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Howard Stark doesn't give up. ([info]keptlooking) wrote in [info]toboldlyrpg,
@ 2017-07-23 20:07:00

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Entry tags:! enterprise, - deck five lounge, ^ log, howard stark | mcu, mary crawley | downton abbey

WHO: Howard and Mary
WHERE: The Lounge
WHEN: 226407.22
WHAT: Talking, drinking, things like that.
RATING: G.
STATUS: In Progress.



Howard may have been the sort of man who enjoyed making an entrance, but he was also the sort of man who didn't believe in keeping a lady waiting. And Mary, above anyone else he found interesting, was definitely a lady. Maybe it was that hint of interested aloofness that tinged every conversation he'd had with her, but Howard just couldn't seem to get enough of it. He possessed just enough self-awareness that he knew he was a man who loved a puzzle, loved having problems to solve, and right now Mary and seeing what made her tick was the puzzle at hand.

So Howard put a little extra effort into his appearance. He made sure his hair was combed just right, that his clothing was as wrinkle-free as he could make them (God, he missed Jarvis), and his mustache was evenly trimmed before heading off to the Lounge. It wasn't like him to be early to anything, but he didn't want to leave Mary waiting for him for any amount of time.

Once at the Lounge, he ordered a drink and waited for his company for the evening at the bar.


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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-24 05:00 am UTC (link)
Mary found Howard equally interesting. Of all the men on the ship, he was from the closest to her own time. That went a long way towards helping her feel understood by him. Even though Tony had warned her about his father, having a drink with him was relatively harmless. She would keep her heart guarded.

She had dressed up for the evening as well, in the style of her time with a beaded cocktail dress and headband. Her hair had grown long in her time on the ship, and she'd done her best to put a wave in it and then pin it up. Like Howard missed Jarvis, Mary missed her maid Anna, who could fix her hair much better than she ever could.

Walking into the Lounge, Mary was pleased to find Howard waiting for her. The fact that he'd taken some care with his appearance also pleased her. That was another thing that most modern men seemed to forego.

She smiled and extended her hand to him. "Mr. Stark. We meet at last."

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-24 06:41 am UTC (link)
Howard had seen her the moment Mary entered the Lounge and had stood transfixed for a solid three or four heartbeats. She was a vision of times past, reminding him acutely of the times when he and Joe Manfredi would sneak onto the train (because they never had more than a single train ride's worth of money on them at a time) and head into Manhattan to gawk at beautiful women.

He took the offered hand and bowed slightly, immediately pressing a light kiss to her knuckles. "Mistress Mary," he said, an impish grin pulling at his lips. "It is truly a delight."

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-24 06:51 am UTC (link)
She wondered if she was truly dazzling him or if it was done for effect, but she liked it regardless. Mary took a seat next to him and ordered a martini from the bartender.

"I don't know if I can quite get used to you calling me that," she replied as she turned to Howard. He probably got it from the nursery rhyme, which Mary was quite used to hearing be quoted at her. She didn't dislike it, it was simply different.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-24 06:59 am UTC (link)
Howard turned on his stool, so he was directly facing her. His mind normally went hundreds of miles a minute, so that little act, directing his body where he wanted his attention, went a long way. "Do you object to it?" he asked, swirling the dark amber bourbon in his glass around gently. "I'll stop if you do, but I think it suits you."

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-24 01:39 pm UTC (link)
"No," she said. "It just may take some getting used to." Maybe having nicknames for people was a family thing, since Tony called her Princess.

"I'm glad to get to meet you finally," Mary continued with a grin. "Now you may ask all the questions you'd like, and I may ask a few of my own." She was just as curious about him as he was about her.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-25 02:43 am UTC (link)
Well, if it was going to take some getting used to, he'd just have to call her that more. And, for a brief second, the lecherous part of him that was never really that far from the forefront, sent him a vision of silken sheets and pale, bared skin slick with sweat, his lips pressed against the delicate shell of her ear whispering that particular endearment while she shattered over and over and over...

He was going to stick a pin in it and revisit that later, because now was not the time.

"Ladies first," he grinned, trying to shift in his chair so the results of that randy little interlude were less obvious. "I am an open book."

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-25 05:00 am UTC (link)
Mary might have been a bit scandalized that he was already thinking of her in that way, though a small part of her might also have been pleased that she was able to have that effect on him. For her part, she found him to be a handsome man who so far had been incredibly charming, and at least he was making an effort to look nice.

