revivalproject | Adjusting

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Adjusting - Open Post

WHO: Krista & anyone who wants to join her!
WHERE: The edge of the forest, the school (??), and the hotel.
WHAT: Magic, exploration, and laying on the floor because uuuugh.
WHEN: Time is relative but after she's been here for a week.
WARNINGS: None, currently!

Forest.

Krista thought she was being sneaky, heading to the edge of the relatively less-traveled forest area to do her weird fairy magic. She was careful to be quiet about it, at first, making sure no one was around to see or hear her... But once she gets going, she gets absorbed in the task, and may not notice someone quietly walking up behind her, or hanging around to overhear her conversation.

Because she is having a serious conversation... with a frog. It has four eyes and weird, silver blotches on its back, but it's definitely a frog, and she's definitely whispering at if as if she's hearing the second half of a conversation.

"...He looks like me, but, um... No colors, very pale." She gestures over herself, explaining this concept to her amphibious audience. "Short hair... I think. Big black eyes."

A pause.

"Oh, his feet? Really dirty. No shoes. I think they were wrapped in something."

A pause. A ribbit from the frog. Krista perks up.

"You have seen him? Which way did he go?"

------

School.

She's pretty sure this is a school, anyway, between the gym stuff down below and the lecture-hall style of the rooms above. She was initially poking around like she was looking for someone, but that eventually turned into looking for something amidst the rubble.

She gasps with excitement when she finally finds it--buried underneath other debris and probably preserved only through dumb luck, she finds the rotting remains of something that looks like a book. It's clear when she pulls it out that it's useless, just a cover and the mushy shreds of some leftover paper, but Krista hugs it to her chest as if it was her very own long-lost diary.

And then, miraculously, the pages start to fill back in with a quiet fluttering, the cover straightening and un-crumbling as if time was reversed. Soon, she has what is only a slightly-battered book full of blank pages, restored from almost nothing.

She laughs quietly. She opens the pages to check that they're blank, wobbling a little with sudden exhaustion. She laughs again. This will help her. This was worth the energy.

------

Hotel.

Her earlier victories were very encouraging. She feels proud of herself. She believes that the results justified the risks. That said, she is exhausted when she gets back to the hotel... And, results or not, maybe starts to regret spending her energy so liberally without a plan for getting it back.

She stares dully at the stairwell, trying to work up the will to climb those stupid, double-tall steps... And gives up. Instead, she picks an open spot on the floor, lies down with her limbs stretching defiantly outward, and then just sort of... stays there, staring despondently at the ceiling.

She is very, very tired.

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Bucky raises one eyebrow - but she's awake and talking, so those are already good things, he figures.

"Uh - not dying," he says. "Or injured. Low blood sugar?" That happens to diabetics, right? Do they just faint?

"Oh, yeah." She lifts one arm at the elbow so that she can wave her hand in that universal 'don't worry about it' gesture, "No, I'm mostly okay. No need to like, call in a medic or anything."

She lets her arm flop back down onto the ground again. "I'm just... Very tired. And kind of in a weird emotional place. It felt very dramatic, so. Floor."

Doesn't everyone lay on the floor when they're having a weird day?

That one raised eyebrow gets a little higher, but at least it's a relief to hear there isn't a medical emergency or anything. "It is very dramatic," he agrees, crouching down now so he doesn't have to tower over her and have this conversation.

"Then again, getting kidnapped to an alien planet is probably pretty dramatic, huh?" He sort of figures that's what this is about. It's the most logical thing, anyway.

Crouching down does seem like the logical thing to do here, especially with how she has not particularly raised her voice to be heard. However, someone entering her conversational space is just enough to make her finally feel an ounce of self-consciousness, and she finds herself crossing her arms over her stomach and crossing her ankles over one another.

It makes her look more like a grumpy child, funnily enough--but it's really just her trying to feel less exposed without making it look like she cares.

"...Right? You think so?" She looks over at the stranger with a worried frown, "Because I've done this a couple of times before, so I thought I'd be like, a pro at it by now. But it's..."

She doesn't finish the sentence, twisting her mouth shut and glancing somewhere else instead.

Bucky's hearing is definitely better than average; still, that's no reason to tower over a person who seems intent to lie on the ground. Of course, given that she seems intent on lying there... he actually decides that sitting is better than crouching, so he eventually just settles down next to her, elbows on his knees.

"I don't think anyone really wants to be a pro at being kidnapped," he points out. "It's not my first time, either, but that doesn't exactly make it okay." So, "Yeah. I think if they needed help, they could've just asked." But despite the 'friendly' nature of the welcome message - and the welcome spread, even if the food had some weird effects - he definitely doesn't trust their kidnappers. "What's your name?" And, because it's kinda rude to ask without offering, he adds, "You can call me Bucky."

As far as he knows, there isn't another Barnes here that goes by it, so it's probably simpler than offering his last name.

