The Perk | Monday Afternoon

[begmetwice]

Irene shouldn't have even left the flat, honestly.

It had started with the charming little coin purse that had practically fallen at her feet as soon as she'd set out towards the Perk -- blackmailer. Nothing she didn't already know, and she'd been here before, so she even knew what was happening.

On the course of her journey, she'd encountered a suitcase that read thief (of course), a duffel bag -- horrifying -- that proclaimed DEAD, and a neat little rolling pilot's case that bore an outsized LIAR.

None of this was especially groundbreaking. Try harder, Fandom.

It took until she was settling down at a table before the matched set fell around her. I, read a little hatbox, followed by AM on a makeup case, SHER said the handbag --

"Fuck, no." And all of that was getting shoved into a bin before the suitcase that wouldn't fit arrived, and was summarily shoved under her table. LOCKED.

[open, naturally!]

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

"We have to summon it," Steven explained. "Sort of magic, suppose you could say. Not like it's hanging in the wardrobe back at the flat. And our versions are different, see. Marc's is ceremonial armor."

There was an eyeroll on "ceremonial armor." It was entirely aimed at the concept of ceremonial armor, regardless of how useful the cape it came with could be.

[designateddadfriend]

“Right,” Travis said. “For the . . . god stuff.”

That “conservative Catholic upbringing” bag just kept popping up.

[hasaknightjob]

"Mine's a suit," Steven assured him. "Much smarter looking."

For both the British and American definition of "smart," in Steven's not so humble opinion.

[designateddadfriend]

"Plus fireproof," Travis noted. "Which . . . handy."

[hasaknightjob]

"Can be pierced," Steven said, as long as they were on the topic. "Which does hurt, won't lie. But at least it heals. Also doesn't hurt as much as it could? I think? Not eager to test it by being run through with a pole dressed as I am, though."

[designateddadfriend]

"Uh. Wow, yeah, I don't recommend sharp-force trauma for anyone," Travis said. He glanced around for another bag, but honestly, he'd healed up from the glass shard to the heart just fine, and didn't remember enough about it for it to really stick with him.

Even if he did pause to rub his chest a little at the thought of it.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah, about there," Steven said. He pointed to other spots on his chest. "And there, and there. Lucky Marc was there to - " Steven did not say "take over the body" but there was definitely an odd inflection as he did say " - take over the, er, fight."

Nailed it.

[designateddadfriend]

It was flawless. Mostly because Travis had no reason to suspect what he tried not to say.

"Sounds like you two make a good team."

Yep, there was a bag labeled "missing the work family". Dammit.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven gave Travis a sympathetic look for that bag, but then brightened up as Travis mentioned a much happier topic. "We do, yeah. You should've seen it, him and me, fighting in Cairo. Layla was there as well - that's our friend. But me and Marc, smooth as anything. He'd hit, I'd hit, I'd throw, he'd catch. Like we'd been meant to do it all out lives, pairing up like that."

Funnily enough the more Steven spoke, the more a trunk by an empty table in a far corner started to... did it appear or was it always there and only now was more noticeable? It was a weapons trunk, if Travis knew what those looked like. And if he bothered to look at it, since it was visible if he looked past Steven, he would see the word ANGER on it in blood red letters.

"So yeah, brilliant," Steven concluded with a smile.

[designateddadfriend]

Travis had no idea what a weapons trunk looked like. But he did spot that label.

Interesting.

"How long have you guys known each other?"

[hasaknightjob]

Steven didn't act like he had any awareness of the trunk being there. Instead he needed a moment to do the math to answer Travis's question. "I met him... couple months before we moved here? About? And we got here in spring."

Someone pedantic and/or obsessed with words might notice that "I met him" and "you guys known each other" weren't exactly the same meaning. But Steven's answer had the benefit of being completely honest.

[designateddadfriend]

Travis wasn't that focused on semantics. "And you guys just clicked, huh? Vic and I were kind of like that. Met her only about a week after I lost Michael, and she's basically been my rock ever since."

Even when they were screaming at each other on the street.

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had to laugh at that. Not in a bad way, more an amused chuckle. "No, no. Wish I could say we did. But, ah, you've met Marc. He's not exactly easy at first, is he? He likes pushing people away. Thinks he's doing them a favor. Don't like admitting it but I agreed with him at the start. It wasn't until we went through all this - " Steven gestured at all the bags in the cafe " - in the afterlife that we understood each other. Then it clicked, us being a team."

The letters on that trunk didn't glow, exactly. But somehow by the time Steven finished speaking they seemed more intense. The brighter red of fresh blood, perhaps.

[designateddadfriend]

That was extremely odd, yes. Travis tried to ignore it. Maybe it wasn't actually Steven's.

"Well. Tough times do tend to bring people together."

[hasaknightjob]

Steven certainly wasn't giving any indication that it was. Particularly since people tended to react when their bags appeared and he hadn't even noticed this one. Or, if he had, not noticed it as being any different from the other bags accumulating in the Perk.

"Helps when you find you've things in common, doesn't it?" Steven said. He indicated Travis's backpack, and by extension the bit of bonding Travis and Steven had shared that very afternoon. "Or things close enough in common, that is. He's difficult but he's got a good heart, I promise. Just have to let him get past needing to be a prick is all."

[designateddadfriend]

"He wasn't too bad," Travis said. "A little brusk, maybe. I've met worse."

[hasaknightjob]

"He's friends with Stark," Steven said. "That helped."

Much as Marc ever called people friends. Okay never called but sort of considered them vaguely in that category.

[designateddadfriend]

"Respects Stark's opinion, huh?" Travis said. "Well, shows he has taste."

[hasaknightjob]

"He does, yeah," Steven said. "We both do. I know Stark's given me nothing but good advice when I've asked."

[designateddadfriend]

Travis nodded. "He's smart. I'm not sure he even realizes how much." He looked over at the pastry case (and away from that glaring anger bag). "I'm actually picking some stuff up for him. I'm guessing he's dealing with a lot of these things today."

[hasaknightjob]

"Good idea," Steven said. He glanced in the direction of the case as well, just to see what they had on offer. If he noticed the anger bag when doing so, he gave no sign of it. "Imagine he's dealing with a lot today. Tell him hello from me?"

[designateddadfriend]

“Sure! I bet he’ll appreciate it.”