folkooc | TFLN aka Tales from Folkmore

It's a motorbike. Are you new around here, then?

( goodness. why in the world did he think it was a tricycle? )

Yes, I'm very new to town. Or to the world? To this dimension? Well, it's just been a rather strange experience overall. Are you local?

[ The tricycle's kind of cute actually ]

No, I'm from Earth originally. One of the Earths. It's complicated. But I have been here for a few months if you've got questions.

Then I suppose I'm from one of the Earths too. Not the 616 version. I've heard that one mentioned before by someone else here. I'm from the year 1962, New York.

I'm sorry if my replies are a bit slow. I'm still getting used to the Relic. We haven't got one of these back home. Locating the alphabets is still a little tricky for me. But you know what they say about practice.

It's nice to meet you, Steve.

[ What is Earth 616?? ]

Oh, great, we were neighbors. Sort of. I'm from Brooklyn, and it's a long story but I guess we might've both been around in the forties. It's nice to meet you too, Charles. You can call or we can meet up later if you'd like that better than texting.

Definitely. I was born in 1932. It's so good to meet someone who isn't from the 21st century and beyond.

I'd love a chance to talk in person. This device is rather handy, but it feels odd to be communicating through it so much. If you ever happen to pass through Gram, feel free to drop by anytime. I live in one of the cottages. The only one with the bright red mailbox. It's impossible to miss.

[ SWEATDROPS ]

Well like I said, it's a long story, it's 2018 for me back home. I'm pretty close. Do you like apple pie? Thirteen warned us to stock up on apples so I made a lot of pie and jams for all the new folk who might not have gotten the memo.

( oh. OH! )

I do love apple pie. But are you sure it's no trouble for you to come all the way here? I could go to you instead. I really think I should. ( is charles imagining steve is an old man who really shouldn't be making the trip to gram on his own? yes. )

It's really no trouble, because of the motorbike.

[ Well also because he runs about as fast as a horse, without sprinting. ]

What time are you free?

( what a sweet old man! )

Whatever time is convenient for you. I'm not at all busy with anything. I'll brew us a pot of tea.

Great, I'll be right over.

[ There's a knock on the door like ten minutes later. One cute old man at your service. ]

Just a second! I'll be right there. ( turns the kettle off and he rushes over to the door to open it, smiling brightly as he greets his guest excited to be meeting--huh? ) Oh. You're not Steve. ( looks confused and he stands on his tiptoes to look over the man's shoulder at the motorbike parked in front of his yard. did steve bring someone else with him? which is perfectly fine. there's room enough for three. )

Edited (pfft.) 2022-10-08 16:07 (UTC)

Huh?

Oh!

No, I'm Steve.

[ He has an apple pie in his hands and everything. The only way he could be more Steve Rogers is if he was suited up and there was a bald eagle behind him. ]

I told you it's a long story, right? I'll tell you about it sometime.

[ He also isn't expecting Charles to sound so... English? ]

What? ( okay. maybe that came out a little louder than necessary, but he's just a bit confused here. ) I just... I thought... You said. ( he'll take a breath, and then release. ) I am sorry. I just imagined you to be a much older gentleman. ( he gives steve a quick once over before raising his eyebrows slightly as he meets his gaze. ) Which clearly, you're not. ( burly and blond. that description was at least correct. ) Well, please. Come in.

And thank you so much for the pie. ( he'll just take that from steve and head over to the kitchen where he's prepared tea for them. ) I apologize I don't have a separate dining area. But do sit down. ( he'll pour them both some tea before setting two plates and two forks on the table for the pie. he's tempted to read steve's mind to figure out what's going on with him saying he was around in the forties and then showing up looking like he hasn't aged much at all for someone who's apparently from 2018. but he really shouldn't make a habit of reading people's minds all willy-nilly, as and when he likes. after all, he can always just ask first. that way, he won't mess up remembering what someone's told him and what he's found out via telepathy. that sort of thing can get confusing. )

[ He helps himself in and it is a cottage so he feels like he's going to hit his head all the time. ]

Oh, yeah. I just turned a hundred a few months ago.

[ He pretty much just shrugs that off as he takes a seat and helps himself to some tea. It tastes nice. ]

Oh it's alright, the tiny homes and mobile ones in Cruel Summer don't have dining rooms. Even the ones in Satori Hills only just have bar stools most of the time, but they're open concept. Never really understood that, but modern houses are easier to heat and cool.

Thank you, for the tea.

[ Also, he places the fork on its side to indicate he won't be eating. ]

You should keep the pie; I don't know what Thirteen's got in store for us, but if she gives us a warning, it can't be good.

( he glances up, and then he does a double take when steve mentions that he's a hundred years old. he's not a mutant, that he's fairly sure of. charles would have sensed it if he was. ) You're... You're not joking about that, are you? ( how nice to not have to be wrinkly at a hundred. he's definitely wondering how that's possible. )

Well, I did take a look at the other houses available, but I rather like this one. It feels a bit like home. It's comfortable. ( of course he's realizing it probably isn't for someone as tall and big as steve, but at least the chair's sturdy enough for him to sit on. charles puts the sugar and milk on the table next to the pot of tea before sitting down. )

So, we don't eat this. ( and now he's just staring at the pie, looking a bit sad that they can't both enjoy it. ) I must have missed the warning about the apples. ( because he hasn't collected any. ) Would you like a rum raisin fruitcake then? I bought it at the store this morning. ( he opens the pastry box on the table, offering it to steve. ) Please, have some.

