etrayalogs | Ramsey Farm open mingle

Entry tags:

Ramsey Farm open mingle

WHO: Etrayans!
WHEN: Post-mission.
WHERE: Ramsey Farm.
WHAT: An open mingle log for people to hang out and do stuff at Ramsey Farm. See Accelerator's network post for details.
NOTES\WARNINGS: None, please put any CWs in subjects.

An idyllic, well loved little farm house that looks like it has been transported right from the fields of Kansas. The garden in the front has flowers and the back garden is chock full of vegetables. There is a chicken coop and a bale of hay is strung up from a tree like a tire swing for a little goat's enrichment. There is also a shed in the back, designed to look like a small version of the farm house, with a summer outdoor couch set up shoved against the back wall, piled with all weather cushions, and various lawn and small gardening equipment hung on the front wall. Towards the edge of the grounds, in a patch of large wildflowers, sits a large stone acting as a grave marker. Instead of names, it has been engraved with "#1 - #10 031."

The farm is being used as a safe space for children by Accelerator. Kids under 15 are allowed to use it as they wish. Kids over 15 are allowed to use the space if they help with upkeep. Adults who have been vetted by a kid are allowed on the ground to do work. A security system has been added to the farm house that sends messages to Accelerator's ear piece depending on the threat level.

The goat's name is Mena.

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Farmhouse

[The bots have been doing a good job of maintaining the farm, though Accelerator would like to reduce their workload if at all possible. Of course, he's pessimistic enough that he isn't expecting much, if any, help from other Etrayans. Why should he? He's spent the majority of his life either being completely independent or under the thumb of some psychopathic researcher, and he isn't about the let the latter happen again, so that only leaves the former.

Harold is helping with the security system, that one kid seems to know a lot about farm upkeep in general, and he isn't surprised that Damian, despite being younger, wants to assist with security. That's honestly a lot of volunteers already in his mind, so he doesn't particularly care if everyone else stuck here refuses to offer help. This seems like enough to keep the place in order.

He can be found slowly wandering around the farmhouse, a book from the library on home maintenance open in his free hand as he examines the building. Occasionally, due to his crutch, he has to stop, lean against the house, and flip the page to another section. There's an intense look on his face, every so often a tongue click or a thoughtful 'hmm' as he does things like examine the window frames, or give the stairs to the porch a sharp kick.]

Grave

[After Accelerator is finished doing a basic inspection of the farmhouse, he grabs a bucket full of water and a ladle, and makes his way out towards the edge of the grounds. It's nice and quiet out there, away from any noise, kind of woods-y and peaceful. He comes to a stop near a small copse of trees where a little meadow of wildflowers has taken root. There, in the meadow, is a rock several feet tall. From its unnatural upright position and the numbered engraving, it's clear it was moved here deliberately. Accelerator stops in front of it, setting the bucket down and staring in silence for several minutes.

There are probably things he could say, should be saying, but the words aren't coming to him. Instead they're getting tangled on his tongue, swallowed by anxiety and a deep, ever-encompassing sense of shame. Verso had said he could try talking to them, but he hasn't gotten to the point of figuring that step out. He isn't sure if he ever will.

Eventually the silence feels too suffocating, so he leans over and begins scooping the water with the ladle, dumping it onto the gravestone with a methodical slowness to clean it off.]

( Part of this is making sure she's checking around Accelerator again; she'd nudged Jon his way, but figures the lure of a farm would have done as much eventually. Just feels better having some thread on who Accelerator is (and what, she wonders, is with aliases here anyway) and that sense that one thing he takes seriously is the protection of children.

Lois is not a mother by chosen circumstance, at least at this point in her life. But she is by circumstance, and what she doesn't have in lived experience and decisions that she may or may not ever make for herself, she does have in tenacity. Jon doesn't have his correct Lois here. She's not going to step down just because she's not that Lois. Ergo, Lois Lane, in her early thirties and definitively not married, is a mom now. Standing at the outskirts of a farm, and staying there, because this is a safe space for the kids.

