middleofsomewhere

Entry tags:

To Climb

Preparation

Just after light on the seventh day since boarding the train everyone’s SCA glows with the colours of the void before showing a message. A briefing for the mission to come. No one gets much time to process this before there is a shaking, like turbulance before there’s a jolt and flash of colour.

”Welcome to Hub World#5739. Our next stop will be Ciyesia in a few hours.”

Outside the windows the void is gone. The train is winding through a mountain range. The mountains tower up around them. The sky is a beautiful blue though every now and again there is a swirl of colour, like the void is trying to break through.

The countryside wizzes by, sometimes you go past settlements, small villages of wooden houses. Sometimes you pass farmers in fields. Sometimes herds of animals, horses, camels, strange animals with six legs and curled horns.

Eventually the train slows. ”Now arriving at Ciyesia. Passengers must wear their Safety Control Apparatus. Please ensure you take all equipment needed for your mission with you when you leave the train and take extra care when you step from the train to the platform. Next stop Ciyesia.”

Arrival

And in a billow of steam the train comes to a stop. The doors hiss open and there is indeed a rickety wooden platform, fallen into disuse. Sat upon it were two children, a boy and a girl who were staring at the train with open mouths.

Before the doors were even fully opened they were off running, “Ma! Ma!”

The platform is in a clearing, surrounded mostly by trees but down the path the children took a building can be seen. If you follow the children you will find it a large homestead, with a sign outside. The Weary Wanderer. The children are on the doorstep talking to a woman and gesturing towards you.

As you approach she smiles, a little nervously. “Well. This is not something I thought I would see in my lifetime. Welcome Treckers, I offer you the hospitality of my inn.”

She gestures them in. Inside is a large common room with wooden tables. There is a fire place but the day is warm enough that it is not lit. At first glance it looks old fashioned to anyone from a modern world, even fantasy-esque for those who would recognise it as such. Indeed her and the children are dressed in simple layered, loose tunics. But then you may notice some of the candles are battery powered and! there’s a coffee machine on the bar.

“Maia can you ask our guests what they would like to drink?” The woman hands the little girl a slate and chalk before she begins rummaging around on the bar for mugs and glasses. “I’m sorry, it’s the quiet season so we aren’t quite guest-ready.”

They become guest ready in an impressive amount of time. The little boy runs off and returns a short while later with a plate of oat biscuits that he begins handing out.

Sheltered and soon to be fed it is time to learn more about this land and plan for your journeys ahead.

(OOC: Information for this event is here and the initial briefing is here

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He follows Manabu's gaze, but this time doesn't fire a missile at the bird. It was far enough away to not be bothering them. He hadn't fully committed to the idea all of the birds and evil goats must die. Yet.

Tony shrugs. "It's not a big deal. As curious as I am, I'm not convinced knowing too much about our other versions of ourselves is all that healthy." It was enough to make one paranoid, after all.

"Besides knowing your memories have been damaged, do you feel any pain or feeling something else is wrong?" It was possible if there wasn't any 'damage' his mind might have shut out certain memories in order to cope with a reality he couldn't handle or face all at once.

"Oh, uh, not anything that really stands out, no." Even as he says that, he pauses to think and be extra sure, deciding that was the right answer. "Yeah, I...I, ah. Actually, I think there's less pain about all of this than there." He grimaces. "I remember getting decked in the face a lot for no good reason. Most people apologized about it at least."

It sounds as weird out of context as it does with what context he does recall, and that's why he just sighs about it.

"I've been kind of sitting on all this, hoping that maybe something'll spring to mind that'll make being here make more sense, but...no luck yet. Sorry, sir."

He reaches out and gives Manabu a soft, metallic pat on the shoulder. "I'm glad you aren't suffering, kid. Memory loss is bad enough without anything else wrong. We can see what we can do to jar that noggin of yours, but right now let's be content it's no worse than it is."

What he wouldn't give for some of the medical equipment back home. He'd love to see if Manabu's brain waves had been affected and if there was more damage than the young man knew about. Since that stuff was out of their reach, he'd have to trust whatever the fellow could recognize on his own.

"Care for a lift to the summit?"

