entrancelogs | astrophysics mingle 1 ( open )

Entry tags:

astrophysics mingle 1 ( open )

Who: Anyone!
Where: Fourth floor, room 052
When: 1-Jun to 31-Jul
Rating: PG-13 for language, probably
Summary: A day in the life of the physics lab. Don't be intimidated by the science because we make everything up! In fact you don't even have to science at all -- there's document scanning to do and a water cooler to chat over and equipment to fight for! If you do want some science ideas I have a collection of equipment you can break or fix or learn about, along with a loose list of projects mentioned to Jane ICly in her time here so far. This post is a MINGLE, so feel free to make open top threads (they count toward your post requirement for AC!) and have fun! If you responded here, you probably have an idea about what your character does - if you didn't respond or still aren't sure what to do, feel free to hit me up via PM or plurk @printed. I'm happy to plot/brainstorm with you!
The Story:

Rules of the Physics Lab:

Put it back where you found it, better than you found it.
If you're not sure, ask!
If someone asks, help!
NO HITTING PEOPLE WITH ROLLED UP NEWSPAPERS!

Projects currently in process:

Expansion into two additional rooms for a supercomputer
Scanning & photographing library documents for archive
Data mining & processing
Energy scanning & analysation
Scientific study of magicks of various worlds
Construction of various astrophysics and astronomy equipment

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ It's only because of Jane's surreptitiously sent text message that Steve makes his way down to the lab. With no idea of what inspired the request, he definitely isn't expecting to hear the sounds of two voices shouting, which become more and more clear the closer he gets to the basement level.

There are very few times that Steve has heard Darcy this upset. One of those times, it had been at him, but that feels like ancient history by this point. Fitz is more of a wild card, as Steve still doesn't know him that well, but either way they're getting into a shouting match like a couple of children and Jane must have decided she didn't want to get in the middle of it.

Steve steps into the lab, the door swishing open and then shutting behind him just as quick. Eyebrows raised, he looks between the two of them, both red-faced from yelling at each other. This looks very productive. ]

What's going on here?

Little mind? [ Oh, he just had to go there... She doesn't even notice Steve coming into the lab, too focused on Fitz and fighting the urge to just see how hard she could possibly hit him and if it might fix the dumb he seems to be stuck on. It'd be a service, right? ] Theory my ASS! Listen you cold corndog, I'm not dying again because you have a loner boner!

[ In hindsight, if she'd seen Steve before hearing him she might not have said loner boner... maybe. Her attention immediately turns, hair whipping over her shoulder with the sudden motion. ] Fitz wants to open up a worm hole in Wonderland in some apparently suicidal desire to try and go home or something -- [ And attention back on Fitz without taking a breath because she's talking a mile a minute right now. ] and has been nothing but a pain since he came in here. You have tried to change procedures and destroy already established systems so they fit into your perfect little box, have treated me like garbage because I didn't go to school for the right kind of science, and are now theoretically working on something that could possibly kill everyone here because you've dismissed magic as existing.

[ Yup, she might have stopped yelling at the beginning, but she's riiiiiiiiiiiight back up there in volume. ]

[WELP she's done it. She's taken things to a level that triggers his native tongue, the slang from the puerile Glasgow streets.]

You're one to talk about arses! Some barra lass wants to play crass like she's got a right bawbag hidin' up her skirt? Any mair pish like that'll see someone ram a fit up yer ring next time ye cowk into yer dids--

[And then there's a strong tone, and the bottom falls out of Fitz's stomach. He goes abruptly silent, heat creeping into his cheeks for a very different reason.

Darcy's free to say whatever she wants. Fitz simply stands at attention, eyes downcast. He's both in the presence of a vastly superior officer and guilty as a child with an arm still half-trapped in a cookie jar.]

[ By the time that Steve is there, it sounds like Fitz is barely speaking English anymore. While his presence quickly shuts up the furious agent, Darcy is an entirely different story.

Steve squares his shoulders as she looks to him and explains the situation. While she's angry, she gets the words out with a surprising amount of eloquence. Then again, Steve's experienced that level of anger his fair share of times himself.

Out of everything that she says, the fact that she's been treated badly because she isn't a scientist has to be the thing that rubs Steve wrong the most. People working on potentially dangerous projects? That's just another Tuesday.