Which means it's from that distance that she waves whenever she figures she has a chance of catching Accelerator's attention. Jon would vouch for her, she knows that, but she also doubt he has at this point. Besides, her knowledge of farm life is how to park a ship in its fields. Also, there might be cows. If she needs to help out, maybe there's... painting. Sweeping? Clark's the one who'd know. )

[Accelerator doesn't know a ton about journalism, but he isn't sure that a farm is a normal place for a journalist. Does news even happen on a farm? 'It didn't rain enough, the crops are bad.' He supposes that's... some form of news.

God, Academy City's system is a lot easier to deal with than normal-ass farms.

He stares at her for a moment, deciding how serious he needs to be about the whole 'vouching for adults' rule. Does he need to go check with some other kid? He could always just say it's fine for her to come onto the property, they've only spoken once but she seemed okay from his first impression. Unless she's some skilled manipulator, she probably is just some ambitious journalist.

Either way, she isn't actually coming onto the property, so she gets points for respecting that. Turning away from the house, he hobbles on over to her. May as well see what she wants.]

Hey.

( Lois observes how he's walking, hobbling, over. Feels rude either way, but he'd been clear about what boundaries he wanted respected. Easier to pay attention to those than ignore them when dealing with anyone who starts out with a trust deficit in the world at large. )

Hey. How's the healing been going?

( Or the pain. It's as good a place to start a check in as any. )

[Fortunately, his ribs are hurting a lot less these days. The pain killers have helped, along with having all this downtime post-mission.

He inclines his head slightly, assuming this is just smalltalk nonsense.]

It's going. This isn't the worst thing that's happened to me. [He shrugs.] How come you're out here?

( Again, the sort of dismissive deflection she can recognize and not even doubt is true. Doesn't make it better, but it's there.

She holds up a hand with three fingers up, thumb and pinky folded across the center of her hand. )

Three reasons. First, to check in and see how you were healing if you were around here. Second, to see if Jon's been by yet, and if he has, if he's mentioned vetting his dad to you. Third, is there any chance you've seen a large format printer anywhere in Etraya? Couldn't find one in the Daily Planet, though I did find a plastic replica of one there.

( She figures it's easiest to give him a selection of truths and let him choose which ones he wants to believe. )

[At those answers, Accelerator squints a little.

So... her asking about him wasn't banal smalltalk? Even though she doesn't know him outside of the stuff he told her, which was all pretty much terrible and a great reason to avoid a check-in like this. But she isn't, so he has to conclude that she's just one of those irritatingly nice people who refuse to acknowledge that bothering with him is a waste of energy.

He knows several people like that, so it would be kind of dumb to complain.

The other two answers are more reasonable, so he focuses on them. He knows of two boys around here who have dads, and one of them is Damian, so the other must be —]

This 'Jon' brat go by Superboy?

( Lois nods, sliding one hand into the front pocket of her pants. )

On the network or when he's in uniform, yeah.

( There's additional context she's turning over in her head, but... )

Are aliases common for your world?

[He sighs a little. It's ironic, him thinking that superhero aliases are silly, but here they are.]

Not really, no. Espers will usually have a name for their ability, but they don't use it the same way I do with mine.

[They still have their legal names that they use to identify themselves.]

( Her head cants a touch to the side, considering this and studying him at the same time. She shifts her gaze to not stare for too long, looking beyond him to the farmhouse. )

Why the break from precedence for yourself?

['I don't remember what my name is' is the most honest answer he can give, and it's the one he avoids the most. People here in Etraya have complained about him not giving his name out and he's taken it in stride, because the alternative would be to start getting into personal shit that he doesn't want to touch.

He scowls, holding his crutch bit a tighter, and narrows his eyes.]

I don't know, I've gone by it for as long as I could remember. You'd have to ask the fucking scientists who developed me why they only used it. [He's spitting that last part out.]

( Ah. )

Asking why those who commit what should be considered violations of human rights why they dehumanize their victims won't lead to productive conversations until they can recognize their own cruelty. I'm sorry that's an injustice you had to live through.

( There's no pity in what she says. Acknowledgement, yes. People have to face where they've been in making their present different and in setting their future goals, at least in her experience. So acknowledgement and the factoring in that Accelerator's had to deal with varying intensities of dehumanization. "Developed" him. "Made" him psionic.

