driftfleet | Action | Who needs a gosh dang drink??

Entry tags:

Action | Who needs a gosh dang drink??

Who: Steve and everyone else who just needs to get drunk. One closed to existing CR
Broadcast: No
Action: The Iskaulit/Space Bar
When: Post Calibrations/Bombing the eff out of Marsiva

[OPEN]

Tony would probably be proud of Steve, if he were able to see him right now. He'd slap his back and welcome him back to the world of inebriation while ordering shots for everyone in the bar to commemorate the day. As it is, though, Tony isn't here and, without him, there's not a damn person who would feel proud in this entire bar. That's part of it's charm.

Steve sighs and swallows his fourth drink. It's strong and alien and somehow enough to give him a strong buzz but not enough to really get him drunk. Not yet, at least. But he's not a quitter, so bottom's up! He hisses a little at the burn of it and feels, not for the first time, like he was being a coward. He saw some stuff in those rooms, sure. But other people had it so much worse. Saw so much more. He should really be thankful, actually.

But he's not. And this is a 30's approved way of getting over trauma. There were worse ways of coping, he was sure. So for now he's just going to stay in his seat and keep ordering drinks until that elusive drunken state hits him once more.

Should only take another hour or three.

[CLOSED TO EXISTING CR]

No one could blame Steve for starting. He'd messaged his friends about fifteen minutes ago, telling them to meet him at the bar for some drinks. But just sitting here, waiting? It was done better with a drink in hand to look social, at least. And it's not like that one is going to be his last. No, after Calibrations he can imagine himself coming over here quite often. He can imagine all of them coming here quite often, in fact. But maybe tonight (today? Space was hard to judge) would help take some of the sting off. Or at least some of the awkwardness.

But it wasn't as though they <i>chose</i> to share all of that. Loki, Steve is sure, would have preferred to keep his death to himself. And Thor? I am sure half of those memories were things he'd rather not have replayed over and over again. And <i>Hux</i>. God... That was just what Steve knew of. Who knew what other people had put his friends through? What they'd been through themselves?

Steve preemptively orders another drink for whoever shows up first. Whoever it was, he's sure they won't say no. Not now.

First round is on him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Thor's been busy. It tends to happen, when you're trapped on a ship for a while then given the opportunity to try blowing that ship up. After his spectacular showing against the Marsiva, he simply went back to the Blue Fish to get his captain's duties taken care of. It was easier than it would have been otherwise, now that he'd been able to vent his anger productively against a suitable target.

It's why when Thor shows up following Steve's message he actually seems calmer than he's been in weeks. Getting back to a kind of normality helped with that as well. He walks into the bar purposefully, giving it a brief look around before heading to where Steve is.

First, he slaps Steve on the back by way of greeting. "Glad to be off that stupid ship?" he asks, hopping onto the stool next to the other man. Whatever else is happening, Thor knows his mood is improved by not being there anymore.

Thor looks pleased and that more than anything soothes the ruffled feathers he still has. Steve grins back and pats Thor lighter on the shoulder. He pushes the drink over and exhales in burst.

"Man, am I. Last time I was only on there for a day before I was put on my ship. Can't say I feel like I missed much."

Steve drinks a few sips, just enjoying the burn of something that actually feels like it might get him drunk. Or, barring that, maybe something that will dull the memories of all he's seen.

Speaking of:

"How are you doing, Thor? You look well..."

Thor takes up the drink immediately, downing about half of it. He's not much for sipping when he's finally free of the Marsiva's shoddy alcohol offering.

"Usually the longest anyone is there is a week or so," he replies, scratching at his chin in thought. "But then those Calibrations are apparently a special occasion." Thor doesn't manage to suppress a scowl about the subject. He's quick enough to move on though, nodding.

"Yes, well, I've been waiting for a real opening to hit that damned ship. Finally having one was just what I needed."

And he had wasted no time and no effort in taking full advantage of it. The number of lightning scars across the Marsiva's hull is testament to that.

Steve feels pretty much the exact same way. He slaps Thor on the shoulder and grins proudly. "I heard about you tearing into the Marsiva. My ship did whatever damage it could, too. But I'm sure they weren't expecting lightning striking all over the hull."

Steve has been so busy being bothered and worried and angry that, whatever punishments may come, he's glad to have had this outlet for it. The Atroma needed to know they weren't helpless. That, given an opportunity they would show they were more than just stars on this ridiculous show.

And they'd always look for an opportunity.

"Do you think we did enough?"

"It all counts, every last bit of it," he replies earnestly. Thor isn't about to dismiss the efforts of anyone else in shooting at the Marsiva just because he personally is able to do so with his bare hands. "We do more together than we do alone."

If they had learned nothing else as Avengers, it was that.

"I don't know yet." Thor turns the glass in his hands idly, thinking back on the assault. "I certainly think we did enough to get their attention."

"Hopefully the attention we get isn't going to be worse."

Steve doesn't regret the decisions he made but that doesn't mean he's naive enough to think this attack won't have consequences. Maybe their ships will have their weapons taken away. Maybe the food will all be turned to gel. Maybe the Atroma will kill them all and revive them just as a show of power.

