TEST DRIVE MEME #7

[abraxasmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to the seventh test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the three different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.

Our Setting pages are full of information on the world of Abraxas, and an overview of the story so far can be found on our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, no matter which faction they are received in. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, Marlo, and Rowan, please see our NPCs page.

You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.

For characters who arrive in SOLVUNN: Recently, following the events in which some of the Summoned received visions of each other's past, locals in Solvunn have begun to approach the Summoned with a sort of awe and respect. Those who arrive in Solvunn will find themselves treated much the same way and may be asked for advice or given gifts that seem like offerings such as wine, harvest bounties, or some incredibly delicious goat cheese. Your character is free to turn these down and should they turn down enough people, they will not be bothered further, out of concern of offending the Summoned.

Arrival

You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.

You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.

There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.

Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne

A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.

If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.

Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card bearing the image of one of the arcana.

An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.

"One moment," he says, not bothering to look up from the tome. He looks tired. "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. We’ll explain everything in a moment, but for now, please calm down. You’re completely fine."

Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the pages, until he stops on one specific passage, stares at it for a moment, and then sighs with relief:

"Finally!"

Ambrose's expression brightens, relief visible across his features. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.

"Oh, thank heavens," he says, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief. “I was beginning to believe we’d never get it exactly right.”

Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem to visibly relax, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.

"Please, come with me," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle. "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."

One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.

Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (those who were previously brought in may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.

There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.

You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).

Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and most of the cells stand empty.

Scenario Two: Welcome to the Free Cities

You find yourself pulled from the water by a pair of strong hands. Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a warm hard floor. As your senses return you realize you're on dull ruddy stone and surrounded by strangers. Men and women in unfamiliar uniforms of brown and red leather stand in a semi-circle around a small pool of water. The very pool you were just pulled from. The water is still now, rimmed in pale gold tiles with odd symbols etched into them. Across it on the far side is a raised pedestal with a card propped on it. The card bears an arcana symbol.

You feel weak. Drained. Any abilities or magical powers you have seem far away and impossible to access. You're in what looks like a cave lit by dozens and dozens of torches set into the wall. There's no furniture or decoration to be seen besides the pool. It's almost uncomfortably warm and there's the sound of rushing wind somewhere in the distance. Flickering shadows obscure the faces of the guards. A robed woman stands off to the side, looking at you anxiously and then to the authoritative woman standing before you. She's grinning, dressed in a fancier uniform than the others. There's a sword at her hip. A guard covers you with a blanket and returns to their place in the semi-circle.

The woman with the sword gives a nod of approval and smiles warmly.

"Sorry about the circumstances."

She gives you a good hard look before standing again.

"Take a minute, catch your breath, you've had quite a shock. Take it nice and easy. I'm Prime Minister Marlo Reiner and you're in The Free Cities. That nice lady over there will explain everything to you and get you settled." A nod to the robed woman off to the side.

Marlo Reiner steps back and the robed mage approaches to help you up.

"Come with me, please." She brings you out of the cave through a corridor that angles upwards until you emerge in what looks like some kind of storage facility. Shelves of wooden boxes and cloth bags line them, unidentifiable parts of what might be machines are tucked into corners and propped against shelving units. "This is one of the Free Cities' outposts," the mage explains as she leads you. "We're honored to have you with us, I'm sure you have many questions but please save them. You need to recover!"

You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military outpost on the outskirts of Cadens city. You're brought to a room in the barracks that's been prepared. Each barracks room is rather sparse and utilitarian. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You're told the world is in a delicate and dangerous times and you're needed to help. You're important, you're told, and they're very grateful you're here.

You're asked to stay close for the time being, but to make yourself at home. The outpost is more a proper military base than the name implies, with full facilities. The barracks have a communal bathing room at the end of the hall, with curtains that can be pulled around the individual raised round tubs for privacy. There's a mess hall that has food available from sun up till a few hours after sundown. You're even encouraged to make use of the training grounds, if you'd like, with non-lethal training weapons available for use and obstacle courses set up. And the city of Cadens is only a couple of hours away by wagon - though you're asked initially to please be back at the outpost within a few hours of the sun going down.

For your own safety.

Scenario Three: Welcome to Solvunn

The feeling of floating is the first sense that comes to you as the edges of unconsciousness start to ebb. Sunlight filters through the rippling water as you open your eyes, making you squint. Before you have the chance to panic and inhale, firm hands grasp your arms and pull you to the surface of the water. Moments later, soft warmth is wrapped around your shoulders as you're guided on unsteady legs out of a pool of water. You're lowered to the soft grass. Men and women in simple garments with lavish embroidery stand by, waiting with bated breath, glancing seriously at an old man in an ornate robe. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. His eyes move quickly over the page, and he mumbles idly to himself.

