InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!!!"

Tony Stark (sansiron) wrote in silverage,
@ 2011-06-18 22:58:00

Entry tags:

!log, bob falfa, cameron, cinderella, cloud strife, galen, gwen cooper, ianto jones, jack harkness, kurt wagner, light yagami, linda carter, roger smith, selina kyle, terry mcginnis, tony stark, zatanna zatara

Who: Tony Stark and OPEN TO EVERYONE
What: A day at the races
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: The World's Fair
Warnings: None
OOC: See here and feel free to post separate threads!

Living within the bubble of his social circle meant that Tony didn't meet many new people on a daily basis. He tended to know the names or faces of each person he interacted with from day to day, and if they were new in his life then more often than not they were women. Women entered and left his life through the revolving door at the entrance to Stark Industries. Normal people, on the other hand, they were hard to come by. He didn't lack for company --Misty and Ianto certainly kept his life interesting-- but they were only two of what he was slowly realising were many people stranded in New York, outside of their own times and locales. While giving to charities was certainly a plus and he would never turn down the opportunity to drive a car extremely fast, the real purpose of the race, in Tony's mind, was to mingle. He wanted to know what was going on in his city.

He didn't blend into crowds particularly well, what with his distinctive facial hair and blue, Stark Industries racing jumpsuit, but this was still more new people than he'd been around in ages. The jumpsuit was quick to fall down at his waist once Tony had jumped off stage after saying the necessary few words about the importance of philanthropy, human responsibility and giving the winners their checks. He slid the sleeves down and tied them haphazardly around his waist before wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. There was a change of clothes waiting for him somewhere, but after fifty laps of the track he wasn't so eager to be confined again too quickly. His thin undershirt was good enough for the moment, even with the arc reactor glowing visibly beneath the surface. It was a conversation starter... of a sort.

The main pavilion was bustling when he finally made it in that direction. Unnoticed at first, that was spoiled when a pretty, female reporter approached him and asked yet again if Stark Industries had anything to do with the new building complex that had gone up in Midtown. Tony wasn't sure in just how many languages he could tell these people, "I had nothing to do with it." Just as curious as the next person, the only reason he wasn't there examining the building himself was his prior obligation and plan to the race that afternoon. He could have slipped away then to see it, but not only would Misty have his neck, it would have defeated the purpose of being there at all. Tony continued his walk, a leisurely pace set towards the Globe and fountain at the center of the fair.

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whats_your_name
2011-06-19 11:48 pm UTC (link)

Light sat, offering both a smile and a "thank you" as he did so. He immediately caught onto the woman's accent and spared a thought to wonder if she was a non-native like he was. He had an accent of his own, despite his fluency in English, but he did his best to enunciate every syllable as clearly as possible.

"A very good race," he replied with a firm nod. "I enjoyed getting to see all of those old cars." It was a lie - he had no interest in vehicles. Instead, he was hoping the comment would make it clear that he was a non-native, in hopes of drawing out whether she was or not. If she was from another place and time, it was possible he could learn more about the process of displacement that brought them there.

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welshcurves
2011-06-20 12:50 am UTC (link)

"Old?" Gwen asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Jack in the crowd and turning to face the young man. "I don't know cars very well, but I don't think they're that old." She knew he was hinting at the fact he wasn't from this time and she nodded at him as if to confirm she wasn't either. She wasn't sure he caught it though, so she decided to put it into words without actually saying it. "But I suppose they are older than what I'm used to seeing in Wales," she confirmed.

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whats_your_name
2011-06-20 03:42 pm UTC (link)

The nod was what Light was hoping for, and he appreciated that the woman had caught on to what he was implying. Sure, it wasn't exactly a secret that there were non-natives popping up everywhere, especially with those strange message boards all over the place, but Light knew not everyone bought the explanation. He had seen enough questioning of mental health on those boards to know that he should think twice about broadcasting where he was from to any random stranger.

"I've never been to Wales," he said, glancing out into the crowd nonchalantly, though he was really wondering what the woman had been watching for just a moment prior. "But I'm from Japan, where things are very different." Both because it was another country, and because it was another time. He trusted her to understand that, and continued with a question that implied more than just average transportation. "How did you get here?"

