(no subject)

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve comes through the door in his dress uniform, looking hollow-eyed and grim. He goes to the Bar and drops a pile of Army scrip on the top.

"A bottle of Atlantean, please," and then adds, "And some paper and a pen, and a poppy from Remembrance Day, if you have one."

The Bar delivers. Perhaps with an air of concern.

"Thank you, ma'am," Steve says and, in big dark letters that are nothing like his usual cheerful hand, writes:


IN MEMORIAM
SGT. JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES
1918-1944


and pins it to the bulletin board, along with the poppy.

He then takes the bottle and goes to the darkest, least visible booth he can find.



[ooc: Feel free to have your pup react to Steve's announcement, but please PM or email me before tagging Steve as he is in a Very, Very Bad Place. Thanks.

All threads millitimed to before the thread with Orpheus, please.]

Comments

[golden_lyre]

Orpheus sees the note before he sees Steve, and he frowns. Mostly because of the dates. He doesn't immediately equate that name with Bucky.

When he does see Steve, though, he makes the connection easily enough. He asks Bar for two glasses and makes his way to Steve's booth.

"At least drink it from a glass," he suggests, sliding one of the empty ones to Steve before sliding in next to him.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve shakes his head and has a swig. "Drunk most of it already."

[golden_lyre]

"Gods," Orpheus says, shaking his head. He's never seen anybody go through it like that.

He's not likely to take it away, though. He'd be rather hypocritical if he did. Instead, he just carefully sets his guitar aside and asks, "What can I do?"

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve's head swivels to look at him. "Turn back time?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

.... oh.

Oh dear.

Ellen's going to very quietly nudge Dogmeat in Steve's direction and hang back a little, just to get a better idea of the situation before approaching herself.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve looks at Dogmeat and sighs. "Hey, buddy," he says quietly and strokes the dog's head a moment.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

For once, the dog doesn't go looking for food. He's familiar with that tone and that posture in humans. You see a lot of it when you live where he does. So he just whines a little and does his best to lick Steve's hand, because when you're a dog that's pretty much what you know how to do.

"I saw the sign," Ellen murmurs as she approaches. "I'm so sorry."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve bends to rest his forehead on Dogmeat's head for a moment.

"Hey, Ellen," he says and salutes her with the bottle of Atlantean.

[electro_kinetic]

The confusion is writ plain on Noriko's face under the scatter of unnatural blue bangs, the chewing motion of gum ceasing the minute in memoriam hits her brain.

It certainly isn't what she ever expected to read up there. She doesn't look to Steve, doesn't walk towards him, and doesn't say anything. She just opens her mouth for a minute, but nothing comes out.

[boston_bruiser]

Shit.


Voodoo looks at the notice, reading it over and over again, his hands going from at his sides to in his pockets to crossed over his chest.


Eventually, he heads over to the Bar.


A few minutes later, he comes back with a poppy of own, which he pins to the notice, along with a piece of paper which reads:

Rest easy, brother.

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt

[claudiometer]

Claudia had come in with the thought of trying to finish up her Slenderman report for Mrs. F - actually, in this case it's for everyone, all the better to keep him a meme in her world - but then she saw the poppy and stopped to read the notice.
Oh.
Oh, no.

She spots Steve lurking in a booth, changes course to the Bar, then heads over with a couple Cadbury bars in hand.
"They say chocolate makes everything better," she says. "I never quite bought into it myself, but... it's all I've got. I'm sorry."

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

He looks up at her blearily. "They do?"

[claudiometer]

"So they say, but when someone you care about's gone? I have my doubts."
(That's the voice of someone who's been there, if not in the same circumstances. Claudia may not have seen a war, but she has lost absolutely everyone who was important to her.)
She sets the bars down regardless. "Still, I figured it couldn't hurt to try."

[sunbaked_baker]

Sunshine's talk with Urquhart the other morning had made her realize something - it's only late September back home, and if the time discrepancies continue, winter might be over in Milliways before winter even starts in New Arcadia. There's no reason for her to worry about how to pay for new coats and winter things to keep at Milliways when she has totally workable sweaters and coats at home.

