thecapitol | I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

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I'm really not sure if I'm floating or drowning here.

WHO| Tony Stark, and anyone who can see him!
WHAT| Tony is not really loving this whole kidnapping death match thing
WHEN| 11th of the May
WHERE| Several locations in the tower
WARNINGS| References to the end of Winter Soldier but it's only a spoiler if you haven't seen it or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. But you can avoid it by not reading what Tony's doing/thinking on the roof

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[District 12's floor]

After Tony had told the Gamemakers what they could do with their evaluations and had been left in his room with a communicator and a credit card, he stood in his room for a moment staring at both. Then after a moment he dispassionately drops the card on the bedside table and starts turning the communicator over in his hands.

Sure it wasn't the first time he was taken away from what he knew and threatened with death, really it's starting to become a major theme in his life, he's had better themes to be honest, just as destructive, but on the whole more fun. However this was the first time he was kidnapped, given an allowance and technology. He isn't sure if it's amature, or cocky but he's not going to pass it up. Frowning a little Tony pockets the communicator then starts looking through his room as he runs a hand through his hair now and then. Clothes, Shoes, a remote (Which he also pockets) but no much else. Frowning at what he's found he leaves the room and turns his attention to ferreting his way around the floor as a whole, for now he's staying out of the bedrooms but if he can't find so much as a screw driver, very narrow knife or a broad fork he's going to invade privacies.

But as it is, right now he needs what he knows, and that's playing with tech, and he's probably not being quiet in his looking as he loudly moves things about and mutters to himself.

[Central Commons - Cocktail Bar]

After his attacking of his floor for something to do, Tony started to feel a little claustrophobic and found his way to the bar, something else that was familiar enough to act as a calming agent. You know what Tony also finds calming? Scotch. When he orders, he doesn't even realise it's free, he's just assumed they've given him an automatic tab, which for him isn't unusual.
He contemplates the two neat amber fingers in the glass then toasts the air.

"Here's to kidnappers with a resort and open bar."

He takes a drink and takes in who's wandering around the bar, feeling the twinge of homesickness. It's weird being held hostage but not you know being threatened with pain if you don't build a weapon for them while being allowed to apparently roam free for the moment.

[Roof]

The homesickness got to him for a while so after just idely riding the elevator with no purpose, Tony takes it up to the roof. It's about as quite as a roof top in a large city can be and if he closes his eyes he can almost pretend he's standing on the landing pad back in New York, Pepper listing the names of S.H.I.E.L.D agents who have jumped that sneaky ship and are banging on his doors for work.

He runs a hand over his face and huffs, he really needs to quit being a hypocrite with all this sentimentality of his. He walks to the edge and looks down seeing what little he can of the busy streets.

Tony let's his mind tick back to when he was told that he had been selected for a battle to the death.

"If this is going to involve swords, and war horses then I am in a lot of trouble."

He could probably use another drink. Actually, what he could really use is Pepper.

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"Depends on your definition of ugly," Steve wasn't really impressed by the people's desperate attempts to look unique. Everyone trying so hard to be that outrageous one, to stand out from the crowd, that they all ended up muddled together instead. The exact opposite of what they're hoping to accomplish. The tributes stood out more than anyone in the crowd below might.

Steve continues to look at the garden, not really interested in the light pollution of the city.

"I hope the others don't show up," it's quiet, off handed comment. He can't stop thinking about Tony mentioning they're just short of a hockey team. He rather they didn't complete it.

As someone who's second nature was to stand out in the crowd, the pageantry of the capitol citizens only made him feel more stand out in how actually downplayed he looked in comparison. He takes a moment to think about if he could suddenly make a hessian sack the in thing if he could talk enough of the tributes into it.

"All depends on how you feel about Orphism with an absurdist background."

It's mumbled and is said more as Tony half thinking about loud than really answering Steve, he looks up after saying it and back at Steve.

"The odds are better if more of us show up."

At least if the battle of New York was anything to go by, and he knows he could use Bruce to complain at. Though deep down he does agree with Steve, not that he can bring himself to say it right now.

The odds are better, far better, but he rather fight with bad odds than wish his allies and friends here. Especially his Bucky, that would just be all kinds of bad, he doesn't even want to think about it.

