Hero
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
164 POSTS & 14 LIKES
|
Post by James Barnes Jr on Jul 8, 2015 23:59:57 GMT -6
After he got out of his car, James walked into the lobby of Stark Tower. He walked into the elevator and hit the button for Ginnie's floor. He had decided to take her out for lunch. The hope was that the information wouldn't filter its way back to Lydia or anyone else for that matter. James just wanted to do something nice for all the nice things that Ginnie had done for him recently. Not to mention all the crap she'd been putting up with as of late.
James stepped out of the elevator and flashed his badge at the receptionist. "I have an appointment to see Ms. Stark." The receptionist smiled at James.
"Agent Coulson, that trick was cute the first four times, but you keep doing it even when you don't need to. She's expecting you."
"Expecting me? How?" James paused for a minute. "Points for trying, Carrie?"
"Points for the attempt. And we've been told to give you access whenever you need it."
"Handy. Coffee's on me next time." James gave her a two fingered salute and slipped through the door. "Hey, Ginnie. I thought maybe you'd like to get a bite..." James trailed off as he saw Walter in the chair across from Ginnie's desk. Well, no chance of Lydia not knowing about this now. The kid was probably already telling her and he was looking at an afterimage. The last question made James snort.
"And sometimes, that right thing means hanging out at my house and eating all my food while he and his best friend get my sister into trouble." James leveled a look at him. And then used the tone. "Walter. What are you doing here? Why are you bothering Ms. Stark at work?"
|
|
Hero
Iron Maiden
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
Bicurious
"It's simple quantum mechanics, really."
118 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Virginia "Ginnie" Stark on Jul 9, 2015 0:35:57 GMT -6
Here's to being human and taking it for granted "I wouldn't quite say me alone. My father has quite a bit of expertise himself, though that is only to be expected, I suppose." She shook her head lightly with a laugh. "Very impressive, that is. Just try to not go rooting through my dumpster anymore without at least telling me. I'll let this one offense pass, but in the future, it will benefit you greatly to refrain. Am I clear?"After that last little warning, she sat back in her seat a little more, stopping in her finger tapping while her foot seemed to keep going. She shuffled through her papers to get back to the resume he'd offered and bring it to the top while he spoke. And, though what he said gave her an idea of his life, it wasn't exactly telling her who he was. She wanted to stop him, interrupt him, tell him how all of that was nice and well but it wasn't what she had asked but she stopped herself. No, she figured she might as well listen to that. Not like it wasn't stuff she couldn't have found out later anyway. She grabbed her glass to take another sip from it to prevent herself from trying to interrupt and, just as she had hoped, he had come around and answered the actual question. 'Hardly just a simple kid,' she thought to herself. If he was just a simple kid, he wouldn't have been able to get in here past her security the way he had. That reminded her, she'll have to check surveillance later, figure out just how he'd gone about doing such a thing. She was about to say something when the door to her office opened. "What part of let no one throu-" She cut herself very short when she heard his voice. She wished she could say she was surprised but, honestly, she couldn't really be. If anyone was allowed through, it'd be him. Him or family were pretty much all that had an all access pass. And, she tried to assure herself, his all access pass was because he was helping her with the Asgardian Nullification System she wanted to work out. Because that was clearly the only reason she had. She didn't even think as she finished her drink and put the glass back down. "Ji-James, such a pleasant surprise. I take it you already know Mister West here?" she asked. His questioning of the boy almost made her laugh. "Oh don't worry, he's not really bothering me just as much as I thought he would be." The highs and lows of living, to getting second chances ✿
|
|
Hero
The Flash
IS OFFLINE
21
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
180 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Walter West on Jul 9, 2015 1:26:05 GMT -6
Walt was on his feet nearly fast enough to betray his super-speed to Ginnie, and he was talking soon after, as was typical. He turned and spoke to James almost before the latter could finish his question.
"Sir! I didn't expect to see you here, although I imagine the fault is mine, as that's a rookie mistake!" A nervous, high laugh burst from him. /What's happening?/ he thought.
"As it happens, Miss Stark has been kind enough to tolerate my presence long enough to conduct a sort of informal interview."
Then a quick sequence of texts to Danvers n' Lantern:
guysomfgcap'sherewithStark
Then:
alsoI'mherewithStarkI'mgettingajob
Finally, along with a blurry picture snapped from his phone with the foggy silhouettes of each of the three in the office, a final message:
HahahahahahaI'mfreakingoutMartysuckitLydheusedthetonesendhelp
He doubt Cap or Ginnie noticed- all this was accomplished before Ginnie had a chance to form her inquiry. Walt turned now to address her, still standing, still talking excitedly, with less then a second having passed since he responded to James.
