carlinville , indiana / of all places , forever convinced smallest on the map . ( THUD ! CRASH LANDING ! ) for icarus falls / a lack of sea , instead scarce grounds . how exposed ; armor that strips away , night air that leaves brisk bite . ( open it ! open the suit , j ! ) blind journey / for streets are bare , a town of absence . local tavern / ( merely location of coincidence ) it’s been found , and not sought .
sue him / for wishing thinking , fingers twixt that door may just be unlocked . ( ALL RIGHT THEN , PLAN B IT IS : THE WINDOW . ) basic calculations / easy enough for a genius , right ? take it into account ; the right pressure , the precision of lift , the S M A S H !
here he sits ; ice pack atop shoulder , feet that rest on next seat over . ❝ still can’t believe you’ve never heard of IRON MAN , seriously , my ego is as shattered as your window . that makes us even , by the way . don’t be billing me . ❞ bad habits ; fresh pie pockets in cheek , smug comment that slips from corner . ❝ but the real shocker ? fact you’ve never heard of TONY STARK , that’s what i can’t wrap my head around . ❞ ( offended ? understatement , at best . )
ongoing string / hints that drop , emphasis that begins to place , further down list he goes . ❝ THE AVENGERS ? you know , earth’s mightiest heroes ? ❞ judgemental stare ; lip taken between teeth , painfully slow shake of brunette tresses . ( well , suppose desperate times , calls for desperate measures ! ) ❝ THOR ? i know you know of thor . ‘cos all you women know of thor . ❞
CARLINVILLE, INDIANA / beloved home. late night, low light. her business spread out on the table. laptop, line graphs, expenses and earnings, promotions and pay scales, stock and staffing. monthly ritual, this scene, greasing of her well - oiled machine, necessary habit. late nights and low lights the building blocks of her success, the foundation of all accomplishment. little interrupts it.
SMASH ! no, understatement. A S H A T T E R I N G ! explosion of glass across the floor, fracturing entire reality. must be a dream ; must be a nightmare. symptom: shell - shocked, post traumatic stress disorder seeming not quite so POST when flashback plays out wide awake in spitting image detail. / how she holds herself together is miraculous, ( call paster calvin as witness ! ) ; how she allows him to stay even moreso. he out to be cuffed in the backseat of a cruiser local station - bound for his trespassing, or in ambulance’s back, through ‘n through on his shoulder with the shotgun she keeps in the kitchen. yet here he sits. here THEY sit.
a decade now she’s regarded herself on steady ground. BUT NOW . . . ?
IRON MAN ? now he mentions it, name causes a bell to ring, faint and tinny, surefire sign of information once vaguely processed and deemed irrelevant. TONY STARK ? not so much a jingle. ❝ i know a tony strafford ? owns a stable on the edge of town. decent blacksmith. tony romo, cowboys, and he’s past his prime, if you ask me. but tony STARK ? ❞ pursed lips, shake of head. / yet story checks out. somehow. impossibly. data of her own life has been minimized, laptop screen filled now with verified sources of his statistics. new york times cover story, viral videos galore, more BREAKING NEWS banners than ever previously consumed in her life ---------- his likeness splashed across all in armani suits of slick black and metal suits of gold and scarlet red. still, a shake of the head. ❝ don’t know a THOR, either. but if he’s half as rich as these articles are making YOU out to be, either one'a y’all can pay for my window. ❞
a glance in his direction to gauge response backfires. bourbon shades in the low light, head cocked to the side. a sharp pain in her chest. MUCH TOO MUCH ! swallows it down and it is thick. ❝ what’s one of america’s richest men doing in my tavern ? ❞