Any strength you may have possessed feels as though it has slipped through your fingers. Any abilities or magical powers you have don't come to the surface no matter how hard you try. You're in a grassy clearing in the midst of a circle of large stone slabs stacked to look like doorways. In the middle is the same glimmering pool you were just pulled from. A gentle breeze blows through, carrying the scent of flowers and herbs from an ornately decorated altar set off in front of one of the stone doorways. The mage closes his book and steps out of the water, addressing a matronly old woman. Behind her are two younger people, a rough-looking man, and a meek young girl, both of whom are also watching the mage.

“I detect no ill will from the gods, it seems we've been blessed with success.” Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased.

The old woman smiles and steps forward, offering to take your hands and help you stand. “Any gift the gods give us is one we will happily take. I'm certain you have many questions, and they will all be answered in time. For now, rest and know you will be taken care of.”

She pats the top of your hand and steps away with a serene smile, letting one of the others come forward with some clothes that seem to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, someone approaches to drape a delicate-looking charm depicting a butterfly with too many wings on a thin chain over your neck. The rough-looking man from before steps forward once you're decent and motions with his head outside of the stone circle. His speech is informal, his consonants harsh.

“Hold your horses, I can see all those questions coming about! Rowan March, at your service. I'm one of the council members of Solvunn. There's a lot to discuss, but it's best talked about over a hot meal.” He leads you to a horse-drawn carriage and helps you up into the back. He talks the entire ride to the settlement.

You find out you are in the Primary Settlement, the first of three that make up Solvunn's great territory. The settlement is situated between two lakes and is humming with life. You're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. Rowan explains that the living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be, that local families would also be happy to host you in their home. That there are others like you who have also taken up residence within the three settlements. You're told that the world hangs upon the brink of disaster and that there are those in this world that are happy to see it fall to ruin with their meddling.

You're important. The gods have graced them with your presence. They're delighted you're here. Welcome to Solvunn.

Everything you need has been provided in this humble apartment, and if it hasn't, there are shops that line the streets and a marketplace in the center of town. Owners of some establishments or stalls are more than happy to give out samples or barter with your time for their goods. Babysitting can be a very lucrative business. You're told of the other settlements, that they'd like you to stay here for now, but if you can find a family to host you, the secondary and tertiary settlements are best to get to with an escort.

There are tales of travelers visiting the secondary settlement without invitation disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective, young traveler.

You’ll find that there are more than enough activities to throw yourself into to better settle into your new life in Solvunn. Work is done in the first part of the day so that families can spend the rest of it together in leisure and work on their crafts - whatever those may be. For those children who are not of school age, they need nannies or storytellers, and there’s always a gaggle of them running about unsupervised. Families with livestock can always take a spare hand, especially since farms are so spread out, they have a tendency to wander. Whatever skills you may possess can always be of use to the community or to honor the gods.

If any of these options are no good for your lifestyle, the main roads between settlements can always use a bit of monster clean-up… just make sure you don’t go alone.

---

Questions

How many slots are open?
Please check the Taken page for how many player, franchise, and canon slots are available. Activity check will be processed before applications open, so the count may change between now and then. Existing players can apply for a second character without restriction.

How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Which faction your character is drawn into has nothing to do with their personal morality, beliefs, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into any one of the situations.

Can I try out more than one scenario?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.

What happens if my character refuses to comply with the NPCs?
They will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and the faction leaders will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, they will be warned once that everyone is willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight they will make good on that promise.

My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the cities, murdering the NPCs, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other NPCs would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude and intervention from various NPC guards, and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Abraxans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.

I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from an earlier TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes, in terms of the settings. As Thorne is no longer imprisoning any newcomers, that option is no longer applicable.

Is the power loss for characters permanent?
No, but it does take a week or so for their powers to be back in full, and certain powers (determined on a case-by-case basis) may require nerfs. If your character has world-breaking powers, please discuss with the mods what modifications may be necessary.

Can my character leave the bounds of the faction?
In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In Cadens, they can take a trip from the outpost to the city. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.

Can my character eventually change factions?
Yes. While the faction borders are currently closed, there will opportunities in the future for characters to relocate. For the time being, they are stuck where they are.

How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will determine where your character initially lives as well as the bias of the information they receive from NPCs (although other PCs can and most likely will give it to them a bit more straight). This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.

Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in every scenario can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.

Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the three scenarios on your application.

What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).