He doesn't go into it though, more curious that Tony knows much anything about art. He's not surprised, he heard about all the paintings that got donated to the Boy Scouts, so he must know something, but he figured it was more Ms. Potts who knew.

"Not sure about that, Orphism's too thought out, each shape carefully placed. This," he gestures to the city and people below, "is too chaotic, more like abstract expressionism, the color fight each other while broken glass and cigarettes are crushed in. All that color hiding something dark," Steve wasn't a fan of abstract art, but he appreciated it still.

Tony can't help but grin at Steve's reply to him. Growing up Tony took an interest in art while he was perfecting his drafting in school, he didn't talk about it often, though he doesn't mind dusting it off for a change of thought.

"That's how I feel about art museums." He pauses for a moment "When I used to go to them anyway."

That gets an amused grin from Steve. It's not an inaccurate thought.

"Have you been to the Met then? I got to go last year," Steve sounds very pleased about this. It was closed for a while for repairs after the Battle of New York, but he always had enough free time between missions, so he swung by it after it reopened.

There's something of a far away feel to Tony's amused huff when he offers it.

"Yeah, I was 9. Mom took me a week before dad ended up shipping me off to boarding school. Pepper goes a lot though. She. Whenever we came to New York she'd stop in there. I think some of my collection gets leased to it." He shrugs "Well, leased somewhere knowing Pepper."

He sounds contemplative more than bitter or sad about his remembering.

"If we get back home. I might go again."

Steve looks over at Stark again. He keeps his opinions of what he knows of Howard's parenting to himself; he might have been friends with the man, but Howard was a shit parent from what he's heard and read.

"Maybe next time I'm in New York you and Ms. Potts could join me," he doesn't even make it sound like an if of them getting back home, but a fact that they will. Besides, he'd be interested in what Ms. Potts had to say in the way of art. "I'll bring Sam with."

It makes it sound like a double date, but Steve doesn't care since he knows it's not one.

Tony doesn't turn to Steve, he just keeps looking out at the city.

"You know. She would be thrilled to have someone to talk to about art, or at least someone not me to talk about art to." He smiles to himself, knowing that he would deliberately set her off when it came to art. While he didn't know everything about the subject he knew enough to say the wrong thing to make her twitch.

"Sam?" He takes a moment to take in the name, his look suggesting that the name is a surprise to him. "Sam." He repeats like he's trying to get a taste of the name, before finally looking over at him again. "That would be, your canary in crime, right?"

And Steve would be thrilled to have the same, even if he's never met Ms. Potts.

He smiles when Stark tests out the name, as if trying to get used to it. The comment does get a huff of amusement out of Steve, guessing the man must have seen some footage that contained the man.

"He's more a falcon, but yeah."

Tony just shakes his head, because that just won't do.

"Well that's a shame, looks like he can't be on the team then. Shame, he looked good out there."

He looks very mock sad about this statement of his.

Steve gives Stark a raised eyebrow that just drips skepticism, but it's not unamused, seeing the mocking in the man's expression.

"Worried Barton will get jealous?" He pauses for a second before adding, "Or not fond of sharing airspace?"

Edited 2014-06-12 06:47 (UTC)

"It's more aesthetics. We have the spokesmonster anger management, a l'oreal commercial, a boy-next-door with a star fixation, the bird, and Natasha"

Tony pauses to let that sink in.

"We have enough birds. Also, I saw what they had of him flying from the news reports. I'm really not worried about my airspace."

He'd give a miss-thing look, but that's not his style, so he'll go for a dry grin instead.

"Stars are great," Steve has to keep his lips in a tight smile to keep from grinning. Boy-next-door, no, but he does like stars, can't deny that. "And Barton isn't so much a bird, unless he's an emu. Sam's more suited for the position, seeing as he flies."

Steve does raise a sassy eyebrow at Stark. Because really.

"And Natasha doesn't get a qualifier?"

"Of course you'd say that, you've been wearing one the last 70 plus years, and barton's plenty bird, you weren't up on those buildings seeing his head swivel in directions it probably shouldn't be able to achieve."

He might have been exaggerating a little, possibly a lot. However that wasn't the point.