It's rather plain by Manabu's bashful expression that he hadn't expected such consideration on Tony's part; honestly, it made him feel like a kid, being mother henned. Or...well. Mamoru used to be thoughtful in ways like that, too. Big-brotherly things like that still leave an impression, even after all this time.

It's also plain to see that he wasn't expecting the offer of a free ride, either: from a sheepish grin to big-eyed surprise, Manabu's head tilts.

"Eh? What--you mean...?" He points to himself, then to Tony. "Just...flying up like that? Really?"

The young man reminds him of Peter with his bashful smile. It makes him curious about this fellow he's been living with for the past two weeks. What kind of secrets was his memory hiding from him? The most obvious thing about Manabu, and it was the same for a lot of the people on this train, he was alone. Hopefully he didn't feel like it quite as much anymore.

Tony has to laugh at that reaction. Oh, he did love it when people were so amazed at his toys like Manabu was. With a wide grin, he steps off the rock platform they were standing on and his jets immediately come back to life. "Unless you prefer the pain in the ass climbing method?"

"Not at all!" he cries, a laugh in his voice. "If you've got an extra suit, then I'm definitely game!"

Awesome power armor? Definitely a childhood sort of dream.

Tony chuckles and shakes his head. It would be nice to have multiple power suits, but then he'd be worried about Pepper being without him and without protection. "No I mean.. screw it."

He reaches out and tucks his arm tight around Manabu's waist. "Hold on." He tries not to be rough on the kid as his jets fire and takes them both effortlessly into the air. He makes a point to take a little longer getting to the summit to give Manabu more of a ride. He doesn't bother putting his helmet back up as he keeps the speed something relatively normal, but.. you know, fun.

When they land, he smirks and gives Manabu a chance to get his legs underneath him before letting go.

"Wait, whatdoyoumeeeeeeeAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN--!"

Manabu flails when his feet first leave safe, solid ground, but he quickly wises up and just hangs on, his eyes immediately glued downward. It gives his stomach a real wild time, but, thankfully, he hasn't lost his lunch in flight of any sort in years!

Breathless and wobbly like a baby deer, Manabu peels himself off the iron man, waving the steadying hand off once he's found rock behind him to lean on.

"Tha-thanks for the warning!" he cries, eyes wide. But he's not mad, just. Bamboozled! He runs a hand through his hair. "Holy crap, I haven't--I usually have a ship or train or something under my feet when I'm off the ground, you know?!"

While he hadn't started off with the intention to freak the poor kid out, it had turned into a delightful bonus. It made him feel less guilty knowing the young man hadn't been in any danger no matter how shaky his legs were.

"What's the fun in a warning?" Tony teases and ruffles Manabu's already wind-blown hair. "Besides, Kid, I did what I said I was going to, didn't I? You're here in one piece. You can't really tell me that wasn't fun, can you?"

Manabu makes a startled, slightly petulant sound at the affectionate fussing-about with his head, his face going red without his permission. He's an adult, dammit! Yet somehow, it always winds up this way.

"Yeah, yeah..." He huffs, making a point to shake some of the work done on his hair out with a quick move before lifting his hands away. "At least I wasn't carrying anything import--"

He sucks in a sharp breath before finishing that word, his stomach dropping in a sudden burst of panic. Very quickly, he pats himself down, missing a couple passes before grabbing at the rucksack that'd been on his back the whole time. Urgently, he crouches and doesn't stop ferreting through it until a glint of metal reflects back at him. Only then does he breathe again, losing the tension that'd built up in all of a few frantic seconds.

"Important," he sighs, head sagging.

There wasn't a way for Manabu to know it, but any affection physical or otherwise was only given to a few chosen people from Tony. It came from his very unaffectionate upbringing and something he'd been working on in the last couple years now that he had a daughter and a wife. Still, he can see Manabu is more upset than he originally thought, so some of the humor on his face fades.

It straight up evaporates into concern as Manabu starts searching for something. "What? What is it Manabu?" Tony asks, his voice tinged in worry. He witnesses the young man finding some object and relaxing, but it only makes him more curious. "What is that?" More importantly, he wanted to know what it meant to Manabu.