Can my character go to the Horizon?
First time visitors to the Horizon must be taken there by other characters, through either shared meditation or a physical journey to the Singularity, and all first-timers experience memory loss. For the purposes of the TDM, we suggest against using the Horizon.

What about making use of the network?
Much like Horizon they would need to be introduced to it by another PC, as no NPCs would be aware of the network or be able to access it. Because of this we would advise against using this mechanic for TDM top-levels.

---

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Comments

[assembles]

[ While the level of technology is definitely even more archaic than what Steve grew up with, he's mainly here to get a stronger sense of what to expect on that front, rather than looking for anything in particular. He's not here to buy anything, he wouldn't even have any means to make a purchase, but this stranger seems intent on making a point.

When the man heads off down the street, Steve notes the crutch and the leg brace. While it slows him down to some degree, he still moves like he's on a mission, and Steve falls into step. This guy is interesting — more interesting than the random shop he'd just been patronizing, anyway. ]

So you were also summoned here. [ That's already some common ground. ] Sorry, but I'm not actually here to buy anything. I'm mainly just trying to get a better sense of the city, since it seems like we're stuck here for the foreseeable future.

[ After a pause, he figures he may as well offer an introduction. ] Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.

[techmaturgy]

Yes, several months ago.

[Which means he is an expert—though of course it helps that he’s naturally scientifically-inclined. He can respect an inclination to get the lay of the land, especially if one comes from a world that’s either far behind or far ahead of this level of technology. It’s what makes the Summoned so obvious to him, even as many of them integrate into this society.

Perhaps he’s a little pleased when Steve easily falls into step. It means this conversation is more interesting than anything he’s browsing through at the workshop booths.]

Viktor. [Just Viktor, apparently.] Have you just come from the barracks?

[assembles]

Yesterday.

[ Steve continues to walk at the stranger's side, but as soon as his name registers, he has to take a moment to pause and realize why it's familiar, why all of this is familiar.

Tiny Tim. That's why Tony had called the Summoned he was sharing a workspace with before he'd clarified and used the name Viktor. Now Steve realizes how much the nickname had been in bad taste, along with all the talk of Victorian orphans. It all checks out with the direction they're headed as well, back toward the workshop that Tony had taken Steve into the day before.

Well, how's that for coincidences? ]

Wait, Viktor. [ Steve meets his gaze, as if taking him in under a new light. ] Tony told me about you.

[ Among all of the stream of consciousness chatter, Steve had gathered that Tony thought highly of this Viktor. He wouldn't share a workspace with just anyone. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Well, that gets his attention. Here he is, thinking he’s the one calling the shots on this little impromptu tour of all the workshops, and this Steve Rogers has to go and say something like that. He knows, by now, that it’s not at all impossible for Summoned to be from the same worlds—more than not impossible, probably likely, at this point. If their goal is to bring in remarkable people who can, in one way or another, contribute to the coming war, it makes sense to bring in groups of them. Military outfits. Teams. Research partners. This guy doesn’t strike him as the science type, but he knows by now that Wanda was part of an organization that encompassed several Summoned, including Sam and Tony.]

Tony Stark? [Said as if there’s possibly some other Tony. Viktor shudders at the thought (inwardly, of course. Outwardly, he raises an eyebrow).] Good things, I hope.

[He has more questions. He’s going to try and play this off, first.]

[assembles]

The very same.

[ Tony is one of a kind in a number of different ways, and Steve also would rather not think about there being more than one of him. Some might claim that he and Howard were one and the same, but as one of the few people who's known both of them as adults, Steve would beg to differ. Yes, Tony is very much Howard's son, but he's also his own person. He's accomplished things that Howard could have never even dreamed up.

Steve's mouth twitches, briefly amused, as he nods. ] Yeah, good things. Which, if you know Tony, is not the easiest to get out of him. [ He gives Viktor another once-over. ] You must have impressed him.

[ Much like Tony and Bruce had been drawn to each other, sharp minds brought together to speak a language only they could understand. ]

[techmaturgy]

To be honest, I was momentarily worried that there are two of them.

[Two of them. What a concept. He doesn't think he can bear it, though it's not lost on him how advantageous it is to run into one of Tony's friends? Colleagues? From back home. Tony had told a compelling story, enough for Viktor to tacitly agree to a working arrangement. Now, he can corroborate it.

Not that he's going to launch into an interrogation on someone else's character right away. He can see Steve scrutinizing, just a little, as if trying to determine what Tony saw in him. Fair enough, he supposes.]

Well, I'm very smart, so that probably had something to do with it. [Viktor says it like a simple statement of fact, though of course it's a joke, and he concedes a moment later with the actual explanation.] He's interested in my research.

