This is new for me. OK?

[thestaremaster]

WHO: Bucky Barnes, OTA
WHERE: Fountain, Network, The Deep End
WHAT: Arrival
WHEN: Early June
WARNINGS: TBD




Arrival
Bucky was still reeling from having that information forcibly shoved into his mind, and he took a half step back, eyes narrowing at the data point as he tried to push down the memories it evoked.

He had to focus.

Aliens. It just had to be aliens. Sam was never going to give it a rest now. The damn 'Big Three'.

He rubbed a hand over his brow and sighed, lifting it again to spot a figure in the distance.

"Hey- wait up-" he called, not sure if they were a fellow 'He Row' or one of the jerks that had brought him here, but either way- he wanted a word.

Network

[Bucky looks a bit uncomfortable on camera, offering a stiff smile for a moment, before quickly abandoning it.]

Hey- uh...

[He frowns and tries to wave an insistent mothkitten away, but the gleam of his arm keeps drawing it back.]

Someone wanna catch me up on this place?

The Deep End

His fingers drummed on the countertop, frowning in thought. Of course when he'd finally reached a place where he was ready to explore opening up he got pulled away to fight someone else's fight.

It didn't feel right to be so bitter, he's put a lot of bad out into the universe, if some force out there wanted to make him to continue to make amends for that could he really object?...Definitely. But it didn't do much to help the conflict in his mind.
He tried to think about what the doc might say. She'd never dealt with anything quite like this, but that was true for most everything they talked about, and she did all right.

"...How long have you been here?" he asked, breaking that long silence with a sudden turn of his head to acknowledge he wasn't alone, taking a long sip of his drink.

Comments

Network

[kree_soldieress]

[Enjoy the grinning blue face on the screen in the response.]

What exactly do you mean by catching up? Are you racing somewhere? Are you following someone?

[Slang, she's TRYING to get it.]

TDE

[deal_me_in]

"What, we having a case of amnesia or did you leave something back when the rubberband snapped?" It probably wasn't the answer Bucky was expecting, but it was the one he got once the Exo had stepped out of the back room to go and rifle through the bottles on the shelf behind the counter. He came up with a bottle of something amber, set it on the counter as he pulled a glass from below.

"...wait..." he said, mostly to himself as he paused, glowing gaze studying the man sitting on the other side. His metal brow furrowed, his own fingers drumming on the countertop for a brief moment before he inquired, "Soldier?"

[thestaremaster]

[Aaaaaaand it's an alien. Great. Bucky's all ready tense smile stiffens that much more.]

Uh....no. Looking for a...summary of events?

[thestaremaster]

Soldat.

Bucky visibly stiffened at that address, and his eyes narrowed sharply, pausing with his glass half way to his lips.

"...What did you call me?" he demanded, a very real threat in those eyes.

[kree_soldieress]

[Yes, aliens exist. Don't grimace at her.]

Ah, I cannot provide a very large one, but I can speak to the spider attack, and going to another planet, and then the super hero world that Wiccan created by accident.

[deal_me_in]

Hoboy. Now that is a look.

Cayde raised his hands. "I mean, I'd repeat myself but I would like to keep my bar damage-free. However, you already answered my question so I'll just have to reshuffle. If you're not him, then you're the other one. Another one?" The Exo looked a little confused, head cocking to one side before he shook it, tossing his hands.

"Yeah. It's confusing here. Seems like you're popular with the Agrii for some reason 'cuz believe it or not, your face has been around- may still be around here. -and when I say face I mean like, with person attached, not like...just floating around- brr, now that's a horrifying thought," Cayde shuddered.

[thestaremaster]

[He hasn't had great experiences with aliens so far, all right? And the grimace is a pretty key feature.

He blinks, not one bit of that sounding like something he wants to be a part of, and he sighs heavily.]

The what that who created by accident??

[kree_soldieress]

Super hero world, mimicking that of the Earth of my own dimension, created by Billy. He is a super hero, the son of the Scarlet Witch. It has been resolved. But many people here existed as super heroes there. It was... strange.

[thestaremaster]

That look didn't exactly soften, but some of the threat left his posture at least, still stiff as he frowned at the Exo and then at his drink.

"The hell does that mean?"

How could there be more of him here all ready?

