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[propulsion]

"You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark."

sending crystal
written correspondence
private scenes

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[propulsion]

Okay.

[ She looks freaked out. Different freaked out to Ellis, but obviously—related. Where he'd more or less jumped all over Ellis like an over-excited labrador in an adorable YouTube compilation, Joselyn's vibes compel him to slow his roll ever so.

And switch trajectories. Tony goes and sits at the edge of the bed, undoing the buttons at his collar. His vitals. Sure, why not. ]

Well, nurse, how're you planning on taking my temperature or did we wanna wing it?

[obdurata]

( this feels like a trap, but joselyn is unclear on exactly what she thinks the trap is even if she is fairly certain that the means of springing it are obvious. like licking a toad to hallucinate.

it was one time. )

You don't look unwell, ( she says, deploying mixed signals by setting down her (his) pen to come and stand by his knees, arms folded as she studies him like she can tell anything from doing so.

he does look better than he did in the dream, but he died in the dream, so it's a low bar to clear. )

[propulsion]

[ Tony's hands drop him collar as he looks up at her, studying her studying him. ]

Thanks, [ he says.

And then reaches for one of her hands, and holds it. ]

Rough night, huh.

[obdurata]

( joselyn decides that holding hands is fine. they're holding hands now, and it's acceptable. if she simply accepts it then there's no pressing need to understand what it means, or that it might mean something. it necessitates unfolding her arms, mostly because standing there with only one of them still wrapped around herself feels sort of stupid for further unexamined reasons —

she uses her free hand to take his pulse. )

I've had better.

( an unsettling window into how mages actually dream, she doesn't say, too well-practised in the art of not saying things like that. it doesn't mean she doesn't think it. )

What do you think it meant?

( she means the dream. )