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welshcurves
2011-06-20 03:58 pm UTC (link)

Gwen licked her lips, eyes automatically scanning for people who might be listening in. When you worked for a secret organization you learned how to have covert conversations out in public. The catcher was, if someone did overhear them in Cardiff, they had retcon to wipe their memories. She didn't have that luxury here.

"Where I'm from, there's a rift - a tear in time and space - that runs right through the middle of Cardiff," she explained. "I used to work for an organization who's prime directive was to deal with all the stuff that came through the rift - all the flotsam and jetsam. It was everything from alien technology to aliens to time travelers to time refugees. I went back to Cardiff to visit, felt a shift in rift energy, and when it was gone, I was standing on a street in 1964 New York right next to my former boss." She nodded toward Jack a bit. "I've got another co-worker here, as well."

"How did you get here?"

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whats_your_name
2011-06-21 02:17 pm UTC (link)

Light raised his eyebrows, surprised at the explanation, though not as much as he probably should have been. A year ago, maybe the mention of aliens and rifts in time and space would have made him roll his eyes. But the Death Note and Shinigami had shown him a world he previously hadn't known existed. And of course, he himself had wound up in the past.

Hearing that she had a coworker with her confirmed Light's assumption that L could show up with him. It was definitely better to lay low, if that was the case.

"That's fascinating," he replied. "My story isn't nearly as exciting." He had prepared it in advance, a mix of truth and fiction, to get close enough to what had happened without needing to explain too many details. "I went into my room to grab something. When I got there, I couldn't remember what it was - you know how that happens sometimes. I was just going to leave, when all of a sudden, I remembered and turned to get it, but once I had fully turned around, I was here." In truth, once he had gained all his memories back from the Death Note, he was in New York, but the story was close enough.

"No aliens or time rifts for me."

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welshcurves
2011-06-21 02:48 pm UTC (link)

Gwen hummmed in thought, wondering if that was really all there was to the story. So far, she hadn't met anyone who had been brought here who could be considered normal. She was the closest thing, but let's face it, she had been changed by rift energy previously. When the rift had been opened and they'd had to defeat Abaddon, most of Cardiff had forgotten what had happened. Torchwood hadn't and because they hadn't, it was clear they had been fundamentally altered - still aware of alternate timelines and changes in the universe. So while she and Ianto were normal humans, they weren't really.

"Others have mentioned magic," she said after a moment. "Magic and starships and time machines. I'm not certain, because I haven't checked yet, but it seems to me that most of the people who have been brought here have something which mark them as different. I feel like we're being pulled here for a reason by something." She shrugged a bit.

"Have you found a way to fit in here?" she asked. "Being pregnant and without my husband has posed some difficulties. My boss is posing as my husband and my co-worker as my brother with the natives." She licked her lips and fanned herself lightly. Wonderful. Hot flashes. "I'm about to go nutters without being able to work."

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whats_your_name
2011-06-21 03:05 pm UTC (link)

Ah, this woman was brighter than she seemed. She reminded Light of Naomi Misora, the now-deceased former FBI agent, in a way. It was true that there was something very different about him, making her comment valid, but she didn't need to know that. He laughed, shaking his head a couple of times. "Oh, I don't think I'm that different," he replied. "Unless there's something I don't know about myself. I'm just a university student." He shrugged. "But maybe."

He then shifted into more of a serious air, nodding at the woman's words. "I imagine that must be very difficult," he said, "but it's good that your boss and co-worker are helping you." He shifted in his seat as he answered her question. "I'm trying to fit in. I managed to rent a small place with some money that I had with me." Of course, he went through the process of getting it exchanged and converted before he had been able to accomplish that. "I need to find a job, though." He had been preoccupied with the Death Note and how it wouldn't work, putting thoughts of employment to the side. "I think I was just hoping that I'd get to go back. But it doesn't seem like I will, so maybe it's time for me to start looking."

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welshcurves
2011-06-21 04:13 pm UTC (link)

Gwen was still holding on to some small hope that she'd be able to get back to her parents and Rhys. Deep down inside, she knew the likelihood of that was slim, but she would never give up all of her hope.