A little red-faced, Manabu fishes the pistol out of the rucksack, holding it almost reverently. However, he remembers the fraught reaction the Pokemon trainer had to him having a gun, so he's quicker to explain.

"It's my sidearm," he says, then hesitates. "...Well, my father's. But I inherited it. It hasn't worked in years, so don't worry about it going off or anything."

His eyes flicker back down to it.

"It's the only thing of mine that came with me. I think...it's stuck with me for better or worse."

Tony was certainly surprised to see a gun was the item Manabu was holding so reverently, but as he continued to explain it made all the sense in the world. And Manabu was not talking to the pokemon trainer this time.

"How about we fix it so you can use it if you need to. Before we get on the train, we can get some tools. It would be a good memory if your father was a gun man of some kind." He meets Manabu's gaze in case the man is questioning if he's serious. "That would take like.. ten minutes to fix."

Manabu laughed, definitely looking up to expect a joking expression, but...

The laugh peters out as he blinks.

"What, you're serious?" He blinks again. Then, finally getting back to his feet with the pistol, his expression grows apologetic, dubious. "I-I'm not so sure that's possible. I mean, the charging mechanism's been burnt out for...for years, and the last time we were looking for tools, you know--" He grimaces. "I, I don't know if vinegar's going to cut it this time."

Tony's gaze moves from the man to the pistol and back. He has to chuckle at the remark about vinegar though, which is the only reason his overly serious expression changes.

"I am serious, but... clearly this means something important to you. I don't want to do anything with it that would hurt that. And no, I was thinking real tools. I've been fixing some things around the inn this week, so I know they have basic tools." He holds out his hand, "Here, let me see it."

He makes a soft, affirmative sound, still doubtful, but...if anything? The offer itself is...well, it's nice. He's not sure he's earned himself such a solidly good favor, but he can't deny how much better he'd sleep knowing he had a means to protect himself or the others should more trouble than murder-goats arrive.

That in mind, he passes it over, handle-first. It looks almost like some old western six-shooter...except somehow not.

Manabu points at the barrel.

"The energy charging components fizzled out a while ago," he explains. "The officer who gave it to me told me it was probably from some buckshot from another gun. They offered to fix or replace it, but..."

But you don't just give up a memento this potent.

Edited 2019-07-27 23:53 (UTC)

While he'd love to say this was entirely altruistic, there was something to be said about having people owe you favors in a strange, unpredictable place like this. It wasn't malicious or his full intent, but it was a perk. As of yet, he hadn't needed anything so who knew when he'd call in his marker.

He examines the gun, taking care to hold it both respectfully and careful of somehow having it go off on him. You just never know. However, he saw where the bolts were on the pistol and could logically conclude that was where the mechanics of it were located. A few clicks on this or that and he had a few ideas on how to get that fixed.

Handing it back he smirks, "You joke about vinegar, but that stuff would make the metal nice and shiny." He gestures for Manabu to follow him over to where a few rocks had formed sort of a bench for them to sit and chat. "Tell me about your father. What kind of work did he do?"

Task-minded as Manabu is, the offer to sit and chat is received with a bit of hesitation. He knows there's work to be done, but also...he's not actually really crazy about the work. He doesn't even know why they're really doing it? So are they really, truly on the clock?

He scratches at his cheek as he considers this with a faint frown before finally following Tony over to sit down, bringing his bag and gun along so he can at least pack it away with some care.

Before he can get to that, though, there comes the question of his father. Once the rucksack is settled on the ground between his feet, Manabu straightens back up, still cradling the gun in his hands.

"Aa, he was an SDF officer, like me," he replies, perking up and out of those doubts. He likes bragging about his family. "A captain, actually. He was once the captain of the train I got stationed on when I joined, even! His lieutenant's my captain now. It's kind of a family calling, you know? Even my big brother enlisted."

He notices Manabu hesitate and chuckles. "You realize you just made it to the finish line, right? The nasty thing that was up here originally has already been killed."

Either way, he smiles when the young man decides it's okay to sit down and join him. He likes the way the kid smiles thinking about his father. It was bittersweet after what he'd recently understood about his own. He just hadn't 'gotten' it till he was a dad himself. Anyway, this was about Manabu's dad, not his.