"Natasha is her qualifier. Anything else ends in sore necks or being casually thrown to the floor. Just you ask Happy what it's like to not take her seriously." He pauses for a second. "Not that you've met him or could ask him now anyway." He didn't know it was possible to feel homesick, but talking about Pepper and Happy really seems to be making it happen.

Stark's comment makes him more aware that they share a very different relationship with Natasha. Okay, he takes her skills seriously and she knows that of him, but her herself? Yeah, that's where he's more than willing to poke fun at her, but then again, she returns the favor.

"Well, Sam is around until he decides to jet," nothing is keeping him around other than himself and Steve will happily accept his company until he leaves.

"You know that backpack of his looked like it actually had jet propulsion on it from the footage." He raises an amused eyebrow at him.

"So really anything he decides to do when where it is literally jetting."

He know's he's being pedantic and not being serious with it in any case, however with the amiable mood they've both allowed to happen, some playful pedanticism is really something Tony's going to bring.

Steve smiles, because yes, that was the joke Stark. Congratulations. You found it.

"And he's pretty damn fast too. So when he's gone, he's long gone," mostly that is, they need to get it fixed, the Winter Soldier did a number on it. Steve should feel worse about that than he does, but Sam came out alive, so that's what matters.

"Considering everyone on our little team disappeared fast enough. Guess he fits the mold pretty well then."

He's dismissive in his tone. Tony's not blaming or annoyed, it's just what it was, Thor went back to Asgard, Steve went wherever he went, and the assassi-twins melted into the background. Well got in a car, but still.

Steve raises an eyebrow at the other man, curious about the dismissive tone. Was Tony unhappy that they all parted ways after? Odd idea.

"We'll come back together just as fast," Steve is sure about that. So, he doesn't see any reason to doubt it, he has faith in his fellow Avengers. It's an odd group of people, but a good group.

Edited 2014-06-26 02:56 (UTC)

Tony can't help but scoff.

"Hard to come back fast enough, when you're trapped here." He runs his hand through his hair.

"Right now, if anything does happen back in New York, it's up to Bruce, Rhodie, and this Sam, if he follows the screams."

Part of Steve doesn't want to deal with this conversation, but Stark brought it up.

"We'll get home again one day, we will," Steve has utter conviction in his voice, but he drops it after that. He doesn't need the Capitol on his scent.

"Besides, you forgot Clint and Natasha. And here you were warning me about taking her serious. I know she'd smack you for that one."

Edited 2014-06-26 07:05 (UTC)

Tony gives steve a disbelieving look. Because right now, that's more than just a tall order he's offering. The only screwdriver Tony's been let near so far involved vodka and orange juice, and everyone's been telling him the same.

Sure, he doesn't plan to stay here if he can help it. Right now he needs to keep an eye out before he can even think about trying.

"Barton and Natasha still have to worry the fact that the organisation they were serving was actually as evil as the tinfoil hat-wearing tumblr blogs were saying it was to stick their necks out for a 'monster' and military in less amazing versions of my outfits."

Yeah, half of what Tony just said goes completely over his head and Steve is steadily finding Stark's company less enjoyable right now.

Well, at least he could enjoy it for a little while there.

"They'll show up if there's enough threat. The team's capable, the world won't go to hell in our absence," Steve has faith in that. Sure, it'd be safer with them there, but there won't be that much of a mess to clean up when they get back.

Steve nods before pushing away from the ledge wall. "I'm going to settle in for the night. It's been a hell of a day," he's hoping to end this on a good note. "You should get some rest too."

He watches Steve straighten and getting ready to leave then looks back out to the skyline. He wants to believe in that, he really does, but the world was already trending towards hell when he became Iron Man, by the time Steve woke up from his primeval cryogenic sleep he had for the most part started the world on a real direction of world peace.

Where was Barton and Natasha then? Rhodie at least was actively in the military, and Bruce at least had a reasons not to show up, even Sam looked to be military.

"Yeah. It's been a long day, I guess. Sleep well, Cap."

He keeps his eyes on the skyline.

Steve isn't one for unnecessary touching, but Stark seems like he's growing distant. So, he claps his hand against the man's shoulder, gently by Steve's terms. Something friendly.

"You too, Stark."

With a reassuring squeeze to Stark's shoulder, he lets go and leaves.

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arrogantalloy - 2014-07-01 09:39 (UTC) - Expand

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