessly searching around by himself and not finding any better leads, he invites a few fellow He-Rows over for what appears to be a pool party. It's open to anyone who happens to make it through the thick botany, and he's definitely trying to encourage the younger Agrii to come play with them. Food and drink are just from the mess hall, and the games are simple ones like a hand-drawn deck of cards, and sitting on each other's shoulders trying to knock off your opponent.

If anyone wants to play that game with him, he'd definitely make a better root than pusher - don't worry, he'll be sure to keep his balance, so long as your character wants to keep playing.

Partway through he gets tasked with going back to get more ice or snacks or something, so feel free to bump into him then or in his yellow speedo (that he most definitely did not pick out himself) and towel, gathering supplies. You'll definitely score an invitation if you ask.

Then, when the 'party' starts winding down, Steve's maybe a little disappointed in not having made much progress, though he's sure a few of the younger Agrii might be coming around to them, so it's not entirely a fruitless endeavor. But he's gotten his hands on a piece of paper and graphite, and he might even ask your character to stand still for a second, as they look really nice under this foliage, and it'll just take a few minutes, if they don't mind.

[ OoC: Feel free to respond to any of the things Steve is doing or throw up your own toplevel so other people can tag you at the 'party'! ]

Comments

[in_extremis]

Evidently, Tony hadn't quite found the boundary yet, and had taken a breath to try another push to get under Steve's skin when his jaw clicked shut again for him to swallow instead with a small frown, then shake of his head. "She played," he corrected. "I could see them, sometimes, from that window in the hall, you know, where--" Steve hadn't been in the Mansion, so the context wasn't going to help, and Tony fumbled what he thought was an easy diversion. Instead, he had to finish, "I was a terrible party guest then, couldn't hold my liquor. You played cards with your mom?"

[pursuitofcappiness]

"Sure I did," he answers, "when she had time. She taught me everything I know." He doesn't know what Tony means when he says that he didn't play with his mother, but Steve had also imagined that they'd have played a long time before Tony started drinking.

Unless...

His eyes cloud over a little.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you," he says, instead. If Tony doesn't want to talk about it, he won't.

[in_extremis]

Tony's soft smile was very brief, the affection for an image of that young woman that Tony had only seen in photos trying to show a beautiful, serious toddler how to shuffle cards quickly overtaken by a sharpened slant of Tony's smirk. "She teach you that, too?" he asked. "Cold. Let's get her in this game, kick some of these kids' asses for information."

[pursuitofcappiness]

"Of course she did," says Steve, shuffling the cards. "Couldn't let me lose any money we didn't have." And she probably assumed he'd be more of a gambler than he is. The only risks he takes are with his life. "Scopa," he calls out, snatching a couple cards.

[in_extremis]

It must have worked, because Steve always seemed happy to play, so he clearly had a good relationship with the cards. Maybe the one Tony knew back home was always letting him win at poker. Tony suddenly felt sure enough to guess, "And you always treated her with your winnings," eyebrows raised expectantly to hear just what that meant in the dark ages.

[pursuitofcappiness]

"Sure, if I got anything," he responds. "Never put a lot of money on the table, so I never took anything big home. I guess my biggest bet was," he gestures towards himself. "Well, all of this."

And that he'd gambled with his life. At least it paid off.

[in_extremis]

Looking surprised, Tony had to ask, "You did that for her?" That wasn't a factor in Steve's decision that they had discussed before.

[pursuitofcappiness]

"What? No, she was already gone. I mean - I don't know. I guess part of me wanted to make her proud. But. I did it for me. And because I thought I could help the country."

[in_extremis]

That sounded more like the kind of reason Steve would reliably give for just about anything--he also said he kept his underwear drawer so organized for the good of the country. What Tony wasn't so used to hearing, and what he had to gently push, was, "You don't do a lot for you." That this one big gamble had worked out so spectacularly should have made him a hedonist.

[pursuitofcappiness]

No, he doesn't. "I do enough for me," he says. It's not true, but, it's not like there's anything he can indulge in here. Not that he isn't already.

"I'm playing cards with you, aren't I?"

[in_extremis]

"Ah-huh..." Tony uttered dubiously, mouth left open to slide his skeptical tongue along his too sharp for that canine. "This is entirely for your personal pleasure, that's why you approached me and I'm finding it so easy to hold your attention."

[pursuitofcappiness]

"You don't think I give you enough of my attention?" he asks, looking over at Tony dubiously. "I'm always spending time with you."

[in_extremis]

"You are?" Tony replied, looking genuinely surprised, and maybe his perspective was a little skewed because after a moment, the strongest accusation he could produce in return was, "You went to get ice without me." He held his lips pursed with his chin raised slightly as he delicately played his cards, like he had made a solid argument and couldn't be budged.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve raises a brow. "You wanted to come with me, dressed in nothing but a swimsuit, to go get ice for the party, just to come back?"

He looks Tony in the eye and then settles back a bit. "Okay, spill. What's the problem?"

[in_extremis]

There were plenty of logical reasons, that swimsuit thing for one, that was dangerous, that meant Steve should have had some cover, but while Tony was working up this excuse with his hand twirling in the air busily and very much not meeting that eye contact, he realized this wasn't his weapon of choice for a reason. Deflection was much more effective, and he challenged, "How is this about me? We were talking about you pleasuring yourself."

[pursuitofcappiness]

"It's always about you, Tony." Unfortunately for Tony, Steve's already had enough of his deflection and tactics. "We were talking about how I didn't invite you to come with me. Which, you could have, it's not like I would've stopped you."

It wasn't even a two-man job.

[in_extremis]

That was an accusation that Tony hadn't heard in a while, and it had him visibly holding his tongue with a humourless laugh. It was a good thing someone finally showed up to be honest with him, but now Tony really didn't want to talk about how much attention he needed and let his focus stray somewhere over Steve's shoulder. His brow furrowed, mouth dropping open in surprise, and he asked, "Is that Bucky out there?" Expecting that to be sufficiently confusing, he took his chance to snatch up as many cards as possible to add to his pile, further blowing up the conversation with an obvious bout of cheating.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve knits his brows as he looks back, and says: "I don't see him," and then: "Cheap trick, Tony." He has an eidetic memory, Tony... "I know you took that three and that six. Come on, really? You thought I wouldn't remember you taking a six?"

[in_extremis]

Tony would have gladly prided himself on being a cheap trick chock full of more, except the smirk was enough to undermine his very innocent widened eyes and clueless, "Hm? Of course I have a six, it's your turn, stop stalling." Just in case, he snatched up his pile of claimed cards, so Steve would have to fight him for them if he wanted to make his point.

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve frowns. "No cheating, Tony, that's not fair." He's very serious but he also doesn't want to get into a physical altercation. Besides, it's just a game. And the cards are handmade. He wouldn't want to ruin them.

[in_extremis]

"Oh," Tony acknowledged, feigning surprise that looked about as convincing as his innocence. "We're playing fair? I was playing a very different game." If that wasn't clear enough, he boldly took a card straight out of Steve's pile to add to his own, and flashed his most charming smile.

[pursuitofcappiness]

At this, Steve does lean in and try to wrest his cards back from Tony. "Tony, come on." He frowns. "If you're not gonna play, we don't have to play, but just tell me you're done."

[in_extremis]

He was going to have to be faster than that, because Tony was already prepared for some retaliation and was quick to twist away, bringing the stack of ill-gotten gains with him as he dropped carelessly onto his back like he only meant to lounge on the beach the whole time. Of course, his smirk admitted that he knew exactly what he was doing, even as he protested, "I'm playing!," brandishing his other fan of cards over his head, see, he was still looking at them. "You're distracted. It's understandable. You're definitely much better at cards when everyone has their clothes on."

[pursuitofcappiness]

"That's just you projecting, Tony, I can see you looking at my chest." He didn't actually catch Tony staring, but if he's going to give out baseless accusations, then Steve's going to meet his bluff.

"You're not playing." He puts his cards down, and leans back.

[in_extremis]

One of them obviously wasn't playing, and when it became clear that Steve wasn't going to pursue the flagrant display if disrespect any further, Tony wrinkled his nose peevishly and let his hands fall listlessly to his chest. The light winking through the leaves above him was glittering flashes, enough to make him squint, but he kept his focus resolutely forward and not on anybody's chest. Since he was very respectfully not staring, he was free to comment, "Someone should be, terrible waste to leave it unappreciated. Like keeping a piece of cake for sentimental reasons."