arrival

[ragingbanner]

Who: Bruce Banner + anyone else!
Broadcast: Yes
Action: SS Caprine
When: June 18

[broadcast; video]

[He's managed to make the transition to the Caprine without too much difficulty, but now that's he's "settling in", Bruce is realizing just what being on a ship long term means.]

So, this is it. We just play along with this show, act like nothing is wrong, and hope we eventually get to our destination? That's optimistic. How do you manage to live on ships like this for so long? I've never- This is... it doesn't seem like a good idea.

[He smiles uneasily. He has to resist the urge to pick at his own body, making him twitch a bit. At least he hasn't had any issues so far?]

The food isn't very good either.

[Action on the SS Caprine]

[At least he's used to lab work! Bruce is relieved that is assignment is something he's familiar with (although he did manage to fly a ship once...) and he spends a good amount of time poking around at the ship's equipment, testing both what it can do and what knowledge seems to come to him, because he definitely hasn't worked on a space ship like this before. Or worked around people this casually either. Not to mention the enclosed space makes him very aware of how tight it would be if he were bigger.

That's a great thought.]

Comments

video

[passingthrough]

[Kitty is sitting in the Twin Rose's lounge with her feet up and an open book splayed on her lap as she switches to the video. She looks to be in her early twenties.] You don't have to pretend for us. You can rage against this place every day you're here if you've got the energy for it.

video

[ragingbanner]

[Even though logically he knows that people probably do know something about him, he's in a strange ship in space with nothing familiar outside of a few names. The sudden recognition is a shock.]

I don't. Want to do that.

[What a horrifying thought.]

video

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa knows the frustration of being trapped on the Fleet all too well and when Bruce's video comes across, she is nothing but sympathetic. )

We must play along with their games, I'm afraid, if we're to find success. I am quite sorry.

video

[ragingbanner]

Thanks.

[ He does mean that. He knows he's not the only one that's stuck there. It's just a matter of keeping calm. ]

What is success here? For us.

video

[sassy_assassin]

[ Sara's hanging out in her sparsely decorated room ]

I suspect there's a fair amount of drinking and poor decisions that happen 'round these parts.

Living on ships isn't so bad, though, except when you haven't seen blue skies in awhile.

video

[ragingbanner]

You sound like you're not usually out in space.

[ Someone that isn't already a complete space travel expert with several planetary tours under their belt? You mean he's not the only one that didn't grow up a space pirate? ]

How did you adjust to it?

video

[outstandingbalance]

[Briefly, Natasha considers having someone else respond first. Steve or even Sam. A familiar face that without the potential complications. If there would be complications. It's hard to know—they didn't exactly part on the best terms last time.

It's a quick impulse, just as quickly put aside. She puts aside her misgivings and opens a feed, smiling a faint, rueful smile.]

Most ships put away a little food when we stop in a system. You could probably get someone to share something better than protein gel with you.

[Her is longer and she's doing her make up in a different style. Spies. When she speaks, she does a good job keeping the tension below the surface.]

Hey, Bruce. It's been a while.

[ragingbanner]

[He freezes. Bruce doesn't even have the chance to think up an appropriate response to try to fake. Not that he would have pulled that off anyway, but the opportunity is gone before his reflexes even begin to catch up, so he abandons it to stand there, looking like a deer in headlights. Eventually he goes with the only natural answer he's got:]

Natasha.

[That went well.]

Thor mentioned you were here.

[A detail that he registered, processed, and then decided to avoid like the real man he is. And now? Now he's still trying to decide what to say.]

How are you?

video;

[theirondragon]

[Don't mind the 7 and a half foot, really burly, grey guy with horns on your screen, Bruce. It's normal, alright? You know all about normal, right?]

It's cramped, yeah, but there are other places to go. [He inclines his head at the video, and there's a flash of brightly printed cloth adorning his shoulders you can see as he shifts. Is that...guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt, completely unbuttoned? Why yes. Yes he is.]

The Iron Bull. I can show you around a place that helps with some of the stir-craziness if you want.

video;

[ragingbanner]

[He doesn't have a complete idea of just how tall the guy is from the transmission, but even the impression he gets tells Bruce that Iron Bull is a big guy. At first he's not sure how to react. The stranger is a collection of strange details that seem to contradict each other and leave him stunned for a moment, just taking in the sight. Even with his life, he's well past the "it's not every day" stage.]

What kind of place?

[His eyes drift from Bull's horns to the patterned shirt on his shoulders, wide and staring, and he can't decide which is harder to adjust to.]

[ video ]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Dryly. ]

Isn't it a little early to be complaining?

[ video ]

[ragingbanner]

[ :c ]

I'm n- I'm not complaining.

[ Okay, maybe. ]

video;

[nomadeupname]

[Well, the Avengers are almost all here, now. Clearly, whoever or whatever is the Atroma, they like to bring people from their universe. It's still something worrisome in Stephen's opinion. Who's safeguarding the Earth while they are all here?]

I've been told that some have been here for more than two or three years. But if it's something comforting to you, we're not always stuck on the ships. We do visit new worlds from time to time.

[Technically, Stephen's only seen one, but that's what he's been told by others when he first arrived.]

video;

[ragingbanner]

Three years?

[Even though he doesn't exactly raise his voice, the reaction is sharp, suggesting restrained panic and something else. Annoyance? Disbelief? He doesn't say what's on his mind, but the words have hit him hard.

He makes a quiet noise in the back of his throat, not quite a full groan but a stifled note beneath a grimace that resembles oh. After looking around him at the rest of the room he's in and finding nothing to help him, he looks back at Stephen.]

New worlds. As in planets nobody on board recognizes.

