Who: Hansel hans & Pepper Potts pottsp What: Meeting the Roommate. When: Arrival, Sunday, March 29th, afternoon Where: 111B, Hope Springs Apartments Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Possibly some foul language or discussion of witchcraft. Status: Closed/Completed Gdoc
~*~
Modern life was questionable for Hansel. He had figured out the light switch since illumination was created by turning it to "on" while a return to darkness or natural light only was achieved by flipping the same switch to "off." There were levers which moved up and down to create water from a spigot fixed above a trough. Given the way it was set up, Hansel imagined it was for cleaning purposes. Bathing. He'd never seen anything like it, but it was certainly nice. He had no idea what the talking palm-sized box wanted with him. All he knew was it wouldn't shut up until it felt good and ready no matter how many times he told it to shut it.
The laptop he left untouched as well as the plastic card with his name emblazoned on it. Why would he need a calling card? He wasn't any kind of gentleman. No one who had him in their house expected him to leave a card. They knew who he was, why he was there, and most of them didn't like him for either reason.
Witch Hunting could be lucrative, but it was mostly a pain in the ass.
Someone else was sharing the room over from him. Hansel could tell. There was a scent of something pretty in the air. It boded well for him not sharing space with a witch at the least. Could be he'd gotten a pretty lass to pass the time with in this place. Most likely? She was a white witch who was somehow related to him down the line or, worse than that, was an Evil Grand Witch who had the ability to fool others into thinking she was white when really she was as black as coal.
Hand on his gun, Hansel moved from his bedchamber to the common room, calling out, "Hello? I just moved from one desert to this desert and I'm here to tell you I'm not pleased with it. A fancy desert's still a desert. Fuck if I like the desert either. You want to come let me know who happens to be in here with me before I decide shooting first and gathering names second is the best course of action to be taken?"
He wasn't the planner of the family.
That was Gretel.
Gretel would have already shot someone though. Best he not think on her right at the moment. For all he knew? This was truly just some unfortunate soul stuck in with him through a random twist of Fate.
Fucking Fate. She was more of a bitch than Lady Luck; Hansel hated them both with a fiery passion. His head hurt thinking about what he'd do if Gretel weren't here at all. She could be in another bedchamber. She could be in another building entirely. As long as she was here, he was going to be fine. If she wasn't? He was going to put the hurt on someone in this place for taking away his family.
~*~
Pepper was pleased to hear movement outside of her room, an indication that her roommate had arrived in some fashion. Whoever it was, she was sure they were confused about how they ended up in Hope Springs. Surely a few minutes alone to get their bearings wouldn’t hurt. She finished her perusal of the network and smoothed out her shirt, slightly annoyed still that she’d only been taken with what she had on her. Without a suit, make-up, or other toiletries, she would not be a happy camper. It was on her list to check out the surrounding town - Test City - to find supplies, but they would still likely have trouble getting a few things. Her specially developed and carefully balanced birth control, for example.
She was slightly concerned, however, when her roommate’s warning reached her ears. It was slightly familiar, something she couldn’t quite place, but it was no matter. Getting shot at was not on her list of things to do today. “I’m coming out,” Pepper called, her voice clear and strong. “No need to shoot.” She opened her door and stepped out into the common room, to give the man a slight smile.
“See? Hands are up. My name’s Pepper Potts.” Her smile grew a touch as she wiggled her fingers, her hands up in the universal symbol of surrender. She took in his attire, her gaze traveling up from his feet to his face. Now that was familiar. He looked like Clint Barton. It was clear he wasn’t, since he didn’t seem to have any recollection or recognition of her. Even if he came from a point in time where they hadn’t met, he would’ve known about Stark Industries and her role as Tony’s personal assistant.
“I know this whole situation is new and concerning, but I can assure you that I’m not here to hurt you. It’s likely that the others here won’t hurt you either.” She couldn’t speak for everyone, of course, but Pepper was trying to be realistic. “You look like a friend of mine, but I’m fairly certain you’re not Clint Barton. Right?” It didn’t hurt to check, at least.
~*~*~*~
People rarely remarked on resemblances where Hansel was from unless it was to compliment someone on the birth of a child. There were so few people, everyone was unique. He could count on one hand the number of times someone had said he resembled anyone other than his sister and all those times had actually been them recollecting him.
Hansel had a few moments to himself on any given hunt. He and Gretel might be rumored as being attached at the hip, but they weren't really. She had her needs. He had his. They saw to them as best they could while they were on the move. It meant they had to see to their needs quick, fast, and in a hurry most of the time because neither of them enjoyed being far from the other. That wasn't important to him. Hansel could deal with doing his business fast if it meant Gretel was safe.