"Alright," she replied. Her drink arrived in front of her and she took a sip before continuing. "Will you tell me about your work at home?" What little information she had gathered already sounded intriguing.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-25 05:43 am UTC (link)
Now there was a topic he could, and often would, speak about incessantly. Howard's grin widened and he shifted again, leaning both against the bar and toward Mary.

"Which area do you want to hear about?" he asked, signalling for another drink. He wasn't quite done but would be soon enough. "Most of my work before the war was as a defense contractor. I designed weapons, mostly. Some defensive, most offensive because that's what the government was looking for and they were the biggest game in town. But since the war ended, I've dabbled in a few other projects." Like scouring the Arctic for Rogers. Flying down to Peru to investigate some HYDRA artifacts and hunt down war criminals.

He finished his glass just as the new one was delivered. "I started a movie studio and wrote a script based on a comic book. I think those are going to be big. "

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-25 05:58 am UTC (link)
It struck her how similar Tony was to him in so many ways. Even their work was overtly similar. It was uncanny.

"I meant more the scientific work, though making films seems like a departure. You invented things, didn't you?"

Being on a ship like this had opened her eyes to the sort of things science was capable of, things she never would have imagined were possible. Mary hadn't ever paid much attention to it back home.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-25 06:17 am UTC (link)
"I did," he agreed with a nod. "I still do." Not that he'd done much inventing in the last couple of weeks, a side effect of not having a workspace. He didn't think his roommate would appreciate him leaving bits and bobs in their common living space.

But his scientific work was something of a sticking point at the moment. Hence his foray into films. "I'll move back into inventing, because I can't stay away from it for long, but I needed to do something different, something creative, for a while." Plus a successful movie would make him a lot of money.

"What about you, Mistress Mary? How do you spend your time at home?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-25 06:30 am UTC (link)
"Nothing nearly as glamorous," she replied. "I help run our family's estate, which usually involves checking up on the farmers who use the land and making sure that everything is running smoothly. I also keep the books." She'd had to convince her father to let her do that, but she enjoyed it greatly since she was good at math. "My life at home seemed a lot more boring than life here."

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-25 06:42 am UTC (link)
Howard cocked his head to the side as he listened, nodding slightly. "I would have to say anything you do would be glamorous because you are inherently glamorous." It was a bit of flattery, yes, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

"Is helping to run the family estate what you always wanted to do or did little Mary have other dreams?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-25 07:01 am UTC (link)
She smiled at his compliment, appreciating it for what it was. Mary did try to have grace in everything she did.

"Little Mary imagined that she would marry a Duke and would be the mistress of some great estate. To be honest though, I am happy with the way things turned out. I always wanted Downton to be mine and now it will be."

After taking another drink, she continued. "I suppose that requires some explanation. Being female, I could not inherit my father's Earldom, so the hope was that I would make some other advantageous match. After the cousin of mine who was supposed to inherit died, an even more distant cousin became the heir. At first I didn't like him, mostly because it felt like a stranger was coming in to take what should have been mine." Here she paused and smiled as she thought of Matthew. "Then we fell in love, though it was a rocky path. I was happy to marry him though. He died several years ago, though our son is now the heir, so our estate and the title will stay in our immediate family after all."

It had been a lot of work, especially on the financial end, but it had been entirely worth it if Downton would be hers, and, eventually, George's.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-25 07:14 am UTC (link)
The grin immediately fell off Howard's face when Mary mentioned the passing of her husband. Though she kept it to the point and smiled when speaking of him, there was no way the loss of someone you loved didn't effect you. Howard knew how he'd felt when Rogers had crashed that damned HYDRA plane... And no, their relationship hadn't been like that, but Howard had still cared.

"I'm sorry to hear about your husband," he said quietly, reaching out to lay his hand on hers gently. "How old is your son?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-25 08:02 am UTC (link)
"Thank you," she replied, eying his hand on top of hers. Even though she wasn't as likely to touch others she didn't know well, it didn't bother her. Howard was trying to be supportive. "He is three. I miss him dearly. There is a theory here that there are actually two versions of us now, one that is here and one that remains home. It gives me comfort to think that he might not be growing up without me."

George needed her far more than she needed him, and if one of them had to go without, she was glad it was her.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-27 06:30 pm UTC (link)
Howard gave Mary's hand a quick pat and then removed it. It was a forward move for her and he knew it, so prolonging the contact wouldn't end up working in his favor.

"Well, I hope that theory is true," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "For your son's sake. All I've got back home is my company and a flamingo named Bernard that Jarvis hates." He had his work, of course, but he was meticulously organized when it came to his business plan. Even if he were to be missing for months at a time, his notes would be enough for the individual sites to function relatively autonomously, so he wasn't worried.

