fade rift. inbox.

[propulsion]

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

sending crystal
written correspondence
private scenes

Comments

[arkitect]

[Tiredly, with a mild touch of exasperation:]

He certainly has a way of lighting a powderkeg preemptively, it seems, but there was no reasoning with him on the subject.

[propulsion]

Okay, let's just—before we go any further,

[ just to be clear ]

are we saying the Tin Man is lying?

[arkitect]

I do not believe so, no. I am sure that he thoroughly believes what he has said; I also know that it is not entirely factual.

I did attempt to tell him so, but... unsurprisingly, he was not inclined to listen. While he's certainly misrepresented at least one thing I said, it is through a lack of knowledge, not malice.

[propulsion]

So let's start there. What doesn't add up?

[arkitect]

I suppose the most obvious would be the people he claimed as his sources. If what he said of the place where they met is true, 'tis entirely possible those he spoke with had not yet met me, and therefore there was much they simply did not know.

[Followed, very casually, by:]

Given the fact that some of their number aided in ending my life, I presume that to be the case, else there would be no reason for them to have spoken of me as if I yet lived.

[propulsion]

Okay.

Honestly, I was hoping the first item on this list was 'I am not directly or indirectly responsible for any extinction-level events in my home dimension'.

[arkitect]

Consider that something of a prerequisite to saying so.

[-well. 'Indirectly' might kind of ruin it, but.]

...the gods of my home function in a particular manner; the only way that one ceases to follow them is through death. Merely coming into contact with one of them can be enough to thoroughly bend a mortal to their will. So if by 'directly responsible' you mean acting entirely of my own volition, then no. I was not, but I am no longer held to that will now.

[propulsion]

Okay.

[ —again, but differently toned. The first one had been uneasy punctuation, and this one sighed out, somewhere overlapped with the last of what Emet-Selch has to say. Which is: some insane shit, but Tony is not unfamiliar with shit being insane. ]

I mean, good. That's great news, for us. I take it RoboCop back there might not be able to vouch for that possibility.

[arkitect]

[There's a faintly amused huff of a breath at the nickname-- he absolutely doesn't know a RoboCop, but look, he knows what a robot is (more or less). Close enough.

It definitely doesn't show in his voice when he speaks, though, back to seriousness.]

I very much doubt he would be. We do not share a world, he has only met others who do; it is possible he was told of tempering, but he would have no personal familiarity or confirmation.