summonthesuit | IC Inbox

[It isn't until this very moment, where Steven spots a grimace half-hidden by a hand and hears Quentin wondering about his own afterlife, that he realizes he's made a terrible mistake. He let the conversation get away from him when he really should've been more careful. Because Quentin's dead back home, isn't he? And he died a 'villain', so if there's a choice between a good place and a bad place for him, wouldn't he go to the bad place?

All that passionate enthusiasm over the topic slips away from Steven and he sits up straighter; more rigid. He absolutely doesn't want to twist the knife, but he hadn't even realized it was there until now and he's worried he'll end up jiggling it anyway.]

I uh... I don't really know. Maybe there's overlap between the different planes? Feels like there might be.

[But they should stop talking about this. Yep. He bites down on his bottom lip as his mind races to find another topic. Finally, he hits on something- a straw to grasp at- and leans towards Quentin again.]

But uh, old projects and movies, eh? What kind?

[Quentin doesn't full miss the way Steven tenses up, but- it's not really a surprise he's probably shoved his foot in his mouth somewhere in there. Talking about being able to see people you've lost isn't the easiest topic to navigate.

This one is safe territory, though.]

God. I haven't been asked this in ages. I, ah- my tech shit would be pretty tabled, so- none of that. [Nothing Mysterio related, even if a part of him misses those holograms. The ability to build something out of literally nothing.] But... don't laugh, I know how this'll sound, I- I used to do these... models, sometimes. Monsters, cars, spaceships, whatever. Put on some old B-movies, and just- made. Once you've done a few, it's- simple. Familiar.

[Quentin can't even pretend to be suave and aloof about all this with faerie bullshit forcing him to be genuine. Ugh.]

Used to be a lot of old sci-fi, before that... Chitauri bullshit. Dramas, for a while. That... Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman kinda thing, with some mystery in there. Real, but- not, if that makes sense. [His voice gets quieter, a bit embarrassed with himself.] A safe kind of distance. Black and white's different from color like that. Like another world.

[Steven doesn't laugh at the model thing, nor anything else that follows. He's intrigued, really. Old movies aren't the sort of thing he knows much about- names like Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman mean nothing to him- but he knows what it's like to love something old and niche. And the models, of course. He knows about that too.]

An old movie buff, eh? Honestly, that sounds brilliant. Don't think I've seen too many of those myself, but I get it. It was a different era of movie-making back then, wasn't it? Less pretentious. More genuine love poured into it, I think. [And that's probably why Marc clung to Tomb Buster as much as he did, Steven thinks wryly.] ... If you like models, you should see my Pyramid of Giza sometime. I'm making it with real limestone. Got the idea after talking to someone about it on the network. I've only just gotten started though, so it isn't much of anything yet.

[Quentin does laugh a little, but it's a soft huff more at himself. Movie buff, nostalgic- same difference. Just reaching for old lists on the back of receipts, in the margins of a book, an old letter. Trying to ignore the bittersweet ache that grew over the years when he wasn't watching them with his uncle or cousin, the ones who had recommended half of the shit in the first place.]

I mean, anything can be pretentious. But love... yeah. Yeah. Can't argue with that one. Makes you almost believe anyone could be your Clark Gable, or Bergman. The effects are... pretty good, too. Maybe not perfect, or real, but- good. Delightful.

[His smile is a bit lopsided now, but genuine as he leans enough to press their shoulders together for a beat. Show that he's being genuine, is listening.]

Real limestone, huh? You using anything to cement it with, or trying to stay as accurate as possible? Did they even use any kind of... grout or whatever back then? Or is it more of a 'things fit so well, they didn't need any of that' kinda deal.

[He can give his vague thoughts on how to potentially imitate stone if the real deal is too finicky later. Right now he just wants to hear Steven keep going. See someone else in their element, when returning to his old one feels- off, still. Trying to be somebody he hasn't been for a long time.]

[Honestly, if he'd been given the chance, Steven would've kept asking on about the movies. But the way their shoulders are pressed together for a moment is enough to drive any follow-up questions from his mind, and next thing he knows, they're back on the pyramid model. He doesn't mind talking about that either, though!]

Nah, they used mortar, actually. Mostly made with gypsum, but with bits of wood ash and straw in there too. Not all that durable, but it wasn't really used to stick the blocks together anyway. It was more to fill up any gaps. Hide the imperfections, you know. 'Specially in the inner chambers, that was important. Have to make the burial chamber look nice, you know? And most archaeologists reckon the inner structures were constructed in a hurry, while they could take their time with the outside and really make those last blocks perfect. [He pauses, then chuckles sheepishly.] Which works for me, you know. I made a proper dog's dinner of the first few blocks, too. Once I've slapped some mortar on there and closed the whole thing up, nobody will be the wiser. Except for you, of course.

[When Quentin is uncomfortable, he'll flip the conversation in the other person's direction. It's one of the few things he's picked up over the years when his own words felt... like not enough.

But there is genuine interest on his face, and a slightly flattered look when Steven says that last part.]

Aw, man. Little ole me gets to see behind the curtain, then? I'm touched. Though, between you and me-? [Another little shoulder nudge, playful in a way as Quentin smiles slightly.] Inner stuff's for practice anyways. Unless you're doing a whole... display thing where you can see the interior, you're golden. And real stone too? Wow, just... wow.

[Oh no, endearing conversation and compliments? Steven still doesn't really know how to handle something like that. Even Layla was a little gruffer with him. It's almost enough to have him forget how heavy the conversation was mere minutes ago. Almost.

Maybe he's just being played by Mysterio. Truth or no truth, maybe it's just one big ploy to win him over. -No, no. He can't think like that. He wants to give Quentin the benefit of the doubt, which means he has to give this the benefit of the doubt as well. He ends up wringing his hands together in his lap.]

Heh... It's not too impressive. Just something to keep busy. Lots of time to piddle away when a bloke can't sleep.

[It's less Quentin trying to divert the conversation or win Steven over, and more- falling back into old habits of misdirection. Partially. He genuinely finds the fact Steven is working with stone very interesting though. He was always more of a 'fake stone via foam' guy himself.]

Hey, don't sell yourself short. Not everybody can do masonry, so that? Is very unique. You think you'll keep going with it, or branch out into something else-? It's... good, having more than one thing to look forward to. A lot better than just... [Quentin scratches the back of his neck self-consciously, but he's got to keep going.] Losing steam, or getting stuck on something.

["Masonry" feels like an awful big word for just dividing bigger chunks of limestone into smaller bricks for a hobby. Though... It's correct in the technical sense, he supposes. He grins bashfully, ducking his head a little.]

I mean... I'm definitely going to finish the pyramid. Once I get started on something, I tend to finish it. 'Cause it's infuriating, knowing it's not finished. But I expect I'll try other stuff too. Writing, maybe. Or crocheting. And I do a lot of baking and cooking, so...

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, HASNOFEAR. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 13.15.15.14 * HASNOFEAR has joined 13.15.15.14 <HASNOFEAR>** Hello! This is Steven Grant! If you need something, just leave me a message and I'll get back to you asap!