The worlds really can create some horrible truths in people's callousness, can't they? )

I was asking because self-selected aliases are more common in my world, and in Jon's. ( She's pretty sure they're from alternate, if compatible, worlds. ) His in particular may attract attention from a person of my world who arrived here alongside us, Lex Luthor. I wanted to offer a heads up that any interest from Luthor isn't innocent, in case that jackass tries to do anything when Jon's hanging around at your farm.

[God, Accelerator wishes this was one of those stupid frivolous conversations where he could just roll his eyes, that would be much, much easier than having to navigate the sticky mess that is his (lack of a) name. At the very least, it would be easier if he was a little younger and not at the point of grudgingly admitting not everything in his life was under his control. Or less charitably, his fault. As it is he has to deal with Lois being right and more than that, Lois offering him sympathy for a situation he had no say in.

It makes him feel sick. He curls his lip, and though he's silent for a moment it's clear from his expression he isn't happy she's being kind to him about this. It's a fight to not get petulant, and when he finally speaks it's to direct the conversation away from that. Still, his tone is more venomous than it needs to be.]

Are you and that brat from the same universe?

( Lois is at least holding a line, and it might be as simple as reading the physical one she's refused to cross. There's no saying she'd be as sensitive if she wasn't also dealing with Jon. Kids aren't usually on her radar, but she's had to think about him, had to envision what it means to be young and caught up in all this nonsense that adults don't have ready answers for, let alone anyone younger.

But she can deal in facts, and facts are also honest with kindness. Clark has helped remind her of that much, again and again. )

Might be alternate universes, but it doesn't matter at the core. Jon's my son even if I never have him in my world.

[Well, that isn't the answer he's expecting. He stares at her in shock.]

You're his mom?

[From a different universe, no less. He slaps a hand to his forehead, sighing exasperatedly. God, that's got to be complicated, and it makes him realize not only should he take this whole 'Lex Luthor' threat into consideration, but he should also likely ask her about that Superman guy.]

Fuck. I think we need to talk, and I don't wanna do it out here. [He turns away, towards the farmhouse.] Come on.

[Jayce arrives at the farm house, toolbox in hand, and a to-go coffee in the other. It's a little awkward, but he manages to ring the doorbell with his elbow, waiting for permission to enter, since he doubts Accelerator would just leave all this unlocked.]

Yep.

( She pops that p at the end. If there was ever room for denial, it'd flown out the metaphorical window back in San Francisco, when she'd had a kid trying to be brave in front of a woman who didn't know him, but also gave birth to him. In some reality.

Accelerator's sigh is too close to her own mood at points. She holds her peace, only lifting her eyebrows when Accelerator pivots to inviting her on property to talk. It's funny in a removed sort of sense. Lois can't remember the last (or first) time any teenager told her they needed to talk since she'd exited that age bracket herself.

She steps forward, matching his pace heading to the farmhouse. )

Thank you.

( For the invitation, sure. Also for being willing to listen, when she damn well knows she'd have trouble doing the same. Take one person's word? No. Just know what to watch out for, and make your calls from that point on. )

[Accelerator only grumbles a curse under his breath, otherwise silent as they head to the farmhouse. A million thoughts are speeding through his head and he needs to organize everything before they sit down.

First, he isn't particularly concerned about letting her on the property. If Jon wouldn't vouch for her (unlikely, with a relationship like that) he's willing to do so for security purposes, and since this is officially a meeting on security it's work and therefore not breaking any of the rules he's set up. If anyone hears about this and complains (also unlikely) then they can go to hell.

He imagines it's got to be difficult for a little kid to have his mom show up here, only she isn't the one that he knows. There's a chance that's the case with his father, too. And it has to be complicated for the two adults, having a kid that isn't theirs here. An adult could easily argue they have no obligation to a child from a different universe, so Lois gets points for showing up and giving a shit, assuming she isn't lying.

It doesn't seem like she is, but he also still needs to untangle this whole Superman knot. What a pain in the ass.

