Winter & Vision's (not so) Excellent Adventure

[reconstitution]

Who: Winter, Vision, & You
Broadcast: n/a
Action: Forest, planetside
When: July 9th

[ This thread is going to serve both as a canon update to post Captain America: Civil War for Winter and Vision, but also be used as a monthly catch-all with prompts. ]

[ It's been a few weeks since they've landed, so Winter's finally gotten over most of his initial uneasiness. Enough to finally venture into the forest for a hike and get the lay of the land. He's familiar with the beach and the markets, and he's heard things about the forest and a certain tree, so he needs to see for himself if the rumors are true.

It's relatively peaceful, and he hasn't come across anyone else yet. He's making his way around a fallen tree when an animal jumps out of a nearby bush and startles him. Winter stumbles back, and his immediate reaction is to reach out with his left hand to steady himself. Unfortunately it's still broken, so it doesn't cooperate like it's meant to. Which means that he trips and falls. Down a steep hill. Only having one functioning arm means he raises his right to shield his head until he can manage to slow down or run into something. Which is exactly what he does before his head smacks solidly against a hard surface. ]

[Meanwhile, the Vision is similarly engaged in heading toward the tree to investigate it. He’s heard you need someone’s hand to hold in order for the magic to work, but his curiosity has the better of him and he’d like to observe it in action first. A scuffle down below his flight path catches his attention, and he swoops into the forest to see what’s going on just in time to see Winter, of all people, taking a tumble down a steep hillside. He rushes over to try and intercept the man before he seriously hurts himself, and in his rush he miscalculates his own density and slams down hard enough that Winter smacks his head against the Vision instead of catching himself safely.

Oops.

The impact is enough to snap the Vision’s head back and hit it against the tree he’d been trying to prevent Winter from hitting. So now there are two enhanced individuals knocked out on the forest floor. How very impressive.]

Comments

[unbearablynaive]

[And he keeps hold of her hand, because he does like the openness and if she doesn't mind being subject to his depressive mood he won't take that away from her.]

Because it's become something of a tradition to leave our actions that occur at home back in that timeline. If I'm willing to give Loki the benefit of the doubt despite his previous actions, surely--

[But it does matter to him, and so it matters. Even though it doesn't have to.]

[dancingmd]

[There's slight confusion at the mention of Loki - who is that? Isn't that the name of a Norse god? - but her focus remains on Vision. And while it's not her place to judge how those from the same world choose to conduct their affairs, it strikes her as a very bad rule in this instance, one that's only hurting him.]

Your emotions are valid and important and they should not be minimized or ignored. Anyone who makes you feel otherwise is wrong.

[unbearablynaive]

[He bites his lip--a very human gesture, in fact--and looks down momentarily. it's not that anyone's ignoring or minimizing his feelings, necessarily, it's that--]

I'm not certain anyone expected me to have them, you see. And they certainly weren't supposed to affect me in combat situations.

[dancingmd]

[Ah. The realization hits.]

Because you're an android.

[Data comes to mind, insisting that he is not worried - cannot experience worry - about Geordi's disappearance, and the nanites' desire to be free and to have a world of their own and the exocomps disobeying their programming in order to protect themselves. Then, of course, there is Daneel, with his elusive Mona Lisa smile and his gentle protectiveness.

I don't think in the correct way.

Beverly's not sure any of that helps Vision, but she lets him see all of it, every time robots surpassed their creator's expectations. It is a failing of organic beings that they struggle to see beyond the machinery of artificial lifeforms to who they really are. She's sharply aware of this failing, has seen it in herself on more than one occasion. If only Daneel were still here... but he's not and so she'll try to do her best for Vision.]

[unbearablynaive]

[He closes his eyes and nods. That's exactly right - no matter that he's unique and nobody really should know what to expect from him, including himself. Clinging to what they know or can guess, both from past experiences with AI and from fictional accounts, had brought comfort to the Avengers. Being a mix of organic and inorganic doesn't help the matter any, nor does the idea that he may be losing control of the incredible power he contains.

The last more than the others is what concerns him.]

Thank you.

[dancingmd]

You are welcome, always. Whatever you need, don't ever hesitate to ask.

[And then she cannot help it any longer - she gives Vision a generous hug, full of love, both for him and for herself.]

[unbearablynaive]

[His hug back is awkward - he's still not used to these things, and being away from most people who would voluntarily hug him for a subjective year doesn't help with that - but it does make him feel better, and she'll be able to tell that.]

You are a good friend, Beverly. I would do well to remember that.

[dancingmd]

[Awkward is okay, as long as the hug helps.]

You are too. Don't forget that either.

[unbearablynaive]

[That was easier to believe before the whole mess at the airport.]

I'll try.

[dancingmd]

Good.

[Her hands rest on his upper arms for a little longer. She can tell he's still uncertain but this is not something that they can fix in a day, so it's a step at least.]

I don't want you to lose yourself.

[unbearablynaive]

[Hah. It could quite literally happen, if he handled the Mind Stone improperly, but he has a feeling that's not exactly what she means.]

I've doubled in age, you know. That would affect anyone.

[dancingmd]

[She smiles softly. It's so easy to forget how young he is. No doubt that too isolates him.]

Very true. I'm certainly not the same as I was at 24 and I doubt I'll be the same at 96.

[unbearablynaive]

[Well, that answers a vague curiosity he'd had about how old she is. Sometimes he has difficulty with anything between thirty and sixty.]

They say age and wisdom go hand in hand, but that's not exactly promising in my case. It's supposed to become easier with age.

[dancingmd]

[She lets out a soft huff at that. Says who?]

Some things are easier, some things aren't. But the important thing is to keep going and know that you're not alone in this.

[unbearablynaive]

[Conventional wisdom?]

I'm glad to have some friends who still support me, at least.

[dancingmd]

You do.

[She takes his hands in hers and smiles, though there's still sadness lurking in her thoughts.]

Come on, I think we could both use a distraction, hmm?

[unbearablynaive]

]Likewise - but he also recognizes that she trusts him with that sadness or she wouldn't have taken his hands to begin with, which is reassuring in its own way.]

You're probably right. What did you have in mind, if I may ask?

[dancingmd]

Have... you ever built a sandcastle?

[unbearablynaive]

I can't say that I have.

[dancingmd]

Would you like to? I know it may seem a little... Childish, but I often find that doing something creative helps me in times like this.

[unbearablynaive]

[He smiles faintly.]

It's also an engineering problem, albeit a simple one. I don't suppose you have any tools?

[dancingmd]

[She holds her hands up, palms out, and wiggles her fingers.]

Just these.

[unbearablynaive]

I suppose that will have to do.

[A seashell here, a stick there--he can use what he finds to advantage, and after some intense building he's managed to create a detailed sand version of the Avengers Tower.]

[dancingmd]

[This is far beyond what Beverly expected, yet at the same time she finds she's not that surprised either. Admittedly, engineering is not her strong suit, so she is content to follow his lead, providing help whenever she can. Once they finish, she sits back on her heels and wipes her hands clean of sand.]

Very impressive.

[unbearablynaive]

[Maybe it's not the most creative thing he's ever done, but it's at least solving a complex problem with limited resources, and that always results in a feeling of accomplishment.]

Hmm. Perhaps--

[And then it hits him what he's missing - he takes an old-fashioned-looking camera out of a pouch on his belt and snaps a photo.]

There. Now it's recorded for posterity, even if the tide should rise this far.