IC inbox for duplicity

[definingfuture]

Tony's Mailbox.

Comments

[definingfuture]

Yeah, I guess that's probably true.
What did you do to it?

[freightcars]

Got in a garland fight with a god damn metal wizard or something

[ Which is a very... very abridged version of the actual happenings, and Max may or may not actually be a metal wizard. Definitely some kinda wizard though. ]

Started drawing something and the next thing I know he's peeling it off like a can opener.

[definingfuture]

You got into a fight.

Aren't you trying to avoid fights?

[freightcars]

Trying like hell.
You get the memo about Christmas decorations going crazy?
If not, lemme give you some serious advice:

avoid the garland and the mistletoe at all costs
trust me.

[definingfuture]

I've seen them.

Embarrassing, but it's all right.
Are you hurt?

[freightcars]

Well, pal, you wouldn't believe it but I looked down and it turns out my left arm's gone

[definingfuture]

Not the arm.
You. Are you hurt?

[freightcars]

[ They're gonna have to work on that whole sense of humor thing. ]

Hurt like hell at the time, but it's not so bad now. I'm fine.

[definingfuture]

[ Maybe once he gets to know who this man is and if he can really trust him they will have humor. Until then, he's only got wary discomfort at being asked for favors. ]

All right. As long as the rest of you is still in one piece.

[freightcars]

[ A fair concern, though he's angling for a business transaction more than a favor. He's got money. Nothing's free, especially not from strangers.
Whether or not he can afford the quote, on the other hand (no pun intended)... ]

More or less.
You got a price? Hell, you even open for that matter? Won't be offended if it's a no.

[ Which is true, he'd take it in a heartbeat. Figure something else out. If he can avoid throwing money at the locals, that's what he'd rather do. ]

[definingfuture]

[ Tony pauses before his response. He actually sighs, but luckily Bucky can't see him do that. ]

I'll rebuild it for you.

[freightcars]

[ The abruptness of it's unsettling a feather or two in Bucky, a thread of wary uncertainty, the lack of a price. Maybe it's just the great depression in him, the masculine pride his father always hammered in about not accepting charity. Working for your meal. ]

Doesn't gotta be a bottom-up job, if you can just fix where it's messed up I don't care if it's ugly.

[ Or if it's a little glitchy, stiff, questionable pressure sensors. Just as long as it works and he doesn't shred the bedsheets when he sleeps.

Pushing the point, straightforward: ]

How much?

[definingfuture]

You need a full reconstruction. It's a mess.

[ Tony. ]

I mean that nicely. It would just be easier at this point to build you a new one. Besides, the original is an older model. I can do better even here.

[ He's trying to be nice, but this is also his area. He provides his world with a majority of their tech innovations alongside Reed Richards and Hank Pym, so he takes it seriously. ]

It'll take some time and I would like to see your arm up close. See what can be salvaged from it. But it shouldn't actually take that much time.

[freightcars]

Tell me how you really feel

[ Mildly, and amused. It's a mess. Thanks, pal, appreciate that honesty. ]

When you say you can do even better
just to be clear
we're not talking like
vibrating, toast making, missile shooting, tooth brush in a finger right
Seriously, I'm happy if it just opens door knobs

[definingfuture]

I think the guy that made your arm was an amateur that was wasting a lot of great potential. Which is probably good for your world's heroes, but definitely not as efficient as my work.

The energy conservation can't possibly keep up with your needs. I don't know what you were using it for, but it couldn't have been as much as you could use it for. Hydra, right? They have second tier engineers at best.

[ He said to tell him! ]

And, no, you and I are not close enough for me to begin considering any sort of weapon. Vibrators and toothbrushes are negotiable, as long as you promise to clean it properly.

You already have a hand that can open doors. That's boring.

[freightcars]

Let me rephrase:
I actively don't want missiles, vibrators, or tooth brushes in my arm.
Please, god.

And if we're being honest, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about with the energy conservation part of it either, but it did me just fine.

[definingfuture]

Ugh, come on. It was in desperate need of an upgrade. I'm surprised it wasn't grinding and sputtering.

I have no intention of putting any kind of explosive in your arm.

[ He politely fails to mention any other possibility. ]

[freightcars]

It may have done a little grinding and sputtering, but it fixed itself most of the time

Thinking about changing my mind and just replacing it with one of those wooden backscratchers now, seems like the safer bet

[definingfuture]

It fixed itself. Really.

Do people on your world not know how machines work or is there magic involved...? I hate to say this, but I hope there is magic involved, because otherwise your tech was in worse shape than I thought.

And don't you dare. You have an opportunity here.

[freightcars]

when it stops grinding and sputtering on it's own, it counts

[ right??
he's never owned a car, go easy on him ]

let me know when you wanna get a look at the pile of scrap attached to my shoulder in person.

[definingfuture]

You know, I hate to say it, but this was probably better for you in the long run.

And I'm only going to do this if you promise to actually take care of it.

I'm basically free all the time now. More than I want to be.

[freightcars]

You wanna run me through what you mean by taking care of a metal arm? Do I need to floss it or something?

Tomorrow afternoon?

[definingfuture]

I'll show you what I mean. You would think someone with military training would know the value of caring for equipment at least, but I'll forgive you this time.

That's fine.

[freightcars]

I volunteered for the gun.
The arm, not so much.

See you then.