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[380s]

[Social networking had never really been Frank's forte, even before he was declared dead to the public. When he found the communicator in his welcome package, and the explanation of the imPort network, he couldn't help but grimace. The greeter interpreted it a smile, and let him go on his way.

Now, he sits in a corner cafe, watching city life unfold around him, with the phone in his hand. A few of the posts he's found so far have actually caught his attention-- apparently some of these supervillain assholes really don't mind showing their faces. Not really a bad thing-- easier to find.

What would be harder to find, however, would be people he can trust. Especially if people here know who he is. May as well test the waters.]

So are there any good coffee shops around here? Because this Starbucks stand in tastes like shit

Comments

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[liverletdie]

Oh. Depends. There are four cities around.

But if you don't like Starbucks, I'm pretty sure most small businesses do it better, if they're still in business.

[ Sup Frank. ]

text

[380s]

[The face and the voice are almost familiar, but slightly off. Still close enough to trigger an instinctual wave of resentment in him, but he chokes it down. For now.]

Figured that one out [Chokes down most of it.]

Only if?

permavid

[liverletdie]

Well, Starbucks is the standard. You have to do it at least just as well, and for the same price as a mega-conglomerate to lure people away. If it's better for the same price, you'll probably get some patronage, and if it's the best, and pricier, you're chancing that you'll lose business to Starbucks regularly.

I did toy with buying them out, at one point, renaming them Starkbucks, but I thought it was just a bit too ridiculous for even my tastes.

permatext

[380s]

[Christ. No, this is definitely Tony Stark. Even before that awful pun, it becomes glaringly obvious.]

Guess that's a Tuesday for you

[liverletdie]

What, buying out companies? More like a Thursday. That way it dominates the news for the whole weekend. Gotta stay relevant, especially these days.

[380s]

Sunday's for bragging about bullshit to strangers, then

[liverletdie]

I don't know if I'd call us strangers.

Not friends, but...

[380s]

[Just what the hell was the last version of himself here getting up to? Or is it something else? Either way--]

We can just call you a prick and be done with it

[liverletdie]

You could, but I'd be hurt.

[ His grin says that no, no he wouldn't be. ]

Come on, aren't we old friends, or... do you barely know me at all? Really, I can't tell sometimes with these alternate realities.

[380s]

I know you're the guy who lost track of a lot of product that got good soldiers killed

Then you felt bad enough about it to make a robot army that ended up destroying a small country

[It's partly a callout, partly a way to figure out how the hell these alternate realities work. If this is a different Stark, it sounds like there's a different him-- maybe different than the Frank here before.

He could really use that coffee.]

[liverletdie]

I have been the unfortunate victim of industrial sabotage, and innocent people paid the price, yes. That's why I don't build weapons anymore.

[ A beat. That's really old shit frank. ]

As for the "robot army" [ air quotes ] I don't recall ever having that level of trouble.

[ Now. If he said "weather manipulating machines that almost took over the world when hacked by Ultron", they'd be having a different conversation. ]

[380s]

[ALAS not for him

And it's still hard to tell if this is a different Tony Stark or if he's got as much of a selective memory as public profiles point to him having.]

Yeah you keep preaching that

Then Ultron did about as much damage as a fucking nuke

[liverletdie]

Okay, alternate universe.

Because I, for one, didn't have anything to do with Ultron. You can blame Hank Pym in one of his manic periods for that monstrosity.

Besides, it turned me into a woman once, I have problems with it.

[380s]

Never heard of him

So why have you heard of me?

[He just... steamrolls through that woman thing. Not even gonna ask.]

[liverletdie]

We run in the same circles.

Besides, I know everyone in the Superhuman and Vigilante communities. It's a given.

[380s]

Know or monitor?

[liverletdie]

You make me sound like Big Brother, over here!

[380s]

Really doubt you're inviting any version of me to your garden parties

[Or whatever rich people do.]

[liverletdie]

No, that's not really your scene.

But we've...had dealings. In the past. As an Avenger, I work with most people in the community at one point or another.

[ Well, Frank was mostly an antagonist, but that's to be expected. He's so principled. ]

[380s]

Community

[Text sadly can't layer that as thick with skepticism as Frank thinks it.]

Sounds real touching

[liverletdie]

Well, we have to work together sometimes. Better to know each other, right?

Not that we always get along...

[380s]

You gonna stop tip toeing around whatever problem you have with me back home or are you gonna keep wasting our time here

[liverletdie]

Huh?

Oh, I mean, we have completely different methods that I disagree with, but it's nothing personal.

I mean, you were the one who did that.

[380s]

Did what?

[liverletdie]

Made it personal. Not that I can blame you, most did, when the Registration Act was passed.