Mark I || Action

[the_futurist]

[Well, if this isn't the cherry to top off this shit-sundae, Tony doesn't know what is. He's a veritable orphan and yet the prodigal son, is thisclose to a double PhD which he could use to finally escape his name and make a better one, when lo and behold... he's sentenced to indefinite probation at a summer camp. In December. Because of his father. Sperm donor. Whatever.

Merry freaking Christmas.

He elected to postpone any kind of tour and all too soon, and still completely unprepared, found himself at his cabin. With his... siblings. And he can still barely suppress the painful feeling that punched him in the gut the moment he arrived.

This feels like home.

Instead of just embracing the feeling, of course, he's fighting it and off on his own, brooding. As has become habit the past few days. He has some graph paper and a pen and is pretty consistently either sketching or staring off into space.]


{Tony can be found in the Hephaestus cabin, around the cabin, and possibly down by the lake. Wherever it would make sense to sulk for a bit while he sorts out his brain-space and stifles down the unsettling feelings of both belonging and repulsion. Not to mention ignoring exactly what day it is.}

Comments

[toeverywhere]

[Elizabeth had been enjoying the day, and, as the sun was sinking low in the sky, decided to lace up her boots and patrol the woods, letting Songbird fly as she did so. Warm in her navy blue knit-hat and silvery jacket, she'd tromped about, simply enjoying how, well, lovely, dark and deep the woods were.

And the fact that there was no sign of danger in the woods.

Songbird had disappeared, but she wasn't worried about him. He could take care of himself.

Songbird, as it was, had decided to go visit the lake, half-frozen, looking for something to munch on. The raven, as it were, landed just a few feet away from a sulky-looking Tony Stark. With a Caw! he began to walk towards him, pecking at the ground here and there.]

[the_futurist]

[Tony draws a diagonal line where he had meant to add a small dash. He raises an eyebrow at the bird, observing him for a few moments. It was a welcome break in the monotony, if Tony was being honest with himself, though he was beginning to regret using a pen instead of a pencil when working on schematics.

Also, a little paranoia was creeping in as he watched the bird. It could legitimately be just your average raven. That was entirely possible. But after only a few days in this camp, Tony was painfully aware that nothing was that simple, anymore. Not here.]

Sooo, come here often?

[toeverywhere]

[It's a kick ass bird, okay? Songbird raised his head, tilting it to the side as he studied Tony. Caw! he called again, this time a bit more accusatory.

At the same time, Elizabeth was nearing the edge of the woods, heading down to the lake.]

[the_futurist]

[It's a bird. He at least recognizes it's a corvid and therefore much more likely to be intelligent. At least moreso than most other birds. Which is why he continues to talk to it. Yeah. That's it.

He recognizes the tone, and responds, maybe a little exaggeratedly.]

Hey, was it something I said? Just trying to be polite, here. I was kind of having a moment 'til you showed up.

[polishfan]

[Here's Feuilly, making his way up out of the forge and heading over to grab a clean shirt to shrug into when he notices Tony hanging out there, definitely broody looking. He's got that new kid look to him, like people sometimes had at Brooklyn House, and even though he hasn't been at camp that long, it's enough to send him over, where he's clearing his throat a little.]

Hey. This probably feels insane right now and overwhelming and everything, but if you need or want somebody to talk to, I'm Feuilly, and I'm bunking right over there.

[Then there's a gesture toward his own bed, covered in various supplies, and sleeping rat.]

[the_futurist]

[Tony looks up at the sound of attempted conversation. Everything inside him is at odds and really he wants nothing more than to tell this guy off, right then and there. He's fine, damn it. He doesn't need to talk. He doesn't need friends.

Okay, at least one of those is a lie, and he's man enough to admit that. So he bites back every bitter, asshole comment he wants to make, and sighs before looking up at Feuilly with a wry expression.]

Pretty sure this is insane, no offense. But, uh. Yeah. Sure.

[What the hell is with people being nice to him, he legitimately doesn't know how to deal with it.]

[polishfan]

[You sure about that? Cause it might get kind of hard living here without talking to anybody at all, even if nobody makes friends. They should at least establish some kind of civility, right?

The expression and the sigh make it clear Feuilly isn't going to pursue the bright and shiny happy people angle though, and he's nodding at the insane comment.]