"As he said, ma'am, his sister and I are close friends. The other he mentioned- my best friend, that is- is none other than Marty Jordan. That's the son of Hal and Carol Jordan, you know. He's actually studying quite hard to earn his inheritance. He's really quite brilliant himself- studying day and night, building rockets, designing consumer craft, trying to expand his parent's market, nothing quite up to the mark you've made here, of course, but certainly not too far behind-"
Walt forced his mouth closed.
Clearing his throat, barely managing to backpedal to a professional tone, he continued, smiling nervously, excitedly, and smoothing his tie.
"Needless to say, if you two require my exit, I'd be happy to reschedule. I really didn't mean to interfere like this. I suppose there may be merits to respecting the appointment book after all." He chuckled at his own joke perhaps a little too loudly, a little too hastily. Then looked quickly at the two of them, wondering how this affected his odds of success at Stark Industries. At this point, his initial hurricane of excitement had subsided, and he felt the internal decompression that so often accompanied the waning of speedster's adrenaline. The next time he spoke, it was with the easy smile and tone of calm professionalism which he had demonstrated to Ginnie when their meeting had first begun.
"Or perhaps you'd like a drink, sir!"
/Nice,/ he thought to himself, his confident smile turning inward.
/Nailed it./
|
|
Hero
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
164 POSTS & 14 LIKES
|
Post by James Barnes Jr on Jul 9, 2015 23:57:55 GMT -6
This was really the last sort of thing that James expected. "Sorry to interrupt. I didn't think you'd be busy. Walter is a special kid. I'd suggest having more food on hand if he's going to work for you, Ginnie." He took a look at the Flash as he jumped to his feet. Walter was calling him "Sir" and all that. James chuckled. "Enough with the sirs, kid. Last I checked my rank didn't make you one of my subordinates. If it did, I would have had you shot for the texts and picture you've no doubt already sent to my little sister and Marty. I've taken two breaths. How many texts did you manage to get off in that time? Out of idle curiosity. I don't know your limits."
After a moment, he looked over to Ginnie. This caused no bother. He was practiced in the art of deception. He'd throw a semi-untrue story out to Walt and the boy would be none the wiser. "I came over to work on the project a little more. I wanted to go over some of the new specs with you over lunch. I assumed if you were still in your office, you would have forgotten to eat lunch again. So, I thought I might entice you with a meal." He let Walter ramble on for a few moments. "I think Ms. Stark is aware of who Martin is. What with Ferris Aircraft being a staple in the aerospace field and all." He looked to Ginnie for confirmation of that statement.
"I'm content to sit on the sidelines until the interview is over. I'm the actual interruption here. And for the love of all that is holy, stop being nervous around me. You've watched movies in my house. I baby sat you. Take a deep breath and relax. If I haven't killed you by this point, I probably won't. Or haven't figured out how to yet." He gave Walt a grin and settled into one of Ginnie's chairs.
|
|
Hero
Iron Maiden
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
Bicurious
"It's simple quantum mechanics, really."
118 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Virginia "Ginnie" Stark on Aug 7, 2015 21:31:16 GMT -6
Here's to being human and taking it for granted Her eyes easily slid from James to Walt again. No need to let her sights linger on him for too long, after all. People might think things, or at least that was what she was telling herself. Then again, there was absolutely nothing to tell in regards to James and herself, that's what she liked everyone thinking, even herself. But even the AI seemed to suspect something more. Damned thing was too smart for it's own good. She let Walt ramble on for a moment, almost letting out a laugh as he tried explaining who Martin Jordan was. "I know very well who Martin is, Mister West." She actually had an appointment planned with him. She couldn't remember for the life of her when it was but she knew it was probably sooner rather than later. Something had caught her attention probably a moment later than it should have. Something that James had said about pictures being sent. She watched Walt a moment. Were it not for the fact that she would likely be heard, she would have had JARVIS scan Walt. So rather than do that, she figured she could cleverly work it back in. "I would try to deny that i had forgotten to eat, but that would be an unfortunate lie. However, since you don't mind waiting, i would love to finish this interview before we go over new specs for that project." She tried to keep an air of professionalism to it all, though her surprise from his appearance was still sinking in. She tried to get comfortable in her chair again, gesturing for Walt to sit back down, before continuing on. "Please, do sit, we'll finish this. Mister Coulson now has me a tad bit curious. From my knowledge, and what JARVIS already informed me of, cameras didn't quite catch how you got in here. My sensors did. So, i'll ask you just once. How did you get in? Because now I'm almost curious that there's something you're already trying to hide." it was a leap, a long stretch, but James' words had her curious. Was this boy able to do something special? Her best guests were likely speed or technopathy, considering the mention of texts she hadn't seen him take. Of course, it could be some form of a running joke between James and Walt. And if that were the case, she would likely feel stupid by the end of this. But if it wasn't... this boy might be more useful to the company than she had actually thought. xxx | Walter West James Barnes Jr | comp is down and life sucked, so this took more time than it should. I'm sorry. Hope this is alright. If there are some spelling issues, so sorry. Touchscreen is crappy ^^; |
The highs and lows of living, to getting second chances ✿
|
|
Hero
The Flash
IS OFFLINE
21
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
180 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Walter West on Aug 8, 2015 0:04:37 GMT -6
First things first.