"He sounds like an impressive man. Did something happen to him to give you his gun?"

"Mm. Yeah."

His expression sobers a little; even though he's still smiling, it takes on a more somber quality, and his eyes fix back onto the gun.

"He died saving us -- me and my big brother, I mean. It was back when we were little. We'd stowed away on his train because we wanted to see him work, and...things got hairy out there. He had to uncouple the engine from the rest of the train to divert enemy fire and..."

He runs his thumb along the wood plating on the gun's handle as he remembers it, remembers the steady shape of his father receding from sight, saluting farewell to his family and crew. Manabu had never hated the SDF more than that moment...and or admired it more.

His head bobs a slight nod before looking back over, mouth tugging a crooked grin.

"Heroic sacrifices run in the family, too."

When Manabu looks back, Tony's face is a mix of sympathy and that same familiar pain that was likely on Manabu's as he'd talked. His family didn't have quite as heroic an image, but he didn't doubt his father would have done something just like that if the circumstances had allowed it. Taken out as he had... no, he wasn't going to start thinking about that.

"I can see why that's so important to you." He put a hand on the young man's shoulder in silent solidarity, before giving it an affectionate, light squeeze and letting it go. "And you clearly grew up well with that memory to live up to. You seem a very capable, intelligent young man." He had to hope the same would be true for Morgan.

Edited (forgot icon) 2019-07-28 17:51 (UTC)

Manabu's face flushes, and he scratches at his nose bashfully.

"Aa, tha-thanks," he utters, still grinning. "I don't always know what's going on, or...the right thing to do about it, but I'll still give it my all, you know? That's...I think, the best anyone can do."

He clears his throat, looking up and away. Gosh, he expected to reach the top of the mountain annoyed and tired, not...full of nostalgia and sentiment! What a day. It--

Oh!

He blinks and looks back.

"Auh, but, ah! What...what about you? Does the rest of your family get cool power suits, too?"

Tony just nods in response to the self-doubt. He felt like he was the king of that particular club. The remark that Manabu did his best got a knowing, almost fatherly smile from Tony. Whether that was just ideal words or Manabu's real practice, he didn't know yet but he appreciated the sentiment.

The older man seems a bit surprised the conversation turned back towards him. He snorts a laugh at that question. "Well, somewhat, yes. I suppose they do." He hadn't thought of it quite like that. "My wife has one that I made. My daughter's only four, so, no. She doesn't have one yet. I probably would've made her one eventually." His expression shifts briefly to a pained one, before he can push it away. "I may fly back to the inn to see about stealing or buying some tools. Would you like to come with me or stay here?" He glances around the empty, rocky space. Tony knows which one he'd pick, but.. maybe the kid really hated the flight.

Haa? A little girl, huh? Manabu has to suppress a grin and laugh at the thought. No wonder he was so fussy over Peter! Tony definitely does exude some fatherly energies, and that remark only makes it clearer.

He just misses the wince on the older man's face, distracted by the view and what he thought was another eagle owl -- just a pigeon, no harm. But his attention comes back at the ask, eyebrows raised.

"Ah? Oh--ye, yeah, actually. The job's already done for the day here, right?" The other team can cart up those awful fledglings on unmolested...save for the awful fledglings themselves. "I wouldn't mind a lift, if that's fine?"

How things change, life was funny like that. The very thing he thought he'd never aspire to was now something he did so naturally, it even came out when he wasn't intending it to. How could he, who had forever wanted a father who wasn't there for him, become a father to everyone else? No one who knew him ten- twenty years ago would ever have thought it possible. Even now he still questioned if he was really 'dad' material. All he knew was his daughter- the last time he'd seen her- had told him she loved him three thousand.

It was hard drawing his focus back to Manabu, but it was more like a postponing the thought rather than pushing away forever. The distinction somehow made it easier to deal with.

"Right. You did good, kid. You got to the mountain and did what you were supposed to do. Now you can go back and sleep in a real bed and have a hot supper." He holds out an arm to wrap around Manabu for the flight back.

To Climb

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