(no subject)

[outstandingbalance]

Who: Natasha Romanoff + Anyone
Broadcast: NA
Action: Vanquish, Iskaulit & Planetside
When: 8/15-8/22

Window Shopping

[They won't be hanging around here much longer. Natasha's been here over a year now, she knows the rhythm of these things. Before long, they'll be dragged off to drift for a while before they end up who knows where next time.

Seems like a good time to take advantage of what they have, while they have it.

That means shopping—at least seeing if there's anything she wants before they leave. Bookstores get special attention, and boutiques, but that doesn't mean Natasha won't slip into any number of stores looking at everything from snacks to weapons. If she spots someone she knows while she's out, she's not above dragging them along for opinions. She'll pick up a pair of shoes or a novel or a knife flashing it for inspection.]

What do you think? Worth it?

[She probably won't actually buy it, but it'd be a waste not to at least consider.]

Beach Trip

[Natasha does, in fact, wear a bikini. She just wears strategic cover ups to disguise the major scars on her hip and shoulder. Works well enough, as long as she doesn't get in the water.

It's busy, but she does a pretty good job of not paying attention to the ads. She divides most of her time between a book and watching other people enjoying the sun and surf.

Toward the end of the day, she'll decide it's time for some company.]

I'm pretty sure there's a bar up the beach a little? Looks tacky, and I bet the drinks are watered down.

[She stands, brushing the sand from her wrap.] Coming?

Vanquish

[After weeks of laying low and spending most of her time off ship, Natasha seems to have finally decided to stick around. At least, more than she has been. This morning, she can be found in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and sipping coffee. There's more for anyone who wants it; she made plenty.

She doesn't seem inclined to start a conversation herself, but there's a sense of her paying more attention than she has in a while, quietly marking the coming and going of the crew, maybe doing some kind of mental calculus or maybe just people watching.

It's hard to say with her.]

Comments

beach, please

[reconstitution]

[ The beach has been nice, even with all the distractions and the people. It's been a long time since he's been able to actually sit in the sand and enjoy some goddamn water. Companionable silence passes between them for hours, both reading or trecking down to the shore to enjoy the water.

Things have been both a little complicated between them, but the further it goes, the more simple it actually feels. It definitely helps not naming whatever it is. Unnecessary, really. They know what they are to one another and it doesn't need to be any more than that. Spending more time with Natasha has also been a really great perk.

Looking up from his book, he dog-ears the page and follows suit, standing up. ]

In a tourist spot? Of course they're watered down.

[outstandingbalance]

Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to you. [He gets a smile from her. It's funny, this is the first thing they've said to each other in over an hour. Not that it's new for them not to be comfortable in silence with each other, but this is a different kind of comfort.

She likes it.] C'mon. I bet they serve drinks with tiny plastic swords in them.

[reconstitution]

Eh, it still tastes pretty good. [ Quickly brushing sand off his legs, Bucky falls into step on her left as they walk down the beach toward the heavily advertised bar. It's one of those you can walk right into, and it's pretty damn cool. ]

I will also accept overly-fruity drinks with those little paper umbrellas.

[outstandingbalance]

Is there any other kind? [Her tone light, pleased to have Bucky playing along like this. Fruity drinks aren't normally her go-to, but she makes exceptions when they are literally on the beach.] Don't pretend you don't like them sweet. I'm onto you.

i wear your granddad's clothes, i look incredible

[reconstitution]

[ It takes a while to want to leave the ship, but so far, the day has been spent window shopping and making a list of places to stop when it is time to stock up before leaving. The meandering from shop to shop is good, and it's not something Bucky typically does. Anything they have purchased this go-around is stuffed in his backpack.

It's definitely mostly books. But this feels like maybe what normal people do, and it's strange, but also relaxing. Especially with her. She asks him the question and he puts down the boots he was looking at to give her shoes an appraisal.

There are a few moments of silence before he stumbles over some sort of answer. ]

I like the color? [ Oh my god who does he look like, Natasha? ]

[outstandingbalance]

So do I. [There is a non zero chance that she asked him his opinion in the first place specifically because she didn't expect him to have one. But who knows? Sometimes he surprises her.

She tests the heel's sturdiness thoughtfully.] They might be nice if we have to dress up again. Not sure I could run in them without breaking one though...

[To say nothing of landing kicks.]

[reconstitution]

[ When she tests them, he nods at her opinion. ] Maybe there will be something a little sturdier in another shop.

[ Hell, if there is the opportunity again, pieces of the outfit do need to be versatile, especially after Dreadhorse's ball. ]

We can come back for them if you don't?

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha gives the shoes a last considering look before she sets them aside. He followed her line of thinking. She's not surprised by that.]

I don't think they're worth coming back for—which answers that question, hm?

Vanquish

[itstheirworld]

[Enid's made a fairly clear schedule to if she is making anything in the kitchen on any given day. As it so happens, today she isn't working on the planet, so she feels inclined to do at least something to fill her time. She comes in shortly after Natasha does and takes note of her presence, but says nothing right away.

She remembers her from the first day she arrived on the ship, though. A slight nod of her head is all she gives in greeting before she goes about frying up some fresh produce she acquired as a bonus for her work in the field. Apparently her employer thinks she's such a hard worker for someone her age! She feels that is not really true, but she's not the type to pass up free food. Eventually what she has is stir fry made up and set out for anyone to take on the table.

Turning to Natasha then, she lifts her eyebrows up, inquisitively.] Would you like some?

