◉ Video

[vagabond_code]

Who: Clint Barton
Broadcast: Video from Clint's room aboard the First Breath.
When: Now.

[People of the First Breath, I hope you like Blur's Song 2, because in the last 48 hours Clint finally decided to pick at the the media files on the Atroma network. He's been listening to this song through the speakers on his communication device at what he believes is a respectable volume, and while it hasn't been playing on repeat, it has been playing multiple times an hour for the last little while.

So when he begins this broadcast it's to the sound of a disembodied voice singing Yeah Yeah. Ohhh yeah, and the dying final chord of that same song announces Clint's message like some sort of unorthadox fanfare.]

Where have I heard that song before? Blur, Song 2. It in a commercial or something?

Can't get it out of my head.

But I can get it in there. Which is - great. Got my hearing back a while ago. Pair of working hearing-aids courtesy of Cisco Ramon and Winn --... somebody. Winn and Cisco. Well, and Kate. Thanks, Kate and Winn and Cisco. I'm not trying to make some sort of announcement though - that's not what this is about. I'm just asking, you know that list of books and movies and things on the network? Does anyone have any suggestions? I tried going through it all in order but there are some wacko things in there. That list of Abominations? I dunno.

[He shakes his head and glances off-camera toward where his door would be, but the distraction is momentary.]

Maybe some day, but for now I was wondering if anyone else has read or watched or heard any of the stuff on there, and if you've got any suggestions.

Oh, and Atroma. If you're listening: just one episode of I Love Lucy? That's cold, even for you.

Comments

video

[takingkarabusiness]

Schott. Winn Schott.

I recommend The Princess Bride and Anastasia, though they might not really be your thing.

video

[vagabond_code]

Right, Scott, right.

Hey wait, I got a thing?

[He knows what she's trying to say, of course, he's just gently ribbing her for the presumption. Clint Barton is exactly the sort of person who would gladly binge-watch network television shows, let alone romantic comedies or Disney-level animated movies.]

[takingkarabusiness]

[ you know what? she's going to let him work that out with winn ]

Well, I assume everyone's got a thing. But you won't know until you try?

[vagabond_code]

I actually already saw The Princess Bride back home. That's the one with the Montoya guy right? "You killed my father, prepare to die."

Isn't Anastasia that one Disney movie about the bat?

[takingkarabusiness]

It's not Disney, it's Fox Animation, and the bat is a minor character. It's about Anastasia, who thinks she's an orphan but ends up being the lost Romanov princess.

video »

[ladybro]

[ things have been tepid (to say the least) between the two hawkeyes. kate hasn't been very forthcoming with why -- although it's no secret that she's lived some more and now harbours memories she's less than keen to share.

that said, she doesn't ghost him. she doesn't freeze him out of her life. how could she? that's the very sin she can't quite seem to forgive him for committing. ]

I'm glad you're making the most of'em. [ ...and she almost leaves it at that. reluctantly: ] Was beginning to worry you'd gone full recluse.

video »

[vagabond_code]

Half, maybe. A little more than half.

[There was no point denying it, was there? But he wasn't in here sulking and drowning himself in drink. So that's a plus.]

You ever notice how loud these ships are? 'cus they're loud.

[Everything seemed loud to him now, still, which was a large part of the reason he hadn't been to any parties lately.]

video »

[ladybro]

No louder than any fashionable street in the city after dark and on a Friday. I mean -- unless you've also been listening to every up-and-coming crappy wannabe Skrillex too.

[ this is the kind of conversation she can just about stomach -- pretending they're both feeling the same kind of nostalgia. she hasn't yet told him about the move to california. ]

video »

[vagabond_code]

Amazing any of us can sleep.

[He smiles,]

Except for me. I can turn my ears off. It's basically a super-power. Do you think it would catch on if I started myself Quiet Man?

[If he intended the irony given his relative radio-silence, he's hiding it well.]

video »

[ladybro]

[ the joke cuts deeper than he intended -- she's certain of it. but kate still feels sore that he never called. they give a guy one phone call, right? and who the hell else did clint have? a fugitive brother and a laundry list of ex-girlfriends.

he should have called. ]

Kind of a dorky name, actually. Alias trends are really heading in an artsy one word direction. Like -- Taciturn. Or Muffle.

video;

[winn]

Really? An archer can't remember Schott? [ his tone is extremely amused. ]

video;

[vagabond_code]

Well I will now.

I mean it Winn. The tech - thank you.

[It still works. So far.]

video;

[winn]

[ so far? wow, so little faith. they got this! ]

You're very welcome. Let me know if you need any adjustment or if it's starting to show signs of wear and tear, we'll fix it for you.

[ seriously, this feels good. it's one of the few projects he actually feels genuine pride for. this mattered. ]

video;

[vagabond_code]

Yeah, been meaning to ask. What are the chances the Atroma guys could mess with them somehow? Is that something I should watch out for?

[Clint had been glitch-free since coming here. If an augment could glitch, why not a hearing aid?]

video;

[winn]

It's not Atroma tech, so you should be fine, but I suppose if they really wanted to they could somehow send a charge from the augment to fry them...which will not be fun, but they're not packing a lot of heat, they shouldn't blow up your ears or anything. And, why go to the trouble, the augment's way better positioned for that -

[ what do you mean he's not helping? ]

- basically I'm like 90% sure the worst they could do is shut them down.

[passingthrough]

I haven't checked much of it out, but I like Princess Bride. I also assume you've been properly berated for forgetting my guy's last name by now?

[vagabond_code]

Your guy? Winn? Winn is your guy?

[Clint had developed a weird distant hostility toward that guy, and didn't really know why. They'd just never gotten along, not a single time they'd spoken. Plus he was one of Kate's friends. So of course Clint was going to give him a hard time.]

[passingthrough]

You didn't know? I figured everyone was aware of us and tired of it by now. We've been together almost a year. [Another month and some days.]

[vagabond_code]

[Kate probably told him at some point, back when they were talking more often. But there was together, and then there was together together. A year - that counts for something.]

Well done - I mean, congratulations.

[He might sound strangely enthusiastic about this, but for one reason or another most of the conversations he's had with kitty so far have ended up in the doom and gloom category. Probably because he's been so interested in where she came from. It's good to see that there are better things beyond that, in her present.

And Winn, well, slowly, he was growing on Clint.

Slowly.]

[passingthrough]

[She smiles at that.] Thanks. He's the best. [Very fondly. She's had a lot of the worst in various ways. Winn adds a lot of good things to her life. Shines a light into that doom and gloom.] I'd take well done too.

How are the hearing aids working out for you?

video

[stefanged]

Ah, that one episode of I Love Lucy would be my fault.

[Stefan winces. Logically, he knows that he can't control what Atroma places on the network, but it was attached with his name and everything.]

I might've told an ex-girlfriend that it was my favorite. Honestly, if I could? I'd take it all back.

video

[vagabond_code]

So what, are you..

un-suggesting it?

video

[stefanged]

Depends. If you like older comedies, then it's fun to watch. If you're expecting it to be the greatest episode of television of all time, then it's gonna miss the mark.

video

[vagabond_code]

Did you watch it yet? It seems like that would be the honorable thing.

video

[stefanged]

[He can't look Clint in the eye as he grumbles – ]

Yeah, it would be my tenth time.