"Can't say I ever heard tell of a Clint Barton. I'm Hansel. Witch Hunter. My sister's Gretel. She ain't here in this room or I'd have heard her by now. You look like you can take care of yourself, but you couldn't take care of my sister without some serious help. Hand's are too clean for that. Put 'em down. Sorry. I don't mean to be surly. This wasn't on my list of things needed doing is all."
Their list was long on the things they did need to be doing. Hansel was worried what it meant for the ogre and the kid if he and Gretel weren't around to keep them from winding up dead at the hands of a desert witch. Or another evil witch. Neither of those two were much good in a fight on their own or together.
"My apologies, Ms Pepper Potts. I'm not normally so much of a bear to deal with where womenfolk are concerned. I know how to treat a lady proper. My mother saw to that before she passed. I got only my sister left. She ain't here. That worries me. Are you familiar enough with all of this they gave us to help me see if she's here? I would be much obliged."
He'd pay her if he had to for her help. Hansel had coin on him. Gold was gold, wasn't it? It was the kind of thing every country respected, fancy talking boxes or not.
~*~
His voice was different than Agent Barton’s, and his mannerisms as well, but the resemblance was surprising. Pepper lowered her hands, effortlessly sliding them into her pockets as he apologized. “It’s fine,” she promised, waving off his behaviour. “I was taken from my home to a different place before being brought here, so I’ve been through this once before. It gets easier to deal with, though. If this place is anything like the last, your sister shouldn’t know you’re missing wherever she is.” She was fairly certain Hansel was from a different time period, if he was remarking on the cleanliness of her hands and equating that with being able to confront his sister.
“I would be happy to help you, and I think it might be worth showing you around our apartment. Are you hungry? Our pantry and fridge are both well stocked for at least a week.” Pepper gestured for him to follow her as she made her way into the kitchen. “I’m going to have lunch. I think sandwiches will be quickest.” She opened the fridge and crouched down to get a look at the lower shelves, where the sliced deli meat was. “Looks like we’ve got sliced turkey, roast beef, ham, and salami. Oh, and there’s swiss and american cheese, too.” She gathered all of them and set them on the table before retrieving two plates and a knife from the cabinets, and a bag of fresh rolls from the pantry.
“I haven’t seen anyone named Gretel on the network just yet, but I can walk you through how to use your mobile device and your laptop so that you can keep an eye out for her. Sometimes people are brought together, other times it’s just one person, or another is brought in later. Places like this, there’s never any rhyme or reason to it, that we found at least. We were in the last place for a few months, but it’s different here. This place doesn’t seem inclined to bring our homes or some kind of location with us, but you never know. It’s certainly a possibility.” She took a seat and began to construct a sandwich for herself, giving Hansel the time to figure out what he wanted to do and take it all in.
“Are witches prevalent where you’re from?”
~*~
There was more food in the apartment than Hansel had seen in one place in his entire life. The meat looked strange to him, preserved possibly? It was chilled which was also unusual. At home, meat was something cooked and ate, preferably as fast as possible on both fronts because most were starving. He had a feeling there would be no starvation in this place even if there was liable to be some other horrendous thing to deal with in its place.
He sighed, brushing his hand back through his hair, "I guess you could say that. More'n I'd like there to be. We make our living hunting the bitches. Shouldn't be too pissed they're out there. Still. They're evil in a way no one should have to experience. World would be better off if there weren't any of them flying around. Take it they're not prevalent where you're from?"
It was strange the way the woman talked. She sounded at once a lady and on the other side of the equation a woman of the world. Gretel was distinctly a worldly woman. Hansel had met few women who crossed both divides equally. It was incredibly unusual to find one in this place sharing his room.
"Being honest? It's been so long since I ate anything decent, I don't care what you put together for me. The desert isn't kind to a man's stomach. Very little game out there. Even less water. Scratching in the dirt to get by on a few sips at a time? It's no way to live. I would never recommend it. Not to anyone."
Hansel honestly didn't think he'd even exile a witch to the wilds of the desert heat. He would far rather shoot her before burning her. Get it all over with---that was the humane way of doing things. Neither he nor his sister took any pleasure in hurting others, not even witches. They weren't torturers. They weren't heroes either. They were only two people using the only skills they had in an effort to get by.
He could tell from the look of the woman sharing his space she had likely never known what it was to barely get by. There was a look on a person, lingering around their mouth, deep in their eyes, which never went away once they'd been to the point of death and back. She didn't have it. Hansel felt strangely grateful for that. She seemed a nice sort.
"Why're you being so nice to me? You ain't even asked for payment."
