[ MINGLE ] STARK EXPO SOUTH VILLAGE

[nonstopnarcissist]

WHO: Tony Stark & Bruce Banner
WHERE: Town Hall
WHEN: October 15th
OPEN TO: Everyone
WARNINGS: SCIENCE!!! Relevant OOC post is here! Topics for discussion/projects here. Go forth and make connections

---

True to his word, Tony's got a free meal (courtesy of the hard work of Frank and Kamala) by way of vats of pasta and platters of pizza ready, hot, and waiting for whoever wanders in, bottles of wine, and a notebook set up for taking down questions, projects, or working out the logistics of each. Every scientist that opts to swing in and be a useful collaborative sort of nerd has been granted their space and time to talk about what they know how to do, how it's useful for the village, and to collaborate on project ideas. All in all, not a terrible shindig considering the lack of a sound-system or pyrotechnics.

It's nowhere near as flashy as the expo he threw- or even the expo Howard managed in the 70s, but it's a gathering of scientific minds and the people said minds are serving, pretty well devoid of the usual capitalist bent since- well. They either get their collective shit together or get killed by the situation and circumstance. Sink or swim. So far, though, it seems like most people are more than willing to swim, and swim with each other rather than scrabble on top of someone's shoulders to stave off drowning.

Comments

Tony Stark | OTA

[nonstopnarcissist]

After making his pitch RE village defenses and anything he could swing on his own for getting some kind of hydroelectric systems going for a better regulated means of powered appliances other than 'sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't because magic' or whatever, Tony's playing the role of good host. This is his and Bruce's baby, after all, and of the two of them he's the extrovert. Flitting from person to person, project to project, he checks in, listens for whatever someone's wondering about to offer what answers he can if he knows them or points them in the direction o the appropriately knowledgeable party when he doesn't.

As the evening wears on he doubles back to check on the food and wine store, the last thing he needs is someone making off with a bottle before he's sure they won't need it, or doubles back around to keep tabs on his well mannered peers. Or even his ill mannered peers. Nothing's on fire just yet but- well. Given enough time? That might not last.

[locum_tenens]

With her blue contacts in, Niska looks every bit as human as the next person. She'd always been good at blending with the humans and as she mills through this expo, her hands in her pockets, she notes that there seems to be someone looking rather nervous about how things are going.

Perhaps that, or simply paranoid. She's going to err on the side of the first, watching the pulse and the pupils, making a diagnosis. "What are you so worried about?" Niska asks him, when he reappears. "I don't think everyone is going to disappear all at once just because you turned your back."

[nonstopnarcissist]

"It's called being a good host. Admittedly there's less pressure here due to a lack of media but word of mouth travels fast and I can't have it said that I was less than welcoming and engaging and all that Publicity bullshit" He shrugs, blinking a little at the-

Rather appealing young lady that had sidled up to him. If he were twenty years younger and not in the middle of a relationship existential crisis. Maybe thirty years, god he feels old. "Mostly keeping people engaged takes work, otherwise they sweep in light cheerful locusts, eat all the food, drink all the wine, and sweep out without a single idea settling in."

[locum_tenens]

Niska tips her head to one side when he keeps going on about being a good host. She's not entirely sure she agrees with the human need to be polite and make everyone like you, but then, Niska's opinions on other people tends to be rather low, most days.

"They're human beings," she says dryly, the sarcasm so thick on the words already that it shouldn't be a surprise that she's not about to compliment them, "you had to bribe them here with food and liquor. Some of them might actually want to learn, but most look like they're here for the snacks." She actually wants to listen and learn, not just because she can't eat.

"Your specialty, is it in energy?" she asks curiously.

[freightcars]

Barnes shows up because he said he would, because there's nothing else going on, and frankly, because it's a little nostalgic to be heading off to a Stark Expo again after all these years. It's not nearly as impressive as the last one he saw, but there's wine and, more importantly, god damn pizza. It's been fucking years it feels like, and they're gonna regret inviting him by the time the days out and he polishes off their supply.

He's got a plate with three slices on it as he navigates the crowd and settles somewhere near the front where Tony's delivering his pitch. Village defenses, sure. Hydroelectric system, yeah, bring in the the electricity. He'd seem super interested in it all if he didn't spend the entire lecture shoving bites into his mouth that make the people around him look at him funny and chew their tongues like they're trying to psychically help him out.