So Rae comes in this evening from her living room, loaded down. There's a duffel bag stuffed full of sweaters and layers and leggings, a pair of snow boots (bright green, as though to rub it in winter's face that spring's getting nearer every day), and a red wool peacoat draped over her arm. It's not often that she brings clothes from home, but she also doesn't want to be caught without something she might need - heavy burdens are a hazard.

Sunshine has to stop at the nearest table to adjust her grip on the duffel's strap (she'd been losing feeling in some of her fingers). As she shakes out her hand, a spot of color on the otherwise beige bulletin board catches her eye.

Oh, it's one of those flowers Bucky and Steve had been wearing for Remembrance Day, in honor of those who died...

SGT. JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES
1918-1944

Rae doesn't notice her coat falling from her arm as she stops breathing, staring horror-struck at the note pinned beside the poppy.

No. Oh gods no. Please no.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

In the booth, Steve drinks, oblivious.

[sunbaked_baker]

The first thought that filters through, apart from the flurry of desperate denials, is how could this have happened? Sunshine had seen Bucky just a couple of weeks ago! There'd been good-natured teasing, and maple-pecan pumpkin bars, and lots and lots of dishes. The memory makes her eyes sting. How...

But the question is met almost immediately by the backlash - so stupid - he's a soldier fighting a war, Sunshine. Was a soldier fighting a war. How does she think this happened?

But it's not enough. She... she has to know. Rae looks around the room for any sign of - Steve. There.

The discarded duffel and the fallen coat completely forgotten, Rae approaches Steve's booth. There's no question of whether or not there's been some mistake. Steve's devastation is clear, both in his manner and in the shadows that cross his face, their red-lined edges bright as fresh blood.

"Steve?"

[the_man]

Some time later, Fury stands in front of the bulletin board, shoulders squared, head held high.

"Good job, kid. We didn't screw it up after all."

He almost reaches out toward the board with one hand, but aborts the motion. Then he turns, coat flaring out behind him, and heads for the door.

[not_his_pa]

William's coming in from the stables when he sees the notice and stares. Then he takes his hat off and says a quiet prayer for Bucky before quickly heading out his door.

He needs some time before he can figure out what to say to Bucky's good friend and to mourn.

[battle_butler]

When Alfred comes to Milliways today, he sees the notice on the noticeboard. He's not quite sure why he's come here, or why he even looked at the noticeboard.

He remembers Sgt. Barnes. It's sad, but that is the one of the tragic facts of war. Good men die young.

He looks around, at first glance over the place, misses Steve. So, he heads over to the bar to get a pick-me-up for himself. It's on a second look round (from a different angle) that he spots Steve in a corner. He heads over slowly, Steve doesn't look in the best place. In fact. He looks a bit like Bruce did after Thomas and Martha died.

"Captain Rogers, you have my condolences." It's quiet, but audible. He's still far enough away Steve can choose to ignore him, should he wish to do so.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Steve hears him, and gives him a bleak smile and a salute with the bottle in response.

"Thanks, Mr. Pennyworth."

[battle_butler]

Alfred nods.

The bottle's not a good sign, though. It also makes 'How are you doing' a stupid question.

"What was he like?"

See if we can't get him out of this with a few good memories, even if it's bittersweet to think about them.

[works_in_space]

Jim feels a sudden burst of cold as he reads the simple note. It's something he knows all too well and something that never stopping being all too horrible.

"Hell."




He looks around to see if Capt. Rogers is actually up to being anywhere near people.

[thekidfrombrooklyn]

Whether he's up to it or not is open for debate, but there is a Steve in a booth, working on his bottle of Atlantean.

[works_in_space]

Jim walks over and waits for Steve to notice. And takes note that the soldier is drinking the one thing he knows of that makes Saurian brandy seem like soda water.

[mix_it_up]

Eventually, a white chrysanthemum is pinned near the notice.

Cross-world customs aside, hopefully it's the gesture that will matter.




In any case, Asami disappears into the garage very soon after.