(no subject)

[outstandingbalance]

Who: Natasha Romanoff
Broadcast: Fleedwide
Action: Iskaulit to start with
When: 16 Nov

Video

[The broadcast is brief and obviously accidental. A young girl's face appears on screen, confused and tense, then almost at once her brows draw down and together in an intense frown. Her expression is dark and thoughtful as the feed shakes, then cuts out entirely.

For those paying attention, the corridors off the Islaulit can be identified behind her before the transmission ends.]

Action

[When she wakes up, a young Natasha finds herself in what appears to be a small dance studio. Unfamiliar, but not too shocking. The mirror, the barre, the wood flooring, are all things she's accustomed to. It isn't where she expects to be, but it is somewhere she would expect to wake up in a general sense, in a general way.

Waking up somewhere strange isn't completely shocking either.

It's not until she ventures out into the rest of the Iskaulit that she starts feeling out of her depth. She can't place where she is, even where she might be. There's no outside. The structures are nothing like she's scene before. The computers are completely alien to her. The people are worse. She avoids them, of course. At least at first. Sneaking through shadows and hidden corners, in ducts if she's lucky enough to find access. She observes what she can, trying to work together the situation as she can, applying what training she can. But how much she can do is limited.

Tiny spy is out of her depth.

Which is what forces her to come out of hiding. (Maybe that was the point?)

When she finally lets herself be approached, she's already determined to put on a lost, scared face. It's for the best. That way people will underestimate her. Trust her more. It's a good plan.

The expression might not be entirely fake, though, and she can't entirely hide her suspicious skittishness. The end effect isn't entirely unlike a stray cat begging for food.]

((OOC: Augment glitch? Come play with smol murder ballerina.))

Comments

iskaulit »

[mucked]

[ -- peggy's been shooting. shooting, of course, at the firing range. and with her old antique of a revolver, found on the dusty moon many stops ago, so it leaves a lingering stink of gunpowder in the air. and so it's with her shoulder-bag packed and her hair pinned up and her leather jacket worn once again that she strides her way through the iskaulit.

at first, she feels prone to ignore the girl. why should she approach? whoever she is, she's better met with someone else int he fleet -- someone else whose ways are kinder and whose generosity knows fewer limits. but something about the hungry look in the girl's eyes inspires peggy to stop. to stop, to frown, and to give the girl a measuring look. ]

-- You look lost. [ and she certainly does look lost. peggy's words are carefully chosen. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha frowns at the statement—and the accent. Mostly at the accent. Trying to think about what language she's hearing makes her uncomfortable, but she's sue it's not Russian.

For the moment, maybe better if she doesn't let on she understands? She shakes her head in what she thinks comes across as a sign she doesn't know what's being said.]

[mucked]

[ hm. peggy makes no secret of her sudden, sharpish curiousity. ordinarily, she might have assumed the girl spoke another language -- but with the augments in play, she figures that's impossible. she does think about clint barton, however, and his lack of hearing. ]

It's alright if you are -- lost, I mean. [ she tries to speak as clearly as she can. ] The Iskaulit is a largish ship.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha drops her eyes, still feigning ignorance. She files away the name though—a ship? That at least explained some things. Just not what she's doing here.

She doesn't speak. She's not sure she wants to reveal her own accent just yet.

No way of knowing if Peggy would trust her.]

Dance Studio

[passingthrough]

[Kitty heads into the dance studio dressed for a work out. For as much as she loves dancing she hasn't really done much in the way of practicing ballet like she did in her youth. Her time on the Iskaulit is normally logged exercising, sparring, or running the obstacle course. But with the losses starting to pile up she thought it might be good to work through that with some pliés and pirouettes.

She notices she's not alone before any of that and it makes her consider acting like she just has the wrong room for a second. Considered and rejected.] Hey.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha takes in Kitty, seeing a dancer. When she speaks, the girl's brow crinkles, confused by the sound of her voice.

Not what she'd expect, somehow.]

You've come to practice?

[passingthrough]

I was thinking about it. I'm rusty. Never know when this whole thing might escalate into a dance off. [She smiles—kidding.]

action;;

[reconstitution]

[ It's not often that he wanders over to the Iskaulit anymore, but he's been feeling particularly restless on the Heron. There's only so many times he can make rounds on his own ship before the walls feel like they're closing in.

There aren't many people around, so he manages to go mostly unnoticed. The way he happens to come across the little spy is entirely too coincidental. She does look lost, but there's something about her appearance feels familiar though he can't place it immediately. Bucky casts a glance in her direction and knows the feeling she's telegraphing.