It must seem that way when you haven't been around, well, anything like this before. I just managed to get here last month. I'm a magician, not a demigod so it's been, well. I guess I can't deny that anything's possible, when I make magical charms, but some of the things going on are still pretty weird.

It's been better in here though. People tend to get it. At least the way I think.

[the_futurist]

[It's a working theory and he's nothing if not adaptable. Friends and terms like "family" are words he hears on TV and smiles and nods when other people talking about them, but he doesn't have a whole lot of experience in the matter. Sure, he's had some "friends" over the years, by various definitions, but "family" is a cold, distant, and painful thing.

In short, talking to anyone about what's going on in his head is going to take some practice. And will be painful for all involved.

The honesty is appreciated. He doesn't trust anything sugarcoated.]

Oh good, it's not just me, then. [He tries for a laugh, and it's quiet and a little sad, but he's smiling.] I can't imagine getting used to all this... [He casts a glance toward the forge/workshop, then gestures that direction.] Okay, actually, that I could get used to.

[creepyfreezone]

What are you working on?

*She's cheerful, a little bit naive by the look of her. She's also your sister! Not by blood, as she doesn't have any of that. She's trying to be friendly, she does that.*

[the_futurist]

[He looks up from his sketching, and opens his mouth to explain it, but honestly, he zoned out about halfway through the initial design and can't actually remember what he'd began with.

It looks a lot like a unicorn with a jet-pack, laser-vision, and a mustache.]

I have no idea.

[creepyfreezone]

Does the moustache help aim the laser? Or is it a stablizer for the jet-pack?

*She isn't mocking you, that's the only reason she can think of to give a unicorn a mustache.*

[the_futurist]

[He squints at the sketch, cocking his head left, then right.]

Pretty sure it's just there to make him look dashing. He has flight-stabilizers in the hooves, see?

[He points to one of the hooves, with a few motion-lines illustrating the equation written above it.]

[pyrkagia]

[When Tony does enter the Hephaestus cabin, though, he'll find a girl with white-blond hair sitting on her bed, a small plate of uncooked meat sitting in front of her. She's set down a flame-retardant blanket on her bed, mostly for the sake of the cabin structure itself. There are three dragons sitting across from her - well, only the green one is really sitting. The black one's snapping towards the meat, trying to trap it in his mouth to toss it in the air and roast it, and the cream one crawls towards her lap. She reaches her hand out toward the black dragon, as if to say 'no', when she hears and sees the door open and a new face enters. It's not often a new sibling comes to Hephaestus' cabin, so she's thinking he's someone looking to have a weapon made. She didn't even hear a knock, as so many of the people who aren't her cabinmates do.]

Can I help you with something?

[the_futurist]

[Tony needs a moment. There are baby dragons being fed raw meat on a bed by a blonde he's got enough sense to assume is probably related to him. That's a lot to take in. So, at the risk of appearing, well, slow, he's just going to stand there and blink a few times.

Okay, moment over.]

I feel like I should be asking you that question, but it looks like you have it under control.

[He flings his bag in the general direction of his bed, but keeps his distance from the little fire-breathers. He was going to head into the workshop to tinker a bit, but this is fascinating.]

[pyrkagia]

For right now? Yes, I do.

[She turns away from him for a moment to look at the little creatures again, motioning for them to get back into a line - she's training them. Slowly, she crooks her finger towards the black one - and sets one of the meat cubes on the bed. 'Drogon, pyrkagia.' She's commanding the dragon in Greek, and he takes a deep breath before letting out a burst of flame, roasting his dinner and then munching on it. She smiles down at the tiny beast and thumbs over the ridges on his back before turning back to the new boy, her eyes questioning.]

You're new here - are you staying with us, then?

[the_futurist]

[He continues to watch, absolutely fascinated. To be fair, he knew plenty about mythology from having it crammed down his throat in private schooling, but he'd never put much weight in any of it. That was coming back to bite him in ways he never wouldn't have anticipated.

Dragons just weren't something he'd ever considered beyond a fleeting thought and one drunken escapade in China Town he can't actually remember all of so, moving on...]

Yeah, looks that way. Friends of yours? [He nods in the direction of her dragons.]

[commandertoolbelt]

[ When Leo comes into Cabin Nine, there's something different. The little bronze dragon curled around his neck and shoulders is the one to point the new guy out to him with a chirp, and he smiles. You'd think as counselor he'd be informed of someone new staying in his cabin, but oh well. It's not like he takes the position that seriously, anyway. ]

Hey, new guy! What're you working on?