Sorry, is he a distraction?

[nonstopnarcissist]

As pleased as he is with the turnout and the attention- the rather loud chewing distraction in the back is- well, not grating, he's handled worse from the press, but annoying enough for Tony to want to get his own back.

"Right. Practical demonstration time." Tony claps his hands together, nevermind he doesn't have anything that requires a demonstration but like hell he won't make something up on the fly. "For which I need a willing volunteer."

Or semi-willing. Sorry Barnes, you're about to be Volun-Told. "Come on up, Buck-Stuff, I need your arm. The rest of you might as well come along."

Since he's pretty sure it's not detachable, at least not really.

[freightcars]

He's got a mouth full of food around the time he hears Buck-stuff, and he pauses mid-chew, eyebrows shooting up, flicking his eyes over to the other villagers like he's looking for some other Bucky that's just been offered up like ritual sacrifice. Some shrug at him, he shrugs back, and when he heads up to the "demonstration" he's got a slice of 'za folded in half hot-dog style in his left hand, and a plate with another slice in his right.

Stark gets one of those sup nods people this century are fond of, and he has the god damn audacity to take another bite. A second or two later he talks around his food, shoved into one cheek like a hamster, "You know I'm only here for the food, right?"

Just checking.

Samantha Moon | OTA

[thegreatexperiment]

Sam couldn't quite get over the fact that this felt less like an expo and more like a middle school science fair. But that was fine, she supposed. Science had been her best subject in middle school. But, also like in middle school, she realized very quickly that she was talking about things that most of the other kids didn't understand. Coils of the Dragon didn't exist in any other part of the multiverse, as far as she could tell, so she gave up trying to use them as an explanation of what she wanted to do and settled for a basic:

"I want to figure out a way to keep our Overlords from fucking with our DNA."

It felt a little amorphous and ambitious, but Sam knew what she meant. Even if no one else did.

She didn't expect too many engagements, though, so she spent the majority of the affair walking around, mostly eavesdropping on other people's conversations, too intimidated to actually speak up. Being the smartest person in a room was great and all. But the multiverse and the way the Overlords seemed to favor every world but her own had left Sam feeling completely unhinged. It wasn't like her to lack confidence in her own ability.

So she largely just shut up. And took notes.

Like. A lot of notes.

Seriously, all the notes. She could have been the world's worst spy, because she wasn't ashamed of it. And more than one conversation found her standing behind someone's back, copying down every word they were saying.

Bruce Banner / OTA

[notsoangry]

MANNING THE SUPPLY REQUEST/SKILL OFFER LIST

Bruce spent a lot of the day listening and making mental and physical notes as others spoke. He had a lot of thoughts to share, yes, but most of the time he was going to ruminate over ideas before sharing them later. He's really just in gather mode at the moment. The supply lists were getting long and might never be possible, but it was good to get it out there and know what people were seeking. There are two notebooks in front of him, one for supplies, one for skill offers.

The skill part was one he'd copied over from what people already had offered before, but now it was open season if people wanted to volunteer themselves again or for more things. Or less things. Bruce was always in best spirits when he was able to organize and start musing over how to make ideas into realities. For now he was staying in his lane, in case people had things they wanted to add directly. He's alert and sitting up straight instead of slouching, his glasses firmly on his nose and not needing to be adjusted. He's in casual clothes, none of which are green; he can't control everything away from that color in his life, but he won't actively be in them.

AT THE FOOD TABLE

It seems rude not to take advantage of the food that Frank and Kamala did for everyone, even though eating is the type of thing Bruce forgets to do regularly. Since getting there he didn't think they'd have a chance for food like this, and it's definitely in his opinion a nice way to lighten up their situation. This is preferable to every cocktail party he was every asked to go to.

He picks up a plate and doesn't say much. It's not that Bruce dislikes people, if anything this experience proves otherwise, but he's not great at starting conversation. He'd much rather observe and listen to others, and engage in a conversation once someone else asks. He's pretty happy at the moment just to munch and watch everyone.

TAKING AN INTROVERT MINUTE

Bruce is not great at events with a lot of people, but this community of theirs is small in comparison to what usually gave him anxiety. It was great to know that they had smart and capable people; maybe they'd survive this after all. He tried his best at being friendly and social, but eventually he was exhausted and broke away from the main area to sit under a tree. His hands are a little bit of a mess from writing, and he's glad for once that he doesn't have his springy hair to get in the way. Glasses are taken off and gently placed into his lap, rubbing the bridge between his eyes.

He isn't trying to hide himself, so if anyone wants to speak to him privately now is the time, but otherwise he is going to take a breather and try to deal with his racing thoughts. They weren't any closer to finding answers, or maybe they would be, because they were all trying to work together. New skills and expertise came in. He is willing to give them a little bit of hope at the moment. Bruce just kind of wishes he could have a cup of tea and lie down for a few hours. Not yet though. As the co-host, he has to stay.

Food table

[cleptes]

Bela has learned to make the most of gatherings like this, especially when there was food available. This place was unpredictable and the Powers that Be weren't always so generous. Thank goodness for the the generosity of the people here.

She makes a beeline for the food table, lifting a plate of pasta and choosing some wine to accompany it. Bela wastes no time tucking into her plate, taking sips from her glass between bites and looking around herself to see if there was anyone to chat to.

Bruce was the closest person so she decides to engage him.

"Hello." A friendly smile. "I don't believe we've met before. My name is Bela."

Food table

[notsoangry]

Bruce is in the middle of a bite when Bela says hello, and he awkwardly smiles and puts up a finger in a silent plea for a wait. He doesn't want to talk to her while chewing, he's still pretty sure that's rude. Also if he tries to swallow it down too fast he might choke just in a hurry to respond to her, and that would be even more awkward. "Sorry," he says as soon as it seems socially acceptable, "we haven't met, no."

He currently has the plate and a little bit of wine, which he hasn't touched yet. He puts one down so he can offer her his hand. Which is thankfully not sweaty because he hasn't been nervously wringing his hands so far. Things are going well. "I'm Bruce Banner, a pleasure to meet you, Bela. As much as it can be when it's um, in a place like this, in a circumstance like this."

Food table

[cleptes]

Well, now she feels a little bad for interrupting Bruce when he was trying to eat. Bela waits quietly for him to finish the bite, taking a sip from her wine before placing the glass on the table.

"It's alright," waving off the apology with a gesture of her hand. "No need to say that."

She accepts his offered hand, giving it a firm shake. "A pleasure to meet you too, Bruce." Bela laughs lightly at his comment. "Mhm, I know what you mean. The circumstances are not exactly ideal. I've been in this place for almost a year now and I have seen some...unusual things."

That was putting it mildly.

"However, gatherings like this are definitely a good sign. I'm happy to attend."

food table

[womanofvalue]

Peggy hadn't intended to stay for a very long while, mostly dropping in to see how Tony's fair was doing, but when she caught sight of a familiar face at the food table, she decided that she shouldn't leave until she at least checks in with him. Easing up to him, though leaving some space, she gives Bruce a warm smile.

"I'm beginning to think we're only ever bound to meet over the food table," she teases, leaning forward to find herself a glass of something to drink, rather pleased for the chance to enjoy herself, even if she feels a touch guilty for not offering anything scientific to the day.

food table

[notsoangry]

Bruce glances up when he feels someone coming into his sphere, and he instantly smiles. It's not one of his nervous or half ones either, it's full, albeit somewhat shy. He knows who she is now, after all. He pieced together all of it later, especially as Tony described his Aunt Peggy, and Bruce had a moment of 'you're an idiot, Banner' for not recognizing her right away. "It's not a bad place to keep meeting."

He has been carrying his drink but not actually drinking it all this time. It still feels ornamental for him. "I have to tell you, I can't believe I was such a basketcase that day that I didn't recognize Peggy Carter when she was giving me tea." Bruce rubs a hand on his face, rueful but in a warm sort of way. "You were - are, obviously - my ex-fiancé's hero. Betty and I were lab partners, and we uh, we worked on a project rebirth reboot, unsuccessfully." That was full of tragedy and drama and not the purpose here. "I swear if she had a What Would Peggy Carter pin on her desk now, I would not be surprised. She really admired how you fought for your right to be involved with all of it, in that time. There's still a lot of sexism even now in the sciences for women, and she was determined not to be held back by that."

That might be the most Bruce had spoken of Betty in years, but he couldn't help it. "Sorry, I'm rambling, it came to me later when Tony was talking about you. Thank you for being so kind to me that first day."

[womanofvalue]

"I don't mind not being recognized, I assure you," Peggy's quick to insist, not wanting Bruce to think that she'd been hurt or anything of the like when he hadn't realized who she was. Truthfully, she doesn't expect anyone to know who she is, not until they come after her and make comments about it. "I'm glad to hear that she admired me, though I haven't even done a lick of what she admired, I'm sure."

"And I'm sorry, that she's an ex-fiance," she adds, a bit gentler. She gives him a warm smile, though she rolls her eyes fondly. "Oh, no, what did Tony have to say?"

Ravi Chakrabarti | OTA

[zomboligist]

He's come to the science fair (expo, it says on all the materials, but let's be real, it's just a fancy science fair all hyped up on adult mode), with the hope that no one is going to be making him test their blood and confirm whether they can have sex or not. In the last few years, he has done that test far too many times for a normal person. He needs to start being a proper scientist again and not just a sex aide.

He's set himself up in a bit of a corner after finding himself some wine (wine, so fancy, the adult grape juice of the science fair), and tells himself that at least there are no volcanoes on display. He didn't bring his rats, though, and Ravi does feel just a little out of place when it comes to that.

Apart from the sex-helping, the rats are his main project and he didn't even bring them. He's definitely not walking home with the blue ribbon, today. Still, as he gestures with his wine to his general area, at least he knows he can talk about his project with ease. "Anyone interested in rats and disease? Not necessarily tied together as one subject."

Kat [OPEN]

[mediumhoodie]

Kat arrived at the Expo wearing her usual green dress, black stockings and green hiking boots. With the chilling weather she missed her hoodie but she was warm enough with the long sleeved dress and her legs tightly covered. She wasn't an engineer or a scientist but she'd begun to help Tony when he first arrived and she thought that she somehow might be helpful again now.

After running out of things to do, Kat grabbed something to drink and stood out of the way of the gathering. She listened and watched, picking up bits and pieces of information but otherwise practiced the art of staying out of the way.

If someone looked like they needed help she'd step forward and offer what she could. When she was done she returned to being a lovely little wall flower.

Jake Jensen | OTA

[killorder]

At this point, anything they might come up with is not going to be in Jake's field. Give him a computer, a few hours and a lot of Mt Dew and he could literally take over a nation and reroute all their cash flow to every needy nation on the planet. He could even build the computer from the ground up. Build a working knife? A hatchet? Even fishing hooks? Yeah, he's fairly well screwed.

But he's got engineering knowledge, and a level of curiosity that needs distraction, and so he's there and very curious.

Also, there's pizza and are you fucking kidding? Yeah, he's doing anything he has to so he can help so he doesn't feel like he's freeloading while snagging some of that. Attentive, nosy, and often with a slice in hand, Jake is trying to learn as much as he can about their chances here come winter.

And maybe not paying enough attention and running into people as he goes.

[cleptes]

It's just Bela's luck that she happens to be one of those people that Jake runs into - at least she isn't carrying a drink when he does. That would have been a disaster.

Well, maybe more of an annoyance.

Thankfully, Bela manages to grab onto the edge of a nearby table to stabilize herself after Jake bumps into her, taking a moment before she would direct her ire towards the perpetrator. Bela wouldn't let him get away with it.

"Watch where you're going, you bloody idiot!!"

There were far worse things that Bela could have called him but she is trying to be polite, considering where they were.

[killorder]

For a man given a gun and control over his entire units technological needs, he has an issue with getting too caught up in one thing and the world around him melts. So when he meets mostly unmovable object, Jake jumps back, forcing himself to focus on the here and now.

Blinking rapidly, adjusting his glasses with a push of his finger on the bridge of the nose.

"Of course. I apologize. I mean, sorry even. Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Can I get you something?"

Trying to be as accommodating as he can after that, offering a crooked smile and a sheepish look. "Great accent, by the way. Almost as pretty as the eyes."

great minds

[thecatinahat]

Shadowing Jake is normal for Cougar, most days. Even on the days that Jake doesn't know he has a cat-named shadow, he's there, making sure that he's secure. Right now, there's no point in being hidden away because Jake is barreling through a crowd and Cougar can only do so much damage control from long-range, needing to be up close this time.

When Jake runs into him, he hits something on him, the device, maybe? He's not the tech one of the group, but all he knows is that Jake's bumped into him and Cougar's standing firmly still, an unmovable object in the face of Jake. In his mind, there's nothing more than a humming old Spanish tune, on loop, the words Spanish and going around and around.

He raises a brow when it looks like Jake didn't do it on purpose, waiting for an apology. "Ouch," he deadpans, even though he's very much not hurt.

[killorder]

So much in Jake's mind is considering the world around them, the excitement of about science expo, and pizza. And then he's running straight into Cougar, and for a moment there's nothing in his head but memories. An almost running dialogue of all the times he's been near Cougar, cataloged, kept track of, and this casual brushing added to it.

Except that he's not noticing that. He's thinking about Cougar, and that song, and the perfect rough sound of his voice in song that Jake has never heard before.

"What? Oh. Uhmm, sorry," he says, though he's thinking about how he's standing too close, and he doesn't want to move away, and everything is okay because Cougar's here and nothing he's talked about with Ty or any of it matters now because it's going to be okay.

"What song was that you were singing?"

Kira Akiyama | OTA

[3ofswords]

Between his planned suggestions and somewhat heckling others into more workable ideas, Kira's hardly been shy about throwing down on subjects he'd probably have no say in back home. He leaves defense to the tactically minded, but when it comes to potential projects and desired outcomes--he sticks to the practical.

And it's coming to roost in his chest, a little buzz in his head since meeting Bruce. Nerves aren't something he gives much control in his life--at the very least, he doesn't let them paralyze.

It comes to a head, or a lump that sinks into his guts, when someone brings up their DNA. He can't see any way of stopping whatever's going to be done with it, never really believing the samples on the shelves to be the whole batch, if they're even the real deal. It didn't stop him from slipping a few vials and hair samples into Tony's impossible little gift box, but the fact remains: they need to prepare for what they can't stop.

Making sure to hail some attention, hand raised and stepping forward, he addresses the remaining group. "I'm not calling for a name and shame, and I'll go first, but I think we need to know what kind of abilities and mutations they might have access to. Plenty of us have had some odd experiences, and most of them were familiar to at least one person I've met. Margaery's visions and headaches? I think that was mine, but I never had those kinds of side-effects.

"Which means there's danger in what they're doing, taking them away and handing them out like that. I don't care if it's an anonymous tip or bullshit hypothetical, I think if you had something that could crop up in someone else or lead to a bad batch in their Easy Bake Oven, it should be in the records. No names attached unless you want it there."

[expeditiousness]

Tommy's main motivation in turning up was the free food, so he hasn't had much to add to the discussion and has mostly kept his mouth full of pizza. But Kira's proposal triggers a bone-deep sense of revulsion, to which Tommy only has one thing to say:

"No." He shakes his head emphatically, frowning deeply. "No way, dude. I don't know about you, but where I come from? Cataloging people, especially people with abilities, has never turned out to be anything good for anyone."

[3ofswords]

Knee-jerk reactions are about his expectation at the start: people without abilities might nod along, if that, and might only speak up if they've experienced the onset of something sudden and unknown themselves. Kira's been on both sides of it, and he'd had a bit of a time figuring out how to stop being a bird, despite achieving man's dream of self-controlled flight.

"Don't think I haven't considered that," he says, a slow shake of his head, giving what the kid's said time to stand on its own. "But the people we're up against, the people who actually give a shit--they already know what we can do, and who could do it before. They're playing around with it in ways that could be dangerous to all of us.

"But like I said: no obligation, no names, you can drop an explanation via carrier pigeon for all I care. Or put it through someone you trust. I just know I felt different after one of my abilities fucked up someone's health and sanity, and I think we're a group that generally cares about that kind of thing."