(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

[passingthrough]

Nope.

Mmm, I think somehow I might be able to dance without needing every inch of the room. [So you can stay.] You want to join in?

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha glances at the mirror uncertainly, considering, then shakes her head a little.]

I might watch a while though.

How old is she for this?

[passingthrough]

Fair enough. [She starts to stretch.] So where are you from?

~10ish? smol but not tiny YOUNGER THAN ICONS I KNOW

[outstandingbalance]

Far from here, I think

[Though it's hard to say for sure. She's still trying to figure it out herself.]

[passingthrough]

[That gets a chuckle.] Good bet. Earth? I'm from Chicago.

[outstandingbalance]

American? [She doesn't do as good of a job hiding her frown as she should. Are they speaking English? She should know that.]

[passingthrough]

Once upon a time. [Nation fell.] What about you?

[outstandingbalance]

Volgograd. [She admits finally.] Russia.

[passingthrough]

Ah. I speak Russian too. Not that it matters much here. [Helpful?]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha frowns, then switches to Russian herself.]

There's something weird here, with language.

[passingthrough]

It seems like we can understand most languages here. [In Russian] But not necessarily speak them ourselves. But I could do this back home. I speak in Japanese with one of my crewmates sometimes. The only problem there is I know a more modern version. Not really a problem since I understand it anyway though.

[outstandingbalance]

How did you learn it? I did not think many Americans speak Russian.

[passingthrough]

My husband was Russian. He was from the Ust-Ordynsky Collective. And I just pick up languages easily.

[outstandingbalance]

He is a country boy, then. But he taught you well. Your Russian is good.

[passingthrough]

City girl and country boy. He worked on a farm and everything. [Until everything was the worst in the world and then everything was the worst in their relationship too.]

Thanks. It's one I have more practice with.

[outstandingbalance]

How did you meet, from other sides of the world?

[A defector?]

[passingthrough]

He was recruited to a team I later joined. [Stretching done she starts by doing some basic moves and positions at the barre as she talks.]

[outstandingbalance]

Recruited to a team in America.

[She watches Kitty's exercise, measuring her up.]

[passingthrough]

Hard to believe?

[She is out of practice but it's clear she's had training and has talent for it. She still has great control over her body, but it's more accustomed to fighting than dancing these days.]

[outstandingbalance]

A little. But there are much harder things to believe.

[Natasha's response is soft, though, her attention more on Kitty's form. She recognizes the skill... but also very likely what she moves more like.]

[passingthrough]

Like Santa Claus? Always thought that was far-fetched. Also Jewish though.

[outstandingbalance]

[That gets a laugh out of Natasha. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Natasha didn't have the chance for that illusion, either.]

You would have to be very sheltered to believe in such a thing.

[passingthrough]

Probably. [She tilts her head and looks at the younger girl.] So, is your name really Natalia? Because you seem more like a Natasha to me. [She can't be sure, but something in the voice and behavior. Even the things she doesn't say reminds her of the other woman. And it wouldn't be this time the augments pulled a fast one.]

[outstandingbalance]

Natalia. [She frowns a little, wondering about how Kitty brings that up.] Did your husband teach you that?

[passingthrough]

[It takes her a moment to catch the meaning there because, no, she didn't realize one was a nickname for the other and she's only guessing at it now, but it makes the pieces fit more seamlessly.] Just a guess.