[ He's genuinely curious, so he and Scout will be coming right over to invade your personal space. ]

[the_futurist]

[Tony is sitting in the middle of his bed surrounded by graphing papers, all in various states of done and undone: concepts his brain just couldn't let go, improvements to things he's already designed, and, out of habit, a schematic or two that would be acceptable to pass on to Stark Industries... if, you know, that was actually a thing that could happen. Which he's pretty sure isn't.

He looks up at the greeting, eyebrow raised, but does a pretty decent approximation of smiling. He wonders how long he'll be the New Guy.

And whoa, okay, hi, personal space...]

Did I miss some kind of dragon initiation, because if I did, I think I'm actually a little pissed. [grinning, and moving right on to the next subject]

A little bit of everything...Uh. This is not actually serious, just something I'm playing with... [he hands over a couple schematics, detailing what appear to be rocket-powered shoes with a recycling fuel system, while covertly tucking in a couple other schematics under his leg.]

And hi. I'm Tony. [he holds out a hand]

[commandertoolbelt]

Hey, I made my own. [ He says that, but Dany made Scout here, and he only fixed Festus up. Either way, you're on your own if you want dragons, dude.

With a shrug, he shakes Tony's hand. ] Leo, cabin counselor. And this is Scout.

[ She makes a cheerful little sound in greeting before jumping down from Leo's shoulders and into Tony's lap. Excuse her - she's nosy, wanting to look at the designs from close up. ]

Huh. This is like those winged shoes Hermes is supposed to wear, only a thousand times cooler.

a+ intro btw

[habitually]

[ Turns out the lake isn't an unpopular spot for people to think today. Apparently demigods being the sidelined freaks they are, the holidays warrant a lot of mixed feelings to sort through. Grantaire is no exception. Not even a card this year from good old Mom. Too busy wining and dining in France, no doubt.

So, as R makes it his business to know quite a bit about the camp and the people in it, a new face makes him curious. Being a Dionysus kid, his cabin's usually empty since he only has a few siblings, and Christmas made it feel unbearably so. Tony's eyes seem to be so focused on something in the distance Grantaire's not sure he hears him approach so he speaks up. ]

Thinking about jumping in?

♥!

[the_futurist]

[Tony's holidays have been nothing but theatrics for most of his life. Sure, when he was really small, he looked forward to the gifts, to the quiet and the hot chocolate and the general ease that seemed to come over the house; for just a couple hours everything stopped.

Then, of course, it went right back to normal. As the years progressed, that peaceful time diminished bit by bit until Christmas became nothing more than a staged photo for a card and maybe a dinner with his father's business associates where everyone drank too much and was on their best behavior.

He almost misses it all, now. That had become normal. This, though. This was a whole different kind of family and quiet. And he has no idea what to do with it.

He manages to not jump and looks up at Grantaire, a smirk on his lips.]

Nah, already moved on from that one. Hypothermia isn't on my bucket list, anymore.

so so sorry for late! /face in hands

[habitually]

[ Well, of course that makes him curious. ]

Oh yeah? How'd that get off the list?

[somatophylax]

[Sketching in a notebook and staring off into space is pretty much the summation of what Hephaistion does when he's idle and trying not to dwell on his thoughts. This son of Athena has a few things surrounding the holiday that he himself is avoiding, so finding someone he doesn't recognize outside Cabin Nine who is preoccupied with sketching... it catches his attention.]

Sorry to interrupt but [he gestures to the graph paper in the newcomer's hand] science, art, or both?

[the_futurist]

Uh...

[Tony looks down at his sketchings to find a completely robotic squid only half submerged in the camp lake, waving various tentacles, one of which is holding a trident, another a canoe, and there's a seagull perched on the top of its head.]

Yes.

[somatophylax]

[Hephaistion chuckles politely] Good answer.

[He leans in a little to get a better view of the robotic squid, then even gives it a moment's pause to consider it before shrugging]

I don't know how useful that would be, scientifically speaking, but wouldn't that be something?

I apologize for my nosiness. Sketching is one of my favourite hobbies, so I couldn't resist asking what you were preoccupied with. [Tucking his own notebook (bound in bronze) into his belt, he offers a hand to shake] I'm Hephaistion.