Who: Leeloo and Steve Where: Hotel Restaurant When: 6:00 p.m. Monday Warnings: None so far Summary: Steve and Leeloo meet for dinner Status: Closed/Ongoing
For what it was worth, Steve realized that there were far worse places he could have ended up. His team was here (most of them at least) and whatever had dropped him in that lobby had somehow managed to get his small wardrobe along with his suit and shield in to his room. He did his best not to wonder how that, or anything else here really, was possible and just be grateful it was. Wandering around his his dirty fatigues wasn't particularly something he wanted to do, especially while trying to meet new people. So when the invitation for dinner came up the super soldier was glad to have something more decent to put on. He managed to find a bathroom to shower and shave before donning a dark collared shirt tucked in to some khaki slacks, hoping whatever restaurant was in the hotel wasn't a more formal affair.
He didn't know what the dinner was supposed to be exactly but assumed it was just something friendly between himself and someone who, at least on some level, understood what he'd been through. And as much as his past was different from what he understood of the other woman's, he was fairly certain they would have a hard time finding anyone else who could possibly relate at all to what they'd experienced. It was almost exciting. Because as much as he knew his team wanted to help there was only so much they could understand, and he was their leader, vulnerability beyond a certain degree was something he couldn't afford with them. And frankly, some comfort food sounded pretty amazing and it was always best enjoyed with company.
After changing from his slippers to his shoes back in his own room Steve took a moment to comb his hair before leaving for the basement levels nearly twenty minutes early. He assumed the restaurant would be fairly easy to find but he was never one to risk being late, especially if it meant someone would be waiting on him. He stepped in to the elevator just outside his room and pushed the button for B3. He rode in silence until reaching the basement level and set out to look around. He was still a little bit astonished by everything the hotel contained and he'd still only explored a few areas so far. He started to explore the floor, finding a few places he was sure to make note of, laundry rooms, a work shop, a doctor's office and even what looked like a wedding chapel, he found one bar that looked to made entirely of ice that he was fairly certain he wouldn't be visiting much wouldn't be visiting often and a library he made plans to visit again soon, he finally came across the restaurant and stepped inside. He stood off to one side to wait, not wanting to be rude and take his seat before Leeloo arrived. But, once he realized that no one actually worked in this restaurant, he spent the time busying himself by finding them a pitcher and filling it with ice water from some kind of waiter's setup off to one side of the room, setting it on one of the tables in the back corner of the room before going back toward to door to wait for her. He still almost felt like it was all some strange dream but even if it was, he might as well take advantage from worrying about the world and his life and let himself simply enjoy some companionship.
Leeloo had taken time to dress nicely, and to wash and style her hair. She made sure to choose a modest dress, but comfortable and feminine. She wasn't expecting anything from the dinner, herself; she just needed a friend. It seemed to her as if Steve could really use one, too.
She smiled as she spotted him waiting in the restaurant, and hurried out of the kitchen to meet him. "I'm Leeloo," she said, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Evening ma'am." Steve just smiled and offered a hand toward Leeloo once she introduced herself, "Don't worry, you didn't keep me long, and I was early." he explained before adding, "Steve, nice to meet you in person."
They may not know much about each other but knowing they at least had some similar experiences helped Steve, he was comfortable with her and didn't feel like he needed to keep himself secret to avoid too many questions. He hadn't really had a friend like that since Bucky died and thought it'd be nice to finally have again. Of course he knew Tony would find some way to gossip about it simply because Leeloo was a girl but as long as it didn't bother her Steve would find some way to ignore it. "Shall we sit?" he asked, offering an elbow to her.
"And you as well," she replied, warmly clasping his hand. At his offer, she tucked her arm in his, and showed them to their table. She wasn't quite used to Steve's brand of chivalry, being a protector by nature herself, but she adapted quickly.
"Did you get a chance to explore today?"
Steve stopped at the table and paused to pul out Leeloo's chair before sitting in his own, because he was taught to be polite no matter the relationship. He'd of course had to...modify his thinking now and then, when some women thought he was being chauvinistic rather than chivalrous, but he did his best to find some kind of middle ground.
"Some." he smiled, brushing a hand through his hair. "I covered most of the main floor, where my room is, found the kitchens and the bathrooms and things. Then looked around down here before you got here, some...interesting things." he commented, thinking back to that ice bar briefly. "How about you? What're your favorite places around here?"
Leeloo understood it was part of Steve's culture, and she didn't mind observing his customs. She'd still probably try to open doors for him in return, at least half the time, but who knows. It all might depend on whether or not they still liked each other after dinner!
"The library," she answered without hesitation, "And the kitchen. And the pool. And, in town, I love the bakery."
"I saw the library, it looked impressive for a place this size." Steve grinned, because as much as it seemed to surprise people, he could be a little bit of an intellectual at times and reading especially was a favorite. "And I knew I smelled a pool!" he joked, reaching out for the pitcher he'd set out and pouring himself a glass of the water, then offering one to Leeloo as well. "How is the town? I haven't gone that far yet." he told her, intrigued about the unfamiliar area and what he might find there.
