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[uprightness]

Who: steve rogers & open
Broadcast: yes, for a change.
Action: aboard the starstruck, if you're so inclined.
When: current.

[ it seems to be a once-in-a-six-months-thing, Steve Rogers addressing the network like this. it's always when there's something official to say, business to attend to.

he doesn't seem too good at communicating anything else through these. at least he did away with the uniform. this post sees him in a simple black t-shirt and jeans.

and not all too cheerful, big surprise. ]

If you have any official business or need anything from the Starstruck, take it up with me for the time being. I know most of us stocked on things at the planet but if there's anything that you need, just send a word over, we'll see what we can do.

[ that's it for this subject. no, he doesn't want to explain why he's stepping up to the active role of a ship captain, thank you very much.

in fact, he almost looks awkward in light of the next matter: ]

I don't suppose anyone has any spare bags of sand? I could use a bit.

[ he doesn't explain that odd request, either. ]

Comments

[ladybro]

My team isn't a team any longer. [ which sounds so dire, but! ] Not in a bad way. We all do our own things, these days. Joined other outfits, or go it alone, or -- [ her smile is brief, but optimistic. ]

But they're doing well. Fighting the good fight, still.

[uprightness]

That's good news.

[ and lord help him, he needed some. if that what happens to the avengers, steve can just about live with that. it'd be nice to live in a world where there aren't great enough disasters that demand them to regroup. ]

Well, if you ever anything, I promise, I don't make a habit of telling people off.

[ unless they deserve it. erm. maybe they're not entirely different. ]

[ladybro]

I mean -- that's just the Young Avengers. I can't really speak for the 'big leagues,' because they've had their own troubles lately.

[ and it's why she got the hell out of that city. one of the reasons. ]

Can I ask something about the Avengers, Ca--Steve?

[uprightness]

That's what they call us these days?

[ 'the big league'. steve is already more than ready to blame this on tony. ]

You just did.

[ sometimes he goes out of his way to be a shit. ]

Go on. Since you asked so nicely.

[ and used his name. ]

[ladybro]

[ oh, she would sass so bad. so bad -- but not only is this captain america, but it's the captain america who's usually nicer.

she frowns. ]

I mean -- if you're not gonna take it seriously...

[uprightness]

Kate.

[ he says, gives her that all to serious look and maybe, just maybe, he can't get rid of that captain america voice, no matter how much he tries. ]

Go on, I'm listening. What about the Avengers?

[ladybro]

...Is it ever okay for an Avenger to kill?

[ because clint always taught her that avengers don't. not if they can help it. but after what happened back home? ]

[uprightness]

[ all of the sudden, he remembers wanda sitting in her room in front of a television, listening to figures of power defaming her and her potential. he settles back and looks at his hands for a moment or two. ]

Sometimes there isn't a choice. I don't think I've known any Avenger who wanted to kill anyone.

[ three lifetimes ago, the man who changed his life asked him one question as a test, do you want to kill Nazis? steve changed, the answer didn't. ]

but if there's no choice - that's the hard part of the job. One of them.

[ he frowns ]

Not many easy ones, I think.

[ladybro]

But sometimes there is. [ a choice. although some argued that clint hadn't had one, in effect. notably it was never an argument clint himself had made in defense of what had happened that day at the farmhouse. ]

So if there's a choice -- and an Avenger still takes the shot -- what then?

[uprightness]

Then that person made a mistake.

[ steve made one that nearly cost rhodey's life, not to mention tony's. ]

That happens to all of us sometime. It's - taking any life isn't something that leaves you. Not even when you don't have a choice.

[ and when you do, it's that much harder. ]

I don't think a person stops being an Avenger because of a mistake. I suppose it depends on what he does with it. Anything can be salvaged.

[ he likes to think, he has to think. ]

[ladybro]

[ a mistake. is it possible to call bruce banner's murder a mistake? something twitches in her expression. what's worse, she's certain that once upon a time clint would have disagreed with steve on this point. possibly already had. ]

I was taught it'd be considerably more than a mistake. That an Avenger has to be better than that.

[uprightness]

We have to try to.