Somehow, Krista is surprised when he settles down next to her. Sure, she might have originally laid down like a starfish in the middle of the well-frequented lobby as some weird, roundabout cry for attention, but she hadn't actually expected it to work.

It's weird. Not bad, just weird. She listens while continuing to look elsewhere, picking over the actually-very-nice things he's saying until he asks for her name.

"Uh... Hi, Bucky." She looks back over, and then lifts one of her arms up to offer a handshake at a slightly odd angle, "I'm Krista. I promise I'm not usually a sad floor person."

Bucky's no expert, but he sort of figures maybe you meet people where they are. It had always worked with Steve, anyway, so it seemed worth a shot, here.

When she raises her hand, he manages to twist himself the right way to shake it; his grip is definitely firm, but certainly not painful. He does chuckle a little at the promise, letting her hand go and settling back again. "That's good to know. I mean, otherwise I'd have to ask how I'm supposed to feed and water you.

"Have you been here long?"

It's a dumb joke and a dumb handshake, but it turns out to be exactly the kind of thing she needs right now. It actually gets her to crack a smile, let go of some of the tenseness in her shoulders when she returns her hands to being folded over her stomach.

"Um, just about a week. I'm not sure how long is long around here..."

He shrugs one shoulder; "Longer than a week," he assures her. "So that still counts as not long, I think. Most people haven't been here more'n a month, and I feel like that counts as pretty new, too."

Then again, time is a little weird here, and the nights are way longer than he'd like.

"Where're you from? Originally?" There's even odds he might not have heard of it, but maybe he has.

"I'll take your word for it," she nods, since she doesn't exactly have a lot to go off of either. She's okay accepting an excuse to go a little easier on herself.

She perks up a little once she's asked about home, though.

"Oh, Earth. New York, mostly--though I just moved to Seattle, if you've heard of either of those places."

Bucky definitely grins at that - "Oh, yeah. I grew up in Brooklyn."

Honestly, it's kind of a relief, to meet people who know what New York is, let alone have lived there. Plus, it's definitely easier to relate.

"Never been to the west coast. What's it like?"

He kind of figures distraction is not always a bad tactic to take, when someone's having a bad day.

Oh, that finally gets her to sit up.

"Really? Manhattan!" She grins, small but very genuine. The majority of the people she's met during her inter-dimensional travels have been from other planets, so she feels lucky when she runs into someone else from Earth, let alone someone who knows what New York is.

"Man, the west coast is so weird..." She's gesturing now, lively, "It's really subtle stuff, but... You know how when you're walking around in New York, everyone's got somewhere to be, and you have to, like, pay attention so you don't get mugged or like, wander somewhere you shouldn't, right? You don't have to do that on the west coast. Everyone just has headphones on like, all the time. And they all meander everywhere, like no one's in a hurry at all."

"Yeah?" Bucky asks, grinning a little too, relaxing a little because yeah - yeah, it's really nice to meet someone who knows what it's like at home home. Or as close as you can get it. "I've spent some time in Manhattan, but - mostly to keep it from getting flattened," he admits, making a face, because that was a day he'd care never to repeat.

Still, he's clearly interested in her assessment of the west coast, even if he laughs a little. "Still plenty of people in New York these days with headphones, too." Then again, that's up from zero when he grew up, so. "They all got places to be, though. I can't imagine people just walking around with nowhere on their mind. That sounds freakin' annoying."

He ends up sweeping his hand out at... well. The pretty empty building around them. "This is a big change."

Edited 2019-10-27 01:23 (UTC)

"Oh, for sure..."

It is nice. She's been so far away from 'normal' for so long that even something as dumb as complaining about how people walk or don't walk is almost nostalgic for her.

Still, even with a smile finally on her face, she has to go back to that little detail that her new friend had skipped over like it wasn't a thing.

"What was that about Manhattan getting flattened, though?"

She doesn't seem worried, necessarily, just... You can't just say a thing like that without some follow-up.

Of course that's the detail she fixates on - well. It at least tells him she's not from his world, or Steve's, probably.

One corner of his mouth ticks up, and he explains: "This guy named Loki decided he wanted to rule the Earth. Got himself a whole big army of aliens, came down through a hole in the sky over Manhattan. It was a big to-do, but we managed to keep the city in one piece."

Well. "Mostly. It's... maybe a little flattened. In a couple places."

Honestly, he sounds angry about that. Like he wishes they could've taken care of the bad guys without any damage - well. He does.

"We're not from the same place, or at least the same time, if that didn't happen for you, I'm figuring," he goes on.

Her eyes widen a little as he explains--so it's definitely news to her. She nods slowly at the end, hesitating a moment before voicing her thought.

"Mostly I just wish I was more surprised to hear any of what you just said." Guy who wants to rule the Earth, aliens, big hole in the sky... She shrugs her shoulders. It sounds dramatic, but she and her friends had been trying to stop something just as dramatic before she was dragged away to another world.

