driftfleet | catching up with friends

Who: Natasha + Wanda, Natasha + You
Broadcast: Nope
Action: SS Starstruck, SS Vanquish, Iskaulit
When: Now-ish?

Starstruck

[With Pietro showing up, it seemed like the thing to do to check in on Wanda. Natasha had kept an eye open for the girl, but unsurprisingly their paths hadn't crossed by accident since then. She could have sent a private message—maybe should have—but the kind of distance that talking to someone through a screen would hide clues to Wanda's emotional state that Natasha would rather not miss.

It made the most sense to drop in. Have surprise on her side. See Wanda face to face.

That's how Natasha found herself on the SS Starstruck, standing outside her younger teammate's door like she belonged there and knocking confidently. Will Wanda even be in? On the other hand, would Natasha be here if she weren't?]

Starstruck - later

[It's a less confident Natasha who slips off of the ship after her meeting with Wanda, a Natasha with new memories and nursing a stabbing headache. She'd just as soon sneak off the ship without running into anyone else at this point; she could use a little time to herself to recover and regroup.

Even a spy might have a hard escaping a spaceship unnoticed, though.]

Vanquish

[Back on her own ship, Natasha retreats to her bunk almost immediately. She lays down for a bit—but she doesn't stay down long. After enough time to push aside the worst of her nagging headache, she throws herself into activity. Nothing useful. Nothing that takes focus. But empty action, something to work off a little energy while her thoughts are elsewhere. Pushups. Sit ups. Lunges. Whatever she can do with the space she has.

Eventually, the workout might spill out into the corridor...]

Iskaulit

[But after that, her workout will take her to a real gym, somewhere she can actually open up. Anyone who finds her here might run into Natasha taping up her hands before laying into a heavy bag. Or they might run into her working her frustration off on the bag itself. Spectators might be impressed—if they don't know her, and if they don't know people with superpowers. She's stronger than most people take her for, though, and her form is more or less flawless, if you notice those things.

She stays in the gym for a long while, until she feels herself back on top of her emotions. All of her reactions have been identified, categorized and compartmentalized.

That's when she she finally wanders over to one of the bars.

She's earned a drink.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

An observation. It is my nature to always be curious.

Sounds a little like both, without quite admitting to both.

[Natasha seems to focus on the bag, but she doesn't imagine either of them believe it.]

All things and none of them. [He is made of contradictions.]

That sounds like the Loki I know.

[Said ironically; she knows how little she does know him. She wouldn't claim that seriously.]

I doubt you know him at all well. And I am not he.

I don't doubt either point. But I would say there's a strong family resemblance.

Mmm. The only family I have resembles me not at all, though. [All part of the game, the deliberate misinterpretation.]

Resemblance takes a lot of shapes. So does family.

[Said as though shrugging it off.]

Both are pretty lies one might spin, yes? [What family he does have, he mostly protects by keeping it secret.]

I wouldn't know much about that.

[Except oh, she does. She really, really does.]

[He just offers her a look, eyebrow raised. As if to say, really, I thought we were both past this.]

[His look gets a shrug out of her. She didn't expect him to believe her, but that wasn't what she intended anyway.

It wasn't as though he hadn't started this dance.]

So'd you come by for a workout?

I'm already finished for the day. Merely... taking my time.

I suppose we all have plenty of time to kill.

Some more than others.

But in a prison, one must seek out hobbies for the sake of sanity, yes?

I can't say I was ever one to stay in prison that long.

[The fact there doesn't seem to be a way out of this one does rankle, even if he voice is unbothered.]

You shall have to learn new tricks, then.

Yeah, I suppose I shall.

[She says with false levity.]

Unless I figure out how to get out of here.

Now that would be the trick to end all tricks. Though of course, you've something to go back to.

And you don't?

[Vision had claimed that Loki didn't, but Natasha wasn't going to take that at face value. At the very least, she'd make him admit it himself. See if and how he played that card.]

Oh, that didn't make it into the briefings? Curious.

[She spreads her hands, emphasizing a noncommittal shrug.]

I've heard things. Hate to make assumptions based on hearsay, though.

[Dryly.] That would certainly be a first for a human.

[He shrugs one shoulder.] After the dark elves murdered our mother, Thor had me guide him and Lady Foster to Svartalfheim so that we could make good our revenge and perhaps destroy the aether. One of the creatures ran me through with a spear as I sought to defend my brother from its attack.

[A little twitch of displeasure on his face.] It was rather painful, if only briefly.

At any rate, if Thor has not troubled to tell his mortal friends about the aether or the happenings in Asgard, I can offer no excuse for him, other than that he's always been rather thoughtless about details.

Thor doesn't exactly give mission reports. His version of events usually includes tangents about how long minstrels will sing of the battle.

[Said fondly enough, but calculated. The details around what happened in London were muddle at best in Natasha's estimation.

If Loki will let slip more—well she won't trust it, but between the two accounts she might be able to triangulate a plausible series of events.]

Mmm. It wasn't the most glorious of battles. But most aren't, all blood and ash and desperation. And perhaps he hasn't wanted to speak overmuch of our mother's fate. We... felt it deeply.

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