tushanshu | 05 § video;

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05 § video;

[Tony starts out sitting in front of the console. He's a little slow to start up what he wants to say-there's an awkward pause beforehand like he's just sizing them up through the video itself.]

So, I've been busy lately. And I've gotten a little distracted by other things, but-

[Something catches in his throat and cuts him off. Tony clears his throat and tries to look casual and calm. He's distracted and maybe in need of some sleep, with his attention wandering from the feed, but he's not going to drop the flippant tone. Especially not now.]

But apparently there have been some strange disappearances lately, and those people might actually still be around.

[He seems to want to say more, but his heart isn't in it. Maybe he should be offering to try to help those semi-disappeared people. Probably. Unfortunately he can't make himself do that.]

That's not what I want to talk about. I need... [Don't finish that, Stark.]

I need someone who knows how to take care of flowers. Horticulture isn't my thing and I have some and I have to make sure they, they don't die, so if you have any advice, I could use it. That or animal counselors. I'm sure those exist out there somewhere.

[ooc: cw for mentions of child deaths and violent arguing.]

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[To Tony, she is always going to be Cassie. It's the unfortunate curse of knowing the man before the job, because he tends to lead with his gut.]

Well, I'm keeping them in separate stalls, but one of them is kind of territorial. And I'd like them to go outside together. Without eating anyone.

[He's latching onto the easier problem because he doesn't want to discuss the real one.]

[That's fine by her. After all, she's the one who calls, errr, Wasp 'Uncle Hank' and Ronin 'Mr. Barton'. Because.]

Do you want me to try taking him for separate walks? Or maybe ask daddy if it's okay to take him home?

... I mean, how big are they?

[They can cover the immediate things before moving to the harder stuff.]

They're big. Really big. It's probably better if I take care of them myself.

[Scott would kill him for endangering Cassie. Not that most of them are that bad, but Logan... can be testy.]

It's fine. Don't worry about it.

[Cassie bites her lip.]

Uncle Tony... I'm pretty sure you went past the possibility of 'don't worry' a while back. Just so you know.

[Scaring her is probably not a good thing. He takes a minute to compose himself and gives her a smile. See? A-Okay.]

It's fine. Really. I mean, aside from needing someone to make sure these flowers don't die on me... [He rubs his face. It's such a stupid comment, why does it still hurt?]

Seriously, don't worry.

[She winces at the 'die' comment, too. Can't help it.]

I'm coming over. To see the flowers.

[No. Not now. No.]

...Yeah. Okay. See what you can do with them.

[Sorry, Tony.]

Yeah. Exactly.

[And she'll only shrug on something against the rain before setting off to Tony's suite. ~~Hand-waved knowledge, probably from Scott.~~ She'll knock like a reasonable person, though.]

[He at least makes an effort not to look like a wreck when Cassie shows up. He has some moderate success. Although the various junk parts and clutter in the apartment doesn't help his image, at least he doesn't look like he just crawled up from a pit.]

Does your dad know you're here?

[Yes, he is preempting the next problem.]

[Sorry, Tony. She'll hug you first, tight. And won't let go before answering.]

Of course he does, who do you think told me where to find you?

You're being an idiot trying to pretend you're okay, but that's okay. And you owe me this hug because you haven't hugged me hello here yet.

[It takes him a second to respond because he's surprised at the contact. Her hug is sudden and so far from what he's been expecting from everyone that he's more startled than anything, but he does return the gesture once he adjusts to it.]

Sorry. I... I've been busy.

[It's a lame excuse, but probably better than the truth, he thinks. Cassie doesn't need to know he's been avoiding people because he knows they might leave.]

[She'll not poke him about it. Exactly.]

Yes, well, it's important.

[You have no idea about her leaving, Tony. Hope that it doesn't happen anytime soon - especially not if Scott's still here.]

[But she's not going to get you more upset right now. Instead, will just hug tight for a long, long moment before pulling away to look at him, wrinkling her nose.]

You look almost as bad as dad did when I showed up. And, since nobody will tell me what got him there, I'll assume that you won't tell me about you, either.

But, whatever it was, making yourself feel horrible by not resting or eating or taking care of yourself won't make it better.

Of course it is. You're important.

[He might be slow to initiate but he does give her a hug. It's a little awkward, but heartfelt even through that. Seeing a friendly face means more to him than she knows.]

Boy, you don't pull your punches. I actually took a shower, you know. I thought that was pretty good.

[He's avoiding the parts she mentioned quite neatly with that one. She can assume he might not need the eating or talking about his problems if he uses a different example of self-efficacy and makes it a joke, right?]

How is he doing?

[Her own smile wavers for a moment, there, but she keeps it up, anyway.]