He drained his drink with a grimace and pushed the glass across the counter for a refill.

[deal_me_in]

"It means that you are in a very confusing place with very confused pink aliens- who like hugs, by the way- who have access to strange technology that they probably don't completely understand."

Yeah, like that was helpful. Cayde looked at the drink and then shrugged, unstoppering the bottle he'd pulled out earlier to refill Bucky's glass before pouring his own.

"Anyway, given the questions, might I be so bold as to assume that you have arrived just recently? -I've been here maybe a year, give or take, going back to your original question. That is my best guess, anyway."

[thestaremaster]

"..." He mulled that over with a frown, looking particularly unnerved by the hug comment, glancing over his shoulder like one might pop up out of know where and try to steal one.

"...You're gonna wanna leave the bottle out," he warned, taking a long drink. He nodded a bit numbly, and gave a frustrated sigh. "And no one's had any luck getting out of this place in all that time?"

[thestaremaster]

Strange about covers it.

So uh...when you aren't in...super hero worlds, or...fighting off spiders(?)- [He pauses to frown quizzically]- What's the day-to-day like?

[kree_soldieress]

Oh, we all find things to do. I expect there will be more investigation into the storms soon, and whatever race has caused the problems for the Agrii. But there are many things to do. I do security patrols, help people get fit, and I am working with Cobb to start a shooting range.

[deal_me_in]

The Exo smiled crookedly, letting his hand fall away from the bottle.

"That's a big negative. Well, other than people suddenly off and disappearing. We can only assume they get sent back. Some reappear saying they've been gone months or something and it's only been days or weeks here, so that's the only way we know in those cases."

He shrugged, not much liking how that all went down. Was it a glitch? Did the Agrii know what they were doing? But then if they couldn't send them home then what was still bringing people in? He'd been wondering that ever since Echo had appeared on the Agrii ship.

"The circumstances aren't the greatest, and potentially we're all stuck in an even more twisted sort of dilemma in which the Agrii are merely used as a means to get us here. But here we are."

[thestaremaster]

Right.

[Bucky rubs at the bridge of his nose with the back of his thumb, frowning. This is...a lot.]

So uh- didn't catch your name actually-

[kree_soldieress]

[Ah, yes, she can do that. She smiles widely.]

I am Lauri-Ell of the Kree-Skrull Alliance.

[thestaremaster]

Bucky blew out a sigh through his lips. Just when he thought he'd finally settled into a comfortable place in the present, and he gets snatched up again against his will to fight someone else's fight.

"Here we are," he echoed, tipping his glass in a sort of begrudging toast before downing the rest of it. "You run this place?" he confirmed, gesturing to the bar, "I think you and I are gonna see a lot of each other."

[thestaremaster]

[He squints a little, recognizing those terms separately, but space stuff on top of all the history back home, he's not sure if that's something he should be aware of or not.]

Bucky. Of...Brooklyn.

[kree_soldieress]

Oh! That is part of New York City! I have been there. My sister lives there. It was a very nice city. The flowers were beautiful.

[deal_me_in]

He matched the gesture with his own glass, tossing the drink back. "Eh, guess you could say that. I am often in and out so you are perfectly free to help yourself in the instance of the latter."

Maybe that made for a terrible bartender, but Cayde's main intent had been to set a place up that people could hang out whenever they wanted, knock back a few drinks, contemplate the fish, whatever.

The Exo held out a gloved hand. "Name's Cayde." He never did get an actual name from the Soldier, and it felt kind of like cheating to go off of previous faces and unusual city-warps.

[thestaremaster]

Small world. Your sister look like you?

[kree_soldieress]

No, Carol looks more like our mother. She is merely half-Kree, and takes after our mother, who was a pink-skinned Kree.

[thestaremaster]

...Last name wouldn't happen to be Danvers, would it?

[thestaremaster]

"Good to know." Bucky didn't mind helping himself. Though he was maybe going to have to work on moderation. This place might not be equipped to provide a steady supply to someone with a super soldier's constitution.

"Bucky," he supplied in turn, giving the Exo's hand a firm shake and flashing a small smile.

[kree_soldieress]

[He knows her! Lauri-Ell's race radiates delight.]

Yes. Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel. She is my half sister. She is a good and noble warrior!