[assembles]

[ Steve gives a quick shake of his head, his eyes widening slightly as the main indication that two Tony Starks is something that no world is quite prepared to handle. Enough said on that point, if he's honest.

Viktor displays a more restrained sort of humor, which Steve can appreciate. He spots the open-air portion of the work space that Tony had brought him to the day before and beelines for it, finding himself equally relieved to get out of the heat and into the shade. Today the sheet metal that's supposed to be shaped into some prototype wings aren't laid out on the table, but there's still plenty of signs of people working here. Engineers don't tend to be the sort who value sleep much. ]

Your research. [ Steve glances to Viktor as he joins him under the awning. ] Care to elaborate?

[ Of course he will. Most scientists will jump at the chance to discuss what they're working on with anyone who will listen, provided it isn't something sensitive. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Steve has already been here, it seems, if his familiarity is any indication. Viktor lets him take the lead, now that he knows he doesn't need to guide his new friend anywhere, and takes his time joining him in the workshop. Tony has put his projects away for now, leaving scattered notes and schematics, and, of course, Viktor's blackboard with his Hexcore plans.

He's not as forward about his work as some others might be, but when asked, he's happy to discuss the generalities of it, nodding in the direction of the chalk scribbles.]

Most of my work involves the technological applications of arcane forces. That is, the use of a conduit to harness magical energy for various purposes.

[assembles]

[ Steve glances to the chalkboard, unsurprised to see that the cramped writing on it is a different set of symbols, letters, and numbers than what he saw yesterday. It may as well be another language to him, but he can at least gather that much — that it's being updated daily. Portions of it, anyway.

Arcane forces and magical energy? That sounds far more like Wanda or Dr. Strange's purview than Tony's, and that unexpected answer causes Steve to shift back toward Viktor. Tony is the sort of person who usually terms magic as science that isn't understood yet. That view has been challenged more and more over the years, though, and apparently magic is commonplace in this world. So... ]

He's covering his blind spots. [ It makes sense. Tony wouldn't partner with someone if they didn't have anything to teach him or a different perspective that he could tug on. ] Magic isn't usually his thing, but it's not something you can ignore here, is it?

[ After a beat, Steve smiles crookedly and shakes his head. ] Honestly, it's pretty far outside my wheelhouse too.

[techmaturgy]

We all have them.

[And it's his understanding that Tony's technology, though so far advanced that it might as well be magic to someone like Viktor, lacks the understanding that he and Jayce were afforded with Hextech. It's obvious why he was attracted to the Hexcore (or the theory of it), in particular, and Viktor can't say that he isn't learning, in turn.]

You wouldn't be the only Summoned unfamiliar with magic. I have no inborn ability of my own, but at least it exists, where I'm from.

[assembles]

[ Steve gives a quick shake of his head, then clarifies. ] Oh, it exists where I'm from too. It's just that we weren't aware of that until relatively recently.

[ The Infinity Stones and what they're capable of had been their first true introduction to it, seen initially in the impact they had on people like Wanda. The mystic arts have been present on Earth for longer than any of them could have guessed, but had remained hidden knowledge until Stephen Strange brought it into the Avengers' fold.

Steve pauses then, studying Viktor's face, his sunken eyes and pale complexion. He isn't considering those details so much as the fact that Tony has chosen to trust this guy. And while Tony isn't always the best judge of character, he's certainly improved at it over the years.

There's also just something about meeting someone whose body is actively working against him, yet who's still putting his all into his passions anyway. ]

I'm more a result of science, though, which feels a little more grounded. That's what I meant about it not being my wheelhouse.

[ He's got physical enhancements that allow him to keep up, but he won't be casting spells any time soon. ]

[techmaturgy]

Mages, where I'm from, are so rare as to be legends. The harnessing of arcane forces through technology is similarly a recent development.

[And revolutionary, of course. Even with the Hexgates functional, they'd barely begun to scratch the surface of what it can do. He has ideas for adapting the technology to the Free Cities, of course, but he's keenly aware that anything he does here might be co-opted by the military. It's not an optimal position to be in, but he gets the feeling that Tony understands, which may have been part of the reason why he agreed to working together.

Viktor can feel Steve's eyes on him--he's used to being scrutinized, and generally, he knows what other people are thinking when they watch him like this. Luckily, he says something that's easy to latch on to, which, of course, Viktor does.]

What do you mean, a result of science?

[assembles]

[ A melding of magic and technology seems to be exactly what the Free Cities is interested in, so from that perspective Steve can already see why they summoned someone like Viktor to help them. He's wasted no time getting to work, but there's little chance that he has any interest in creating weapons. Tony wouldn't ally himself with someone like that.

