video + action || the first

[speedboat]

Who: Howard Stark and YOU (I'm sorry)
Broadcast: Video Transmission, Fleet-wide.
Action: The Marsiva
When: Now

[ howard begins by painstakingly peeling himself up off the surface of the deck. this is a familiar position for him so he's not overly worried, smoothing back his hair as he rises unsteadily to his feet. he blinks heavily a few times, expecting his eyes to be heavy and for the customary knock in his head to follow. nothing happens. he feels remarkably alert, actually. wait a second...

the hairs on the back of his neck raise up, triggered by that eerie feeling of being watched. ] If this is a ransom demand, you're going to be sorely disappointed. [ it's not directed at anyone, scarcely above a mumble, he doesn't know anyone can hear him yet. howard steps towards the viewing ports, sticking his hands in his pockets and wondering what form of trickery this could possibly be. very advanced and very clever, surely, but just as frustrating. ]

I must admit, I'm impressed with your holographic technology. I could almost believe I were really in space... if we weren't at least a few decades off from such an advancement anyway. [ unless, they aren't. that disquiets him, smugness dropping from his tone as he continues to look around, but his voice only grows smaller. ] ...Hello?

Comments

[speedboat]

[ he notes the tattoo too though he doesn't speak up about it. everything about her from her hair style down to those garrish army boots is unfamiliar to him, but he finds himself intrigued all the same. ]

Now you're cooking with gas, doll. Lead the way. [ howard doesn't offer his arm if only because he doesn't know where they're going, though he does deliberately bump his elbow against hers as they start out in case she might want to take it upon herself to drag him along. ]

[nulliverse]

[She's more than glad to take his arm, with only a light tug as she directs him from the landing dock toward the station proper. She's already in love with the glitz of it, all the lights and the action, even if she hasn't been able to partake in much of anything yet.]

You do know you're going to wind up with a good number of handprints on your face if you keep that up, don't you? [Her smile up at him is perfectly disarming and innocent.] I may find it charming in a quaint sort of way, but not all modern women are as understanding as I am.

[speedboat]

[ he goes easily wherever she goes, enjoying the easy contact for the time being. ]

I know plenty of Modern Women, Celeste. [ ALL CAPS okok. ] Suffragettes don't bother me. So long as they don't mind overlapping. [ handprints. he's accustomed to the slap in his time too as you might imagine. ]

[nulliverse]

Suffragettes. [It's repeated with something close to awe, that evidence of how far apart in time they really are.] Good lord. Well, at least you've some practice, they've always sounded like a very fierce lot.

[After a bit of a stroll, with a silence between them that feels companionable, she speaks up again.]

Oh really, you know I have to ask. Exactly what is it that makes you so important? I've already met royalty here, to say nothing of the varying pantheon of holy and not-so-holy beings in Eudio, so you needn't worry about intimidating me.

[speedboat]

You have no idea. [ and really, he's starting to get that she doesn't. like, at all. ]

Now you're putting me on the spot. [ he's anything but abashed by it though clearly. ] And I'm almost offended I didn't make it into the history books.

[ though okay lets do this. ] I'm an inventor, an innovator. A proprietor. All of that is a lot of words to say I aided the war effort. I'm thinking about going into movies next. Particularly, directing. ...Did you say holy beings?

[nulliverse]

Well, I suppose I should thank you, then. I can't imagine growing in England would've been much of a lark if World War II had gone the wrong way. [She tilts him a little smirk.] And you can hardly imagine that English history books would say all that much about the American heroes, can you?

[She's curious about what he did, what sort of inventions and innovations he was behind, but then she gets totally distracted by talk of movies.]

Directing? But you look exactly like a classic film star, why wouldn't you act instead? [Whoops, she missed the part about holy beings.]

[speedboat]

True enough. [ all his besties are british, he can vouch for this. ] And you're welcome, of course. Just doing my civic duty, is all.

Oh, no. There's no cleverness at all in acting, my dear. If I'm going to prove that successful films are anything less than a compressed algorithm to play on the emotions of the masses, well. Then it's the director's chair for me. [ it's ok he got distracted too ]

[nulliverse]

"A compressed algorithm to play on the emotions of the masses." Goodness, you have got a way with words. I won't deny how many films are obviously exactly that, but you're speaking to someone very passionate about film, so I'd tread carefully.

[She gives him one of her sharper, more wicked smiles.] What is it you've got to offer that's so lacking in 1940s cinema?

[speedboat]

Howard Stark, obviously. They won't see me coming.

[nulliverse]

["What have you got to offer?"

"Me."

She lets out a cheerful laugh, shaking her head.]

You are an absolute delight, Howard. I'll have to brush up on my cinematic history when I get back, make sure I haven't missed you - we're not likely to be from the same universe, but there can be surprising bleedthrough between them.

[speedboat]

I know, right? [ his mustache twitches helpfully. ]

Please do, and report back.