This was a very elaborate production for some kidnapping alien-being to just show their hand with obvious hooks like the shield and just knowing stuff like how new Tony was to this scene, so at the moment that was feeling like a half-baked theory. Then again, Tony didn't know how smart these aliens were, maybe they really thought this was a good trick. For now, some alternates: this guy was the guardian at the gate and saw him arrive, whatever that looked like; his arrival came with some kind of signal to the rest of this planet; the community, as it was, wasn't nearly big enough to blend in with the crowd. In most cases, the data suggested this guy was for real. For good, that was a much more complex question.

"Honestly, kind of my midweek standby," Tony replied, his feline stalking slowing to a stop now that he had made his Abductor Likelihood Assessment. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to get any closer yet, though. "You've got to keep active, you know, keep the social calendar full, the momentum is important. That Wednesday lull, perfect time to pop over to another dimension, you never know, maybe that's their Friday night. Now, have I been to better parties...?" He finally took his eyes off of Bucky then, glancing around at the decor again, just briefly, with a tsk.