[closed]

[mathemagier]

WHO: Hermann + Newton, Miles + Gregor
WHERE: StarkTech
WHEN: Saturday January 16th, Afternoon
WHAT: Facetwins and bfs meet for science shenanigans
WARNINGS: Biology talk, medical stuff, swearing.



Although the weather effects over North America had abated, natives and imPorts alike were understandably still on edge about the event. How it happened, why it happened and what it all meant. A powerful imPort or an omen of the Russian threat?

ImPorts will pay.

It was all very disconcerting.

Hermann found himself rather more anxious about their upcoming appointment however.

As ever, he distracted himself with work. Juggled three or four different projects like he had the entire day to pursue his own interests and wasn't waiting for a knock on the door or an all-too-familiar face to peer into their lab. By his own invitation no less. It was for the best of course, but Hermann wasn't particularly keen on the visit itself. He half-wished they'd gotten it over with yesterday, but couldn't regret the last minute decision to attend the Swear-In ceremony no matter how hard he tried.

So he worked, shuffling between his computers, the chalkboard, and Gipsy's model while avoiding glancing in the direction of the clock, his communicator, or the watch on his wrist. Even went as far as reducing his taskbars and leaving them there.

Newton did his best to help settle his nerves, and Hermann did appreciate them despite the ineffectiveness of the man's tactics. He knew he was being unreasonable about the entire situation, but their argument had never fully settled and it was something he had been left anticipating for two weeks now.

By now, he was simply just very tired of waiting.

Comments

[dendarii]

Miles, meanwhile, is nervous for a different reason. Nervous about meeting this ridiculously tall (no, just normal) duplicate of himself, but also anticipatory of Newt's side project as well. If the daring scientist can do anything to ease his bone structure permanently ... He's a bit wild for the thought of it, and terrified for the reverse. It's so strange having hope.

(He rather thinks that if genes were the solution, he'd have been fixed years ago. But it's nice to hope anyway.)

As a result he's leaning on Gregor mentally rather heavily as they head in. The mental equivalent of gripping his emperor's hand, bracing against him a little for support. He'll be fine. He just ... needs a moment.

None of this shows through on his face, though. The man who strides into the lab is curious but confident, filling up the space well beyond his diminutive 4'8" frame. He presents a bit of an odd picture in general too, with his crooked spine and too-large head. The clothes are normal though; he'd opted for what he privately calls his "casual livery," the silver-gray and brown hoodie/t-shirt combo worn over faded jeans. He looks around the waiting lab, trying to spot their two hosts. "Hello? Doctors Newton and Gottlieb?" Surely at least one of them should be easy to recognize, if not both.

[vorbarra]

Gregor had asked to come along specifically for the purpose of being moral support, admittedly worried for Miles about how it might go for the doctors to see what he'd been concealing on camera with a point of direct comparison standing there next to him. So he's not surprised to have Miles drawing so heavily from him. Given how much they've widened their link at this point, it's not particularly difficult to do, either, and he gently feeds him the hot coal of his acceptance as a low undercurrent.

It's a little stifling, perhaps, a sense of pressure in his brain to be so heavily leaned on, but Gregor can't help but think of it as merely the most direct expression of his role in the Imperium yet. With that mentality, he bears up under it well, and like Miles it would be impossible to know from looking at him: he is a tall, lean, dark form with grave features and a pleasantly neutral expression. He knows he's here as bystander, and says nothing, drifting in behind Miles.

[driftsintobuffetline]

The anxiety bouncing around Newt's brain courtesy of Hermann is downright strangling, and he's sure that if they had to put up with this from each other during the war, they would have literally strangled each other. Not that they didn't come close to strangling one another without the Drift between them--not the point really. If Hermann was getting anything done around the godawful buzz in their brains, it was testament to his ability to work through just about everything during the war. Newt would have been impressed if not for the headache forming behind his eyes.

Newt gave Hermann a brief squeeze around the middle in a vain attempt at comfort, just as Miles and Gregor entered the lab. When they called out, Newt murmured a millionth "it's gonna be fine," patted Hermann tenderly, and trotted out to meet their guests.

He paused, momentarily taken aback at just how short Miles was (and next to Gregor, that was even more dramatic). Sure, he had expected a difference in height from Hermann due to the bone issues, but it was way more pronounced than he'd expected. Miles wore it well, though, with the bold confidence of short men and, though his smile was easier, there too was that same expression of pride that Hermann's face wore. It would never stop being eerie. Newt smiled and approached them to shake hands.

"Call me 'Newt.' Glad you two could make it! Almost thought we'd have to reschedule due to the weather. Hermann's finishing some stuff up, but then we'll get started. You guys want anything? Coffee? Tea? I swear the mugs aren't cleaned in the sink with my samples--well, Hermann's aren't."

[mathemagier]

"Yes.." Now if only he could convince himself of that.

Hermann let him go and put on a friendly face for their guests while he ostensibly 'finished something up' with Gipsy and pulled himself together. He grabbed his cane, eyed it for a moment, then strode toward Newton. Hermann hovered just beside him and kept his free hand firmly in his pocket.

"Charming, Newton."

The young man with his face was alarmingly short, frame hunched and yet making up for all that with the force of his personality. Well if that wasn't something he could relate to in a different capacity..

