(no subject)

[biggerstick]

[What does an insomniac superhero do at night? They wander off the pool house and build their own working area in the underground labs]

Comments

[paragon]

Hey, I know that reference, too.

[biggerstick]

[oh my god]

Yes Steve, I was hoping you would.

I didn't think you'd feel the need to point it out, but hey. What are you gonna do?

[paragon]

I take my victories where I can. You got any paper around here?

[biggerstick]

I dropped a notebook in a drawer somewhere.

[puts his tools aside momentarily to look for it]

What do you want paper for?

[paragon]

Thought I might sketch something.

[biggerstick]

You draw?

[opening drawers]

[paragon]

Thought you got a file on me, Stark.

[biggerstick]

It didn't include non-marketable hobbies. Do you do crochet too?

[finds the notebook and tosses it to him, the first handful of pages are full of computer coding. There's a pencil somewhere in it too]

[paragon]

I know my way around a needle and thread.

[ catches it, flipping briefly through the filled pages with a bemused expression until he finds a blank one. ]

[biggerstick]

You'll make a lovely househusband one day.

[paragon]

[ . . . rolls his eyes, though it might be hard to catch because he's bending his head down over the notebook with pencil in hand ]

[biggerstick]

[kind of curious, but goes back to his own work]

[paragon]

[ he's settled himself on a stool, the only noise coming from his direction the scratches and occasional sweeps of the pencil on paper ]

[biggerstick]

[now that he's been reminded that Steve is there, he's quiet. No talking to himself anymore, just the whirring from his tools]

[paragon]

[ still, he doesn't make any other sounds for a long time ]

[biggerstick]

[okay then, eventually he starts typing on the computer and starts talking to this Jarvis person again]

[paragon]

[ and a little while after that . . . Steve's not looking up from his drawing, though his hand moves around the page as though putting in the final touches, so his voice is quiet in a distracted sort of way. ]

How smart is Jarvis?

[biggerstick]

Not very right now. Camp shut down over half of his functions.

[pokes the computer screen]

I hope you're as frustrated as I am, JARVIS.

[paragon]

So he's . . . a computer, uh, program?

[biggerstick]

A computer program that can learn, yeah.

[turns towards him]

Uh... Have you read any science fiction? Isaac Asimov?

[paragon]

Know I read some. Wasn't always much else to do before the war but go to the library. Don't recall that particular name, though.

[biggerstick]

Figures. How much longer are you planning to stay here?

[paragon]

Why, you got somewhere to be?

[biggerstick]

No, I was planning to make popcorn.

[paragon]

. . . I'll have some popcorn.