voicelog | metaheroes

[ That... about lines up with the one non-emergency in-person encounter he's had with this Stark, as much as it strikes him as unexpected. It comes easier than the first time too, with no cases of mistaken identity to underscore it.

It still feels off. There's no denying he has a personal bias: Tony Stark's a fraught topic, and before they were soldiers in the same war they were never exactly friendly... but whether or not it's the result of looking at him through the glass of that alternate history, the whole thing sits uncomfortably. Like he's wandered into a piece of immersive theater he never bought a ticket for.

Which doesn't matter one bit when Stark's right there and in need of a response. Fortunately, it's easy to match energy on the fly. In spite of his bemusement, his response is breezy. ]

That was the plan, [ Excellent delivery, very smooth. Only, before he can catch himself, a good few of his worse instincts unite to follow it up with: ] and then right back to Loki-watching.

[ ... oof. Nothing like an immediate callback to unsuccessful conversations to get a surprise encounter off on the wrong foot. He narrowly avoids a wince, manages to disguise it with a glace down at Stark's lunch selection instead. ]

Let me guess, a minimum 50% markup for the privilege of a subpar coffee?

[ for a moment, he wonders if bringing up loki was an intentional jab at him for their last (regrettable) exchange. it... didn't go as well as he had planned it to (not that there was much planning involved), a hard miss on what was good intentions. his fault, of course; he should have accounted for the lack of trust between them, too used to the camaraderie he had with the strange he had left behind in new amsterdam. he has learned from it though.

his smile doesn't waver as he nods his head good-naturedly. ] Of course. You're his guardian after all.

[ he is happy to switch topics, his own gaze lowering down to the hot beverage in hand. ] Yeah. Overpriced, but not nearly as bad as some of the ones I've had before. [ a light shrug of his shoulder. ] I'm just grateful I have access to coffee at all.

[ Well, if there's one thing he can say for Stark's performance, it's that it certainly saves them a higher score on the awkwardness scale. The topics may not be the most straightforward - or following that, the most compelling...

Hold up. Stephen's head tilts just a little, brow scrunching lightly as he catches something interesting. ]

Why would you not?

[ Direct, maybe, but what a curious thing to say. ]

Oh. [ he furrows his brows slightly. ] Resources were limited where I was before. Coffee was available, but it was expensive and in short supply.

Yikes. [ That, at least, he can earnestly react to. ] How did anybody get anything done?

We were fortunate enough to have people who could provide us with a steady source. [ he lifts his cup to take a steady sip of his drink. ] Some of us turned to tea. [ some of us being stephen, of course. ] But we made do with what we had. You get used to it after a while.

[ and just to lighten the mood a bit— ] Had a real emotional moment when I first arrived here and coffee was just everywhere.

Hah. Yeah, I bet.

[ It's an odd straddling of sincere and uncomfortable. They're having a perfectly ordinary conversation (subject aside)... which in itself seems to be the problem. Still, if they're getting on okay, he doesn't mind asking: ]

Forgive the assumption, but I'm guessing this wasn't 616?

[ Loki's mentioned in passing once that Stark was dumped on another world prior to this one. He's a little interested to pry into the experience of being plucked from one world not your own directly into another, and this seems as close to an in as he's going to get. ]

It wasn't.

[ he has no reason to hide his more recent cross-dimensional experience from strange since it isn't exactly a secret he's keeping. ]

Different universe. I was pulled there for nearly a year before I was caught by the Confluence here.

[ A year. Something in him balks at it while the rest latches on, helplessly fascinated. It's new data. ]

Do you know what drew you there?

[ To go from barely speaking to grilling him about his experiences of another universe probably isn't a sensitive switch, but they are who they are. Stark can tell him if it's too much. ]

[ he expects the question. people are gonna be curious and tony doesn't mind sharing for the most part. ]

A fragment of a dead god, believe it or not. Gods seem to be a running theme for at least two cross-dimensional incidents. I just want to know if this world will make a third.

[ It makes about as much sense as anything else might when extra-dimensional abduction's the topic. ]

Let's hope not. Gods can be a real handful.

[ A little joke, this one not at either of their expense. ]

Rotten luck getting caught up twice in a row. Sounds more like my kind of mess than yours.

Tell me about it.

[ but if it is another incident with a god, then at least it is an entity they can potentially deal with rather than something far more intricate and abstruse. ]

I'm not happy about it, but there isn't much I can do now that I'm here.

No.

[ That's true enough. No use crying over spilled milk.

And with that said and the topic of gods and other universes effectively wrapped, Stephen returns to being distinctly aware that this is maybe their third conversation in person, and possibly still the longest. ]

... I'd better get food and get back. Enjoy your coffee.

[ well, he can't say that he isn't happy to extract himself from the conversation. with a nod of his head, he lifts his coffee in a gesture of farewell. ]

You should try the burgers here. They're not bad. I'll catch you around, Doctor.

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