Visiting Storybrooke (OPEN)

[Steve Rogers]

OOC: This is open to anyone who wants to join in)

[Regina Mills]

Whether or not the people of Storybrooke - of the Enchanted Forest, really - despised her now, Regina was hardly going to relinquish all of the control she'd once had. She'd always had eyes and ears everywhere in this town, and now that the curse had broken, this was even more true. One of the many benefits of having the magic mirror that in the fairytale stories she was evidently so famous for, was that all she really needed was some sort of reflective surface to observe what was going on in a given area. And now that strangers seemed to be pouring into Storybrooke more and more frequently, she was especially careful to keep an eye on the incoming and outgoing roads to and from the town. After all, nowadays there was literally no telling who might show up.

Through the gleaming glass surface of the shop windows that lined the main street, she watched the progress of a traveler making his way into town. The first thing she'd noticed was the motorcycle - such obnoxiously loud things they were - and because of it, she'd assumed it must have been August. ...Pinocchio...whatever he was calling himself these days. A closer look at the man as he pulled off the road, however, immediately told her this was not the case. Judging from the map he'd pulled out - and from the way he was now pushing his motorcycle along the road - he was both out of gas, and perhaps a little lost as well. From what she could tell, he didn't particularly seem dangerous, but one never could know for sure these days. She wondered with a slight frown whether or not he knew just what he was getting into by visiting this place. Storybrooke, formerly cursed, was now practically overflowing with magic. It didn't often make for a particularly...normal tourist vacation.

Of course at the moment, it appeared to be nothing more than a charming little small town typical to many one might find in New England. Before the illusion shattered, however, Regina decided she wanted to get a good idea of just who this man was and why he was here. Amidst all the other chaotic events going on, the idea of a stranger who did not mean well made the mayor even more fiercely protective than she usually would have been - especially since her own son was present here in town, and currently in the care of people whose ability to keep him safe was...questionable, at best. It was with that in mind that she appeared in a magical, swirling dark cloud several yards behind the man. The after-effects of teleportation still made her head spin a little - magic was a bit trickier to control in this world, she'd found - and she took a moment or two to regain her bearings, smooth out her skirt, and make sure her hair looked as impeccable as always before striding forward and clearing her throat lightly to get the man's attention.

"Having a bit of trouble?" she commented, slipping easily back into her reserved-but-polite mayoral facade. Most of the residents of Storybrooke, remembering her as the Evil Queen she was, both loathed and feared her - with fear usually being predominant after she'd frightened off the first couple of angry mobs with a few...magic tricks. But whenever a newcomer arrived in town, not knowing any better, it was all too easy to put on a friendly face...at least until she knew whether to place him in the 'friend' or 'foe' category. "You're lucky you broke down so close to town - there's a gas station two blocks down the main road, to the left."

[Steve Rogers]

[/b] is heard behind Steve as he stops and sets the kick stand and looks over his shoulder "Ma'am?" he asks her in response as he looks at her and at where she came from, as he did not see any houses nor vehicles pass him. "I ran out of fuel," he says simply.

"You're lucky you broke down so close to town - there's a gas station two blocks down the main road, to the left." she said as he thought for a moment, "Thank you ma'am. How far am I from the town?" he asks her as he looks back at her as he studies her. Steve is real good at reading people, due to his military training, and he noticed that she was reserved and somewhat on guard.

He could not blame her, as he was a stranger and that is how he would react to people if he was in her position, but as he was not carrying any weapons, except his shield, which was in the backpack with his uniform, so if she meant to harm him, he would have to fight her, which he was not a fan of. "Beautiful country up here," he said simply as he thought. "Do you live near here? I do not remember going past any houses nor any vehicles passing me," he said as he pulls out a bottle of water and took a drink from it as he place dit back on his motorcycle.[/size][/ul]

[Regina Mills]

Regina furrowed her brow a little at the man's expression - she got the odd feeling that he was studying her, which, in her experience, never led to anything good. Unfazed, however, she slipped her hands into the pockets of her black peacoat and glanced down the road, estimating the distance the man had asked for. "Oh," she shrugged, turning her gaze back on him. "Just another five minutes, I'd say." It was near enough to the truth - the man was already close to town. ...Too close, if he happened to be some sort of threat. She was so accustomed to the curse shielding the town from outsiders that fending people off wasn't really something she was accustomed to doing. ...Perhaps that was why Emma Swan had managed to wiggle her way in so quickly.