"Three texts, Mr. Coulson. Each. And a picture. But only because I didn't hear the clock ticking." His tone was a curious mixture of sheepish and professional. 'Humble'? No, that couldn't be right...
He settled down into his chair, straightening his tie again, his mind working quickly and his smile small and distant. Then his head snapped up and his smile turned bright as a lighthouse, and half as wide.
"I can't lie to you, ma'am!" He cocked his head towards James. "Ain't that a shame?" He remembered to brush up on Fats Domino when he got home... mm, Domino's... could he run to get a slice and scarf it down before they noticed?...
He snapped his attention back. Sometimes he wondered if anyone would ever understand what it was like to have a day's worth of a regular person's stray thoughts in the time it took to blink.
"Well..." He spoke now to Ginny in a comedic tone of mock regret. "Cat's outta the bag now, huh? So much for the old-fashioned way." He walked over to the bar again, slowly. When he reached it, he started mixing the same drink as before. Then, as soon as he noticed Ginny close her eyes to blink, he placed a full glass of the stuff on every available service- the desk, counters, windowsil. When she reopened her eyes, he was rubbing his wrists together, a gesture reserved for when he recently completed a chore. "I was going to do the floor, but I ran out of glasses. Also, I spilled some on your windowsil, but I cleaned it up. Sorry. I guess nobody's perfect." There was a sincere tone of apology in his voice as he said it. (Actually, he had also finished a bottle halfway through the drinks, so he had replaced it with an identical bottle. Since he wasn't old enough to buy alcohol, aside from being too scrupulous to steal, the transaction was completed in his usual way.)
"But what is this?" He asked this rhetorically, as if to himself, and in a disappointed tone. "This is a parlor trick. Here..." And then the drinks were gone (now lining the bar at the same place where he had learned to make them- ka was a wheel), their ingredients replaced, and he was outside.
Central America, in fact. Then Africa. Then China. A few other stops, and he began to worry that one of them- James, more likely, since he must be expecting something like this- would have the time to utter more than two words. But then he was back in Ginnie's office.
This time, however, he placed a massive vase containing flowers on Ginnie's desk. He had picked each from a different country (or at least a different province, since it wasn't always easy to tell) and was now grimacing gently at it.
"I Googled 'prettiest flowers'. Not sure how I feel about the tulips, but the water lilies are nice... and the dahlia..." He reached into his now-terribly-wrinkled suit jacket, withdrawing the other things he had collected after his flower-picking, and placed them neatly on the desk beside the vase. "...And this." He looked pointedly down at Mr. Hammer's CEO credentials, sitting atop a list of names of employees at various corporations that included that of the Stark employee Walt addressed earlier. After he was sure she had seen it, he continued speaking,
"Miss Stark, I know you're not a woman who is easily impressed by any man who brandishes a bouquet or a free drink, and /he/ knows-" here he glanced briefly at James "- just how valuable I can be to you. So once again I am begging you, formally: tell me what I can do to help you."
/Or I'll just keep helping you anyway,/ he thought. At the same time, he congratulated himself for not placing Mickey Mouse ears on James's head or changing his ringtone into something embarrassing.
|
|
Hero
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
164 POSTS & 14 LIKES
|
Post by James Barnes Jr on Aug 9, 2015 12:58:01 GMT -6
Walt mentioned that he'd sent three pictures and a text. James was going to have to do damage control with Lydia later. He stared at the boy before smiling at Ginnie and stepping off to one of the seats on the side. "I know, and if you'd told me you had eaten, I would have known you were lying. I don't mind waiting. The specs will keep for a few more minutes. Also, your appointment with Martin Jordan, is Thursday. I heard your receptionist talking to him on the way in."
