driftfleet | [open] august starstruck mingle

It certainly has never been, I do agree.

While the Atroma is to blame... we do have to pull ourselves out of it. I just have no clue how long it will take. There are — there were terrible things in those 'calibrations'. I suppose I can't blame anyone for feeling their lingering veil of moroseness.

[Like him. He's been battling those demons since they left the damn ship.]

Everything that happened before it, too. Diamond and Beau - did you catch that?

[ it chilled him to the bone, honestly. when he thinks about it, it still does. their deaths. ]

They've never done that in the same cycle, that's what they said before they died. Almost as if they thought Atroma shouldn't be doing this.

[He nods, frowning.]

... Terrible thing, what happened. I fear they could have been as unwilling as us. Or at the very least, forced to follow at least a semblance of a criteria. [And then replaced so quickly. He imagines it, being a butler and not living up to snuff - getting tossed aside while someone else takes his place. Mr. Stark would never do such a thing, but the imagination paints him sympathetic to Diamond and Beau. Perhaps they were villainous, perhaps simply trying to survive.]

It seems either way... the Atroma do not take well to any level of disapproval from its workers.

[Considering the time period they're from... that sort of thing is quite terrifying, on the cusp of WWII.]

He said, we only tried to make you happy and 'till now I'm not sure if it was meant for Atroma or for us.

[ he looks at the sandbag, almost tempted to throw another punch for good measure but it wouldn't change the fact that atroma have gotten what they wanted. they did away with diamond and beau and after the marsiva, they did away with people's morale, too. ]

That's damn good.

[ he looks at the iced tea, drains the glass. ]

You know if you want some berries, I have a whole patch.

Thank you. And berries would be excellent, thank you. I had no clue before the fleet you would be so prone to gardening. And good for keeping your hands busy, I suppose.

[He smiles a little, glancing to the punching bag.]

They're extraordinarily terrible at making us happy, if that's the case.

[His expression smooths into a frown.]

The things people had to see... it's all quite unfair.

Edited 2017-08-04 22:05 (UTC)

Nothing that Atroma have done was ever fair.

[ the concept of it doesn't seem to exist in their moral world at all. steve doesn't know if they really care about the reality show or if their agenda is entirely different but either way, fairness doesn't play a part in it. ]

Still. This isn't so bad. there are good things, that's what we need to focus on. they may have planned to keep us miserable throughout our stay but - some things are good.

Indeed, there are good things. Not all of it has damaged morale; some of us are stronger for it.

[Despite what he saw for Natasha, he feels more endeared.

The nightmares are... well worth understanding her as a human being.

... Some, though...]

I'm sure Miss Carter is very much happy to have you awake, at any rate. She had already taken a bit of a blow from the calibrations; your waking has been a bright mark on an otherwise fractured month, if I may be bold.

She thought I was something from a horror book and knocked a gun to my face when I went in to wake her up.

[ but lord help them all, he's smiling about it. ]

Which is her version of a warm welcome, really.

[ but you know what, that reminds him. ]

I gotta ask. I know I wasn't there for it but, you guys are friends. You - work together but it's more than that. She cares a lot, it's obvious you do too.

[ a frown, a tilt of his head. ]

Why aren't you on a first name basis?

[Don't worry, he has to squash down a smile himself. It's rude to find humor in the fact Miss Carter clocked him on the head because of a horror novel, lets be honest. Still, he's a butler, and a professional. No outright laughing at you.]

The warmest.

[A pause.]

... It is, yes. She's... [A moment to think.] She's one of my dearest friends. Her and Mr... Mr. Stark [ah, it still brings up anxieties-], they're a very short list these days. I don't know; I don't suppose we need to be on a first name basis, to be close. It's simply a part of our day to day routine.

Edited 2017-08-05 23:28 (UTC)

And Edwin usually reminds me of when I was a child.

[Ana calls him by his first name, and it feels right, but everyone else... not so much.]

I've simply gotten used to being Jarvis, I suppose.

... I guess the young future Mr. Stark got used to it, too.

Oh yeah. You know he has a sticker reading, 'Jarvis is my co piliot'.

[ honestly, tony stark. for all their differences, steve is fond of the man. friends who have fallen apart but friends, still. he has no doubt they'll meet again at some point along the line. ]

But Tony has a way with names. Used to call me Capsicle.

[ so dry. ]

[He's so humbled and warmed by the first part of that, he nearly misses that last bit.]

That's — Why, that's — !

His manners need some work! Surely I had butlered better than that. I'll need to keep that in mind when he's... um. Born.

[Lord, what a world.]

... Strange, to know I'm... well.

A... robot... in a later life. Of some variety, I suppose.

I think they call him a form of artificial intelligence. it's better than a robot. I'm not sure I can explain the differences.

[ but it's better. ]

You know, without him, we'd have lost a rather serious battle. He helped save the world.

[ be proud, Jarvis. ]

[He does look a bit appeased by that. Truly, the concept of being a predecessor to a... 'artificial intelligence' in some way is a bit daunting. He's never met Tony, but he wonders if he'd left a decent enough impression on the man growing up, to warrant something named after him.]

I do regret not meeting him while he was aboard the fleet. It... I can't understand it much, either, but if he helped in such a way, I suppose I can't be too concerned about having inspired him.

[He smiles a bit.]

... Did you know there was a Mr. Barton from another universe?

He told me I was the Avenger's butler. Funny, that.

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