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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I'm not yelling!

[He is yelling.]

You like to think we're above that question. What, you like to think we're past racism too? The world is all sunshine and cookies and colorblind rainbow farts. Fuck man. How do you expect me to take it?

You're the one who wanted everyone to register. But it's me interpreting you wrong.

Right. Okay, then stop whispering at the top of your lungs. You're disturbing the neighbors.

You're really doing this here? Of all places, you want to- fine. Sure.

Yes, I did. And I really couldn't care less about how you decided to take it. I know this might be a shock, but it wasn't about you. That much I can guarantee. We--all of us--we weren't doing enough to keep the public faith. If we were, then maybe... I don't know. It doesn't matter.

I don't have time to deal with you right now.

It was a bad idea, and you know it. The 'public' still goes around attacking former mutants. Forgive me if I don't give a crap about the public 'faith.'

[The brush off is only making his rage hotter.]

Yeah, I know. Too busy watering your orchids.

Not. Now.

[He's just getting more inclined to brush Rictor off the angrier the man gets. And, yeah, that's a bad idea, but he's already gone over this before. Doing it again in Keeliai with people he's not close to just rubs him the wrong way.]

That's not my problem. Your relationship with the general public doesn't change anything. And if you really need to insult the flowers I'm going to drop you from a ten story building.

[Not really, but hey. It sounded good.]

Maybe you can shoot me in the gut on the courthouse steps.

[It's over the line, but he doesn't care.]

[Sorry, just this face while he processes being accused of assassination of his hero and do you really think he'd do that?!]

[Okay. He deserved that. He deserved it. He should have walked away a long time ago, and Rictor doesn't know the details, and he's responding naturally to being attacked, and he should have just walked away from this. Why didn't he walk away?

Breathe.]

I, wh-, I don't know what you want me to say. It wasn't supposed to be like that. For anyone, not just us.

[He's trying to keep his voice steady. It's probably more obvious that he's trying rather than actually succeeding.]

You... you can believe what you want to. What I meant was that you're jumping to the kill without any reason.

[That sounds pathetically funny now. He had a hell of a lot of reason. He laughs, but without humor.]

I don't want to bring that here.

Edited 2013-11-03 15:26 (UTC)

What I want you to say doesn't matter. You're not going to mean it, so what's the point?

[Ric grew even more furious at the laughter. It was a dismissal, and he knew it. The 'without any reason' part reminded him of something, though.]

Maybe I am. So, that makes me like everyone else. Or were you too busy worrying about Stamford to remember that a busload of kids got killed for being ex-mutants? The problem isn't that you wanted to train heroes. I get that. I registered. The problem is that not everyone's like me. They've got families, kids living with them. They can't trust their information to any database.

Especially not one with as many backdoors as the Avengers.

[Tony's barely registering the shift in anger. He expects Ric to be angry, so he almost doesn't pay attention to the fact he's getting angrier. He wasn't even looking directly at the console, more or less getting ready to hang up.

Until he hears the response. Tony's head jerks back and he all but leaps out of his chair.]

You stupid, selfish- Just what the Hell do you think this is? A game?!

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that public sentiment wasn't great. So now you want to tally up the numbers to see who was suffering more? Because these kids or those kids are what, exactly? Worth more?

[The exactly details are fuzzy, but he's read up enough to know the basics. It's enough to make the metal creep up his arms like a twisted, living thing.]

I don't know what I wanted. I didn't want that. But what I'm hearing is that "everybody else" doesn't give a damn either!

[Tony's body gives a short jerk that cuts off when the feed suddenly disconnects.]

[Facepalm, even though she took Tony's comment about blurring the lines the same way Ric did, this is really not something she wants to popcorn.gif for.]

He's working on getting us home. [She doesn't know for certain, she's just making an educated guess based on what they all know about Tony Stark.] He'll be slightly less busy once I throw him across the city for that, but let's not diminish our chances, shall we?

[Stay out of this. He doesn't want cold logic; he was fine with his fury.]

You heard what he said. That's not me jumping to conclusions.

[Her arms are folded and even she radiates a caged fury.]

I did. He's goading [us] you.

That is not something you goad about, Monet. I don't goad Luke Cage because he's black. I don't goad Hulk because he's an idiot. I might goad Sunspot, but I know 'Berto. Stark wants to pretend to be all mutant friendly, putting him and Sam on the team, but then he says shit like that? No fucking way.

[She's an expert in pushing people away, it's not difficult to see how Tony's doing it, even if he did take a shot at mutants.]

You do if you want a fight, which he does.

[She gestures towards the console with one hand, as if to say look at the message.]

[If she's trying to make a point about how Ric is itching for another fight, he ignores it entirely.]

So I'm giving him one.

[He crosses his arms loosely across his chest and shrugs.]

Idiot.

[Face. Palm.]

You say idiot, but I hear I love you, Rictor. I think something's screwing up the translation field.

You might've hit your head, who knows.

Already got checked out the clinic. Head's fine.

[His ribs, on the other hand… ]

[Wait, what. She tilts her head, listening for his breathing.]

.... You have broken ribs. What did you do?

[Telepathy is cheating, M.

Ric shifts in his seat, trying for as smooth of a motion as possible.]

I didn't do anything.

[Super-hearing, bro. She narrows her eyes at the motion, clearly not fooled.]

Who was it?

It doesn't matter. It's been settled.

[Julio thinks Kaine's all right.]

So I can expect to see you two hand-in-hand painting rainbows and throwing glitter everywhere?

[Really. You're going to go for the stereotypes. Well, you can go fuck yourself right now, and the glare on Ric's face is saying that loud and clear.

End feed.]

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