Would it even work if I pulled punches? A shower means you don't stink, but it doesn't do anything for your eyes looking like they're being sucked back into your head, and bruised, to boot.

[Not letting go. Nope.]

[Though she does purse her lips.]

I don't know what was wrong in the first place, so I can't tell if it's... actually helping or just masking it up, but I think better. I'm totally going to be making at least one meal a day include you, now.

[And the set of her jaw says 'and you can't stop me!']

We haven't had a chance to spend so much time together in years. It's like, despite everything, things are all right again. And that's a little scary. But I'll take it.

[He's totally fine. It's not like he doesn't know what he's dealing with here. So what if they are clones, right? It's not like he was much better before. There are still people there that he cares about and he has to look out for them. Having people disappear should cement that fact, not distract him. He's a hero. With Cassie in front of him, part of Tony actually believes that.

The rest of him thinks that it makes a great joke.]

It can be hard to adjust. But I'm sure with you here he'll be fine. Masks don't cover things like family.

[He really does believe that this is good for both of them. Having Scott and Cassie in the city where they can't be sure they're real is troubling, but they're making it work. If it has to happen, at least it's happening this way.]

You should probably check on him.

[Cassie nods to the first part. Real or not, this is better than the alternative, and, yes. She does think it's good that they're together.]

[But she pokes at him gently with a finger.]

He's not the only family I have, here.

And you haven't even shown me the flowers, yet.

[Tony looks startled by that one. They have history. Of course he hasn't forgotten that, but he hasn't always been that great at keeping up with his friends either. Cassie just bumped that up to the next level without prompting.]

I... I guess I haven't.

[He steps back and lets her make herself comfortable, not exactly denying what she just said about family, but not sure if he should agree either. It's easier to address the flower question]

I just put them over here. I don't really have a place for them.

[And, true to his word, they are in pots pushed against a corner of the room.]

[She'll take no denying, right now. It's enough. And her step is almost bouncy as she follows him. And then. She looks up, with a really, really surprised expression.]

Okay. I know you said you know nothing about plants, but it's not possible to not know what they need to photosynthesize? Right?

[You're a genius, Tony, it's inconceivable.]

Like, you know, light?

So if you keep them away from it, they're likely gonna just... starve?

They're by the window. Kind of. [He can't even make eggs, Cassie. Why would he be able to raise flowers?]

I watered them. And they're still green and not wilting or falling apart. I didn't have that much space for them, you know.

[That's because he lives a cluttered life in his suite. Genius or not, common sense is not a strong point with Tony.]

They look okay...

For now they are! It'd take anyone a bit of time to starve. Ummm.

[She looks around, yeah, it kinda is cluttered, but.]

We'll clear a bit of place by each window. A few of them at each one shouldn't make all that much of a difference, space-wise. But you won't be allowed to stack things in the pots, sorry.

Though if you make coffee, you can dump the stuff from the filter in the pots. Without the filter itself. And, um, um. Don't water them too much? They need water, that's true, but not all of them need the same amount, and since these don't come with instructions, it'll take a bit to know which ones only need a little.

[Beat.]

... what? I've been house-sitting, now and again.

It doesn't look that bad, does it?

[Tony looks completely honest when he asks Cassie that. He's been a little haphazard lately, but most of his collected parts are in order. Probably thanks to getting bored earlier and arranging them (and rearranging them) to pass the time. It's a rhetorical question, though, and as she moves on, so does he.

Cassie gives him some good plant care tips and Tony has to smile at that.]

House-sitting, huh? So that's how you became a plant expert?

Well, no. There are no places where I feel like walking by will make things fall on my head, so, it's not that bad.

[It's said easy, light. She's not judging, more like... reassuring.]

It looks like you're doing a thousand projects at once, maybe a bit more than usually. It's all right.

[And that, she's not unused to, after all. Then she smiles back.]

Well, people leave instructions for their plants. After a few times, it's not difficult to see the logic behind them.

[The fact that Cassie is being so understanding about his stupid tantrum makes Tony feel worse. She's genuinely trying to help him out and all he can think about is how upset he is with this place taking people away.

And it had better not take her too. He won't allow that.]

Yeah. I... needed to kill some time.

[Which is really an apt way of describing how Tony functions in general. He got restless and needed some projects. Then he needed more projects. He does feel a little bit better now that she's there, though. Having someone to focus on always helps.]

I couldn't get you to take one, could I? It won't take up much room. And I've got a lot to spare.

[Of all things, Cassie brightens even further, bouncing a little.]

Take one? Oh, may I? May I!

Take a few. They'll probably be better off with you anyway.

[Oh, Cassie. Tony can't help but smile at her enthusiasm. She's one of those good things in his life--a source for decent memories--that he can count on in times like this.]

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action; sorry for this forever late...

action; don't worry!