voidtreckerexpress | [Closed] A talk long in the making.

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[Closed] A talk long in the making.

Who: Eva and Tony
Where: dining car to start with.
When: Late Evening, Bassoon Day 1
What: Eva has a few things she wants to talk to Tony about.
Warnings: None, but will likely change.

[She could have done this right after his talk of the ballots, but she figured she'd wait a few hours. By then the hubbub should have died down.

But she's also willing to move this to the Quiet Car if needed. Embers of Fire, she likely would. She has a lot on her mind, and not all of it good.

Her word choices and manner of speaking, once she finds him and speaks, translates as respectfully formal yet tonally impart that no, this can't be put off.] Stark-san, you wouldn't happen to have an hour free by any chance? I... I would, if it's not too much of a bother, like a few words with you please.

[Whatever this will be about, Eva is serious. Like, to the poinnt that her typical pink shadow is no where to be seen

Not his pokeball's not on her, but it's one of the lower cargo pockets.]

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[Eva straightens, head lifted as she allows the mantle of leadership to make itself at home. She's no active Champion or Gymleader, but she has confidence in her abilities and what she can do.

She's proven herself and this is the Eva that needs to be out now.]

It's not, but it's the only one I have to go on when it comes to the missions so far. We all missed it because we were too excited to get off the train, and I'm as guilty as you in that, and it probably didn't help we had that talk about the kids. Who, I don't like it either, but the next mission? they will need to pull their weight.

Is it doing what the train wants? Maybe it is, but I can't sit back and do nothing. Not when the book tells me those on the train are heroes to otherwise doomed worlds.

Says who? Why? You sounds like you just drank the kool-aid.

[He sighs, and holds up a hand for her to give him a second. He needed to keep this productive as much as he wanted to get defensive.]

Eva, if I'm given a reasonable, rational argument then I'm on board. I'm on a team back home and I do just fine there.

[Sort of. He still questions authority, but he has the Avengers best interest at heart and does delegate and other 'teammate' type activities.]

So give me a reason- and perhaps I just need to read these books- for me to be on board with this idea. I won't agree to let children fight in a war just because someone tells me to. Give me a just and profound argument and as much as I dislike the idea, I'll have to adjust.

[There's a sigh before she replies, taking the time to gather her own thoughts on the matter.

She could sprout all the reasons, tell him exactly what the book says, but Tony is right. As far as he knows, she's 'drunk the kool-aid.' Whatever that is. Maybe it's like talking nonsense or psy-scrambled. Whatever; it's not that important right now. She can ask at a later date anyway.

She's not sure she believes him re: him being on a team though, but that is neither here nor there and she has limited data to go off, so it's a moot point.]

Go. Read the book. I could say all I want, true, yet that won't change the fact you haven't read the book. I think it's better if you read it before we continue this.

[He mutters 'fine' and gets up to go find Lightning. It's not long before he's back.]

Are you familiar with the term propaganda? What did you do first when you got to our last stop? Because my first thing was to go to Albany and ask her if the instructions we were given would benefit the locals or not. I fact checked. It turned out it would be helpful but I also provided her with some of the healing flowers because I was concerned were taking too many away from the locals.

The point is, I don't just buy whatever the train people here say or the material they give us. I've seen good, decent people on the wrong side before because they weren't willing to question their orders before.

[By the time he comes back, Eva has a mug of over-steeped tea, hands wrapped around it. She lets him speak, then takes a sip. More to steady herself than anything, given Tony does remind her of her boyfriend in so many ways, yet at the same time, he's not Satoru.

He's far too old for one. Also not as good looking.]

I am, yes. Is it though? I don't know. I don't have enough information to make that call- none of us do. We need more data and until we have that, I have to assume it's true. Could I be wrong? Oh, absolutely. But if I'd not- then why are our day clothes the same designs? Why are they a uniform? Prisoner? Hostage? Hero? I don't know- none of us know because we don't have enough information to make that call.

[Another sip as she holds up a hand. She's not done speaking.] I'd rather assume we all need to train and learn to work together in our teams. I'd rather err on the side of caution than be caught off guard without even the most basic of frameworks in place. The train's fine, I think. But off it... I'm not so sure. But I don't think I was wrong in doing my task without thinking, but I know now I could have handled it better. Done what you did. I didn't and that's on me. I just know that we to cover all bases. If that's doing what they want? Fine. At least this isn't a hostage situation. It'd be my fifth, but-

[She shakes her head, gaze hollow but voice steady. Gods, what she wouldn't give for hard liquor like rum right now.] Who knows. Doing what they want might even get us home faster, or at least to the final terminal.

[Well, that's rude. He's better looking than anyone.]

Well let's talk about the last stop then. There were people on my team not suited for what they were asking us to do. There were people on other teams who were. I'm not going to be swayed to follow their orders because of some comic book or chocolate candy prize.

Whatever the next stop is, I and the other capable people on this train can handle it. We can consider the objectives given to us, decide which ones sound valid enough and who should be working on what. I don't care if my socks are red or blue. Have you met Romeo? Do you really want him going up against something deadly just because we are told to let him? That's ridiculous.

[And he has no motivation to get to that final terminal and back home, but he doesn't say that. He wants to get everyone who needs to go home a chance to leave, so it's a pretty moot point.]

Besides, we're not on the same team. If you're so into this propaganda, what difference does it make to you what I do on my team?

[Attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder.

Again, she lets him speak, and again, she wishes for rum. But this will get nowhere if they can't talk like civil adults.

As it is, she has questions. Valid ones.]

How do you know that for sure? Do you know what your team is capable of? What skills they have? What they can and cannot do? Or are you making assumptions going by age or looks, Stark-san? We also all come from different worlds and not all of them hold the same values or beliefs.

But, depending on what is called for on the next mission, I am open to trying things like you suggest. Yet I'm also not sure that is a wise idea. But, as I said, we don't have enough data on what works and what doesn't. For all we know, we could massive screw things up by trying things as you suggest. But no one learns if they don't try.

No, some of them just got here. Do you know what your teammates can do? And see, that's the thing. While I am making assumptions, I also have a lot more experience to draw from. And if we're talking children and their safety, then I don't give a damn about their values and beliefs if it's not to protect the vulnerable. That's my value and I'm a hundred percent okay with forcing it on everyone else. Not my problem if they're stupid and amoral, except that they're making it my problem.

And what exactly are you assuming I'm suggesting? You seem to have a problem with it but besides 'ask the locals' to be sure what we're doing makes sense, I don't have an agenda. Well, that and don't let the kids die because some kidnapping alien train decided they should replace their teddy bears with knives.

[Eva's eyes and face are hard now, as if he's directly insulted her. he might as well have with that stupid and amoral remark. She'd love to punch him or find some way to punt him into her world and make it so he'd land in Orre or Holon or even Alola, and that was being kind. Or the wilds of Kanto, where teaching children how to deal with the reality of a pokemon world was more important than coddling them.

She doesn't though, and maybe, maybe down the line, she can learn about his world or even see it, even if she's pretty sure the values there would be so utterly alien and nonsensical by her view. Stupid even.

As it is, her voice is tight.]

No, I don't, but I plan to find out, or at least ask them if I get the chance. All of what you say is well and good, but I don't and will never agree with forcing your morality on other people, but then you're starting to seem like the person who'd do that, then turn around and wonder why people don't like you.

All I'm saying is the kids should get a choice in what they do, but I guess that's stupid and amoral and instead, apparently, we have to coddle them because they're kids.

[And Tony in turn wanted her to experience what he did last mission when he had to save Buttercup from being dropped off a mountain, cut and bleeding from the talons of one of those large birds. The bird might as well have had his heart in it's nasty grip.]

I don't care if or why people don't like me. The only moral standpoint I'd enforce on others is that they should protect children from harm. The rest of the stuff isn't as important.

It is if you're expecting anyone under eighteen to have the experience, discipline, and self-awareness to know how to judge a situation that an adult would know as dangerous. Hell, I'll even say anyone under twelve. But no, beyond that, you're being an ignorant fool if you believe otherwise.

Was there anything else you needed to discuss with me?

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[Closed] A talk long in the making.

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