002 ➳ audio + action.

[sinuosity]

​Who: Nyssa.
Broadcast: Fleetwide audio.
Action: On the planet.
When: When the Fleet makes planetfall.

[ Briskly, ]

I am leading a hunting party. One companion is ideal; I will take no more than three. Bring your own weapons and dress for the cold. We depart at sunrise, from the lodge at the foot of the mountains, and there will be trips every other day beginning tomorrow.

​[ Beat. ]

If you wish to come and learn, you are welcome, but if you cannot keep up, you will be left behind.

​[ ooc: action prompts in comments. let me know if you'd like a custom starter. ]

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[sinuosity]

[ At this, her mouth quirks, amused. ]

No one lets me, I simply do. Will you follow me again?

[enshields]

[Mildly,]

If you believed that, you wouldn't need to tell me.

[His capitulation is non-verbal, he simply falls into step beside her.]

[sinuosity]

[ She frowns, and opens her mouth to retort, before firmly shutting it. He's right. It just implied a passivity she doesn't associate with herself, and if it was true then Sara — ]

[ Sara would have been with her only because Nyssa took what she thought was hers, and she knows that's not what happened. ]

In a few respects, it cannot be. I will concede that. Not often, however.

[enshields]

[His boots crunch in the snow. He's wearing a coat but the lion's share of the warm-weather clothing on the Bloodsport wasn't big enough for him, so the only thing under the jacket is short-sleeved. He barely feels the cold, but dislikes on principle that it's there. What good memories he has of winter have been buried beneath ice and anguish. So he hikes the strap of his rifle higher, and thinks of other things.]

Ever been anywhere like this?

[sinuosity]

[ He switches the track of conversation, and Nyssa follows, silently glad to be led this way. ]

Yes. I grew up in a place much like this. What about you?

[enshields]

[A muscle works in his jaw, and then he shrugs.]

Not where I grew up, no. Brooklyn got cold and snow, but it kinda lacked the [he gestures] desolation.

[sinuosity]

[ She wouldn't describe this as desolate, but Nyssa would have trouble ascribing the same of a desert. There's life here, so it's not empty, and can't be until that life dies out. ]

New York?

[enshields]

[He can find the beauty in it, but the wind howls. He doesn't like open ground. He's half-watching the ground to see if it's been disturbed anywhere, if there's a possibility of landmines.]

Yeah. Hell of a city.

[sinuosity]

[ She follows his gaze, to the ground, and sees nothing, mistakenly assumes he's looking for the spoor. ]

There is no trail here. Further ahead. [ a beat, then, ] I feel I am dividing your attention. I will be silent.

[enshields]

[He cants his head towards her.]

It's not a division. It's fine.

[He's built to process multiple information streams at once. Give him six things to do simultaneously and it starts wearing him down. Walking and holding a conversation isn't the least of a concern.]

Guess I just don't like wide open spaces.

[sinuosity]

[ She frowns, putting two and two together. ]

Active combat?

[enshields]

[His first response is to just say, a few and leave it at that. But he's seen her soul, and owes her better. Instead:]

Three in war, four in-- [his mouth twists, a distasteful grimace. How much did he do for SHIELD that was on Hydra's behalf?] -- specialized ops.

[sinuosity]

[ Seven years is a long time. The trail leads to more rocks, and Nyssa climbs them carefully, still silent. ]

What were you before being a soldier?

[enshields]

[His tone is light when he replies,]

Whatever kept food on the table.

[His art paid the bills when he was lucky. The rest of the time-- it was whatever he could get. A few days of work a week delivering papers, stocking grocery stores. Hell, he shined shoes when he could. Pride didn't have its place in survival, and he'd have done anything to be less of a burden on his Ma and Bucky.]

[sinuosity]

[ Nyssa's expression sharpens. There's too much room to interpret that statement. ]

What did you do to survive?

[enshields]

[He gives her a sideways glance as he navigates deftly over a rocky outcropping. Atroma's watching this, too. It makes him choose his words with care.]

Lot of things. Worked when I could. Federal Art Program was a way for artists to keep their jobs during the thirties, so I painted murals in a few hotel lobbies in Manhattan. Delivered newspapers, milk. Stocked shelves, took inventory. Helped bookies in a couple underground boxing matches.

[He lifts one shoulder in a shrug.]

[sinuosity]

[ There is a pause -- she considers every thread she could tug on. He's not much of a talker and Nyssa's own instincts tend to silence. They scale a wall, climbing steadily -- she refuses to give him the backpack -- and once catching her breath at the top momentarily, ]

Why not go back to art? There is no shortage of soldiers.

[enshields]

[He's not even a little winded, he just waits politely for her at the top and surveys what they can see of the land. He'll give her a hand up if she'll take it.]

Lost the taste for it, I guess.

[Lost the people he loved to draw is perhaps the better quantifying statement.]

[sinuosity]

[ She takes it at the last moment, following his line of sight. ]

[ Wryly, ]

Will you tire of my questions?

[enshields]

[With a very slight smile,]

Nah. It's kinda novel to have people ask. Lot've my life is public record back home.

[sinuosity]

They derive comedic value from 'The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan'?

[ Legit the only thing she can see for him being famous for. ]

[enshields]

[He snorts, it's half a laugh.]

Remember how I told you about 'Captain America'?

[sinuosity]

[ She raises her eyebrows. Go on. ]

[enshields]

[He really wants to explain this in as few words as possible, so--]

Back home, to the public-- Captain America is not a soldier, he's the soldier. Emblematic.

[sinuosity]

If you had not been honest with me previously I might be inclined to wonder if I was being mocked.

[ Lightly said. They're walking side by side now. ]

There is little to romanticise about soldiers, let alone place them on such a level. Perhaps I will understand given time.