Maybe they won't revive them at all. But that's the price of freedom. Steve's ready, should it come. Hopefully it will only be the guilty punished.

"Did you find anything interesting while you attacked? Weak spots? Anything?"

Thor merely shrugs; that's what he thinks of worse attention. He's been hurtling towards all-powerful threats for a while now, between here and home. There's no longer much sense of self-preservation in him. What matters is neutralising the threat so it can't harm anyone else.

Taking another swig of his drink, Thor hums in thought before putting it back on the counter. "The damage seemed to stick this time," he says. "Last time I attacked it, it repaired itself instantly. Like I had done nothing at all to it."

And it was frustrating, yes, but at the time the madness that the Marsiva usually brought to those bold enough to go near it had rendered that a secondary matter. He leans forward on his elbows, giving Steve a meaningful look. "Usually going near the Marsiva drives someone insane with fear. The closer you get, the worse it is. I didn't feel that at all this time."

"That's actually a good sign, then. Means that whatever keeps people away and allows the vessel to be invincible can be turned off." Which means they have a way of opening up the Marsiva to destruction or inspection, if they can figure out how. It's a good place to start, at least. More information than Steve had when he'd first arrived.

Even if, since that time, his feelings about leaving have gotten more conflicted.

Steve pats Thor on the shoulder and waves for another drink. Thor will need it anyways and this calls for a celebration. They survived Calibrations and have the start of what might one day become a plan of attack. All in all it's a good day. Steve takes the glass and leaves the new ones off to the side while he grabs what's left of his last one. Steve raises it up with a grin toward Thor.

"To small steps?"

It's definitely a start, and one sorely needed. Thor grins crookedly and picks up his own glass, raising it in turn.

"To our eventual victory." Not the exact same sentiment, maybe. But what the hell - it's the one Thor wants to drink to.

Steve loves it. He clinks his glass hard against Thor's and drinks deep. "Our eventual victory on all fronts," he adds because there is still more of a fight waiting at home for all of them. But they're going to win. They're always going to win.

"We won't settle for less."

Thor huffs with amusement before draining his glass. The thought of home is always sobering. He may be a few weeks removed from it now, with this Marsiva and calibrations business having distracted him for a while. But it's always there in the back of his mind, waiting to creep back in when he isn't busy.

"I doubt that I could," he says at last, less jovial than before. "That would be unbearable."

Steve reaches and holds Thor's shoulder. He's seen so much. Seen Loki's own death. He has no idea what Thor feels but he knows how he feels about all that and, yeah. Unbearable is the right word.

"We won't settle for less. Everyone comes home. Everyone. We'll make sure of it. Alright?" Steve is still holding his drink and knocks it against Thor's as a reminder to keep drinking.

"Go on. Eventual victory." They're the optimists of the team but Steve has found it harder lately. Best he can do is inspire it in others and hope it spreads.

It's harder than it seems, being optimistic in the Avengers. Between what happened on Earth and what happened elsewhere, Thor finds it hard to speak of more concrete wins and opportunities they may have. How can he, when he's drawing from a very shallow pool? But Thor is what he is. As much as he might have changed over the last few years some things remain constant no matter what.

Surrender is not in his nature.

"Yeah, I know," he says finally, tapping a finger against his glass. "I'm not over fond of waiting for those victories."

"Yeah. Neither am I, pal." Steve is many things but patient isn't one of them. He gets it."But right now there's not much we can do about it. And you know if I am saying that, it has to be true."

Steve looks around the room and at the few faces he knows, milling around. People he won't see again, once he's freed of this place. And, once more, he thinks of Loki.

"Besides...we have a chance here. One we might not get again without a lot more waiting. We're gonna go home and we're gonna save everyone. Everyone. But until then... This is an opportunity." Maybe they could even be happy.

Steve's being earnest here. Thor knows he is. Even so, he can't help his expression shifting into more sombre lines as he continues.

'An opportunity.' It's something Thor wrestles with all the time, bouncing back and forth between frustration and gratitude. Because he's been here all too long already. A year and a half, by his count. And while he's gained much from the experience, there's a glaring fact that he never lets himself forget.

"We're captives, Steve." It's not said unkindly, but it is firm. "No matter what experiences or-- or relationships we may gain here, it's done against our wills. I cannot forget that."

Can't forget how long he spent in this place continuing to work on plans for Asgard's settlement on Earth. Can't forget how he and Loki finally came to an understanding greater than any they'd had for years, learned to work together. Can't forget how despite his fears and misgivings, he'd held hope for the future. Staring at his glass for a moment, Thor picks it up and downs it.

"Because I have seen what this place does to people. They stop trying to escape. They think of it as their home. And perhaps they have good reasons for it; I don't blame them. For me, though, if I fell into that trap I would never forgive myself."

Thor's words slice deep into Steve. Just a few weeks ago he would have made this speech himself. Indeed he'd looked at those like Wanda with concern since they'd seemed so positive about their prison, here. And then he started to make friends. He got his best friend back--really back-- and started to add more to the ranks. Hux, Kitty, Looma, Remy... He had told Barnes just the other day that he was intending to stick around a little, if he had any say. When had he become so complacent?

His head tilts down, ashamed of himself. "You're right," he says softly. "You're right, Thor. That is what this place does to us. They give us things we want and that makes us stop trying to fight or take them down. You're...yeah. Yeah."

But knowing he's right doesn't make it easier for Steve to switch his mind and go back into single-minded determination to leave. He'll fight the Atroma, certainly. Blow up their ships and whatever else is in the way. But...actually searching for a way home?

It had become less important.

"Thank you for the reminder." Steve swigs back his drink. "I needed that."

It's a peril they all face, and Thor would be a worse liar than Loki if he claimed to be immune from it. He can't voice that he does in fact prefer to stay right now, because that's where Loki is. Alive. Present. Once he goes home, that too will vanish. Thor has ever been burdened with responsibility though. No matter how he's run from it in the past, he can't let it go. There are lives at stake here, the lives of his people.

This will never be about what he wants. It's about what he has to do.

"I do not mean it as a slight, Steve," he adds. The look on Steve's face had been painful enough. "Nor to say that you should not take opportunities when you see them. We have to keep our goal in mind though."

Straying from that could be disastrous, for who knows how many people. Thor takes his empty glass and tips it upside down, setting it on the table and watching the dregs drip down the sides.

"I have been here for a year and a half." He sounds pensive as he says it, a topic he doesn't often go into much with other people. "Many of those I count as friends have disappeared in that time. Even you did, though at least I knew I would see you again. The others... I may not. And I feel that loss all the time."

Steve hasn't lost friends yet. Not like Thor has. The idea of any of the people he knows so well vanishing without warning is acutely painful. He's had so much loss already and knows Thor has as well. The look on his face as he speaks teaches Steve what awaits him if he adds years to his time here. People will be snatched away. He might be snatched away and dumped back in with no memory all over again.

Steve copies Thor's gesture with his glass (though not entirely knowing why he did it). He leans forward and tries his best to look confident where he very much wasn't. Lucky for him that was his art form, now.

"We're gonna get out of here. You're right to give us this reminder, Thor. It's easy to forget until something painful jars us back into the fact this is a gilded prison." And even then the gilt was coming off in pretty large flakes. "I appreciate this. And if I ever lose sight, I am gonna count on you as a friend to bring me back.

"No one here deserves this fate. And...every friend we have is one we will lose."

The truth of that stabs him hard between the ribs. Both because he has a second chance here he'll never have again and because he knows what waits for them all when they go back. But then he also remembers Peggy and life he had and lost completely, here. What he'll never get back.

"We're going to find a way. People here deserve to have a choice."

"Of course they do," Thor answers readily, knowing it in his bones. Having the option to see someone again is a solace few recognise until that chance is gone. "We'll make sure we have everything on the table before this place meets its end."

And he means that. He intends for this Fleet to end. Thor will rip it apart himself if he has to.

Steve says nothing. He just smiles because he and Thor are like-minded in many ways. This is just one of them. Steve waves his hand, going to gesture for another round since he feels a bit like, turned glass or not, they could use it.

"The Atroma are gonna regret bringing us here. But at least..." His mind flicks to Loki, expression souring.

"If I have to say one good thing about them, at least they gave us a chance to save some of our fallen loved ones."

Thor's mind goes to the same place, though he's less charitable about it. It's an opportunity but not one he'll give the Atroma any credit for. He doubts it's done as a mercy.

"Oh, make no mistake. I have no intention of leaving here without bringing home everyone who belongs there."

That includes Loki. Wanda, Vision and the rest too. It's all or nothing as far as Thor is concerned.

Drinks get dropped off and Steve picks his up, sipping lightly on it. His eyes stay on the table as he pauses a moment and then clears his throat. His eyes don't quite look up.

"Good. That's good. Loki...and I. We've actually become fairly good friends, lately. And I saw what happened... So. I'm with you, a hundred percent. We don't leave anyone behind."

Of all the things he expected to hear, it wasn't that. Thor straightens up with confusion, staring at Steve for a moment.

"You what?" It's not so much Steve he's surprised about, but Loki. His brother has been so wilfully dismissive of all the Avengers in the past that he would have been less surprised if Steve told him Loki had tripped him in a corridor.

Even if that level of pettiness isn't Loki's style.

Steve glances up and then stares at the table once more, wondering if he's said something wrong.

"He and I were able to talk a bit. Understand each other better. I don't know what he'd consider me, but I'd call him a friend."

Frankly it's more than Thor would ever hope for. It might have blindsided him but he ends up grinning despite himself.

"Really! I'm glad to hear it - seriously," he adds, in case it wasn't clear. "He does need some, little though he'll admit it."

It's a genuinely nice surprise to find that Loki's making those kinds of steps with people, especially those from their own world. On another level, Thor files the information away for later. He may be glad for Loki gaining in friends, but he's still an older brother at heart: he's absolutely going to give him shit for it later.

Some of his good mood fades a bit as he remembers what else Steve had said. "Ah, but... you said you saw what happened."

He has a guess as to what Steve means, but he's not keen to say it.

Action | Who needs a gosh dang drink??

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