James sat down and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to see this play out. It seemed like the boy was genuinely interested in joining Stark Industries. James had originally thought that he was bothering Ginnie, but quickly realized that wasn't the case. Ginnie asked him to explain himself and Walt, in typical Flash fashion disappeared. There were drinks set everywhere and James just shook his head. Then they were gone. James just shook his head. And then Walt was gone for a moment or two.
When he reappeared, James saw flowers on Ginnie's desk as well as Justin Hammer's name plaque and one of his business degrees. He gave himself a quick check over. He'd been drawn on at superspeed by Walt once too many times when a younger Lydia was grounded. James pulled his phone out and checked his face in the camera screen. When he was convinced that nothing was different, James nodded to Ginnie about how useful Walt could be. And then for the first time started wondering if maybe he would be useful in more than just a professional fashion. He'd have to ask Ginnie about the boy auditioning for the Avengers at some point.
|
|
Hero
Iron Maiden
IS OFFLINE
26
Years Old
Female
Bicurious
"It's simple quantum mechanics, really."
118 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Virginia "Ginnie" Stark on Aug 13, 2015 13:18:35 GMT -6
Here's to being human and taking it for granted Quite honestly, she found it almost had to believe that he had sent some form of a text or that he had taken a picture of them without her noticing but if her suspicions were actually correct, she was going to have to go through the footage of today's meeting from the cameras and slow it down as far as she can, get a glimpse of what else he might have done. But that was only if her suspicions were correct. She honestly couldn't be that sure she was correct, though. Like she thought before, it could very well all be some sort of inside joke she just didn't quite get. Before Walt sat, she heard James say something to her and she nodded. "Thank you very much, James. I will make sure i set up a notification in my phone. I'm sure he's already penciled into my calander." There were the occasional moments where she wondered what she would do without him. He certainly did about as good of a job as JARVIS did with trying to help keep her head on straight. There was also a good bit of time spent on how infuriating he was, however. That sort of trumped his helpfulness at times. After that, though, her full attention was on Walter. He sat down, an almost somber or relaxed smile on his lips. Small, like it was there but just barely. However her question made it grow immensely. She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk, waiting for an answer. He spoke, but a clear answer wasn't exactly given just yet. She was about to repeat the question but he had gotten up again, slowly moving towards the bar. She swore, her eyes were closed for a second as she heaved a sigh and blinked but the second they opened back up, there were drinks everywhere and he was speaking again. Before she knew it, there was a blur and all of the drinks were stacked on the bar. And then, just like that, he was gone. Ginnie honestly didn't have much knowledge on speedsters, outside of what she knew about Mr. Maximoff, and even that wasn't exactly much to go off of. She threw a glance to James, about to honestly ask what had just actually happened when the boy was back again, this time placing a vase of assorted yet gorgeous flowers on her desk. She smirked at them and that smirk grew all the bigger as he put the credentials and list of names down on her desk. Already her mind was turning. Oh yes, he would definitely be a powerful asset. Imagine all that she could get done with a speedster helping her. What more, imagine what the Avenger's could do with a speedster like him on their team? She looked to James again and, after he nodded, she noticed the look on his face. She was almost certain that he was thinking the exact same thing as she was. They would definitely talk about that later. But for now... She cleared her throat before she spoke, mainly to make sure the amazement she knew might try to slip in stayed out of her tone. "What you can do first is put the credentials back where you found them. I'll keep the employee list, though. And when you come back, we can talk about your new schedule and get a signature from you to make everything official as having you as, say, a sort of assistant could prove to be a very good investment in the long run." She paused. "We should probably figure out something to do with all these drinks as well."The highs and lows of living, to getting second chances ✿
|
|
Hero
The Flash
IS OFFLINE
21
Years Old
Male
Heterosexual
180 POSTS & 12 LIKES
|
Post by Walter West on Aug 19, 2015 23:46:24 GMT -6
He was ecstatic. Elated.
He returned the credentials (in fact to the very lapel of Mr. Hammer's shirt,) and returned to the office. He smile had not dimmed even a bit.
"Miss Stark, you couldn't have made me happier! I really cannot wait to impress you." His mind was racing, generating an endless list of ways to assist both her and the company. "You say the word, and I'll have it done by the last syllable. But as far as those drinks... well, I defer to your judgment in all matters, naturally. I am nineteen. Not that I can get drunk. That's just a part of my... appeal."
Before he could start rambling, he turned to James.
"And thank you very much, sir, for your confidence in me. Your trust- both of yours- is valued."
He hadn't sat down since returning. He had too much energy. He was standing, beaming, with his hands pressing each other down behind his back. He was aching for Stark to give him his first opportunity.
|
|