[outstandingbalance]

I wouldn't say no. It smells good.

[She offers a half smile, considering the food and the work being done on the other side of the kitchen.]

It also smells fresh. Did you go shopping, or...?

[There's always alternatives.]

[itstheirworld]

Okay. I can only hope it tastes as good as it smells.

[She locates the silverware necessary to produce a moderate portion on a plate before setting in front of the redhead. Then works on taking some for herself.]

Mmhm. It is all fresh. A gift for working in the fields.

[outstandingbalance]

That would do it. There's always jobs around places like this, seems. Usually I end up tending bar, but...

[Natasha stirs the food around on her plate, then takes an experimental bite before nodding in acceptance. Definitely food.]

That's a good way to get stuff like this, and stuff like this is always welcome when we get to drift week.

window shopping

[postocular]

[ It's one of those rare occasions where he's by himself. With Rick in a coma and Enid off doing whatever it is she does, Carl ventures into the city. He needs to try and resupply before they leave, since there's no telling when his dad is going to wake up. Or if he will, but he's trying to push that thought to the back of his mind.

Mostly, he's wandering around to get the lay of the land before making any sort of purchase. He doesn't have a great deal of credits, but he can still get something.

No matter how long Carl's been in the fleet, buying things people worried about before everything went to shit still kind of blows his mind. He's gotten used to it, sure, but it's still weird. Which is how Natasha found him in the crowd. Mostly, he's tagging along, but doing him a solid with giving him company.

When she asks his opinion on shoes? He can't help but raise that single eyebrow with a shrug of indifference. ]

I dunno.. will they be useful?

[outstandingbalance]

Just about anything could be useful, if the right situation comes up. All depends what happens.

[Heels can be impractical at times, true, but other times... well, if someone's on the lookout for a woman who's five foot four, some discreet wedges can go a long way toward throwing them off track.]

Plus, they look nice.

[Still putting them down.]

[postocular]

[ File under: things people don't worry about in the apocalypse. People tend to be more direct when they're attacking you, and blending in is pretty hard to do unless it's with a pack of walkers. ]

They all look pretty much the same to me. [ Not that they're not nice. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[No, Natasha wouldn't imagine there's a lot of need for disguises with zombies. But they're not surrounded by zombies.]

Fine, fine. We can keep going. Can't blame me for taking a look, though.

beach.

[ladybro]

[ they didn't come here together. hell, kate didn't even realize the black widow was here until she stood up and spoke. it's embarrassing, really -- she's supposed to have sharp eyes, but somehow the redhead had escaped her notice.

(it occurs to her with a sour twist that natasha's presence wouldn't have missed clint's careful eye, though she's quite certain that would be fore entirely separate reasons.

she scrambles to her feet and shades her eyes, grabbing an oversized t-shirt as a cover-up that had been until now doubling as a pillow. ]

Uhhh -- sure? Yes. The answer is definitely yes. You were talking to me, right?

[outstandingbalance]

[For being the kind of person you'd expect to draw attention, Natasha is very good at getting lost in a crowd. Plus considering she was sitting quietly and reading, there wasn't much to notice until she spoke up anyway.

Now, she raises her brows and glances over her shoulder.]

You're the only person here I know, and I'm not in the mood to drink alone.

[ladybro]

[ kate grabs her beach bag -- something woven from grass and twisted fabrics sourced on a different planet where the fleet had stopped. she slings it easily over her shoulder. ]

Then -- absolutely. Count me in. It won't be the first time I've paid too much for too little alcohol. I doubt it'll be the last, either.

shopping

[candothat]

[Well, fancy spotting Natasha in a bookstore. Chekov--engaging in a bit of retail therapy today instead of moping around on the Tourist--peers over his own small stack of books to examine the cover of whatever Natasha is holding.]

Yes, worth it. There are too few books in the fleet.

[outstandingbalance]

It's been a while since I read much, but the last month or so I've been getting back in the habit.

[She turns the novel over in her hands. It seems rather dense and literary, but in a way that reminds her of the Russian novels she'd learned to love when she was young.]

Didn't used to have much time for it.

[candothat]

There is little else to do while drifting.

[Somewhat wistful and not entirely true. He sets his books down so he can continue browsing the store's selection.]

When you did have time, what did you like to read?

vanquish, late af

[scanninggaydis]

[What a coincidence, Felix has also been laying low. (Although not spending much time off ship because he doesn't really have off ship friends.) But it seems like he and Natasha have had a similar period of cooldown, because Felix has also recently taken to actually spending any time - at least any time that's also an hour that anyone should be awake - in the public spaces of the ship.

He walks into the kitchen, sees her, pauses, and then kind of just nods as he heads for the coffee.]

That isn't a personal pot, is it?

[It's a lot of coffee if it is.]

never too late

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha hasn't exactly been trying to avoid Felix for a while now, but she hasn't been seeking him out either. After what he'd seen... well, she isn't in a hurry to answer questions.

This question, however, is easy.]

Help yourself. There's enough for everyone. [Well, not precisely.] If you finish it up, I can put on another pot.

Re: never too late

[scanninggaydis]

[Oh, he's not going to ask questions. There'd be too much of a chance that Natasha would decide to ask some of her own, and he kind of also doesn't want to talk about what she saw in his head. Dream. Whatever.

He smiles very faintly at her (it last for a few seconds) before he pours himself a cup.]

Thanks. How have you been?

[The implication of not seeing her around much is there, but he's not voicing it explicitly.

Small talk is good, right?]