RP: John and Tony Who: John Connor and Tony Stark When: 21 December - afternoon Where: The Workshop What: Two tech geniuses talk shop because what else do you do when everyone's weird? John was very definitely not feeling like himself.
He knew he wasn't feeling like himself. At least, he knew when he stopped to think about it or contrast current and past behavior. But, he didn't know why.
It had started the day before when he'd run into Barnes in the hallway outside his room and idle chit chat in passing had led to John making a comment about growing up in the jungle with resistance fighters. Barnes had blinked and John had excused himself before he could be pressed, wondering what on earth had caused him to say such a thing. He never told anyone about his past. It had continued later when John realized he wasn't carrying. He always had his gun tucked in a holster at his back, the one thing he'd spent money on in Necrohelm. He couldn't be too careful anywhere.
But, he'd actually walked out of his room and wandered the bus unarmed!
It was like, no matter how much he knew better, his instincts were all messed up and he was defaulting to a trust in people his mother had trained out of him before he was eight years old.
Today didn't seem to be any better with the way he'd answered Lupin's question of whether he was feeling alright with the truth about trusting people!
Before, when he needed to figure something out, he'd gone into the garage and taken an engine apart or ripped the guts out of old computer towers and rebuild something better. Even in 2027 he'd had bits and pieces of tech and machines, radios, etc. that he could tinker with until his mind settled. Having the practical, logical task to focus his mind on seemed to allow his subconscious to sort through things until he had hit upon an answer by the time he was finished. But, he didn't have the garage or towers or broken tech to fiddle with until he settled.
There was a workshop, though. He thought it had sort of become Stark's haven. But, surely the man couldn't be in there all the time and John could find something to keep his hands busy in a corner somewhere unobtrusive.
He wasn't expecting to be greeted by a five foot tall mechanical arm on wheels coming whirring at him. Holding his ground, John grinned when it stopped short of running into him and tilted it's pincers as though it were a head, obviously curious about the 'intruder'. "Hey, there," he said easily, like one might a dog that came begging for scratches. "You belong to anyone, buddy?" It was clearly sentient and John was no stranger to sentient tech, after all. "I'm John, what's your name? Is it just you in here?"