~*~
Pepper didn’t even bat an eye at his language, accustomed to far worse. There was no need to have him censor himself, either. This place had so many different people, and she wanted to make sure that Hansel was comfortable. “We’ve got bad guys of our own that keep our heroes on their toes,” she replied. Witches didn’t sound like easy opponents, though she was sure they didn’t quite compare to something like the Chitauri. Hansel likely wouldn’t take kindly to that, though. So she busied herself making him a ham and swiss sandwich, which she set in front of a chair to indicate he should sit. With her own sandwich fixed, Pepper closed up the various bags and set them on one side of the table so that they could enjoy their meal together.
“Try that,” she offered, “and I won’t be offended if you don’t like it. It’s sliced ham and swiss cheese, which is a fairly standard all things considered. Feel free to try whatever you might find. I’ll show you how to find answers to any of your questions on your laptop.” Hansel seemed like the sort who would rather find the information on his own then ask for help from someone he didn’t necessarily trust. Pepper took a bite of her sandwich, grateful that they were well stocked thus far. She made a mental note to make sure their groceries were well stocked for as long as she and Hansel were sharing a living space.
His question was a loaded one, and Pepper wanted to take the appropriate time to consider his question and answer honestly. “I like to think I’m a nice person, Hansel. Composite City, the place I was in before Test City, it wasn’t an easy place to be. I don’t expect this place to be kind to us, to the people it decides to bring. All of us, we should stick together as best we can.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Plus, everyone should be able to communicate with the rest of the residents here. It’ll probably be the easiest way for you to find your sister, if she’s here.” Pepper honestly hoped someone familiar would show up for him. That was a hope she had for anyone who arrived, because being alone was a hard thing, especially when someone came from a lot of support. Violet, for example, had done much better after forming connections with Elijah, Mr. Wick, and even Tony. She was a bright young woman, used to the support of her family. If Pepper had arrived alone, she knew it would have been even more difficult to adjust to the new situation.
“There are plenty of difficulties in a place like this. I don’t think roommates and technology should be on that list.” Pepper gave him some time to think about that as she took another few bites of her sandwich.
~*~
Food was food as far as Hansel was concerned. He refrained from rolling his eyes at her suggestion he tell her if he didn't like what she'd fixed to instead take a bite which was roughly a fourth the size of the entire meal. He chewed slowly with his mouth closed, carefully trying to think about how it would taste if it were made at home. They'd had beef, ham, chicken, all the usuals. He knew what sliced ham tasted like and this was finer than any he'd had. It wasn't preserved with as much salt to keep it from spoiling; it tasted as if it'd been cooked only that week which he knew was unlikely. The cheese was unlike anything he'd ever had. Smooth, creamy, with a hint of sweetness rather than the brine he knew from cheeses at home.
"Cheese here is something you have on the regular? It's expensive where I'm from and hard to come by. Saltier. Sometimes a bitter taste around the rind. This is smooth as silk from the Asias. If this is how you're used to eating? No wonder you can afford to be nice to a stranger."
Rich people could be kind as they chose. They had plenty to spare. It wasn't as if their young would starve if they spared a bit of cheese or bread. No one who was rich worried about their family dying of a chill because they couldn't keep them warm in winter weather. Doctors were real to them the way witches were real to Hansel and Gretel. A rich family could afford the help of medicine to save their lives. It was all so much easier with the coin to spare.
He shook his head at himself as he made quick work of the food she'd made. It seemed a shame to eat it so fast, but who knew if she had a man coming? Who knew if she'd change her mind? She made sense talking about how they'd need all the help they could get. He'd do what he could to help them. It wouldn't be hard to overpower all of them if they stood alone. Standing together? They'd be a force to be reckoned with considering they all brought unique skills to the table.
"I get what you mean though. Standing together is a fuck of a lot easier than all of us trying to go it alone. I'll stand with you as you need it. My sister, too. Gretel loves a good fight and I never backed down from one unless I got my ass knocked out. It's happened a time or two. Don't worry about it. It's not a usual thing for me. Since we're talking about dangerous things? Dangerous possibilities? Well, I say we get to looking for whatever information they've given us. Get ahead of the game. Find my sister if we can. Thank you, Pepper. I'll do right by you while we're sharing space. If you got a man, he's welcome here. I won't judge."
Plenty would have something to say about a woman not married sharing space with a man.
"I got no room for judgment. Witch hunting doesn't lead to what most call a 'righteous life' if you get what I'm saying."
Hansel stood up swiping his hands against one another to dust the crumbs off.
No time like the present to get things started. If this place was dangerous the way the last place what had taken Pepper Potts had been? They'd need to get ahead as far as they could before the hounds were unleashed on them.