"Is talking about your son painful or pleasant at this point? Because we can change the subject if you'd like."

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-27 08:56 pm UTC (link)
"You have a flamingo?" Mary asked before she could really stop herself. She'd never known anyone who owned a flamingo - had barely seen one, even.

Then she answered his question. "It's not painful, per say, though I think I'd rather discuss other things tonight." It was more serious of a topic than she had hoped for that evening. "Ask me something else," she said with a smile before taking another sip of her martini. "We could make a game out of it."

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-28 05:40 pm UTC (link)
"I do. His name is Bernard," Howard grinned, visibly relaxing even more. "Only one at the moment. If I thought Jarvis wouldn't quit on the spot, I'd have a whole flock." He sipped his drink and continued. "When I was growing up, most of the animals I saw were the standard dogs and cats, a few pigeons and some mice and rats. The first time I went to the Central Park Zoo was a religious experience. I knew then that I wanted animals when I was able." And he was, he really was.

Oh, he liked the idea of a game. He arched a brow at her. "What sort of game are you thinking?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-28 08:26 pm UTC (link)
"I have a horse," she replied. "Well, several horses, but one that is expressly mine. I suppose that the other livestock are ours too, but they don't really count. I always wanted a lion though." Visiting the zoo in London had been an experience for her too when she was little. Seeing pictures of animals was one thing, but it was nothing like seeing them in person.

Mary laughed slightly at his reaction. "I mean something like 20 questions... or each of us taking turns asking one."

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-31 12:08 am UTC (link)
"I tried to import a lion for my menagerie, but the permits wouldn't go through." Howard had been a little disappointed by that, but figured it was for the best. "I already had a specimen on the way from Africa, though, so he ended up going to the Los Angeles Zoo."

Oh, Howard liked the idea of that. "Twenty Questions... or Truth or Dare?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-31 12:29 am UTC (link)
"At least you can visit him, I suppose," Mary replied. If it were her, she would probably still think of the lion as hers.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Truth or Dare is how people get in trouble." So much trouble. And Howard seemed like the type of man whose middle name was trouble. "But I can be sporting. I'll even let you go first. Truth."

Mary gave him a challenging look and sipped her martini.

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-31 01:04 am UTC (link)
"Especially once they finished construction on the improved habitat I paid for." Because it was important to him that his animals had room. No one wanted to visit sad animals.

Oh, Howard liked that Mary was the sporting type. He really liked it, in fact. So he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, grinning while he considered what to ask her. Nothing to lascivious. It was too soon for that. But something that she wouldn't expect, something that would make her think.

"If you could go anywhere on Earth, at any point in time, where it it be and why?"

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-31 01:19 am UTC (link)
The tameness of that question actually took her by surprise, though she was pleased by it. "Besides home, you mean?" She asked. The question was actually harder than she thought it would be and she thought on it for a moment before answering. "I suppose I always enjoyed reading about the Regency Era. Jane Austen, you know? Or perhaps Ancient Rome. That was also an exciting time."

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-31 01:28 am UTC (link)
Howard nodded. He'd read Austen in college, and the Brontës. It wasn't his cup of tea but he understood the appeal.

"What would you do there? In either of those time periods."

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-31 01:41 am UTC (link)
She paused again to ponder that. "Probably not anything much different than I did back home if I were in the Regency Era," Mary admitted. A Lady's life didn't seem to change much over the centuries. "Perhaps in Rome I would be a priestess in a temple or an oracle..." She laughed and smiled at him. "Does that seem silly? Oh, and I suppose it's your turn - truth or dare?"

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[info]keptlooking
2017-07-31 02:21 am UTC (link)
"And now I'm wondering which goddess you would serve." His vote was for someone like Minerva. Venus was a good choice, but he'd read about ritualistic prostitution that happened there and didn't think it was Mary's style.

"Though my first instinct says dare, I'm going to go with Truth." They could move into the dares later.

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[info]ladycontrary
2017-07-31 11:08 am UTC (link)
"Perhaps Minerva," she said, echoing his thoughts, "or Apollo at the temple in Delphi." Then she could be the oracle. Mary had the sort of Type A personality where she wanted to be in charge. She did have skills as a leader, even if she did not get to show them very often.

"I'm glad you picked that, as I have no idea what I would dare you to do," Mary continued. It took her a moment to come up with a good question. "What invention are you most proud of?"

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