[ It doesn't sound exactly like something that Wanda would say, but Steve will take the compliment all the same. Even if it might be considered a dubious honor.
He didn't expect the hot dogs to be this popular. People must really miss those tastes of home. ]
Yeah, it's open for business. I don't mind if you swing by, but do you know the way?
[ Thankfully Steve's just assuming that she's answering the second question, but it's not like it would matter too much either way.
She can judge the hot dogs for herself, assuming she can find the cart in question. ]
All right. Let's start here. Are you familiar with New York City?
[ If Wanda sent her his way, there's no reason to be suspicious or wary, though he is still a little confused by the suddenness of this from a stranger. ]
[ it's sudden and ill-mannered, frankly, but she means no harm. she just gets really excited about things like this! ]
familiar in an academic and cultural sense. there's a very robust catalog of information about new york city and it's a popular choice for period pieces and historical dramas set on earth-that-was.
[ Earth-that-was. That takes a few seconds to process. Granted, Steve is familiar with the idea that there are people here from an alternate universe, far in the future compared to what he knows, but it does still throw him for a loop.
Still, it sounds like even if Earth is no more, there are still records of it. ]
You don't need to be sorry. Your universe is different than mine.
[ Just because Earth is gone in River's universe doesn't mean that's what's going to happen in Steve's. They already put in so much work to save it. He's not going to assume the worst. ]
I have to admit I'm curious about how it happened, though. If it's something you're willing to explain, that is.
[ Maybe some would say that's too many hot dogs in too short a period of time, but it's not like any of them were real anyway. Steve certainly doesn't mind. ]
Do you think you can find your way to my domain? The skyscrapers should hopefully make it pretty easy to find.
[ A date? Steve finds it hard to believe that Wanda sent this River to him with any ulterior motives like that. He assumes that Wanda knows about him and Sam, even if they haven't strictly exchanged words about it.
Maybe he's reading into it. It's fine. He doesn't even know much about this River person beyond her name and the fact that she's from an alternative universe where Earth is gone.
Oh, and she likes hot dogs. (Probably.) ]
See you then.
[ As promised, that evening around dinnertime Steve waits on the New York City street corner — meant to emulate 2010's Brooklyn, specifically. There's nameless figures who walk up and down the sidewalk and yellow cabs that inch past through gridlocked traffic, honking periodically. The hustle and bustle is necessary for this to actually feel like NYC.
He hasn't put together a hot dog for himself yet. Instead he casts glances up and down the sidewalk, on the lookout for a Summoned he doesn't recognize. ]
[ river appears by way of a nearby subway station, mostly for the novelty of the thing, wearing only a loose blue dress with the symbol of the fool embroidered just above her heart. her bare feet against the filthy streets might be a concern if this was really new york city, but it's just a dream and she floats right through the imagined crowds with a dreamy smile as she makes her way over to steve. ]
Nǐ hǎo.
[ who knows what he may have expected of his mystery "date," but a waifish teenage girl walks right up to observe the food cart from far too close, rather than stopping to greet steve properly. ]
Is this it? The best New York City has to offer?
[ there's a joke of some sort behind the way she keeps saying this with faux-seriousness and a grin. ]
[ The way she floats through the crowd, and even more notably, her bare feet, is enough to make her stand out almost instantly. That, and she has features and color that most of the other figures around her don't, but that's just the nature of the Horizon.
So, a teenage girl. Steve nods to her in greeting, even with the Mandarin that she uses. Which is an odd choice, but he isn't going to ask.
He's relieved that this obviously isn't an actual date, though he raises an eyebrow when she goes to inspect the food cart and immediately starts with the judging tone. ]
I'd taste it before you start making any assumptions.
[ The smell is already making his mouth water, honestly. There's something about the odor of the fresh dogs grilling out in the open like this that always makes him nostalgic. Either way, he steps up next to her to watch. ]
Put whatever toppings on it you want. I'd recommend the sauerkraut, though.
[ she seems utterly delighted with a childlike innocence that's hard to fake, her eyes practically sparkling as she eyes all of the options on the food cart. he says to start with the sauerkraut, but given the freedom to do whatever she wants, river scoops an ill-advised amount of every topping available onto a single hotdog that quickly disappears beneath layers of mustard and onions and peppers and various condiments…
it's messy but she's clearly having fun, holding her creation with both hands when it's done so she can marvel at it. ]
It's heavy.