Nope. I was born July 4th, 1918 in Brooklyn City Hospital.

[ The hobbit houses aren't really for Steve either but he made it work, though he still has to duck to get into all his doors. ]

And sure, I'll take a slice.

You're settling in very nicely for being so new. Took me a month to get my house set up.

[ But his house had required a lot of reconstruction, he doesn't say. ]

She must've given the warning before you arrived. One month she said there'd be a lot of rain and it flooded all of August. I don't know what the apples are for but I'm not taking chances, and I'd probably recommend you get a couple more to stock up.

( 1918. so he's a hundred years old for sure then. charles serves steve a slice of that cake and puts one on a plate for himself as well. ) Thank you so much for letting me know about the apples, Steve. I'll be sure to head over to the orchard later today. ( he'll have to get some for erik too. he doubts the man's heard anything about thirteen's warning either. )

Settling in was actually quite easy. The place was already furnished. ( he takes a sip of his tea as he leans back in his chair. ) I just bought a few things for the kitchen and the bathroom. ( he glances around, appreciating the decor for a bit. ) It actually quite suits my tastes. Perhaps I got lucky.

Where do you live?

Edited (typo mawnstur!) 2022-10-09 04:32 (UTC)

Couple miles down the road in Lapine. All the houses are in burrows in the hills. I used to live in an apartment my ... employer set up to remind me of the forties, and then after that I lived in a post-modern nightmare, but at least it had giant windows overlooking upstate. But I like Lapine.

[ It's really nice to sit down and have tea and some polite conversation. Charles is such a nice man. ]

Does your house back home look like this?

[ He can't imagine it because he said he was from New York, right? This cottage is so English. But then again, maybe New York's only a new home, because uh, sorry Charles but that Oxford's really coming through. ]

Oh, the little houses in the hills! I thought they were adorable. ( he stops short of asking steve how he managed to fit himself in that, instead choosing to just sip on his tea for a bit to hide the flush on his cheeks. charles clears his throat and cuts himself a slice of that cake to chew on, politely swallowing it down before he answers steve's question about his house back home. )

My home in New York is more of a mansion actually. It's far, far bigger than this. But I did live in a flat while I was studying in Oxford. ( not to seem like a brat. he quite likes the comfort of a smaller home. )

What exactly did you mean though, when you said, your employer set you up in a place that reminded you of the forties? I don't quite understand. ( steve had lost him there. post-modern nightmare? what? )

[ Feels weird having to talk about this so much after years of everyone just knowing and not asking him because they didn't want to make things awkward. On the bright side, it's been a few years now, and he's also not alone anymore. ]

I, uh, guess the nice way to put it is I took a nap in some ice from 1945 to 2012.

[ Hence why he doesn't look like an old man. But right, Charles isn't from his earth and he's probably never heard of the Super Soldier program. Even then, kind of a leap in logic. ]

I was put into a program before that. To make super soldiers.

[ Technically he's Weapon 1 to Wolverine's Weapon X. Bet that'll be a fun surprise in the reboot. ]

( steve has absolutely no idea how tempted charles is to just read his mind and get all the answers he's looking for, but he's resisting the urge. it's a complete invasion of privacy and he shouldn't do that. he moves his telepathic reach elsewhere instead, scanning the nearby area for signs of life. it's quiet in gram. peaceful. no one else is about at this time of the day. )

I'm sorry about what happened to you. For all those years you lost. Was it an accident?

Uh. Not exactly.

[ He might as well tell the whole story now. ]

I was on a plane with missiles headed towards a few cities. Decided to put her in the water. Thought they'd all explode, but I guess all of us froze.

[ He did say he went under in 1945 so hopefully Charles draws the conclusion that it was during the war, unless the war didn't happen on his Earth, in which case this is just going to be an awkward conversation. ]

They gave up looking for me eventually. Finding me was an accident. Don't think anyone expected I'd still be alive.

( not at all something he'd expected to hear. ) You're a war hero. You saved the world. ( well, looks can certainly be deceiving. he thought perhaps steve here was just a bit of a gym rat. back home those fitness centers have started flooding the market and quite a number of people have gotten into bodybuilding. not charles though. he's not the sort who has any interest whatsoever in lifting weights. )

It must have been a jarring experience, waking up decades later. ( now he understands that bit about the 1940s apartment that was set up for steve. ) I am so sorry if you've lost any friends or family.

[ Yeah, he looks a bit sheepish about that. Sure he's a hero, but he doesn't really like it when people confront him about it. So many others deserve just as much praise. And he never knows whether he should just accept it or tell people he doesn't expect or need it.

He's glad to have Charles move on. ]

It was hard at first. But I made some great friends who helped me adjust.

So, anyway, I never lived through 1962, but I think maybe we're closer together than a lot of the others. Time-wise.

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