After a pause long enough to force everyone to take a deep breath and reflect on their behavior for a moment, Steve turns toward Fitz. ] Is what she's saying true? [ His tone is level and calm. He's pretty sure "babysitter" isn't supposed to be part of the Avengers job description, and yet... ]

[This feels terrible. He's had to swallow back a lot to keep himself still and quiet, and now it's simply churning angrily without a proper outlet. It's a moment before he can respond at all, and when he does, his voice is terribly soft, loaded down with shame.]

Parts of it, Sir.

Someone's gotten her upset about the nature of my work. She's made it more difficult for me to research.

It's gotten me a bit frustrated, Sir.

[Oh just kill him now it'll be faster.]

[ She's so tempted to jump in and continue on a tirade, but she can't seem to find the words. She wants to stay mad, wants to stick her tongue out at him because Steve had him on his toes... However, she doesn't. No, not when she actually listened to the words coming out of his mouth. That blame landing on her for blowing this out of proportion. There's a very distinct eyeroll matched with a small huff. arms crossing. ]

Because your asking me how I manage to tie my own shoes in the morning and telling me to go do a kegstand until I was in a better mood helped so much. I mean, not even getting into telling me I don't know how to do a job I've been doing for over five years now because I don't follow the system you decided we needed to use over the past few months. [ Yup, she's getting riled right back up. ] We wouldn't have even had this conversation if you hadn't tried to chew me out for using a bag that didn't fit with your precious system. [ She sure did just spit that word out like it left a bad taste in her mouth. ] A bag that in the actual system was just fine! Not that you care.

[ What this all boils down to is nitpicking over things that don't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things, a tangle of overreactions that he would have thought a couple of professional adults would be able to handle.

That had been Steve's first mistake.

He addresses Fitz. ] I get that there was probably a certain way that you did things back at SHIELD, but Darcy has been working here for a while. I'm sure you two can figure out a way to streamline how you get your work done without it turning into a shouting match, right?

[ Come on, you two. Don't make him regret putting his faith in you. ]

Maybe both of you should take a breather and then try to come back and handle this a little more rationally.

[ If he has to come across as a disappointed parent in order to get this solved, then so be it. ]

[He nods. Because of course he nods. Captain America is telling him to do a thing. That thing will get done. Why isn't Darcy giving him a wide berth to speak? That girl has no respect at all.

But then he mentions doing something rationally, and a small sound slips out. Is this open dissent? It might be.]

SHIELD has been utilizing this methodology since the new director took office. .. It's Jemma's method.

[That detail means absolutely everything. Surely Captain America understands how important it is. He knows exactly how irrational he can be when it comes to the Jemma issue. That doesn't make it easier to stop lashing out at unrelated parties.]

[ Yeah, lack of respect. That's rich coming from him. There's an understanding, she hopes, at least when it came to Steve that Darcy did the word vomit thing. It was just what she did when emotions were running too high. Better to get it out while it was still weighing on her than to let it sit and fester and turn into something bigger. She should have approached this problem head on right off the bat - addressed it with Fitz or had Jane address it.

But she hadn't.

She let him walk all over her and treat her like garbage until she snapped. Sure, she knows she's being somewhat irrational, but everything she feels right now shouldn't be ignored just because someone views it as petty. Rather than saying anything, adding anything to it - she stays silent. Almost uncharacteristically so considering just how involved she'd been in the conversation. No, instead she's just gonna give Steve a look, arms crossing again - everything about her saying she knows his suggestion isn't going to go well. That as far as she was concerned the idea of compromise wasn't going to work.

Upset intern is upset. And no, she's totally not also slightly pouting right now at Captain America. Of course not because that'd be unprofessional. /cough ]

[ Well, that explains that.

People don't act rationally when it's driven by something emotional, and anything having to do with Simmons is going to fall into that category for Fitz. That's the root of his behavior, though it doesn't necessarily excuse what he's done. Darcy certainly doesn't look convinced or appeased yet. ]

I didn't know Agent Simmons for long, Fitz, but I would think that she'd want you to make friends and work alongside people here rather than starting fights.