[ who knows how it'll taste but it sure is colorful! river starts the comedic process of trying to figure out how she's going to effectively bite into something this large, eager to dive in without waiting for steve to make his own first. she does watch how he does it, though, while she chews and processes the information in her mouth with a strangely owlish expression. ]
[ Wow, she's really going for it, huh? Then again, if this is her first hot dog, she might as well go all out. Steve finds it hard to believe she can actually finish all that, but then again, this is the Horizon. Anything is possible.
And what matters most is that she's having a good time. ]
You've got the whole kitchen sink on there. I respect it, though.
[ He's quick with putting his together, adding just the right amount of his preferred toppings so that his dog is packed with flavor but also not impossible to eat. He huffs out a laugh when he sees River's face after her first bite, but then goes in for one of his own, making a sound of approval as that taste hits him again.
Never gets old.
Even while he's still chewing, he reaches out to grab a stack of napkins from the cart and hands them over to her. She's gonna need it. ]
[ food that's hard to eat is just a challenge to conquer, and what could be more fun than devouring your enemies? ( in a perfectly non-cannibalistic way, at least... ) river doesn't seem to mind the mess she's making in pursuit of victory either; when steve offers the napkins, she's already got stuff all over her face, and it takes her a long moment to figure out how she's going to hold the massive hot dog in one hand so she can accept the napkins in the other.
it's unwieldy but she seems undeterred, cheerfully wiping away ( some of ) the mess from her lips before speaking with a mouth that isn't completely empty yet. no manners or grace on this one, unfortunately. ]
The structural integrity has a limited load-bearing capacity, but it's a highly effective vehicle for foodstuff.
[ maybe an odd food review, when she's reflecting more on the engineering of the thing than the taste of it. but she eagerly goes back in for another messy bite, her expression pinching a little when she finds something sour and then widening at the next hint of spice. it's a confusing smorgasbord of flavor and her reactions seem to be purely reflected on her face as she works her way through it. ]
[ Not everyone is raised being taught how to keep to their manners, and some might have been raised that way, but just don't care. Steve knows that he's still on the old-fashioned side regardless of how much he's adapted to the modern day, and he does wait until he's both chewed and swallowed his food before he responds to River.
Who gives an oddly technical answer, but hey, he follows along well enough. ]
I take it you like it, then. To be fair, it's not supposed to hold quite that many toppings.
[ But she can do what she wants. He certainly isn't going to stop her.
Except it does look like she's starting to regret the sheer number of flavors she's piled onto her hot dog, judging from her face. That's not exactly a well thought out flavor profile, is it? ]
You all right? Here. [ Thanks to the Horizon, he somehow has a plastic cup of water in his hand. He reaches out to take her hot dog from her briefly so that she isn't still trying to juggle it while she drinks. It does mean he has to try and hold both their meals in one hand, but he manages as well as any New Yorker would. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ no she didn't, but that's not important. ]
is your cart open for business?
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[ It doesn't sound exactly like something that Wanda would say, but Steve will take the compliment all the same. Even if it might be considered a dubious honor.
He didn't expect the hot dogs to be this popular. People must really miss those tastes of home. ]
Yeah, it's open for business. I don't mind if you swing by, but do you know the way?
[ Because, again, they haven't met. ]
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[ to answer both questions at once. sorry steve, you've got a tiny teenage troll on your hands. :^) ]
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She can judge the hot dogs for herself, assuming she can find the cart in question. ]
All right. Let's start here. Are you familiar with New York City?
[ If Wanda sent her his way, there's no reason to be suspicious or wary, though he is still a little confused by the suddenness of this from a stranger. ]
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familiar in an academic and cultural sense. there's a very robust catalog of information about new york city and it's a popular choice for period pieces and historical dramas set on earth-that-was.
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Still, it sounds like even if Earth is no more, there are still records of it. ]
Earth doesn't exist anymore where you're from?
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i'm sorry. i always forget to calculate time for the standard grieving process. she's remembered very fondly.
[ if that... helps?? ]
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[ Just because Earth is gone in River's universe doesn't mean that's what's going to happen in Steve's. They already put in so much work to save it. He's not going to assume the worst. ]
I have to admit I'm curious about how it happened, though. If it's something you're willing to explain, that is.
