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[industries]

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package, june 2

[carmesi]

[when the caravans arrive from their travels to drop off supplies from not-so-far-off lands, certain parcels get pulled away and taken to go through customs. they are not for businesses nor for sale, but for individuals. the fact that they are for summoned individuals raise an eyebrow.

and so, through customs it goes, opened, inspected, and then—when none of the items are deemed as questionable—they are repackaged and sent to their designated recipients.

tony will receive two items: one, a single chapstick, and two, a pouch filled with components and tools to build... well, whatever the hell he wants. he's the genius, isn't he?

one piece, however, won't fit anywhere. it refuses to, annoyingly, no matter how much tony tries to include it in his plannings. should he stop to study it for a moment, he will realize that it very much matches the web shooters that one peter parker had designed at some point—and is perhaps the one piece peter is missing from his own parcel.

there will be no sender, and no letter explaining the parcel's content.]

some nebulous post-excursion post-event time

[techmaturgy]

[Things Viktor is not going to address:

1. the apparent fight he had with Jayce and
2. his subsequent disappearance from Cadens and
3. his mysterious return to Cadens, almost three weeks later and
4. the fact that Jayce seems even more down horrendous than usual and
5. the general state of his horizon domain

Things Viktor is going to address:]

I met another one of your strange friends.

[industries]

[ Tony turns to squint at the glowing scrawl on the brick wall beside him, which at one point would've taken him a second to parse through – not so much anymore. He frowns, looks away again as he rolls out sketched blueprints over the soot-stained table. He thinks, briefly, about asking Viktor where the hell, but then remembers the tense silence between him and Jayce the last time they were all in the same room together. Yeah, gonna let that sit on the other end of a ten foot pole for now. ]

OK, buddy, you're gonna have to get way more specific than that.

[techmaturgy]

The large blonde one who is also a government experiment?

[again. who SAYS that]

[industries]

Oh. Yeah. That one.

[ Tony traces a finger across the sketched edges of his diagrams and then taps it on the paper, agitated. He scrunches his face, turns back to the fading message on the wall. ]

What about him?

before june event

[carmesi]

I am sure you are glad we are not in the same factions.
Beats having to lock me up in my room yourself, doesn't it?

[okay, maybe she's a little salty still. she was hopeful that, perhaps, seeing how they had interacted in some very vague sense a couple of times while in the horizon, that tony stark would man up and maybe reach out?

maybe peter's positive experiences with the man made her overestimate him. how underwhelming, regardless.]

I don't think I will ever be able to truly forgive you. But it's been almost a year for me. Since we defeated Thanos.

[since you died, she doesn't say, but implies.]

I've always ever been angry at you. Especially because you always seem to look for reasons to ignore me.
Peter talks about you. I've seen memories of his with you.
I think that.
—maybe.
That it would have been nice. If I wasn't always so angry, so scared. So upset with you. Anymore, anyway. You did the world a service, and yet I still. Feel like Pietro and I meant nothing to you.

You do not have to talk to me, Stark. But you could at least acknowledge me.

[she sends this message across the mind-connection they have, thinking, realizing, that this is the first time she's ever said these many things to this man. there's a lot she needs to get off her chest though, before she can even mention vision.]

[industries]

[ It's a few minutes before a reply comes back. ]

I just assumed you'd prefer not to hear from me.

So here I am. I'm listening. What do you need?

[ The message is devoid of his usual sarcastic quality, even through the filter of glowing monospaced text. Wanda's familiar enough with Tony Stark and the the many shades of his armor that she might notice the use of the word "need" – like it's significant, somehow. Like his own ingenuity – the promise of tangible things, created things – is all he can offer, because the past is gone and done. Because at the end of the day, a "sorry" isn't worth much at all. ]

[carmesi]

You shouldn't always assume things about me.

[because she hates the idea that someone so pivotal in her life (regardless of it being in a negative way) would be so seemingly disinterested. however, wanda appreciates the candor, and the fact that she got a reply at all.]

I wanted to talk to you about Vision.

[industries]

[ This reply comes back quicker. ]

I heard what happened. I'm sorry.

[ "Heard about" is inaccurate. "Knew he was gone, the second it ended" would be more honest, but probably not very pleasant to hear for either of them. ]

You probably knew more about him than anyone, but. Sure.

text;

[shadowthief]

Haven't seen much of you lately. Consider this me checking in.
-Inej

[industries]

[ Oh! It's... that one girl. Who apparently knew him, even though he doesn't know her. (Lot of that going around, lately.) ]

Consider this me telling you everything's A-OK.

Hey – weird question. You know anyone who needs a mechanic around here?

Trying to get something off the ground. I'm told "networking" is a thing people do when they're not already famous. Sounds fake, but worth a shot.

[shadowthief]

Good, glad to hear it.

No...? But I don't really know what a mechanic...does?

What are you trying to get off the ground, exactly? I might know a guy who can help with that networking thing...