[ Yes, Steve will break out the guilt card if that's what it takes. ]

Darcy's an extremely hard worker. She may not have a degree in anything scientific, but... [ He shrugs. ] Neither do I.

[ Steve doesn't have a degree at all, what kind of judgment does that make him susceptible to from an academic such as Fitz? ]

[Sometimes, there are moments where you want to step out of your own body and shout at yourself. "Shut up," you wish you could tell yourself, and stop the train from careening off the rails. This is one of those moments.]

Simmons' methods are the most efficient available. What she would want is for a lab environment to run as smoothly as possible. And right now, she probably wants to be anywhere other than where she's been trapped. [Shutupshutupshutup ohgod he's Captain America just stop talking.]

But if it is your request that I keep Miss Lewis' shortcomings to myself for the sake of sparing her feelings, I am fully capable of following orders.

[This is terrible. Why did he even bothering opening his mouth in the first place?]

Nope. No, you know what? I've had enough. Tell your small intestines I say hello since your head is probably that far up your ass.

[ Her tone is even, not bothering to shout it because she knew no matter what she did, she wasn't going to win this one. And in any other universe? She'd walk away. Not waste her breath with anything else because, clearly, he didn't think her worth the attention to do so. Maybe it was time to try a different tactic. One that was far less ladylike than she'd been doing, if her previous actions could even be called that. The only warning she gives away that she's going to do anything other than walk is a slight shift in her posture, balancing her weight more than she had before, and eyes scanning the surroundings to make sure there weren't any sharp corners nearby. She needed solid footing if she was going to pull this off, then it was just a matter of deciding which end to hit - whether to make a quip about shortcomings and kick him in the balls or do something a little more drastic... And taking the cheap-shot just seemed so unsatisfying after everything.

Almost as quickly as she'd scanned, she's turning her body, spinning as she drops to the floor - swinging a leg out to try and sweep it under his feet. Hopefully with enough momentum from her spin to take him down to the ground and at least knock the wind of him when he lands. That's the minimum goal and one of the reasons she puts all of her anger and frustration into the kick. ]

[ Fitz definitely needs to think some more before he speaks, or it's going to be Steve's foot crammed into his mouth. Sparing Darcy's feelings? Shortcomings? Does he even realize what he sounds like right now?

While Steve might be angry on Darcy's behalf, though, it looks like she's more than prepared to handle it herself. Steve isn't actually expecting her to opt for physical harm at first, and when he notices the shift in her body language and the way that she's sizing up the area around her, it's already too late.

Steve lunges forward to grab for Darcy, but by the time he does so she's already knocked Fitz to the floor. It could have been worse, but she shouldn't have let it degenerate to physical violence in the first place. ] Darcy -- [ Steve drags her a few feet back. ] Come on, that isn't going to solve anything. [ Says the guy who used to pick fights with bullies on the daily, but this isn't about him right now.

Steve turns Darcy around, then clasps both his hands on her shoulders in a grounding gesture. He nods toward the lab's exit. ] Look, go take a breather. I'll handle this. [ Which is Steve's way of saying that he's about to give Agent Fitz the lecture of his lifetime. ]

[This entire incident is an exercise in frustration. He's never had to enter into a debate like this without some kind of support system in place. There was always someone to write him off as quirky or particular. One of "those science-y types."

And yet, somehow he's here now. No Bobbi to makes excuses for him. No Coulson to gently steer him towards productivity. There's just fighting. He hates this.He hates that he hasn't been able to make headway here. He hates that Darcy is keeping him from doing as much as he can.

He hates the look he's receiving from Captain America. His focus is there when Darcy moves next.

And then he's on the floor. He's not entirely sure what happened between those last two things. He gasps, staring up atthe two of them.

So uncouth, Darcy.]

[ She's not ashamed of her actions, had almost been expecting Steve to stop her from going further because right now? She might've. It's unclear because that had been pretty impulsive and sure she might feel bad about it later... Big word, might. She was done trying to get him to think of her as more than he already did, so why not just accept it for what it is? There was a temptation to fight the hold, to try and get back to drive her own point home and make him rethink that shortcomings comment... But it was Steve holding her back. Almost anyone else and she might've made an argument, not him though. They'd been through too much recently for her to even entertain driving an unnecessary wedge between them. It wasn't that she didn't think he couldn't handle it or make dent, but Fitz. ]

Fine.