"It is," she said, "But I read too fast--I'll run out of books." She smiled back at him, letting him pour a glass of water for her and watching his face and body language as he spoke. He seemed comfortable, and relaxed. And it didn't escape her notice that he had a nice smile. "The town is quiet, most of the time. Not like New York."
New York, she imagined, was bustling at any time.
"Tony told me I could read on one of those tablets he had once, maybe there's some way to get more through the one that was in the room. Everyone got one of those right?" He suggested, not really sure what was actually on them, beyond finding the network he hadn't done much with his. He was still getting used to typing to begin with.
"I've never really lived in a quiet town. Maybe I'll go look around one of these days after all, a good bakery sounds like a nice treat. They probably won't know me here and I should be able to keep my uh...job quiet enough for a day or two." he commented idly, sipping his water. "But I doubt there are many places out there as busy as New York anyway."
"They do hold a lot of digital files," she said, nodding her head. And when the hotel was parked in a place where there was internet access, she could easily add new books or films to her collection. But it wasn't quite the same as holding an actual book in your hands. Smelling the pages. Besides, after she'd absorbed almost five thousand years worth of Earth history in a matter of days, she finally had the luxury of slowing down--even if she really had to work at pacing herself.
"Do you mind if I ask what your job is?"
Steve could almost tell she was thinking about the difference between holding an actual book and reading off of a tablet, he'd thought the same thing when Tony told him no one read the newspaper anymore.
He paused a moment to think about her question, not because he was bothered by her asking but more because he wasn't sure how to explain it. "Well...it's a little bit complicated." He warned first, brushing a hand through his hair, "See I wasn't always...like this." He admit, gesturing to himself. "I was born in the 20's and I was really small, and sick. So when the war started they kept telling me I couldn't fight, 'til one man found me, he saw how much I wanted to join up and thought I'd be good for his...experiment." He paused, glancing up to Leeloo briefly. He didn't tell manny about his past but considering her own story he figured his wasn't so crazy. "And well, it worked, they gave me a serum; it made me the..perfect human, and then some. It was supposed to be used to make a whole army but the only man who knew the formula was killed. So I was the only one. And they...decided I'd be better used as propaganda than actually fighting. Until I went AWOL to save some men that the higher ups didn't want to risk going in to enemy territory for. They realized I actually could be good for fighting and they gave em a team and let me fight too, made movies about us and thought I could be both, a soldier and prop. So I sort of became this, uh, national symbol, for the war effort. But there was this plane, filled with bombs that were set to go off all over the country. I couldn't stop it but I could send it off course. So I took it down in in the arctic, everyone thought I'd been killed, well, mostly everyone. Eventually they found me and brought me back. And when I woke up they still needed people to fight so I just...started doing it again. I joined a team, Tony called us the Avengers. We fought to save the city, just kind of..keep an eye on things." he half shrugged, not really sure if he was actually answering her question or not. "But uh, lately I've been working to clean up the city, after the attack on it big chunks of of lower Manhattan were destroyed and I liked having something to do other than dwell on everything that had happened."
He glanced up to her again and rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry that was probably a ton of information you never wanted." he blushed for a moment, giving a small wry smile. "Uh, basically, I'm a soldier, for whoever needs it most. But well, they call me Captain America."
Leeloo listened, absorbing what he said, and the way he looked and sounded when he said it. She could tell there was a lot more between the lines that he didn't say in detail, but that was all right. She was already learning a great deal about him.
She reached out to him across the table, laying a sympathetic hand on his arm. "Don't be sorry." Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Pearl Harbor, and the Holocaust were information that she never wanted to know. A man defying orders because it was the right thing? She smiled. "They tried to make you me."
Steve gave her a small smile, shrugging one shoulder though he made no move as she touched him. It was something he missed, people seemed to be so distant in this time, no one ever touched anymore. "You think so? I never really...had the chance to ask where he got the idea to try and do something like this." he commented, watching her for a few moments. "I don't think they ever meant for me to freeze like that; I was just supposed to keep going I guess. I'm still not sure which option would have been better."
Leeloo had been wary of touch, when she had first awoken in New York. She had been hesitant to trust anyone in a strange, new environment. But she had since come to realize how important human contact, comfort, and even affection could be. She didn't know if the scientists had even known that she existed in Steve's world; but she had been called the perfect human. She was that, and more, and even she could become overwhelmed. "I suppose all we can do is keep going, now."
Steve eventually let his arms slide from under her hand, instead taking it in his and giving a gentle squeeze. Something told him that he didn't have to worry about being genre with her as he did everyone else but he wasn't going to risk that. "Especially here. Though...seems like in some ways it's a break, being here. No one is relying on us to save the world, or protesting that we exist." he commented, not sure exactly what she'd faced but imagining that people never changed that much, even in two-hundred plus years. He gave her a kind smile and squeezed her hand again briefly before letting it go to glance around the room. "I guess we have to make our own food around here?" he asked, wondering if the restaurant was just some kind of relic from whenever this had been an actual hotel and not...whatever it was now. "I think you mentioned something about fried chicken?" he asked with a small grin.