Once they're inside Accelerator takes his shoes off at the door and heads over to the living room, letting go of his crutch and dropping down onto the couch. The farmhouse is a pretty typical farmhouse, super cozy inside with a fireplace and wood flooring. Definitely not his style, but then, he wasn't the one who requested the place.]

Tell me more about this Lex Luthor bastard.

[Straight to business.]

[At least Jayce won't have to wait very long. Accelerator has been doing some organizing, making a list of general farm maintenance stuff that needs to be done with or without the help of the bots, and leaves what he's written on the coffee table to go answer the door.]

Hey. [His eyes immediately go to the coffee, though he doesn't say anything, turning away.] Furnace is this way.

( Lois is, sadly, American. But she's paying attention to what cues he's giving, and this isn't the first home she's visited where shoes are off inside the door, so she follows suit, besocked alone when she heads towards the living room. Sitting down nearby but not on the same couch, Lois pulls herself fully on the chair... to sit crosslegged. )

Tech genius billionaire with narcissistic personality disorder. Extreme dislike of any and all he perceives as metahuman. Obsessive compulsive focus on Superman following his arrival in Metropolis, where Luthor's adulation by the public was continually overshadowed by their adulation of Superman over the last three years. Culminated most recently in multiple near successful attempts on Superman's life. Superboy wouldn't be a known quantity to Luthor, but it fits his view of the world to make the... admittedly not difficult leap to assuming Superboy and Superman are related genetically.

( That's the succinct, bullet point version of a list of To Be Knowns. Lois turns her hands up, palms left empty. )

Usually I'd be able to provide documentation of anything I'm talking about, but aside from whatever Aurora might have that I don't have access to, right now all I have is anecdotal. I know and believe all of this to be true. Superman can reiterate it. Jon knows Lex Luthor from his home world is likewise dangerous and has tried to kidnap himself and his friend Dam-Robin before.

( Yes, Accelerator, she doesn't know Damian's name, but since she has been told there's a multitude of Robins, she's keeping the "Dam" on the front from Jon's slip-up weeks (?) back. )

I have no reason to believe Jon's lying, though it's a confirmation bias on my part, and I recognize that.

[Jayce follows, but not without retort.]

People usually go with "hi, how are you? Thanks for coming! Is that for me?"

[Accelerator crosses one leg over the other, throwing one arm over the back of the couch. In contrast to his casual body language he's staring very intently as he listens to Lois' description of this Lex guy.

He sounds like a big asshole. Why are rich people always jerks? Harold is apparently an outlier. He's also this guy is going to go nuts when he realizes how many extraordinary people are stuck here, if he hasn't already picked up on that. Not that he cares, but it's worth noting depending how prone this guy is towards mental instability. Also notable is that he's apparently competent enough to have almost killed Superman a couple of times. Given what Damian had requested of him, he had been assuming that's no easy feat, so this is noteworthy enough that he should make sure he doesn't underestimate Luthor.

When Lois mentions Robin Accelerator narrows his eyes slightly, but doesn't say anything. The Luthor that kidnapped him is a different universe version, and he doesn't like assuming people are exact copies across different universes, but he's keeping that in the back of his mind. He isn't sure if that's something he wants to bring up with Damian, being unsure if that happened to this version or not. If it didn't, then he really doesn't need to put that kind of unnecessary pressure on the kid.

It's a lot to take in. He sees a reasonable way forward, though.]

I can confirm with Jon. [Possibly Damian, if he's at the age where that already happened. He'll have to think on that one.] And if I need to, I can ask Aurora for proof.

[He shrugs lightly.]

I don't need proof to ban someone from here if that's what a kid wants, though. This is more about their comfort than punishing some bastard. What's that shithead capable of, exactly?

[Since this is Jayce, and since this is Jayce being sassy, Accelerator doesn't say anything. He just sticks his hand out for the coffee. Give.]

[He raises his hand higher, far over Accelerator's head.]

Magic words?

[Goddamnit, even if Jayce is a lot taller he's still reaching for it!!]

Give me the fucking coffee, shithead.

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Ramsey Farm open mingle

OTA, grave prompt will likely have cws for child murder

farmhouse

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