middleofsomewhere | A City Falls: Start

A City Falls: Start

Preparation

Just after light on the seventh day of the month of Bassoon everyone’s SCA glows with the colour of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come.

Anyone who goes to investigate the dressing carriage will find all the cupboards and drawers open. They may need to battle through spider webs but soon will find an array of clothes. Trousers, skirts, dresses, shirts, robes, cloaks. Everything they will need and plenty of choice. All the clothes have accents of team colours in more muted hues than the normal bold hoodies they wear.

A few hours later there is an announcement over the speakers. "Arrival to Planet #25768 imminent. Prepare for exit from Void. Drop order: Purple, Orange, Red, Blue. All passengers are to wear their Safety Control Apparatus and are reminded that emergency evacuation protocol is three short taps."

The train shudders and jerks. It is time.

Purple

"Purple Team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Purple team to doors."

The train flies down through the air before coming to a stop between two rocky outcrops. The doors hiss open, it’s a bit of a jump down to the ground and anyone who looks back will find the train hard to see. Not invisible but definitely cloaked, shifting to blend in with the rock.

They can hear the sound of many footsteps and the high sound of young voices. It is easy to hear where they need to be.

As they move down the rocky slope they will see the main pass. A large group of children are walking. Spirits are high even if it is clear they are on their guard. Older teens are wearing weapons, swords, the odd axe, a few daggers. Nothing expertly crafted but they all wear them with ease. Slightly younger children carry the very young, toddlers and those too young to walk and keep pace.

There’s a sound from in front of the group. From around the corner a girl, about thirteen years old, runs towards them. Her braids bounce against her shoulders, her eyes are wide with fear and she waves her hands at the others. “Run! Run!”

A shadow looms behind her, a winged wolf, gaining speed towards her. Sat on the wolf is a spear wielding goblin.

From all around them a growling of many more wolves, in the hills, close and ready to pounce.

Orange

Once Purple Team are gone the train flies again. "Orange Team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Orange Team to doors."

The train seems to be still concealed as it hovers at the city walls. There’s a bit of a jump onto the walls but at least they are near one of the staircases down into the city.

Also luckily no one seems to have seen them appearing out of no where though that has more to do with the general chaos rather than anything else!

There is a lot of chaos! People evacuating, animals everywhere, people looking lost and bewildered. Get herding or helping and encourage people up that cliff path!

Red

The train flies onward. "Red team to doors. Drop in two minutes. Red team to doors."

The train makes a slightly bumpy landing on a rocky slope. Scrambling up the slope red team will see a group of fighters, perhaps eighty in total. There are some supplies to the side, not yet allotted. Some horses and weapons. All the fighters are currently focused on a tall woman who is on horseback, facing them from the front.

“… Say those that stand here, as few as we may be were the ones who end the goblin menace on our lands for good. For our children and our families. We fight!”

The end of what was clearly a rousing speech, the fighters cheer. They begin to move over the slope, towards the goblin camp below. If you are joining this battle the time is now!

Blue

The train flies low, skimming over the lake. "Blue Team to doors. Drop in one minute. Blue Team to doors."

Jumping down off the train they will land in the shallows of the lake. It’s not deep enough to go over their boots and now too far to wade to shore. The shore is rocky, loose rocks and pools of water to avoid. The tower stands before them. Three goblins, riding wolves perch on the walls high above them. The sky above crackles with lightning that is not at all natural.

The doorway to the tower is open, there are a lot of stairs to get up. The howls of the wolves fill the air as the wizards fight them off above. Time to climb!

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She was searching through piles of clothes. There were so many, it would be much easier if they had just been given proper sets of things but it was something to do as they got close to where they were supposed to be.

She wrinkled her nose at him when he stepped out. "You do be looking like you will be digging up potatoes. No fighting monsters." He looked stupid. Not dangerous. That might be useful in some circumstances but if he's fighting monsters then he should look as dangerous as he is.

Tony huffed at that description and looked at the mirror. He would love to tell her she was wrong, but no, she was most definitely right. He yanked off the shirt and balled it up before tossing back on the pile. "What about the pants and these things on my arms?"

Standing in front of her shirtless was pretty normal by now. It wasn't like he could help that much when they shared the same room and he disliked wearing shirts to bed. It wasn't like he went walking around in the nude, but there might have been a time or two he was caught in his boxer briefs. He tried though. The scar at the center of his chest though was obvious, particularly in this light.

"It can't be too baggy or it might catch when I put my armor on."

She'd seen the scar before and wondered about where it had come from. A battle, she assumed. He was a fighter. Peter had said his magical armour was indestructible but he had this scar and he had been very injured when they had met. What foe had gotten through it? Thanos?

She won't ask, obviously. She wouldn't even ask Kant about his scars though he told her about some of them, in warning. To make sure she made none of the same mistakes.

"The trousers do be being fine as long as they do no be being too baggy. The bracers do be being fine too though they should be going over a shirt and that do no be being how you do be lacing them."

For a second she was lost to how he didn't know how to wear them, but then she remembered. Magical armour. It would make anyone lazy.

Tony sighs and unfastens the- what did she call them?- bracers. He sets them down nearby so he could find a shirt and then put them back on. "When I find a shirt will you show me how these are supposed to be laced?"

He rummaged around a bit more and found a burgundy tunic. It had a hood with it that looked framed in leather for some reason- armor maybe? Tugging it on, he checked if this might work. It looked a lot better. Unfortunately he'd miss the memo there was supposed to be a shirt underneath it.

"How about this?"

She had turned to look through some shirts until she found some that might fit him. She's never had to pick clothes out for anybody before. But she at least knows more about it than he does apparently.

She sighed when she turned round. "This do be needing to be going on first." She handed the shirt to him. Then the tunic. It do be going over."