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[ Maybe some would say that's too many hot dogs in too short a period of time, but it's not like any of them were real anyway. Steve certainly doesn't mind. ]
Do you think you can find your way to my domain? The skyscrapers should hopefully make it pretty easy to find.
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i can find it. just say when.
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He keeps busy during the day, generally speaking. ]
How about tonight? No reason you can't have a street dog for dinner.
[ He's well aware that Horizon food can't actually be dinner, but he assumes she'll follow his meaning. ]
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[ a very fancy date over imaginary hot dogs! you really know how to treat a lady, steve rogers. :^) ]
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Maybe he's reading into it. It's fine. He doesn't even know much about this River person beyond her name and the fact that she's from an alternative universe where Earth is gone.
Oh, and she likes hot dogs. (Probably.) ]
See you then.
[ As promised, that evening around dinnertime Steve waits on the New York City street corner — meant to emulate 2010's Brooklyn, specifically. There's nameless figures who walk up and down the sidewalk and yellow cabs that inch past through gridlocked traffic, honking periodically. The hustle and bustle is necessary for this to actually feel like NYC.
He hasn't put together a hot dog for himself yet. Instead he casts glances up and down the sidewalk, on the lookout for a Summoned he doesn't recognize. ]
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Nǐ hǎo.
[ who knows what he may have expected of his mystery "date," but a waifish teenage girl walks right up to observe the food cart from far too close, rather than stopping to greet steve properly. ]
Is this it? The best New York City has to offer?
[ there's a joke of some sort behind the way she keeps saying this with faux-seriousness and a grin. ]
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So, a teenage girl. Steve nods to her in greeting, even with the Mandarin that she uses. Which is an odd choice, but he isn't going to ask.
He's relieved that this obviously isn't an actual date, though he raises an eyebrow when she goes to inspect the food cart and immediately starts with the judging tone. ]
I'd taste it before you start making any assumptions.
[ The smell is already making his mouth water, honestly. There's something about the odor of the fresh dogs grilling out in the open like this that always makes him nostalgic. Either way, he steps up next to her to watch. ]
Put whatever toppings on it you want. I'd recommend the sauerkraut, though.
[ He lets her go first. It's only polite. ]
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it's messy but she's clearly having fun, holding her creation with both hands when it's done so she can marvel at it. ]
It's heavy.
[ who knows how it'll taste but it sure is colorful! river starts the comedic process of trying to figure out how she's going to effectively bite into something this large, eager to dive in without waiting for steve to make his own first. she does watch how he does it, though, while she chews and processes the information in her mouth with a strangely owlish expression. ]
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And what matters most is that she's having a good time. ]
You've got the whole kitchen sink on there. I respect it, though.
[ He's quick with putting his together, adding just the right amount of his preferred toppings so that his dog is packed with flavor but also not impossible to eat. He huffs out a laugh when he sees River's face after her first bite, but then goes in for one of his own, making a sound of approval as that taste hits him again.
Never gets old.
Even while he's still chewing, he reaches out to grab a stack of napkins from the cart and hands them over to her. She's gonna need it. ]
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it's unwieldy but she seems undeterred, cheerfully wiping away ( some of ) the mess from her lips before speaking with a mouth that isn't completely empty yet. no manners or grace on this one, unfortunately. ]
The structural integrity has a limited load-bearing capacity, but it's a highly effective vehicle for foodstuff.
[ maybe an odd food review, when she's reflecting more on the engineering of the thing than the taste of it. but she eagerly goes back in for another messy bite, her expression pinching a little when she finds something sour and then widening at the next hint of spice. it's a confusing smorgasbord of flavor and her reactions seem to be purely reflected on her face as she works her way through it. ]
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Who gives an oddly technical answer, but hey, he follows along well enough. ]
I take it you like it, then. To be fair, it's not supposed to hold quite that many toppings.
[ But she can do what she wants. He certainly isn't going to stop her.
Except it does look like she's starting to regret the sheer number of flavors she's piled onto her hot dog, judging from her face. That's not exactly a well thought out flavor profile, is it? ]
You all right? Here. [ Thanks to the Horizon, he somehow has a plastic cup of water in his hand. He reaches out to take her hot dog from her briefly so that she isn't still trying to juggle it while she drinks. It does mean he has to try and hold both their meals in one hand, but he manages as well as any New Yorker would. ]