Who: jane Foster and Peter Quill What: Discussing stones When: Monday, late afternoon or very early evening Rating/Warning: Yellow only for language
To say receiving a text from Jane was surprising, was an understatement. He was pretty sure that Drax would put on a shirt before that woman ever spoke to him willingly.
To be fair, Gamora had given him shit for how he'd talked to Jane before, and he was toying with the idea of apologizing, but this worked.
Agreeing to meet at Starbucks after work, Peter did something he never did: he was early. Maybe he was nervous, maybe not, but all he knew was having an Americano was a bad idea. Now he was jittery AND nervous. Great.
In some ways, Peter reminded reminded Jane of a dark side Thor. He had a big personality but unlike Thor, hadn't learned to use it in support of anyone but himself yet. Peter was Thor that weekend he'd been banished to Earth. It was tempting to try and overlook Peter's flaws in order to bang around his ship's engine room again but he'd put down her work. Not even for any reason but because he hadn't even been curious to find out more. Some slights forgave slow.
Peter had information though and her need to know more came before personal feelings. Jane ordered a carmel latte, then sat a table towards the back, setting a well worn leather notebook down in front of her.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Peter scanned the room before seeing Jane. Right. Best to get this over with.
He walked to the table and turned the chair around so he was leaning on the rungs. "Sup, Dr. Foster." He might have done a little digging at SI to prepare for this meeting since apparently everyone knew who Jane was. Not Peter. He was slightly appalled to learn he had been speaking to one of the world's most leading minds in astrophysics, and all he'd talked about was his penis.
Mind you, it was one hell of a penis.
"What you need?"
Jane's eyebrows rose. Well, that was different. Maybe Peter had remembered she mentioned liking Dr. Foster as nickname on that survey thing? She'd take it.
"Hi. I wanted to ask about something Thor said. I understand you had an interaction with an infinity stone?"
"Why does everyone want to talk about that," Peter grumbled to himself. Sighing, he nodded his head. "Yeah, I had a run in with one a few years back....like a few standard years. Not sure what that equals here...I think the same." Peter was doing that thing where he just talked. He really needed to get out of that habit. "Anyways, it was a while ago, and yeah, interaction is a good word for it. Those things fucking suck."
Jane flipped her journal open. Part of a page was decorated in liquidy tendrils of swirling black. "Thor said you held one? In your hand? Were there any affects of symptoms, then or now?"
"Um...no?" Peter was starting to feel pretty dumb. Even though it was a pivotal moment in his life, it really wasn't at the same time. Just another really shitty day in a life full of shitty days.
But this woman was prepared and hand a notebook and he suddenly felt like he was on trial. Clearing his throat, he wished he hadn't finished his coffee already. "Okay. Well, I mean, I held it. And I felt like...I was the universe, y'know? But it wasn't enough. It could have taken me over completely, and it was like it was trying to take over or something... and then Gamora grabbed me..Rocket..Drax...Groot...my whole crew, they helped me and we managed to get it back to it's case." He tried to think if there was anything else. "But that was it. It didn't really do anything else..." He shrugged. "Sorry."
Yes, Jane did know. She knew exactly. She made a note. "How long did you hold it exactly? Was it quick?" Maybe what she'd told Thor was right and the two experiences couldn't be compared. Two points of data didn't make a set.
Jesus, it wasn't like he had a stop watch. Leaning forward in the chair, he tried to really remember. Maybe this was important.
"It felt like an eternity," he confessed. "I could fricking taste time, and hear space and....." He shook his head. "Was probably 5 minutes tho. Tops. Closer to 3, maybe, if I'm remembering right."
"I've been having some crazy dreams lately though," he offered. "I thought it was just all the junk I've been eating, but I can never remember the dreams when I wake up. Just feel like shit and have like..this sense of doom or something."
Jane made another note, frowning. "Thanks. I'm trying to figure out how these stone work. I had one," she told Peter, looking levelly across at him. "A stone. I was infected with one for a little while. Lately I've been dreaming about it and I feel just like I did when I had it. But there doesn't seem to be very much in common between our two experiences."
"Sorry I wasn't more help!" he said. He really did feel bad. "If it helps, I'm not fully human or something? So maybe that's why results may vary."
Jane nodded and didn't look as surprised as you might expect when the person across from you at coffee announces he's not human. "Yeah Thor said something about a Celestial. I was infected with the power of the stone inside me for like four days. Something like. So the circumstances are very different."
Thor. There was that guy's name again. "Man, you and that God of thunder guy are tight or something huh. Yah, I'm part Celestial, but I understand that even less than the stones."
He paused. "Y'know, you should talk to my girl, Gamora. She was adopted by Thanos. Her or her sister, really. They'd have more info for you than me."
Well that was new. "Sorry, what's a Thanos?"
She didn't know what Thanos was? "Um, the big giant megalomaniac who is intent on destroying the universe? That guy?"
Obviously that didn't get a reaction. "The whole reason why we're all freaking out about him ever getting the stones? Probably why we're all having crazy dreams? Anything? Bueller? Bueller?"
Jane's face took on a blank, stony expression. "Clearly we need to have some kind of newsletter and figure out who knows what."
Peter had already started to tune out the good doctor but then he suddenly had one of his famous Good Ideas (trademark).
Pulling out his phone, he sent off a quick message to Gamora. When he got his answer back, he grinned at Jane. "Okay, so my girl is home and she says she'll tell you everything you want to know, and I guarantee you'll like her better than me. And her info. She has lots of info, I mean, she's the best person in the entire galaxy to talk to about Thanos and the stones. You'll be much happier chatting with her."
He motioned to the door with his head. "It's only a few blocks from here, so you wanna get going?"
Jane gave a silent prayer of thanks there was no one to call her 'my girl' that often in a singe conversation. Hopefully Gamora was easier to talk to than her boy Peter. "Sure," she said, slipping her journal into her bag. "Let's go."