Tony knew this couldn't be doing be helping his image of him, but these clothes were ridiculous. Lace here, clasp there, this shirt and that shirt and why doesn't anyone just wear one shirt?

Taking it off again, he put on the softer shirt and then the tunic. He looked back at the mirror and decided he didn't hate it quite as much as he thought he was going to. "Is there a reason a person has to wear all of these layers? It seems excessive."

He attempts to put the bracers on himself. "Do you prefer these kinds of clothes to the hoodie and pants you have now?"

She shrugged, layers were normal. Even the clothes here had layers, polo shirt and then hoodie. Just like these clothes even if they got put on differently. She reached out to lace up the bracer. She knew how. Kant had let her practice on his a few times even if she had never worn anything like that herself.

"They do be looking less stupid." She told him, "Though these do be being thicker and scratchier then the clothes I do be knowing." The tunics more rigid rather than flowing. Trousers tighter.

Well she wasn't wrong. Tony was just complaining because this was uncomfortable and he didn't like looking stupid. If he did it to himself, fine. But something like this? He didn't know.

"Wonder if these clothes will still be here after the mission." It would be nice to have some more options other than the polo and hoodie. What he couldn't give for a nice, comfortable, tailored business suit.

"I'm going to pull Peter off his team and have him fight with you. Think you can keep him out of trouble for me?"

"I do no be knowing. They did no be being here before. I could no even be opening the drawers." She had tried. The first thing she had done in her first few days on the train was try and open everything.

She tilted her head, "Should he no be doing his own mission? He do be being purple team."

She could probably keep him out of trouble though.

That's true, he hadn't seen these before. It was a shame, but also further proof of how controlled they were here. Either way, he really didn't like the reminder.

"There are a lot of members on the purple team and we both know how he can find trouble. I'd rather he be watched more carefully. Plus if you need something to throw at a goblin, you'll have him." He was obviously kidding. Hopefully it was obvious.

She blinked, was this some kind of test? "I will no be throwing him at a goblin, mister Stark."

She had promised. No hurting Peter. She was planning to keep it, she had no intention of inviting Tony's ire.

But she can keep him out of trouble and make sure he concentrates and gets the mission done.

Tony chuckles and looks down at her with a humored smile. "I know, it was a joke. I know you wouldn't really do that. You two are friends, right?"

He knew she might not understand dynamics in those terms, but how else was she going to learn 'no stabbing friends' without being told? "Be careful for you too, out there. I don't want anything to happen to my favorite girl on this train. Got it?"

She nodded though that was a lie. She didn't think her and Peter were friends. She wasn't sure what they were, not enemies but not friends. She wasn't sure how you became friends, if there was something they had to do or say. But if Tony thought they were she wasn't going to say he was wrong.

At his last words she blinked at him in surprise. "Me? I do be being your favourite?"

How? She had hurt Peter and there were plenty of more well behaved girls who understood things and didn't make trouble on this train. She couldn't be his favourite.

Poor kid. It wasn't a lie, even if the friendship only went one way. Peter loved her and Tony was certain he would count her as a friend. Of course, Peter would likely count everyone he passes on the way to school a friend too.

His smile grew when she looked up at him so shocked. "Of course, Buttercup. Why do you think I was so upset when you stopped talking to me? I'd do anything for you."

Was that too much pressure to put on a little girl? He wasn't sure. He often talked like this to his daughter and then she'd tell him some random number for how much she loved him back. He wasn't expecting that in return, but was it wrong to say it in the first place? He didn't know, but maybe Buttercup needed to hear sweet things like this more often.

"You would be doing?"

That was... Strange. Was he lying? Was this a way to ensure her good behaviour? Or some kind of trap? Like giving cheese to mice to lure them in a cage.

He had been upset when she had stopped talking to him? She was his favourite?

It was a strange thing. Was she meant to promise the same? Was that the trap? To make her swear loyalty back. He had her obedience but loyalty was different. Friendship was... different again?

She just watched him, trying to gauge from his face what he was thinking.

Tony nodded again. He wished he knew how this was being interpreted in that curious mind of hers, but that was a mystery to him. She looked.. well, honestly she looked wary so he sighed- trying to maintain his soft smile.

"You're safe with me, Buttercup. You don't have to say or do anything back." He hoped that would help. He was convinced she'd never had a friend before in her life so this concept might take time to figure out. "Has Peter done anything stupid yet?" He asked with a chuckle. He was pretty sure that answer was yes, but hopefully nothing too serious.

Well that was a relief, because she had no idea where to even start doing things back to make friends. It was sort of a lie that she was safe though, but sort of a truth. As long as she followed his rules, as long as she didn't hurt Peter. Then she was safe.

"Peter do be doing stupid things all the time. But he did no be strangling himself with clothes or anything yet." At least the last time she had checked. There was a lot of clothes.

"I will be making sure he do no be doing anything stupid on the mission."

Tony busted out laughing at that idea. How did she come up with that? He reached out and ruffled her hair lightly. "See? Stuff like that. That's why you're my favorite. So make sure you're in one piece at the end of this and we'll be good."

He wondered if there was anything else he could treat her with besides honey cakes when they got home. He'd have to figure out if she liked the books he got for her and Peter first before knowing if he bought her any more. He was further convinced now than even before, the girl simply needed to see what friendship was to accept it.

Edited 2019-10-08 18:05 (UTC)

"I will be doing that." She could stay alive, she was very good at that. She had stayed alive all these years after all. It was a skill and one she was good at.

The hair ruffle got a cautious grin, she was glad that Tony wasn't mad at her anymore. Not that she cared. It was probably safer for him to not like her.

Feelings were stupid and difficult.

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A City Falls: Start

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