[Sorry, Tony. Remember, she's from like- pre-automobile times.]

[hextechhead]

Hello Tony,

In case you didn't hear, Viktor and I have a new workshop now, that finally went through. It's at [address] and I'll get you a key if he didn't already give you one. I also wanted to run something by you. I'm planning on making a store branched from the workshop, nothing fancy. I figured it would be an easy and lucrative way for us to sell our inventions to the populace. Lee's given me permission to still use her forge for creations with a percentage of all sales given to her, so you can get a lot of materials through her.

I'll send you the list of what I have down so far, but if you would like to design and add your own inventions, I can make a section for them. All proceeds for your work will do directly to you, outside of my request to stick to 15% off for the Summoned rule.

If you want to talk more about your ideas, I'm around! The idea is to make general and helpful (and sometimes fun) things that anyone can use. Thanks.

-Jayce Talis

[Attached list of what's on here and what I messaged you.]

[industries]

> how many times am I going to have to tell you these are mind-chats, and not like
> correspondence with your estranged mother
> anyway
> I guess I can accept your generous terms in exchange for generously waiving my consultation fees

[ That means "thanks, bud." ]

[hextechhead]

I'm very close to my mother.

Good, if you need help getting supplies to make them, let me or Lee know.

-JAYCE TALIS

[Yes he specifically thought it so hard that it put it in capitals.]

aug 7, a few days after the newbies stream in

[assembles]

Did you clear out of the inn?

[ The message is abrupt, but Steve doesn't usually see much reason for preamble with (ex-)teammates. That, and Tony's exit from his room at Mag's place feels rather sudden.

Impulsive, even. ]

[industries]

> Yeah, got sick of the foot traffic.
> Like I know Wilson loves giving the opening spiel to all the newbies, but I'm not about that life.
> Why, does the kid need homework help?

[assembles]

I'm pretty sure if Peter needed help he'd message you directly.

[ Yes, Steve realizes it's a joke, but he's opting to answer the question anyway. Possibly because he knows it will be exasperating. (Two can play this game.) ]

Where'd you move?

sep 17, while steve is on the supply run quest

[assembles]

[ Steve, Sephiroth, and the wagons they're escorting (complete with attached retinue of Cadens soldiers) have made camp in the woods on the way to the Solvunn border. Besides that one run-in with the injured stranger, they haven't encountered any serious issues thus far. It almost feels like it's going too well, but Steve and Sephiroth were in agreement they should split the night into watch shifts.

Therefore, it's late into the middle of the night when this message comes. Steve considers the chances that Tony's actually awake at this hour of being about fifty-fifty.

Maybe sixty-forty.

If he's asleep, then no harm, no foul. The message will pass by unread. ]

You up? I'm just checking in.

[industries]

[ Hundred-zero, turns out. Tony blames all the work at Rio for the fact that he isn't as exhausted by trudging through rubble as he, by all rights, should be.

That, and the fact that Peter's snoring a couple cots over.

He refocuses on the glimmering text projecting onto the barracks ceiling above him. ]

> Yeah.
> You
> realize I'm the one on babysitting duty, right?

[assembles]

[ Sifting through all that rubble is an exhausting task, and while Steve did his best to unearth as many survivors (and corpses) as he could before leaving, there was still plenty of work to be done.

Sam, Tony, and Peter are all still there. It's as under control as it can be. But he still has to check in. ]

Yeah, and how that's been going? I know Peter's been through plenty, but it's still a lot for a kid.

[ Each and every death weighs heavy. He knows. Tony knows. ]

first week of jan baybe

[techmaturgy]

I'm building it. I'm not waiting anymore.

[thanks Viktor are you going to explain any of this? no? ok.]

[industries]

> Okay, cool.
>
>
> Just to be clear, we're talking about...?

[techmaturgy]

[Tony!!!!]

The Hexcore. What else would I be talking about?

A letter, to open post-procedure. Or right before. Or during. I’m not your mom

[techmaturgy]

Tony,

I know you’re the last person to want a letter like this, and more likely than not, you’ll hate having to read it. Too bad, I suppose.

You’ve suffered great loss, to my understanding, and though my hope is that we’ll be successful in our upcoming endeavor, I must take this precaution regardless. You and I share a certain…realistic approach, and it will be pointless to offer you blind optimism when so often the machinations of the universe trend towards injustice. You would do the same, were our positions reversed.

In order not to dwell on the worst possible outcome, I want you to know that I have complete faith in your intelligence and your abilities. Whatever happens, I would not have a functional Hexcore without your input, and the work we’ve done here will be revolutionary: if not now, then in the future, when the politics of this place are more in our favor. Continue it, if you can.

You’ve been given a second chance here. It may not be what you imagined for yourself, and I won’t necessarily argue that it’s fair, to be torn away from your world in the way that you have, but you have been given new opportunity to do good. I’m sure you will. I am proud to call myself your colleague.

Your friend,
Viktor