She adjusted her hat to block the sun out of her face more. "When I worked for Torchwood," she began, "we had some travelers from the 50s end up in 2009. They wanted us to send them back, but we couldn't. Unfortunately, the rift is unpredictable. We can't control it. If we were to send them back, we have no way of ensuring they get back to the right time or even on the same planet. Unless whatever is pulling us here is under someone's control and is entirely different than rift energy... I'm afraid there is no way back."

She swallowed hard, before shifting to open her purse. She withdrew a receipt from her shopping excursions and flipped it over, jotting down her name, address, and telephone number. "Jack, Ianto, and I have a flat. If you find anything out that you think might help us get home, please contact us." She held out the slip of paper. "Just stop by or call that number and ask for Gwen Co- Gwen Harkness."

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whats_your_name
2011-06-21 05:07 pm UTC (link)

Light did not need to fake the disappointed expression that flitted across his features when she told him about the rift. If that was truly what had happened, if there was no way back...

No, he couldn't accept that. Doing so would mean accepting failure, defeat. Somehow, he'd have to get back to finish what he had started. And if that truly did fail, then he'd just need to find a way to start over again, here in 1964 New York. There had to be possibilities. Light refused to accept any alternatives.

He accepted the receipt. "Thank you," he said, reading it and then putting it safely in his pocket. "I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything. I hope I do. Maybe I should give you my number too..." He wasn't keen on sharing his personal information, but Gwen knew a lot more than he did about time rifts and travel. She could prove an important ally. "I'm Light, by the way," he added, taking care to pronounce the L properly. "Light Yagami."

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welshcurves
2011-06-21 05:57 pm UTC (link)

"Nice to meet you, Light," she replied, offering him her hand. "We've been slow trying to gather information, because we have to focus on surviving and not calling too much attention to ourselves. We're used to computers and the internet and-" she stopped, wondering if Light was from a time and place which had those sorts of things. "It's tough being out of our element, but we're getting there."

They were also moving slowly because Jack didn't want to go home and neither did Ianto. She couldn't blame them, knowing what they would lose if they went back to their own time. They'd both promised to help her get back, though, and she was going to make them keep those promises.

"If you want to give me your number, I'll certainly keep in touch."

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whats_your_name
2011-06-21 06:20 pm UTC (link)

Light accepted and shook her hand. In Gwen, it seemed, he had made an important connection. He'd be careful to keep such an alliance alive. Knowing not only one person but a team of people capable of gathering information could be extremely beneficial.

"I understand," he replied. "I don't want to call too much attention to myself either." That's why he had been so subtle in the beginning of their conversation. "The internet would be useful," he added. He missed his cell phone, too. It was strange to him that he had to be in his room in order to receive phone calls - how limiting.

He gave Gwen his phone number and once again promised to let her know if he came across anything useful information. "I'm glad we met," he told her with a smile.

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welshcurves
2011-06-21 06:43 pm UTC (link)

Oh her cell phone. Gwen missed hers terribly - not so much the ability to make and receive calls away from home as much as she missed the recent pictures of her and Rhys stored on the device. She'd nearly cried when the last bit of energy drained from the lithium ion battery; she was determined to hold onto it, hoping that the data wouldn't deteriorate over the next 40 years for her cellphone model to come around again. She might be an old woman in her 70s, by the time she could see those pictures again, but she really didn't care.

"I am too," she agreed, offering a genuine smile back. Her eyes flicked over the crowd and landed on Jack. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a heavy sigh. "The wanker," she grumbled before looking back at Light. "I'm sorry, I'm going to need to excuse myself; my 'husband' is back to his old tricks of flirting with everything with a post code, and I should probably intervene before someone starts questioning the validity of our 'marriage'." She emphasized the words husband and marriage with air quotes, before rolling her eyes and slowly standing.

"I swear I need to invest in a shock collar for that man."

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whats_your_name
2011-06-21 07:10 pm UTC (link)

Light followed Gwen's glance to see what had caused her reaction. Ah. He nodded in understanding. "Good luck," he said, offering her a small, encouraging smile. Though her final comment was more of an expression than anything else, it make Light wonder whether or not there were shock collars in the 1960s. He could probably stand to do more book-related research on the 60s, especially now that putting himself out there socially had paid off some. Yes, his next step would be the library. Maybe he'd learn something important, something he could otherwise miss.

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