[video]

[wingedman]

You got any better ideas, Banner, I'm all ears.

[Okay, so he's met the guy like...once. Doesn't stop him from saying hello to a familiar face.]

There's a restaurant on the Iskaulit. Drop by sometime and one of us'll whip something up for you.

[video]

[ragingbanner]

Ideas?

[What? From him? Nope. Nothing he's planning on doing, anyway.]

There is? How big is that ship?

[Also wow.]

action.

[rebuildyourruins]

[This song and dance isn't new to Thor. Once Bruce's broadcast hits the network, he doesn't bother responding to it, instead going to the consoles to look up the ship manifests. That's how Thor ends up on the Caprine within twenty minutes, knocking loudly on the lab's doorframe.]

There you are. Does this ship not have any food other than the dispensers? You definitely should fix that at the next stop.

action.

[ragingbanner]

[He looks up, startled, when Thor is right there in front of him. He's momentarily tense, but that quickly becomes relief as he recognizes the god. Thank goodness there's someone he trusts within reach. That was going to worry him for a while. What if something happened?]

I, uh, I didn't want to push my luck.

[While he would have liked real food, Bruce wasn't going to poke around the ship that much. He just doesn't like surprises.]

The equipment that have on board is pretty good. I've just been...

[He is fiddling with a tool in his hands.]

[poisontippedcure]

[Despite how much time has passed, Rose is just as frustrated as every about being stuck on the Fleet, and Banner's words hit exactly the wrong note.]

Yes, unlike you, we all chose to live in metal cages indefinitely. None of us have bothered to question why the Atroma brought us here, because we're all so happy about it.

[ragingbanner]

[The sharp answer startles him back to his defensive side, making him scramble for an answer.]

Well, I... I didn't mean it like that.

[Whoops.]

text.

[astrobleme]

[It's so surreal. Shinji is slowly starting to realize he's one of the veterans of the Fleet, now. So freaking surreal.]

For some people this is better than whatever they had before.

text.

[ragingbanner]

Like what?

[He just has to ask.]

Video

[meowbel]

But look on the bright side! At least there will be a lot of views and we get to be superstars after this!

[Trying to be positive here!]

Video

[ragingbanner]

[That's actually a charming response, even though Bruce doesn't believe it and wouldn't want it. The idea is nice.]

Superstars, huh? That's a lot of attention.

[straightouttacarbonite]

[ Well, this is an uncommon development! Han doesn't quite make a beeline when he hears the music go, but he makes note of it, and eventually he does mosey over to investigate. ]

So what'd they stick into your head?

[ Welcome to the fun, friend! ]

[ragingbanner]

What did they what?

[ He actually does have an idea of what Han is asking, but Bruce's instinctive response to discomfort is to try to evade the question. He really wants to avoid the whole thing, but since that is impossible, he just delays the inevitable. ]

video.

[allfight]

[ Well, if that isn't everything he thinks and more. ]

I said the same damn thing.

video.

[ragingbanner]

[ With everyone else treating the situation as normal, Bruce is almost surprised by that answer. At first he thinks it might be sarcasm, but when there is no follow-up comment, he decides it isn't a joke. ]

I'm not really used to the whole... space exploration thing.

[ He's visited a grand total of two new planets now and one was basically a glorified layover while they rescued everyone and then fled. ]

What did they tell you?

[ He doesn't really think there's anything new to learn, but he hopes. ]

video

[bryces_pup]

For what it's worth, you don't have to act like nothing's wrong. Most of us don't. But yes, you're stuck here for the time being. [Riona lifts her shoulder in a shrug. It's always difficult when you first get here, but she knows it gets easier. Just gotta let the new people acclimate.] You get used to it, and we're not always stuck on these ships. We stop at different worlds and waystations for weeks at a time, so you can stay off the ships for a time. Right now we're in a drifting period, so we're in between worlds.

[And in better news!]

You don't have to keep eating that yucky paste. A lot of ships will have actual food in stock.

[ragingbanner]

Well, thanks for being honest.

[The humor is certainly dry, but he's not being bitter or sharp about it. He had already accepted the situation as unfortunately unavoidable at this point, so he's trying to find a way to deal with it. And quiet sarcasm is a good start.]

I'm not trying to complain, it's just... I don't like the idea of being stuck in one place.

[Or potentially being in that one place and having an incident. Or becoming the incident forever. That really scares him.]

Real food helps. I guess I wasn't looking that closely.

[ audio ]

[signifies]

The food on the Iskaulit is much better.

[ audio ]

[ragingbanner]

Is it? I just. I just ended up here so, I guess I don't know my way around yet.

[Apparently this is all just normal for everyone else, making him feel even more self-conscious.]

action SUP ROOMIE

[ultima_mortis]

[Death is pleasantly surprised by the addition of a living presence on the Caprine. New faces keep things lively, as it were. He comes over to the lab with a small plate of cookies.]

HELLO THERE. YOU MUST BE OUR NEW SHIPMATE.

action HELLO

[ragingbanner]

[Okay, so, Bruce is getting used to some of the wild things he keeps seeing on his impromptu adventures. He's even starting to get used to some of them. But looking up to see that pretty iconic image greeting him with-]

Uhhhh.... hi. Are those cookies?

[God, he can only focus on that plate if he wants to avoid saying literally anything else. Breathe, Banner, breathe.]

video;;

[reconstitution]

In theory, maybe. What they don't tell you is that they thrive on drama and bullshit.

video;;

[ragingbanner]

[He laughs involuntarily, lowering his head to suppress it. It's funny and also a little concerning, which makes him laugh just to release the tension.]

Really... What, kind of bullshit?