Video;

[manofiron]

[ The video begins with a dark-haired man centered in the middle of the frame. He’s got dark eyes, a precisely cut goatee, and hair that’s a little too styled to be naturally that neat. There isn’t a lot to see beyond his chin, he’s sitting too close to the camera, but what can be seen looks vaguely like a shirt of shiny red metal.

His brow knits almost immediately after the feed starts recording, his expression edging toward disbelief as his lips twist into a mild frown. ]

Look. I get it. In a time of crisis, rationing’s necessary to keep resources moving in the right direction. Perfectly understandable. You guys needed to save your turtle. What responsible citizen wouldn’t do their part for that noble cause?

[ There’s a slight hint f sarcasm creeping into his voice, as though he’s heard the whole turtle spiel already and not only hasn’t been impressed, but also doesn’t really buy it either. Not even after having spent half a day scouring the network for information about what’s really going on here before making this video. ]

But really? Twenty bucks?

[ The low, indistinct murmur of another voice can be heard, though what it’s saying and who it belongs to is anyone’s guess. Whatever it says, it’s enough to make the man roll his eyes. ]

Juulan. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. The point — [ Whether he’s talking to the camera or the unidentified voice is unclear. ] — is that it isn’t enough for a day, let alone the entire bogus adventure.

[ It isn’t so much the way he looks at the camera – his eyes have never left it – but the change of his tone, less querulous and more curious, that indicates that he’s talking to whoever’s on the other end of the console. ]

So really. Turtle propaganda aside. What’s a guy gotta do to get some decent money around here? Sell his organs? Hit the street corners? Scrub barnacles off the bottom of the turtle? What?

Comments

[manofiron]

Well, at least he stands out in a crowd, right? Has his own style that can't be imitated.

[ If he didn't live in Malibu, he'd probably make a crack about having someone warm and furry to curl up next to in the winter, but frigid temperatures aren't really something he deals with too often. ]

[storm_warning]

Yeah, when he goes out in one. [A mild comment with a hint of bitterness.] He doesn't go out much, what with public opinion being so crappy, but whatever.

[manofiron]

Sounds like the cause needs a better PR person. If your world has a Pepper Potts, I recommend her. She can make the public like anything.

[storm_warning]

Pepper who?

[Legit blank look here. There is no widely-known Miss Potts to Misterc Stark where she comes from.]

[manofiron]

Guessing that's a no, then. Too bad. Maybe you can import one from another universe.

[storm_warning]

You want to set me up with that? Last I checked, I couldn't do the whole multi-dimensional thing.

[manofiron]

Possibly. Let me get back to you on that. I haven't tried it yet. It might take me a while.

[storm_warning]

The one thing I've got here is time. [In short, have at thee, Mister Stark.]

You better get settled and working on that, though; it'll be huge in demand if you crack the case. I'll leave you to it.

[manofiron]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll let you know once I've figured it out.

[storm_warning]

Holding you to it.

[And she ends the connection with that.]