J,GOB, Thursday Afternoon

[imafuturist]

After class, it was time to refuel for Tony. Which meant coffee and whatever pastry sounded like a good idea during the minute or so wait before he could place an order at the counter.

Impulse buying was fun like that.

So, with enough coffee to give him heart problems again and a croissant, he took a seat in the window of the shop to pretend he was people watching. Because people tended to frown on blankly staring at a wall while you sifted through data feeds and traffic video of specific areas in Queens for any sign of HYDRA or HAMMER activity.

...man did he hope no more groups starting with H showed up. It'd just get annoying.

[open]

Comments

[fjordicswagger]

"I need a pastry that does not have a truckload of sugar in it," Tamsin barked, stepping into the store. "Something with meat in it. It's that kind of morning. Don't give me that look."

Her mood was clearly stellar.

[imafuturist]

Tony tilted his head, cutting off the video feed to notice his surroundings again. One day that was so gonna bite him in the ass. Today was luckily not that day.

"It's a late morning even by my standards then."

[fjordicswagger]

"I woke up an hour ago, it's morning," Tamsin muttered, changing her trajectory to where he was sitting.

[imafuturist]

"Can't argue that," he replied, rubbing his eyes to clear the double vision and strain placed on his body to use Extremis that much outside of the suit. "Rough night?"

[fjordicswagger]

"You could say that," Tamsin said, pulling her shades back over her eyes. "Ugh. What's with you?"

[imafuturist]

"Remember that time I tried to interface with that space shark?" TONY, SERIOUSLY. YOUR LIFE.

[fjordicswagger]

"It's not nice to drive me to drink when I have a hangover," Tamsin said. "But yes."

[imafuturist]

Tony gave her a sympathetic look. Not enough to share his coffee, mind. "Well, I can do that with most tech. And it can have some minor side effects like some physical discomfort."

Meaning migraines and bloody noses. Those were worrying things, Tony. To normal people, those were worrying.

[fjordicswagger]

"Right," Tamsin said, and immediately skipped on to, "Tony, stop plugging your brain into stuff."

[imafuturist]

"I'll get right on that," he replied dryly. "I can also use it to check my email. Which is nice."

[fjordicswagger]

"You could also use a phone and save yourself the headache," Tamsin said dryly.

[imafuturist]

Leave his eventual, self inflicted brain damage alone!

"Easier to keep an eye on things this way," Tony replied. Things concerning the subjects they would not discuss sober. "So many balls in the air that it's this or watch them all fall."

And he was used to juggling a million things at once after all.

[fjordicswagger]

"What or whose balls are you juggling now?" Tamsin said. "This is my pretending to care face."

[imafuturist]

"You're all heart, Tamsin," Tony said with a sarcastic little coo. "You don't happen to know how to turn someone back from stone, do you?"

[fjordicswagger]

"... Did someone have a run-in with a Greek goddess or something?" Tamsin asked.

[imafuturist]

Tony huffed out a little laugh. "Wrong pantheon. Norse goddess got turned to stone by this guy who calls himself the Grey Gargoyle."

[fjordicswagger]

Tamsin choked on the pastry she hadn't actually received yet. "Did you say Norse goddess?"

[imafuturist]

"Karnilla," he replied, eyeing her for a moment. "A while back some bad people stole these Norn stones from her to open portals to the nine realms. Was hoping she might help me get a message to Asgard if I can turn her back."

[fjordicswagger]

Tamsin rubbed her forehead a lot all of a sudden. "Norn stones as in the Norn?" she checked.

[imafuturist]

"...I'm not sure. Thor knew more about them than I did."

Because magic.

[fjordicswagger]

"Of course he did," Tamsin said. "Okay, your universe isn't my universe, so this is probably completely pointless, but I can ask around back home."

Not that she, you know, had a specific reason to know anything about Norse gods.

[imafuturist]

It was on the list of things Tony wouldn't mention again because honesty day.

Tony perked up, looking as earnest as he was capable. "You could?"

[fjordicswagger]

"Don't give me that look," Tamsin said, pulling a face. "You're going all kicked puppy on me and it makes me feel weird."

[imafuturist]

"I'll buy you a drink for your efforts," he promised with a grin.

[fjordicswagger]

"Fine," Tamsin said. Now she was just rolling her eyes, which was an improvement. "I'll see if I can find out something that can help. I've been bored lately."

[imafuturist]

"I'm nothing if not distracting," Tony teased. "I'll see if I still have any of the good stuff hidden in my lab."

Might even have some mead that he squirreled away after defeating Loki in Asgard!

[fjordicswagger]

"I'll believe it when I see it," Tamsin decided. "You owe me the whole story around this Asgard thing, too."

[imafuturist]

"Which part?" BECAUSE HIS FUCKING LIFE. SERIOUSLY.

[fjordicswagger]

"Like why are we trying to contact it again?"

Seriously. Tamsin was going to need a full primer on Tony and Jessica's worlds some day.

[imafuturist]

It was complicated!

"Because I need to talk to Thor. He's been missing since---" He waved his hand in an overly casual dismissal. "--the funeral."

[fjordicswagger]

"And you need to talk to him because... he's got amazing biceps?" Tamsin asked.

[imafuturist]

"...that's true, but no. I need to talk to him because I need his help," Tony said, looking out the window instead if at her. "Where I'm from things have sort of gone to shit."

[fjordicswagger]

"Are you going to keep being cryptic at the window?" Tamsin asked. "Because if so, I'm getting up and I'm getting myself a pastry while you work your way up."

[imafuturist]

Rude!

"My version of Steve was murdered and I've been framed for it," Tony said. "My team is now and myself are now being hunted by a madman put in charge of a multinational law enforcement and espionage agency." To the point enough?

[fjordicswagger]

"Okay," Tamsin said, after a beat. "And you think Thor can get you out of this."

[imafuturist]

Tony shrugged. "I hope so. He's the only one who can handle Amora and she's mixed up in this somehow--" A primer really might help, yeah. "Sorry, she's another Asgardian. Magic user."

He made such a face at 'magic'.

[fjordicswagger]

"Okay," Tamsin said flatly. "I'll put 'figure out how to phone Norse gods' on my list, too."

Since Freyja wasn't talking to her anymore...

[imafuturist]

Hey, she asked.

"Trust me, I've tried that. I've already asked someone back home to try cracking open the Bifrost, but apparently it's locked up tight." Which was a bit concerning. "Those Norn stones are the only other method I know about to travel there."

[fjordicswagger]

"That's not foreboding at all," Tamsin sighed. "Fine, I get the jist."

[imafuturist]

"Just. Be careful. I don't know how different things are between our worlds."

And Tony was a mother hen.

[fjordicswagger]

"I'll be fine, Tony," Tamsin said dryly. "Just don't do anything stupid."

[imafuturist]

"Stupider than being the subject of an international manhunt?"