She was caught off guard by his admiring the landscape - most here didn't think to stop and appreciate it. Regina had chosen Maine as the location of her curse because of the landscape, in fact - it reminded her very much of her home in the Enchanted Forest. Being Queen had never been something she'd wanted, but one of the very few good things about it had been having domain over the vast expanses of forests around the castle. It had been as if the entire world had been hers to explore. She shook herself mentally, however, knowing that his comment could have potentially been meant to disarm her. "It's lovely, but a little remote. We don't get many visitors up here... " Regina trailed off on a slightly inquisitive note, looking the stranger up and down and wondering once more why he'd chosen to visit Storybrooke - and whether or not he'd be willing to tell her what that reason might be.

Ah - and then there was the question of how she'd ended up behind him. He was an observational one, wasn't he? Regina, of course, had no intention of casually informing him that she could use magic...but another excuse wasn't too difficult to come up with. "I live in town - I'm the mayor, actually - but I often take walks up here in the woods. I find it helps to clear my head a little." It wasn't a complete lie; she did find herself taking to the forest more often than not these days, what with Storybrooke being the mess that it was. It just...wasn't what she'd been doing just a moment ago. Never the less, Regina kept her smile fixed firmly in place as she continued to survey him, removing one hand from her pockets and holding it out for him to shake. "Regina Mills. And you are...?"

[Steve Rogers]

[/size]

[Regina Mills]

Right. It was only natural that he be concerned about them being hit by a car - anyone would have been, had they not known that very few cars traveled the road into Storybrooke. Still, she wasn't about to mention that, and she simply nodded in response to his words. "Well, I can agree with you there." she responded easily enough, although...in regards to the town being the safest place to talk, she had her doubts. Really though, if they just happened to be swarmed by an angry mob in the middle of their conversation, so be it - things were getting a little boring around here anyway. Frightening away a crowd of angry fairytale characters out for her blood - and seeing the look on this newcomer's face as a result - would at least give her a bit of a laugh, if nothing else.

Keeping a brisk pace beside Steve, she managed to react no further than arching an eyebrow a little when he asked whether or not Storybrooke was 'nice'. Well. That all depended on who you were, now didn't it? Still, the question did indicate that he didn't know much about the town - which, if he was as honest as he seemed, meant that he hadn't been drawn here with rumors of Storybrooke's enchanted population. That was one good thing, at least. But he was going to have a lot to take in if he stuck around long enough for the town to reveal its secrets to him. There had once been a time when the mayor would have been adamant about preventing any stranger for staying such an amount of time, but nowadays she couldn't say she particularly cared. As long as this man wasn't some sort of threat, what was it to her if he learned the truth about the people here? ..Of course, that was assuming that he wouldn't go spreading it around. One thing she did not need was Storybrooke being swarmed with outsiders wanting to see the magic for themselves like it was some sort of tourist attraction. And this was why they really needed to get back to their own realm...as quickly as possible.

"It's typically quite...charming." Regina answered at length, grimacing a little at the word. "Unfortunately, we've recently undergone a bit of a crisis. It's...well, I'm sure you'll see soon enough." She smirked slightly, revealing no more than that. No point in lying to him when he was headed straight for town, after all. Now onto more important matters. "So what brings you here, Mr. Rogers? Did you just happen upon us by chance? Were you on your way somewhere else before you ran out of fuel?" She voiced the questions lightly enough, although, if he were paying attention, her tone was edged with just the faintest trace of suspicion.

[Steve Rogers]

[/b] He thinks, "I hope nobody got hurt in whatever happened," he says simply to her as he has no idea. Thinking as he walks, he looks around, with his eyes, always watching and paying attention to things. However, he does have a slight worry in his mind at the remark on a crisis, but depending on what happened, not really much he could do about it.

Still, as he listens, he smiles as she asks him "So what brings you here, Mr. Rogers? Did you just happen upon us by chance? Were you on your way somewhere else before you ran out of fuel?" and he ponders this and shrugs. "Just needed a change," he said. "Born in New York, lived there my entire life, became a soldier, and now living back in the city," he says simply. "A change was just something to come, as all that I remember is no longer there," he adds as he walks. He looks down, "Change happens, but what was once home is no longer home to me," he adds as he thinks back to his life in New York in the early 1940s.

