driftfleet | (no subject)

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's true, but it's hard not to be curious, isn't it? [And Natasha has to wonder if she's not the copy that other versions of her don't want to follow in the footsteps up.

Little does she know.] If you can't judge yourself, who can you judge?

-- Do you know what a 'mayfly' dimension is?

[ a beat. it's entirely possible this was a word made up just by her and her crew. it may never have caught on. ]

Humour me a moment. I swear it'll make sense in a moment.

I've never heard it. Go ahead, explain it.

Mayflies live for like, what? A day? A few at most? [ kate shrugs; she can't remember the biology. it's not important. ] A few years back me and mine were stuck hopping between these dimensions that were more like in-between dimensions. Brimming over with bad things, and all of them craving to me more than instant of time and space. Fractional worlds. And the things that lived there were jealous of anyone and anything that came from somewhere more...permanent.

[ ... ] That's where you run into some of the worst versions of yourself.

[That sounds both ridiculous and terrible, and Natasha can certainly imagine why people some place like that wouldn't be fun to run into.]

There's versions of you even somewhere like that?

Harpy versions. A whole world of them. [ ... ] I figure it's free game to judge them.

When you say harpy versions, you mean figuratively? [Natasha hates that she has to clarify that. The fact there's a non zero chances it could be a literal description is annoying. Very annoying.]

Nope. I mean literally. There were feathers.

[ she goes ahead and drains her cup. it was not cool. ]

I really dislike this part of the job, you know that?

The weird and the wacky part? [ kate's head bobs in a nod. ] Yeah. It's far from the best.

The part that makes no goddamn sense.

[The wacky doesn't usually hit Natasha in the face—not until it does.]

But now I sincerely hope there's not a version of me out there somewhere who's an actual spider.

Never say never. [ kate fully believes such a version probably exists. not least of all because... ] We already have Spider-Man and Spider-Woman and Silk and alla them. Maybe there's a version where you've bit bitten by a radioactive widow.

We do have a Spider-Man. Not for long, but... [She shrugs. How many spider people do they have to have? And why did Tony drag out that one? Both mysteries.]

You do, huh?

[ well. that makes sense. spider-man is a staple. kate nods -- but she wonders which spider-man. sure, she knows neither of them by their actual names but the difference has always been known. there's the guy that slung web when she was still a kid, and there's the new guy -- still a just a kid himself. ]

He's one of the few big names back home who manages to keep his identity under wraps. Is that true for you guys also?

His identity isn't public. There are a few people who know, though.

[Tony, definitely. Does Natasha? It's a mystery. Natasha may or may not know anything.]

We aren't really close though.

The new guy -- the new Spider-Man -- back home? I don't think he's much close with anyone. Except the other Champions, I guess. Young bucks who quit the Avengers during the whole fracas over predictive justice.

Sounds like a mess we haven't had to deal with. At least, not yet.

And maybe you'll never have to. Fingers crossed.