Trapped, working a way out of it. At first, he says nothing, merely inclining his head at her. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[He's alone. That's one of the first things Natasha notices. She likes that, preferring it to groups. In that way, he's a good mark. In others... he reminds her off men she's known. That's probably not a good sign, but it is familiar. That might be why she edges closer, keeping an eye on him.

The fact he keeps his distance doesn't make him useful, but on some level she prefers it.

When he nods, she drops her gaze.]

[reconstitution]

[ When she looks away, it's like something clicks. It's something he's seen before, or at the very least, there's some inkling of nostalgia. Then he remembers- being shown memory when he'd barely known who he was. A ballerina doll with an uncanny resemblance to Natasha. The stage cast in red, being shown Odessa from an entirely different perspective.

There is a way to make absolutely sure he's right. The Russian comes easier, sometimes. ]

« If you're going to follow someone, be a little more subtle. »

Iskaulit

[takingkarabusiness]

[ Kara sees her and approaches, very friendly ]

Hey, are you lost?

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha forces herself to hold her ground. Her instinct is to slide back, keeping her distance. Kara's body language is open though. She's not threatening... even if she speaks English, her accent American.

So playing the lost child.

Natasha shakes her head, pretending not to understand the question, her eyes wide. She doesn't entirely read as innocent though.]

[takingkarabusiness]

You're not lost? Because you look at least just a little lost.

Iskaulit /peeks at shyly may I?

[bythewaves]

[ Maglor has been intermittently poking around the Iskaulit - moreso since he realised there is a garden - looking to maybe set up a place where he can play music and not bother anyone too much, since he doesn't exactly... sleep.

He is sitting playing his harp idly in one such room that might be suitable when he becomes aware that he is being watched, and he lifts his head curiously ]

Who is there? [ He keeps his voice low and calm, not wanting to spook his visitor ]

Of course!

[outstandingbalance]

[The harp is a curiosity. Not the kind of instrument that Natasha would expect to find someone playing in a situation like this. It's not like the harps she might recognize either.

Keeping her distance, Natasha glances from his hands to his face when he speaks up. Rather than answer his question, she says:]

You do not have to stop.

[bythewaves]

[ a girl child! And very young. He smiles at her and obligingly sets his fingers back to work, coaxing out ripples of music like ripples of the water ]

Do you like music, youngling?

Iskaulit

[stretchy_girl]

[Patter patter patter.

It seems that little Natasha has picked up a tail, literally, considering that she's being determinedly followed by what looks like one of the fleet's furry space vermin. Gemini herself uses these ducts to sneak around on the Iskaulit, so when she finds someone else using them even if it's a child she can't help but be suspicious.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha's no stranger to vermin. The kind she's used to are more mundane, though; and even one of those would have been met with suspicion. Even in the confined space, she wiggles around to keep her eye on the approach of tiny feet.]

[stretchy_girl]

[The creature stops when Natasha does, beady little unblinking eyes fixed on the girl's own. While the creature looks as dirty and mangy as any of the other space vermin infesting the ships, there's something unnatural about the way it just stops and stares, as if waiting for Natasha to move on.]

iskaulit;

[uprightness]

[ it's that sort of morning.

steve is growing more and more worried about the shockwave and the message that came from within the planet, from the planet itself as some have theorized. with little else to do, he heads towards the library to try and see if there is any information about the odd language they are trying to look into.

and suddenly, a child. he stops in his tracks and stands, doesn't approach her at once. she seems worried and he knows that something about his appearance can be worrying to newcomers. ]

hi.

[outstandingbalance]

[Big, stern and American?

Natasha's eyes narrow and she shakes her head slightly, once again going for the pretense she does understand.

She doesn't answer, but she does keep watching him.

She has a long way to go before she has her adult self's subtlety.]

[uprightness]

[ he tilts his head. well, that never happened before and honestly, it's a bit surprising. everyone on the fleet seem to understand one another perfectly no matter what world and time they're from.

this is absolutely a first but he raises both arms to show he doesn't mean her any harm. ]

You can't understand me? what's your name?

[ he places a hand just above his heart. ]

Steve.

[ iskaulit ]

[revengeofthemordsith]

[ Cara isn't fooled and it shows. ]

What are you trying to do?

[outstandingbalance]

What do you mean?

[She hasn't tried anything yet, has she? Just trying to get close. Just trying to figure out what's going on here.

So maybe she's tried something.]

[revengeofthemordsith]

[ She eyes Natasha warily. A young mord'sith is still dangerous and the rules apply. ]

Let me say it differently. What do you want?