Thinking, he remembers all of the times he got beaten up by people, and how he tried to enlist in five different cities but was rejected due to his health. Than he met a man, Dr. Erskine who gave him a chance and he took it, becoming America's First Avenger. However he was frozen and than freed in the modern day and fought an invasion force lead by Loki in New York, with help form people who are like in some aspects.

But that was then and Steve tries not to dell on the past, as there is no way for him to go back and change it or to do the things that he missed while frozen. "So, what is Storebooke like if you do not mind me asking ma'am?" he says to Regina.[/size][/ul]

[Regina Mills]

How noble of him, sincerely wishing that no one had gotten hurt in the little incident that had recently played out in Storybrooke. In truth, though, despite how rattled everyone was no one had really gotten hurt as a result of the curse breaking - not to her knowledge, anyway. Of course, that wasn't guaranteed to continue if any other vengeful townsfolk continued to come after her - she'd been fairly merciful so far, aiming to frighten them with her magic rather than actually harm them. But if they backed her into a corner, then, well... they'd see that the Evil Queen's bite was still far worse than her bark. "Oh, no need to worry about that. We're just in the process of sorting everything out - so you'll have to excuse our state of...disarray." It did, in truth, wound her pride a little - to see her town so disorganized, and to be unable to exercise the extensive amount of control she'd once held over it. But no matter. There were more immediately important things to focus on at the moment.

She listened to Steve's explanation - pausing briefly to give him a curious, searching look when he managed being a soldier. That had gotten her attention, if nothing else. Regina, being the queen she once was, had always held a certain amount of respect for the knights who'd served her. Anyone so willing to risk their life for their kingdom was worthy of such respect, in her opinion - and in this world, that sense of reserved admiration transferred over to the soldiers who existed here. If what Steve was telling her was true, then his presence here wasn't the worst thing that could happen - but she still knew enough to remain wary. "I can understand that." she told him in response to his comment about New York no longer feeling like home to him because of how much it'd changed in his absence - he must have been overseas for quite some time, she thought. How much did New York change in a couple of years? Still, Regina could relate - even now, she wasn't all too sure of how at home she'd feel in the Enchanted Forest after being gone for so long. If they ever got back, that was.

Deciding that this man wasn't too much of a threat - no more than anyone else in Storybrooke, at least - she gave him a curt smile. "You're welcome to stay in town as long as you'd like, then. Although if you truly intend to do so...I suppose there's no hiding it." They were getting dangerously close to town at this point anyway, and he'd just asked her what Storybrooke was like - she might as well tell him. "Storybrooke is a very...unusual place, I think you'll find." 'Very unusual' was probably an understatement, but you didn't just break this sort of thing to people. ...Well, she could, in theory. The look on his face would have been priceless. But being in the relatively good mood she was in, the mayor decided to continue more tactfully - and vaguely - instead. Perhaps this little game could be fun, for awhile. "Things people tend to believe are impossible - well, most of them are quite possible, here."

[Steve Rogers]

list]Steve grins as he looks, "Sometimes, the impossible things is what makes one work to get it," and he remembers how he got a break in enlisting as it was impossible for him to enlist. "I had trouble when I tried to enlist, mainly health issues, but a nice man, god rest his soul, gave me a chance and I was able to make the rank of Captain, thanks to him," he says simply as he remembers what Dr. Erskine.

Dr. Erskine: So, you want to go overseas. Kill some Nazis.
Steve Rogers: Excuse me?
Erskine: Dr. Abraham Erskine. I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
Rogers: Steve Rogers [introduces himself and shakes his hand] Where are you from?
Erskine: Queens. 73rd Street and Utopia Parkway. Before that, Germany. This troubles you?
Rogers: No.
Erskine: [he looks into his files] Where are you from, Mr. Rogers? Is it New Haven? Or Paramus? Five exams in five different cities.
Rogers: That might not be the right file.
Erskine: No, It's not the exams I'm interested in. It's the five tries. But you didn't answer my question. Do you want to kill Nazis?
Rogers: Is this a test?
Erskine: Yes.
Rogers: I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from.
Erskine: Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war. Maybe what we need now is a little guy. I can offer you a chance. Only a chance.
Rogers: I'll take it.
Erskine: Good. So where is the little guy from? Actually?
Rogers: Brooklyn.
Erskine: [he stamps his form with 1-A] Congratulations, soldier.