Maybe that's a calculation the people in charge here didn't make.

At Viktor's question, Steve huffs out a little scoff through his nose. He'd known what he was doing when he made that comment, and that it would be enough to capture Viktor's attention. So it goes with scientists. ]

Don't worry, I didn't come out of a test tube or anything. [ Steve pauses for a moment, then gives a little shrug. Tony's bound to share all of this with his lab partners eventually, so he may as well get ahead of that. ] I was part of a military-funded experiment, an attempt to produce a super-soldier. I, uhh, didn't always look like this.

[ It's odd to have to explain it. Back home, everyone already knows the story. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor knows full well what he’s asking, the question practically baited out of him. Still, this is not necessarily the answer he expected. His eyebrows furrow, and for a moment it looks like he’s trying to figure out what to say. How can he not be a little caught off-guard, when Steve is suddenly forthcoming about something that seems to be both incredibly personal and wholly unethical?

He reminds himself that different worlds have different rules. He chooses his words carefully, even though he knows he has no real reason to be especially tactful.]

Yes, then I can see why the Free Cities would be interested in bringing you here.

[It’s clear that Viktor doesn’t really know what to say to this. They’re perfect strangers. Does Steve tell everyone he meets about his status as, apparently, a government experiment? How does technology like that even work?

And it’s not lost no him that Steve says I didn’t always look like this, right after a protracted sizing up of Viktor’s person. He’s immediately suspicious about what he means. Is Steve trying to imply some sort of kinship? Relate to him, in some way? He’d be offended if he wasn’t so hung up on the whole super soldier thing.]

You should be careful how open you are with that information. Someone with fewer scruples— [Not him though he has so many scruples,] —might want to [Steal your blood!???] study you.

[assembles]

[ It goes to figure that not every world has government experiments to create super-soldiers, and yet for Steve it's been such a constant in his life (with multiple attempts made to recreate that lightning in a bottle). It's fair that Viktor's thrown off about the whole thing, but they've now established to each other why the Free Cities might have wanted them.

The warning is well-meaning. Viktor's expressing concern even though they've just met. It serves as a decent enough litmus test for what kind of person he is, not that Steve had much doubt. With a small, reserved smile, he nods. ]

Yeah, I'm not gonna yell it from the rooftops.

[ So then why did he bring it up? He does see a little of himself in Viktor, there's no denying it, but he's not going to get into all of that right now. He's not sure how he could explain it without it coming across the wrong way. Not everyone's granted some miracle cure, even if Steve's did come with all sorts of strings attached. ]

Tony was bound to tell you sooner or later, so I figured I'd just let you know. He doesn't really have a filter, you may have noticed.

[ It's also not much of a secret back home, but having to explain his legacy is something he's not so willing to talk at length about. So he leaves it there. ]

He's got you covered when it comes to all this— [ he gestures at the packed lab tables and the chalkboard ] —but if you need anything else, a runner or someone to haul over supplies, let me know. The sooner I can get working, the better.

[techmaturgy]

[It's likely that the higher-ups already know--Viktor still isn't sure if the Summoning ritual is pulling in specific people, or if the mages are simply attempting broad strokes. The best thing to do, he thinks, is to assume the government knows everything about them and their talents, but on the off chance they don't, there's no real reason to simply tip their hands.

Steve seems to understand this, and it's not like Viktor is in communication with the Prime Minister, or anything, so perhaps they can leave it here. He nods at the comment about Tony.]

I've noticed. [The first thing the guy did was comment on his work, and then his health, none of it with any consideration about what's okay to say out loud or not.] He's been helpful. I'm sure he'll find many heavy boxes for you to lift, in due time, but surely you're looking for more engaging work than that.

[assembles]

[ When Viktor puts it that way, Steve realizes that the idea of having to follow any of Tony's orders when it comes to his workspace sounds like a complete nightmare. Not that he hasn't assisted with heavy lifting in the past, but there were also plenty of Avengers who could fill that role.

While the two of them have reconciled from his side of things, that isn't the case for Tony. It's complicated, but isn't it always that way between them? That's not even touching on the fact that Steve watched Tony die just a few days ago. ]

Yeah, it'd be nice to find something a little more intellectually stimulating, but it's a good place to start. [ He's speaking more generally. Surely there are plenty of people in this city who could use a day laborer for various tasks.

Steve takes one last glance around the area, then offers Viktor a polite nod. ] Anyway, I'll leave you to your work. Thanks for the tour, though.