"But yeah, makes sense. Parallel dimension stuff."

She looks up at the ceiling, then. It's pretty high up there, made up of exposed metal and rotting beams. It's kind of a miracle this place is still standing, she thinks.

"Like you said, either way..." She frowns, thoughtfully, "Sure is different here. Really quiet."

Bucky lets out a soft snort through his nose, mostly because, "Me, too."

But this is his life: Aliens and holes in the sky and the American government trying to (unsuccessfully, thank God) nuke New York.

And now, kidnapping via alien. Twice. And, y'know, dating his best friend. From another universe.

Yep, this is his life.

"I guess it does, now," he admits. "But the whole parallel dimensions thing was one thing I really thought was still science fiction, until a coupla months ago." Now, it's definitely reality, and he can wrap his head around it, but it's still weird.

"It is quiet," he agrees, leaning back on his hands, looking up at the same ceiling that barely looks like it should actually be up there, and not down here. "I don't really like quiet, honestly, but if you're from New York, you probably get that, too. Nature ain't my strong suit, but I spent enough time in the Army to know how to make do."

So, "We'll make do," he reassures her, because he can't imagine being here, in this specific situation, is easy for a kid who's never had to survive this way. But there are enough other people here who have, that he does believe that.

The reassurance is a little weird, but it's only because she spends most of her time trying to convince everyone (including herself) that she's self-sufficient and capable of handling whatever life throws at her without some adult stepping in. But she's been feeling very vulnerable here, sitting on the floor, and has already admitted that she's not exactly taking things very well... So she gets where he's coming from, and appreciates the thought.

"Yeah, I think so."

She's quiet for another moment, but eventually looks over at Bucky with a little smile.

"Hey, thanks for hanging out with me. I guess I kind of forget that other people can, like... Help with stuff."

Bucky huffs a small laugh - but he's not laughing at her. More at the weirdness of their situation in general - well, that, and also that last sentiment, because, "You'd get along with my b-oyfriend pretty well, with an attitude like that."

Please excuse him for stumbling on that - he's just too damned used to calling Steve his best friend. The boyfriend thing is still new - well, that, and the idea that he can say that out loud at all.

Still, he smiles crookedly. "Other people can help, though. If you let 'em. And asking for help doesn't make you any less self-sufficient. It just means you trust that other people are better at some things, and you're better at others, you know?"

It's subtle, but her expression lights up a little as he talks. His advice is appreciated, it truly is, but she'll process it later. For not, there's something else she's interested in.

"Aw." She reaches over, swats his arm. She has all the strength of a wet piece of paper, so it's probably just her trying to be friendly. Teasing, maybe. "Who's your boyfriend?"

It's practically nostalgic - like when Steve used to smack him, and Bucky laughs, smiling sheepishly. "Steve - Rogers. He's here, too. It's - complicated?"

Then he corrects himself - "Not the relationship part. Exactly. We're from different universes. But there's a me in his universe, and a him in mine? And we started out as best friends, so I'm still kinda used to calling him that. Boyfriend sounds like we're ten."

And wouldn't they have just gotten beaten to a pulp, to have said that kinda thing at ten.

"Anyway - he's big, blonde, and probably gonna ask if you need help. You can't miss him."

She draws up one of her knees, laces her fingers together over it while she listens, trying very hard to hide her smile so that she doesn't look too happy. She went to a pretty progressive high-school and all, but she's still never had the guts to talk about, or even really fully admit, the way she likes other girls a whole lot more than she likes boys.

So maybe it's just nice to hear it working out, somewhere, for someone, even if it's an imperceptible number realities away from her own.

But she laughs once he finally mentions what he looks like, "I... Actually met him earlier today. I think you're the guy he volunteered to help me move heavy stuff around."

Bucky - and Steve, both of them - grew up in a very not progressive time. But there are some nice things about the future; it's a little hard to kick old habits, but it seems like the best way to do that is to just make an effort to do it.

Besides - Bucky's not embarrassed by or ashamed of Steve. And he doesn't want it to seem that way to anyone.

Bucky snorts, but his smile is definitely not going anywhere, because - "Well, that sure sounds like him. Did he just volunteer me, or at least the two of us as a team?"

Bucky's expression and tone of voice seem to indicate he doesn't care which one it was.

"Oh, it was both of you. Don't worry."

Not that she wouldn't have ratted out Steve if it was the other way around. He seemed like kind of a dork. ... She can see why they'd like each other, actually.

"It was advertised as sort of a two-man moving crew." She punches the air in front of her to emphasize--eyes going subtly wider as she remembers, "And I guess if I told him, I can tell you--it was a trade. Let me know if you need anything fixed, I've got some magic for mending stuff."

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Adjusting - Open Post

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ONE ETERNITY LATER...

ONE POINT FIVE ETERNITIES LATER ;;

we're both good at this

Re: we're both good at this

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