Remembering that one chance, was all Steve needed, to get through basic training, but he never did find out why, until the day before the procedure that turned him into Captain America.

Steve Rogers: Why me?
Abraham Erskine: I suppose that is the only question that matters. [Displaying a wine bottle] This is from Augsburg, my city. So many people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. You know, after the last war, my people struggled. they felt weak... they felt small. And then Hitler comes along with the marching, and the big show, and the flags, and the, and the... and he hears of me, and my work, and he finds me, and he says "You. You will make us strong." Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of Hydra, his research division, a brilliant scientist by the name of Johann Schmidt. Now Schmidt is a member of the inner circle and he is ambitious. He and Hitler share a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. Hitler uses his fantasies to inspire his followers. But for Schmidt, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my formula and what it can do, he cannot resist. Schmidt must become that superior man.
Rogers: Did it make him stronger?
Erskine: Yeah, but... there were other effects. The serum was not ready. But more important, the man. The serum amplifies everything inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows... compassion.
Rogers: Thanks. I think.
Erskine: [Gesturing toward the wine] Get it, get it. Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. You will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man.

It was this, that last time a conversation was held between them before his death and the destruction of Operation Rebirth. What followed was a joke and not what Steve wanted, but did so. He did not get his wish, until he got help from Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, his first love and his last, since she is now as old as he, and has never visited her since being brought out of the ice.

"Thank you for the offer ma'am," he says to her at the offer of staying. "I think a few days in a small town will do me good and will help me," he states as he keeps walking.[/list]

[Regina Mills]

As Steve explained his situation and the man who'd helped him enlist in the army, Regina quirked her head just a little to one side, unable to keep the slight curiosity his words had sparked in her from showing. "Well, I suppose that's very fortunate indeed." she remarked, her tone just a bit quizzical at the kindness on behalf of the man who'd given Steve his chance. "I've always believed that if you want something - truly want it - and have the means to take it, then there is little stopping you from doing so. But I suppose a helping hand never hurt anyone." Betraying just a hint of a smile, Regina then fell silent as they continued their walk. She merely nodded in response to Steve accepting her offer, making a note to keep a careful eye on him while he stayed in town. Although how much 'good' this visit would do him, well...that remained to be seen.

They were coming up to the town now, the shops that lined the side of the road becoming more and more frequent. Regina eyed the sign outside of Mr. Gold's pawn shop with just a hint of wariness - it probably wasn't a good idea to linger in this area for too long. In fact, walking the streets of Storybrooke in broad daylight regardless of her proximity to her most dangerous enemy wasn't exactly an activity that put Regina's mind at ease. She scanned the streets carefully as they continued, but for now Storybrooke remained strangely quiet. A young woman did brush past them at one point - Regina thought her name might have been 'Wendy', or some silly thing like that - but the most she did was shoot Regina a somewhat terrified look, and quickly dragged her two younger brothers away from them and out of sight.

Such actions might have appeared vaguely suspicious from Steve's perspective, she supposed, but Regina at least didn't appear to be at all concerned with the behavior of the town's civilians as she continued on towards the gas station. "After you refuel, there's an inn just a little further into town that might be well-worth looking into. It's a cozy place. Has quite a bit of character." Despite the curse breaking, and despite the fact that her status as 'mayor' was still questionable at best, Regina couldn't help the faint note of pride that edged her voice - taking pride in her town was just second instinct by now, she supposed.

[Steve Rogers]

[/b] he says simply as he listens to Regina. Nodding, he smiles, "Thank you for the company ma'am," he says, as he is always a gentleman. He does notice the look of the lady and her two boys and marks it in his head, but thinks nothing of it just yet.

"That is true, but sometimes, the government standards for military personal is harder to pass; especially if you try to do the same thing, and always hit the wall," he says as he looks around and sees the gas station and heads over towards it. He parks his bike and looks at the pump, smiling as he sees the price of gas. "I can remember when gas was only 20 cents a gallon," he comments as he looks at the price being $3.49 a gallon.

Looking over at Regina, he nods. "Inn not far from here. Thank you ma'am. I do not want to keep you any more, from your work," he says to her as pulls out his wallet and nods. "You have a good day ma'am." he adds as he keeps his respect and manners and heads to pay for the gas as the sign on the pump reads pay at the pump or prepay, and Steve does not have a credit card, since they were not around back in the 1940s.[/size][/ul]