selfhelp | [Action / Voice] evening + morning

[Action / Voice] evening + morning

[...This doesn't look like Prison #42. At least, not as he recalls it. Billy pushes himself upright in the grass, squinting in the early evening light, and absently lifts a shaking hand to his ears. There's no device there, nothing to prevent him from casting any spells... a fact he proves to himself with a wave of his hand, conjouring up a shirt to go with the unfamiliar white pants he finds himself in. What's all this about, exactly? Some new trick that Stark and Richards came up with to keep their prisoners placated? Or has he - against all odds - been freed and dumped somewhere in the wild?

What've you gotten yourself into now, Kaplan?

Cautiously he lets his magic take him up to the tree line, resting on a high branch to get a better look around. Up ahead, not far in the distance, he can see a village, but it's so small and old-fashioned that he doesn't recognize it at all. Wherever he is, it's pretty remote.

Well, whatever. What does location matter to a witch who can teleport? His priority is finding Cap and the rest of the Young Avengers. Teddy's probably flipping out right about now. Dropping back into a crouch, he sits himself down on the branch, cross-legged, and lifts his hands again, letting the glow return to them, and begins chanting under his breath-]

"IwanttobeinNewYorkIwanttobeinNewYork..."

[Yeah, he's pretty noticeable like that. Especially since he'll be there until he's discovered, pointedly not teleporting to New York. Awkward.]

[In the morning, however, things are a bit different- he's settled (sort of), he's rested (a bit), he's informed (just enough). And he's sorted out how to use the journal. Thus, around mid-afternoon, he sends out a message:]

Okay, this is weird, but... let's give it a try. Hey, uh, whoever's listening out there. I've heard there are people from all over the galaxy, and lots from Earth, especially. That's where I'm from, too. I was wondering, though- are there people living here who'd be considered "super heroes"? Here or on your own world, I mean. I'm actually-

[Actually... he really shouldn't just announce it. What if someone from the Initiative is here and remembers him when they get back to Earth? Even a slim chance isn't worth the risk.]

...I'm actually a huge fan of the superheroes from Earth! You know, heroes like Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-man... I've been a fan since I was a kid. Though I guess it's not unusual for someone from New York. There's a ton of superheroes living in the city these days.

Sorry for rambling so much. To be honest, I'm just nervous... I've never been to another world before.

[....]

Teddy? You here?

[ooc: first dibs to action (chronologically) goes to Buffy, otherwise he is free to be met wherever/whenever. Also if you could have a look at his permissions post I would be much obliged!]

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I'll try to remember that. [Just because he's gay doesn't mean he's gonna cross-dress, sheesh. He follows Tony further inside, pausing in the doorway of the kitchen.

What. Is this. Mess.]

...You weren't kidding.

[It is the fruits of being a lonesome bachelor when you're used to being picked up after. Yes, even after ten months. Old habits die hard.]

Me? Kidding? No, I wouldn't joke about a problem this serious. I'm not actually sure if I remember the last time I saw the bottom of my sink.

[It was probably that time he blew up his house and Robin did his dishes for him. That...was a strange memory.]

[Woooow. That's. ...Adventurous.

Billy stares at the pile about the same way any teenager might stare at a nightmare of chores.]

To tell the truth I think it's amazing you're still alive.

[Seriously how do you survive day by day in this rubbish.]

[This is, indeed, a nightmare of chores.] Trust me, kiddo, I've survived much worse than a pile of dirty dishes. [Which, right--Billy probably knows that.] You might just want to make a pile of what's salvageable and what's not--I can use the condemned plates and pans for target practice.

[Oh to hell with that. Soon as Tony leaves he is magicking this entire goddamn room. He's genuinely afraid to touch any of this crap.]

Maybe it only looks bad. As long as it's not... alive or something.

[Just like in Sword in the Stone.]

Oh, no. You won't have to worry about that. Anything alive is most assuredly in the fridge.

[He'll have Tony thinking he's the best maid in the world in no time.]

I hope you at least clean that once in a while...

[Or. Maybe that's on the list.

Oh god.]

[Unless his magicking goes comically awry.]

...Sure, sure, once in awhile, um--but make gratuitous use of the garbage can, alright?

[Wow, that wasn't predictable at all... and that comical business is bound to happen at least once. He's still in training, after all.]

...I'll see what I can do.

[Maybe he'll get lucky and it'll happen while Tony is gone.]

Great! Good for you. Undaunted. Um--what else--vacuuming. Not...sure that's ever actually happened in here.

[He is sure, actually. It hasn't.]

...Ever? And you've been here how long?

[Even he vacuums his room once every month or two. (Or three, lately. He was in prison okay.]

Longer than I like to think about. [God, he's coming up on a year now. That's way too damn long.] Shockingly, keeping my house tidy hasn't exactly been a priority.

Uh... right. I guess you've got more important things to do.

[Like indulge fanboys and eat ramen and polish your armor and put highschoolers in pris- NO BILLY NO you are trying to steer clear of those thoughts.]

Exactly. Every minute I don't have to spend vacuuming is spent getting one step closer to getting everyone home, so. You'll be helping out the greater good. Good for you.

...Okay, guess I'll be vacuuming, then. Anything else I should know?

[Like where do you keep the armor can I see it]

Well--we can't forget the laundry, of course. [He starts heading back towards his room where he's got a nice garbage sack of clothes for you, Billy--if you follow along, you might catch a glimpse into his work room where his armor is rigged up from the ceiling.] Also, how's your cooking skills?

[Just how much can he milk you for?]

[He does notice the armor, actually- and stops following to stare at it for minute. Brings back some... interesting memories, and the expression on his face couldn't exactly be called "adoring fanboy" at this moment, but it's probably not that easy to read, either.

It takes a bit for the question to click, and he responds without looking away.]

...Don't count on me for anything gourmet, but I can do better than ramen, I think.

Hey, don't lift yourself on too high a pedestal. Ramen isn't to be underestimated. [Although, yes. He is getting a bit tired of it. Even with all the flavors.

And Billy stopping to survey his armor doesn't go overlooked.]

What, never seen the real deal up close before?

[Billy blinks, then glances briefly over to Stark, feeling a little embarrassed at being caught.]

No, it's- I mean, kind of. This armor's a little different than what I'm used to. It's... very retro.

[Which probably sounds bad, but it's true.]

Retro. [R U D E this is the state of the art--though he certainly has ideas for improvements, they're extremely difficult to implement with his lack of resources in Luceti. But the comment still raises questions.]

...What year are you from, anyway?

[What? Retro can be good. In this case he kinda likes it. Nice, slim. Looks more comfortable.]

It's 2007 where I'm from.

[It's called style, kid.]

Definitely another universe, then. 2010, in my world. And I've only been up to this Iron Man gig for six months back there.

...That's pretty hard to swallow. The Avengers have been around since I was a little kid. You guys made the daily news look like Saturday morning cartoons.

Right. Except for the part where that's not me. [Here, have a bag of laundry, Billy.] And I don't put much stock in other versions of myself--in one world, I'm not even Iron Man.

[...Oof. That's a lot of laundry. You better have clean underwear, Stark.]

Seriously? That's messed up. I mean, I guess it would be good if the world didn't need Iron Man, but I can't even imagine that.

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