Hermann's assessment of Gregor was cursory and uninterested, instead frowning faint concern over Miles' condition. While a part of him was selfishly relieved that he didn't have to match up to a young, friendly, and perfectly healthy version of his body, he was also rather disturbed by the implications.

He gave a curt nod to them both. "A pleasure, I'm sure."

[dendarii]

Meanwhile, Miles' gaze flicked up and down Gottlieb in response, having rather similar thoughts. At least he didn't have to match up to an older, taller, and perfectly healthy version of his body. However much he may simultaneously have felt guilty and relieved at the same time. He hardly wished any ill on his duplicate.

In any case, the tension on the other side of Gregor's link began to relax, slowly. He didn't even quite mind the obvious scrutiny of their counterparts. (It's not as though he hadn't done the same, just now.)

He reached forward to take Newt's hand gladly, his handshake firm. "Newt, then. I would love a cup of coffee," he said with a grin. Obviously out of the ones that hadn't had specimens in them. "Thank you for making time for us today."

[vorbarra]

Gregor is perfectly happy being cursory and uninteresting. He's quietly thrilled, in fact. Normally at home when he enters a room the entire room stops to face him, and he has to specifically direct them to resume. The whole thing had the effect of making him want to not go anywhere, ever, which he has of course overcome with years of grim determination.

But here when he goes somewhere with Miles, Miles invariably steals all the attention, and Gregor would have it no other way. It is, quite frankly, perfect. And he's glad that it's already going better than it could've gone, Miles's tension starting to seep away in his head.

All he says is a quiet, "Coffee is fine," and accepts the handshake as well, though his is a little awkward. Not a gesture he's used to. He can't quite help a curious flick of his gaze over Hermann, a moment of utter surreality coming over him, but his entire bearing is very different from Miles and in a few moments the weirdness passes.

[driftsintobuffetline]

Newt would be completely happy to steal all the attention for himself, but just making himself loud enough to distract, or rambling enough to be noise in the background (and his theory was that Hermann thinks better with Newton noise), was enough for the time being. Hermann wasn't having a meltdown, however coolly--one meltdown among the two of them per day, please, and Newt had already used up that ticket.

"Sure! Yeah, happy to pencil you in. We've got loads of time on our hands these days." After shaking their hands, oblivious to Gregor's awkwardness (or just unfazed by it... He had been dealing with Academics most of his life and there were plenty of reclusive, awkward people to be had there--not even including Hermann), Newt went over to a cabinet, which seemed quite adequately stocked with coffee and tea, more variety than to be expected in a work setting. He pulled out two mugs from the top shelf and placed them on the counter, talking and gesturing as he worked. "Hell, this is a much easier pace than back home--for one, Stark actually offers vacation days and, two, well, the deadline is a little less literal." A quick pour of coffee into each mug, surprisingly not messy for a guy who was using the coffee pot to gesture. "How do you take it?" The standard fare they definitely had: sugar, creamers, milk, even a little chocolate syrup if Newt hadn't squandered it all already. Once the coffee had been seasoned to taste, or close enough to, Newt brought the mugs back to them. "Hot, okay."

"Anyway! So! --Hold that thought--" He disappeared back to the cabinet again, still rambling, no thoughts actually on hold. "--I was thinking earlier, I'd just do a cheek-swab, but in the interest of accuracy," and because Newt had intentions for Miles' blood sample beyond this test, "I'd like you guys to consent to a bit of blood being drawn--" Newt returned with a cup of tea which he all but shoved at his lab-mate, not even bothering to look at him as he did so, until Hermann either relented and took it or glared him into putting it away on a desk, "--not much, I'm not trying to bag it--I just need enough to sample. So what do you say? Or are we doing a meet-and-greet first? I mean, do you wine and dine first or just get straight to business?"

[dendarii]

Miles normally took his coffee black too, though the range of creamers was something he hadn't seen yet. He selected something suitably ridiculous (white chocolate peppermint bark? what?) and experimentally added a drop or two, to sip and discover how bad of a decision he'd just made. Hmm. He'd made worse. The rest of the creamer went in with a faint plop.

"We could do both," he intoned, taking another sip. "I've had my blood drawn so many times it hardly matters any more." As evidenced by the number of surgery scars all over him, just barely visible at his wrists on his current outfit. "Take the blood, start the test, and converse while we wait?"

[mathemagier]

Hermann accepted the cup of tea with a bit of a start. He frowned down at the liquid as if puzzled by its sudden appearance and stared rather blatantly after Newton- who of course was not paying the slightest bit of attention and was instead talking about blood samples. A question more directed at Miles than himself, as he had no reason to distrust Newton and his blood was nothing extraordinary anyway.

"I've no objections," he agreed, resisting the urge to take a sip in just the way Miles had. Reduced to scrutinizing the man's mannerisms and intonation now. He turned his attention back to Newton. "Though I don't believe the results will be immediate, and may take up to a few days?"

[vorbarra]

Gregor mutely accepts whatever he's given for his drink and isn't about to complain (he is not naturally fussy) though he has to admit some curiosity when he sees what Miles adds. He's never heard of that flavor either. Seeing him experiment provokes him to do the same himself, and he adds hazelnut creamer, no sugar, which ends up being perfect.

But, okay, on task.

"Blood samples then meet-and-greet, and reconvene later for results?" Gregor suggests.