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[outofclothes]

spam.
[For most people, dying is a big problem. It tends to put a damper on their whole day. For Stark? Well, it's not quite the relief he thought it'd be (and a little more embarrassing than expected; going down to some rogue Sub Rosa was just not what he had in mind for his blaze of glory, but what can you do?), but it was on the to-do list somewhere along the way.]

[It doesn't even really faze Stark much when he finds his surroundings different from what he remembers from his last trip. Hell was on the brink of civil war. New management was always a possibility. He's annoyed, but not that distraught over the lack of his guns and knife. The na'at makes him a little sad, but he can always pick up another here. Weapons are everywhere if you know where to look.]

[And look, he does. Stark doesn't need his hand to be hold or to be told where he is even if this isn't what he was looking forward to. (And yes, he's completely aware of how fucked up that is.) The best he has, once he's on the deck, is that whoever took over the shithole has been watching a little too much Star Trek between organizing an army and overthrowing Lucifer. He hopes they didn't do something equally stupid to the arena or he's going to be pissed.]

[It's at that point, when he's fairly alone, he tries stepping into a shadow. When nothing happens, he's not all that relieved, but he's still not mad.]

voice.
[It's his cabin that makes Stark go from apathetic to not in less than a second. He would've shrugged off and forgiven being pushed off the U.S. Bank Tower compared to this. Stark knew death wasn't going to be a vacation for him, but there are some pretty clear lines that no one should have the balls enough to cross. Then again, there's always morons wherever you go.]

[Stark won't give anyone any satisfaction of an obvious reaction. You never let the other guy know he's under your skin because the second you do that, you've lost. He knows how to turn that part of his brain off and work on pure auto-pilot to close the door behind him, to sit down on the mattress, and start puzzling out the communicator. Luckily he's mastered enough of the ridiculous phone technology to figure it out.]

So, who'd like to take credit for this?

Comments

[outofclothes]

It's not. It's a type of Lurker. Like a vampire, but instead of your blood, they guzzle down people's insides. Most people don't know about them and it's not like they've got a monthly newsletter.

I know one and she's a great gal. In fact, she's even off the people juice. Or trying to be anyway. But see, it's not something she can do on her own. It's not just a switch she can turn off whenever she feels like. She had to ask for help.

Now Doc Kinski? It would've been easy for him to say no. He didn't owe her anything and frankly, it would've been a lot less grief. But he made the choice to help her because he stepped outside of himself for a second and thought about what it would mean for her.

He didn't have to be a Jade to get her. [She also didn't have to be a nephilim to get Stark, but he's very purposefully not talking about himself here.] And someone doesn't have to be a mutant to get you.

[permutates]

There were a lot of bad ways my life could have gone that it didn't go.

[ Just pointing that out. ]

Without that, I'd probably be an inmate, not a warden. But I don't think the distinction is all that important, except in here.

[outofclothes]

Then you're one of the few people who made more good decisions than bad ones.

Seriously, sweetheart, do me a favor and invest in a life coach or something. Your self-esteem is a mess.

[permutates]

How's yours?

[outofclothes]

Fan-fucking-tastic. It's a wonder I don't just make-out with myself.

[LIES. FILTHY, FILTHY LIES.]

[permutates]

Says the guy who asked for the exit when I told him the ship is a second chance.

[outofclothes]

See, I'm of the opinion that I don't need one. Big difference.

But I appreciate the concern.

[permutates]

Why not?

[outofclothes]

Considering the shit decade I've had? I'm pretty well-adjusted.

[permutates]

So you've had a shit decade.

Am I supposed to believe that's bad luck? Because you said bad luck doesn't exist.

[outofclothes]

Did I say that it was bad luck?

[Spoilers: no. And he knows it wasn't. He made a series of bad choices knowingly. He doesn't have much room to bitch and complain about it and he's not. It's more of a statement of fact for him than a complaint.]

[permutates]

So then why don't you want your next decade not to be bad?

[outofclothes]

[Because he doesn't deserve it.]

It was off to a rocky start, but I was on an upswing. You know, before biting it and landing myself here.

So really, this is just overkill.

[permutates]

Probably. And pretty annoying. I don't blame you for looking for an exit.

But you know what you're saying doesn't add up.

[outofclothes]

How so?

[Not that he particularly gives a crap.]

[permutates]

It just... doesn't. You're complicated. You say you make bad decisions, but you know what good decisions are, and you value them, so I guess... a lot of bad things have happened to you, and maybe it's not really your fault, but you believe it is anyway.

[outofclothes]

[Every nail's head has been hit here, but Stark lives in a(n un)healthy state of denial when people he doesn't know all that well try to confront him on his stupid bullshit.]

Ooh, can you read my palm next?

[permutates]

Okay, maybe I'm wrong.

I'm Raven.

[outofclothes]

Stark. Nice to meet you.

Sort've.

[Not sure talking over a network and just hearing a voice exactly counts. Or that this is a nice place to meet people. It's kinda garbage.]

[permutates]

Sorry you're here.

[outofclothes]

Don't be. I managed to land myself in worse situations than this.

[permutates]

A situation can be bad without having to be the worst.

[outofclothes]

What can I say? I'm a glass half-full kind of guy.

[No, he's not.]

[permutates]

So, what did you want someone to take credit for?

[outofclothes]

[He could quite easily tell her. But the fact of the matter is, bad decisions leads to a lot of bad enemies. And while he's got the song & dance about the Barge, he's not totally convinced yet. He doesn't need a girl like her getting wrapped in his shit at all.]

Trust me when I say, the less you know, the better off you'll be.

[Congratulations, Raven. He's projecting Alice on you already.]