everybody's starstruck in june.

[mucked]

Who: starstruck crew & visitors
Broadcast: n/a
Action: aboard the ship
When: june

[ another month; another mingle. but there are changes in the air! the starstruck has some fresh crew to boast of, as well as a spiffing new lounge. things have been difficult, lately -- the common area might make for a great place to decompress and socialize with your fellow starstruckers.

after all, it seems the captain's gone and requisitioned max's record player. for the first week in june, it'll be returned again and again to the new lounge. good luck hiding it from her, rockatanksy.

ready steady go! ]

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

You say that now. [She sounds amused by it, and perhaps not entirely convinced.]

Well. It is still under consideration. I do like my privacy too.

[mucked]

And you're concerned I might prove myself a bit too prying? [ a smile. ] I suppose any defense I tried to raise for myself would sound a bit hollow at this point.

[outstandingbalance]

Prying might be the wrong word. Maybe just too perceptive.

[mucked]

[ that so? her smile sharpens. ]

I hope you're not suggesting my powers of perception worry you, Natasha.

[ -- it's all in good fun. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[It was said in good fun to start with. That and to lighten the conversation, keep the topic of her possible transfer as noncommittal as possible.]

Your powers of perception are a factor to consider.

[mucked]

Perhaps I could use the practice.

[ she's getting rusty out here in space; she knows it. things are comfortable, recent defeats not withstanding. ]

[outstandingbalance]

So you're saying I should join your crew to keep you sharp?

[mucked]

That depends. [ her head tilts. ] Would it work?

[ to convince her; peggy already knows it'll keep her sharp. ]

[outstandingbalance]

Couldn't hurt. Whether or not it would help...?

[Natasha shrugs. Maybe she likes being a little less sharp—but her instinct says that's not a good thing.]

[mucked]

I suppose we wouldn't know until we tried. Is that correct?

[outstandingbalance]

You're not wrong about that. I guess we'll just have to see.

[mucked]

-- There isn't any rush. [ she reiterates. ] It's not like we haven't got our own little influx of fresh meat to contend with, just now.

Best to let the rookies get settled.

[ before they might have to cope with living alongside both peggy and natasha. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Maybe Peggy should ask the crew before inviting Natasha over. That really is a lot of spy to deal with.]

You'll have to tell me how they do.

[A half smile, amused and mock impressed.]

I noticed you poached Sam off the Heron.

[mucked]

[ peggy raises a hand, as if in self-defense. ]

No. That's -- well, sort of. [ a bob of her head. ] I don't poach off the Heron. I told him if he wanted to join the Starstruck, then he'd need Barnes's permission to transfer. I'm not interested in stripping his ship of anything it might need.

[ clearly, she doesn't offer that same courtesy to the other ships. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Clearly, which is interesting. Natasha lets it go through.]

I could say something about honor among thieves here, but Sam wouldn't have transferred if it wasn't where he wanted to be. Not surprising that he followed Steve.

[Natasha just might have liked having someone else on Heron to keep an eye on Barnes too.]

But I have to give you a little bit of a hard time.

[mucked]

-- He's got a way of inspiring loyalty. [ steve does. it doesn't show quite as often in the fleet, perhaps -- but that's because steve allows himself the back burner.

nevertheless, she'd seen it during the war. ] Sam could hardly wait before putting his transfer request in. Do him and Barnes not get along?

[outstandingbalance]

I wouldn't know. Never had the chance to spend much time with the three of them. But I can guess...

[A sort of smile, sad and covering it only in the most perfunctory manner.]

Sam is a good guy, but it's not hard to see why there'd be tension between the two of them.

[mucked]

[ -- she recognizes the art to natasha's leading hint and can't help but smile. ]

I'm not looking to make guesses. [ but nor is she asking, either. not really. ] It can't just be the bit about the Winter Soldier.

[outstandingbalance]

No, I don't think it's that.

[What Natasha does know is that when Bucky was under Hydra's control, Sam wasn't his greatest advocate. He also doubts Sam loves the way Steve gets stupid where his friend is concerned.

But there's more to it than that.]

I can just imagine why they might not mesh.

[mucked]

-- Wilson's nosy.

[ she offers up this verdict a little too freely, perhaps. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha spreads her hands, a gesture of surrender. It's all just a guess.]

I think even if they got along, Sam would still want to be on Steve's ship.

[mucked]

[ and, as she's as good as already said, peggy can't quite blame him. ]

-- Yes. Well. Ideally, he'll learn a bit of moderation in his prying. [ if he's to make a home aboard the starstruck; peggy won't brook that kind of needling on every day. ]

[outstandingbalance]

You know, some people might call that being friendly. Taking an interest.

[Not people like Natasha and Peggy, but Peggy might have brought this one on herself.]