[ he nods. maybe his answer would have been different some years ago. but after tony's mistake that led to ultron and steve's mistake that led to the avengers breaking apart, well. ]

I wish I could tell you I've always risen to my own expectation. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, I'm not making light of what happened. I'm just saying - it sounds like you really care. I think that as long as people care, things can still be salvaged.

[ladybro]

[ she does. she does care -- so damn much. she cares from toe tip to finger tip and she can feel it, still, whenever she draws back her bowstring. it's seeded a doubt in her.

and doubt is no good. ]

I don't think someone comes back from what Clint did.

[ there. simply said. ]

[uprightness]

Maybe not. Not as the same person.

[ he can give her that. ]

But that doesn't mean it's all lost, either. Some things change us and we can't go back. It took me a while to understand that.

[ after the ice, that is. ]

it doesn't mean that person won't care about you and it definitely doesn't mean you won't care about them. maybe you could still build something. new foundations. I don't think that's impossible.

[ladybro]

It's not him and me I'm worried about. [ kate lies. she doesn't lie often, but she lies about this. ] It's him and the world. The court case was public and...

You guys have Bruce Banner, right? [ the black widow confirmed so, but kate's trying to paint a picture without outright saying it. ]

[uprightness]

We do.

[ he nods and adds, ]

Most of us aren't best friends with any court these days

[ his doing, he won't shy away from that. ]

not the first time that happened. I don't think any of us ever had an easy relationship with the world.

[ladybro]

Mmhm. But that's the problem, I guess. Plenty of people are cheering on the guy who took out the Hulk.

[ the public would even come up to her and shake her hand, even though she wasn't the hawkeye who did it.

problem is, it wasn't the hulk clint killed. it was the man. ]

It's the kinda relationship with the world none of us want to have.

[uprightness]

I think I know what Banner would say but.

[ he shakes his head. it's not his place to speak for him. ]

Sounds like you guys took a serious hit. Have you talked to him since that happened? about - any of that?

[ladybro]

Tried to. [ but clint hasn't been willing to be so chatty. ] Bastard didn't even call me from jail. Who even knows who he wasted his one phone call on.

[uprightness]

[ he smiles a bit. that's the same thing he would have done, probably. ]

Sounds like you two have a lot to talk about when you do meet. But you know - if I were him, I'd be glad to see there's someone who cares about me, even after alla that. He's lucky. Make sure he knows that.

[ladybro]

You realize I'm still looking after his dog? Here and home. Both. [ ... ] He's a dead-beat dog dad.

[ it's a stupid thing to complain about, and god she loves lucky, but -- but she doesn't know how to articulate her disappointment over the whole thing. ]

[uprightness]

You have a dog?

[ EVERYBODY HAS A DOG BUT HIM. ]

You know, lately I've let someone down as well. It was pretty serious. I couldn't face him after that, I ended up sending him a letter. I know many people don't do that anymore but. It was probably the easier way out.

[ he shrugs ]

I regret that now. I wish he were still here so we could try and fix it. He'll feel like that, too. He's not going to avoid you forever. Eventually you'll talk and - he'll have to do his best to rebuild things. It's the same for me, too. It's all we can do.

[ladybro]

Clint has a dog. I just happen to have Clint's dog. Story of my life. [ ... ] His name is Lucky and you're free to visit him on the Blameless whenever you want. [ kate huffs. ] Steve.

[ but now she's curious. ]

Who'd you let down?

[uprightness]

Lucky, huh?

[ look, he's so cheerful already. dogs :> ]

I think I might just take you on that offer.

[ and as for her question, well. ]

Seeing you don't use names, you probably know him as Iron Man.

[ to steve, he was and always will be tony. 'stark' when he's pissed off at him but generally, tony. ]

[ladybro]

Thought so. [ that old chestnut. ] And by 'let him down' do you mean butt heads? Duke it out? 'Cause that's how I ended up in jail the last time around and...

[ well, he doesn't need to know about that. ]

And I can tell you at least that Captain America and Iron Man were on the same side of the last spat that went down. The one with -- the one where Clint...did what he did.