[ He's right, whether or not she wants to admit it, and there's no point in getting angry about that. So, with a little sigh she breaks away from him and moves towards the exit without bothering to look back. Whatever happened to Fitz was well-deserved, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going to worry too much about how badly he got his ass chewed out because maybe, for once, he'd listen. Either way, she wasn't going to lose too much sleep over his getting taken down a peg or two. ]

[ Steve isn't sure what he would have done if Darcy had chosen to argue the point with him, so he's relieved when she listens to him and takes off out of the lab. She's got good reason to be upset from what he can tell, but she needs to take a moment to step away and gather her thoughts. Hopefully Jane will head after her to talk everything over, or someone else will come across her and allow her to vent in a safer context.

If not, Steve will go check on her himself, but right now his main concern is Fitz.

He steps over to where he's sprawled out on the ground and bends down enough to offer him his hand. ] Are you all right? [ It hadn't been that nasty of a fall, he hadn't hit his head or anything that drastic, but Steve imagines that Fitz still isn't used to that kind of physical assault, not when he spends most of his time in a lab setting.

Steve still has plenty to say to him, of course. He just wants to make sure he's okay first. ]

[When he realizes what's happened, Fitz is more embarrassed than anything else. His cheeks flush darkly as he accepts the offered hand, scrambling back to his feet. Anything to make this go faster. This is so humiliating.]

I'm fine -- it's fine. I'm just sorry you had to see -- I'm fine.

[ Even as Fitz stammers, Steve takes a moment to look him over, searching for anywhere he might be injured. But his ego is probably more bruised than his body at this point.

Unfortunately, Steve can't just leave it at that. He takes a few steps back to give Fitz some room to breathe. ]

Fitz... [ He starts off soft. ] I know how hard all of this is. I know that being stuck in Wonderland of all places while your friend is who-knows-where is agonizing. [ That had been him with Bucky for a long while, he really does know what it's like. ] But we aren't going to beat this place if we start arguing over things like lab protocols. We need to all band together here, and that means sometimes you have to be flexible. [ Says the person who is now known for his inability to compromise, but who ever said Steve wasn't a hypocrite? ]

Darcy has been here as long as I have. We've seen a lot together. [ Steve's expression grows firmer then, but that's the only hint of his anger. ] She deserves your respect, and you should work to earn hers. You have no right to condescend to her -- or anyone, for that matter -- because they didn't study the same thing in school as you did.

[ Steve isn't Phil Coulson, so he has no real authority over Fitz, but he gets the feeling that he'll be heard anyway. Jane must have called him here for a reason. ] Is that all clear?

[It means more that Steve isn't Coulson. With Coulson, Fitz knows exactly where to search for meaning within the lines. He knows how to get around Coulson's awareness and get things done outside the system. Under Coulson's watch, he was able to sneak off chasing folk legends in the middle east. There's a lot more scrutiny here. Too many of his superiors know who he is.

He listens to the speech, but the words feel hollow and meaningless. Darcy wants to stifle his research, and that can't happen. Abandoning Jemma isn't an option, no matter how many people tell him to do it. It feels like a malicious attack, primarily orchestrated by someone more interested in going over his head than in behaving like a civilized person.]

Thoroughly clear, Sir. It won't happen again.

[Darcy will consider it a win, knowing that he won't stand up for himself around Captain America. He ought to glue her to her chair.]

[ Steve doesn't know Fitz well enough to know whether or not his words have actually gotten through to him, but time will have to tell. If he and Darcy really prove to be unable to work together, Steve figures that they can work out separate hours or Fitz can use his own lab space. There are plenty of options within Wonderland, and while Steve would like to believe it won't come to that, it's good to have some backups in mind. ]

Glad to hear it.

[ Steve's stern demeanor washes away almost as quickly as it came. He isn't impressed with Fitz's behavior, but he also has to remind himself that he's suffering the loss of a friend. It doesn't excuse what he did, but it does explain it. ]

You might want to go clear your head, too.

[ Jane could probably use a bit of quiet after that outburst. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

astrophysics mingle 1 ( open )

Rules of the Physics Lab:

Projects currently in process:

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject