[ MINGLE ] MINING EXPEDITION

[nonstopnarcissist]

WHO: Tony Stark & Co.
WHERE: North West Mountain Range
WHEN: November 5th - 8th
OPEN TO: Open to all
WARNINGS: Language, canon typical violence

---

The Hike Up/Down

After sending a message out the day before to meet him in the fountain park at dawn (daylight is important) Tony packs up. Supplies secured and a path found mostly by working himself up (not that difficult) and following the blue path only he can see (still weird) Tony guides his modest expedition up a winding way over rivers and to a promising stony outcropping at the base of the mountains before needing a moment to 're-calibrate'. AkA get stressed out as to where to head next for optimal ore extraction. It takes a minute but- again, he's got a lot of anxieties to kick into gear and it should be easy enough to nudge their rag tag little group further up until they find the right spot. Making an easy walk down- well. That's also a trick. Finding a quick path back to the village before they lose the light- marking the way they've come so they can find it the next day? Kind of important.


Digging a Hole

Breaking ground is a matter of staring, trying to think back to what little he knows of geology (not fucking much), and waiting for the anxiety to get to the point where it'll hand him something specific. They need ore, they need a good starting location, and once they manage to pinpoint it? Pickaxes are handed out, a nearby cave explored, and Tony strips down to get to work. Crack stone, haul it out, rinse, repeat. Anything usable gets put in sacks made from stolen sheets to be hauled down- not the best system he's got but they're just getting started. Regular breaks are A thing, canteens of water passed around- he's pretty sure there's a stream somewhere that should help with the 'not dying of thirst' issue in the future.


Encounters With Natives

Somewhere on the hike up, during the dig, or taking a rest on one of the craggy boulders surrounding the cave where they're chipping away at stone, signs of native fauna linger. There's a patchy nest looking thing where one can hear the mewling of peakittens, blue eyed, tiny, and abandoned by the looks of it. Loping about the slopes a few curious mountain elk that bound in at the sign of food, keeping a cautious distance but wandering close should anyone appear friendly. Near the woods, though, just as they wind their way up- or make their way back down at the end of the day? Dust Moths have taken to the air, shimmering wings leaving powder in the air.


Environmental Effects

During the hike up in the predawn there's lying mist clinging to the sides of the mountain in thin curls, swirling in the air as they hike through it. Careful not to inhale too deeply, otherwise you might find yourself a little more honest than you'd like for most of the morning, and that could make the rest of the hike pretty damn awkward. In the caves proper there's stone and ore enough- and a dark, black powder that tastes of licorice and ash. Shadow dust. Maybe the next few swings don't do as much damage- or do any at all. Maybe they picking up stone becomes impossible till you're in the light.


In Too Deep

On the second, maybe the third day all their activity and digging catches some aggressive attention. A pickaxe sunk too deep, cracking through a cave wall and finding a den of snarling, hungry cave wolves that spill through the hole all snapping teeth and snarling claws, bursting out of the tunnels to scatter whoever's dared to come close to their home. A tree felled to mark their path startles a giant boar into charging, bellowing in the night, turning tusk and muscle to clear it's own way through their weary line.

Comments

[killorder]

Jake winces, mostly because he knows how dumb it sounds, and yet...

"Cougar called it my power? I don't know. I just know that I can do this thing, where I could blast some of this out of our way. But I can't do it without kind of literally using another. I swear to you, Cougar was fine when it happened."

And he wouldn't risk Bucky of all people any more than he would Cougar.

[freightcars]

A look of sudden, dawning realization trickles in finally at the mention of the word power. It took him a couple of times experiencing his to realize what it was, that he wasn't the only one, that Kate and Benedict had them as well. His is a line, blue and glowing, a trustworthy path intended to take him wherever he's meant to be, as far as he can tell.

He's never heard of Jake's, but if Jake trusts himself, has tried before... Why the hell not, right?

So he shrugs a shoulder, clears his throat, and tentatively slips a (flesh) hand into Jensen's extended and waiting palm. "If you kill me I'm drop kicking you into next week, so we're clear."

[killorder]

It's crazy and Jake knows it, but if it helps them get through this faster for Tony, then so be it. Even if he knows what he's going to have to do for it to work.

"I've tried it alone, and for some reason it doesn't work unless I kind of draw on another. I didn't kill Cougar and we've tried this several times," he admits, trying to sound more secure in this than he truly feels.

His fingers close a bit against Bucky's. "Promise, I'm not going to kill you. I don't think it even hurts. I just... I kind of have to hurt myself," he admits, then rushes into telling Bucky what he's learned, what had triggered it the first time.

"Turns out I'm from an earlier time line than the others in my unit, than Cougar. Weeks even maybe. I just know that... One of the members of our team turned on us, and he sold us out, and we nearly died and Max got away and it's all because he sold us out and was willing to let us die for him and his money," he says, the words rushing out.

He feels it though, bringing up his other hand and letting out that pain that much as he tries, he still hasn't found a way to get over. There's a blast further down from them, enough to mostly not get them hit he hopes, and praying that it won't bring things down on them.

[freightcars]

Kind of have to hurt myself, he says, and Bucky's lips part immediately in protest, "Wait- hold on-"

But Jake's already invested, spilling out words that shut Barnes up real quick. His mouth closes with a snap, but the furrow never quite leaves his brow. Half concern for the story, half for hurting himself, not quite sure until it happens that this is how Jake means to do it. Painful memories, betrayal, an emotional kind of hurt.

Well, at least he wasn't slitting himself open or something, but still.

There's a commotion, a blast, a slight shake to the ground beneath their feet. The rumbling of rocks, the collapse of a few, gravel crunching, dust settling, and then he lowers his hand away from Jensen.

"...Holy cow."

It worked.

How about that.

[killorder]

There is a mixture of emotions on his face for a moment, still not over what Roque did, and not really finding ways to cope with but then it works. It works and he has a way of being useful that isn't computers and the technology that he is used to being brilliant with.

So he nearly smiles, giving Bucky a look, hopeful and excited. "Now we just have to sift through it, but the hard parts done," he says, giving a nod. "Kind of nice finding a new skill."

Even if he's not sure how long he can use that one, when he'll start coping with it rather than finding himself angry and hurt by it, but for now, it's all he needs.

[freightcars]

Hopeful and excited is an adorable look on Jensen's face, it amuses Bucky to no end, but it doesn't fully distract him from the hurting himself thing or the rush of words that spill out after. A glance at the opened pathway and then a glance back at Jake, Bucky's lips tighten into a flat line while he debates asking.

Ultimately, he takes the plunge.

"You okay?" After that, both the pinprick it took to make his power work and the fact that it happened at all. That's some intense sounding stuff, pal. Worth checking in on.

[killorder]

Being hopeful and excited is easier than thinking more about Roque. It's painful, and rough, and much as he is there he knows, he's not been there. But instead he's just focusing on the fact that it works for them, helping them out.

"Uhmmmm... Yeah. I guess. I need to be okay," he says, shrugging a bit. "When we could like read minds? I saw it all from Cougar. Which was totally not the way to find it all out, you know?"

So it was rough and he hadn't been sure what to think about it, but if it means he can be helpful, then he'll deal with it.