driftfleet | Action + Video | Captain on the bridge. Sort of...

Who: Steve and you!

Broadcast: Video, yes: Fleetwide

Action: SS Bishop
When: Yesterday, after arrival

ACTION:
Steve has just about managed to acquaint himself with the strange, new idea that he is now in space when the next curve is thrown his way. One second he's standing in a hallway, just about to walk up and ask someone if they have any idea what he's doing here. The next, he's...on a bridge. With confetti? And are those pudding cups? What the Hell is going on? He blinks around, his first instinct to always look and see if there is some sort of fight about to happen. Hands are in fists and he really wishes his shield was somewhere around here. But he dropped that in the dirt a few months ago, so fat chance.

Steve will stand down slowly, once no one attacks him right off the bat. Sadly, he's been in this position before; in a strange place and time, not knowing why or how. His thoughts are back on Earth and with the friends he's broken out of their floating prison and now, seemingly, abandoned. Maybe there is a way out of here. Or, maybe, he's needed here more? Hopefully someone is going to be able to talk him through it all.

VIDEO:

Many hours later, Steve sends out a broadcast, finally understanding how and wanting to reach out to anyone else that might be here. Anyone else he might know.

"Uh. Hey. My name is Steve Rogers. Hopefully I'm doing this right and you can all see and hear me. I just arrived about..." He looks down at something and then scrubs a hand over his face as though in disbelief. "Two days ago. A lot got packed into those days, it seems. But I'm sure you all know how that feels."

Steve pauses, shifting a bit before getting closer to the camera, face serious. "I've met some people here so I know that what happened to me has happened to a lot of other good people. I have questions and a lot of things I want to look into. But first, I want to know who else is out there. Who else might have the same questions I do and who wants to start getting some answers."

He moves back and tries to smile. "Or who maybe just wants to talk? Anything. So, yeah. Thanks. How do I....um. Is it this butt-"

Video cuts off abruptly.

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"Thor..."

Steve shakes his head, not even wanting to think about what that man must be going through. "Loki told me about Asgard. That with this...this genocide on top of it?" Yeah. Yeah, they needed to get drunk as soon as possible. Steve flexed his knuckles, the skin already knitting over in the shallow spots.

"Hopefully he has something really strong..."

"If he's gone through anything he had stashed, I wouldn't blame him. But..." She tries to make her tone more practical, solving the problem at hand. It's about all she can do. "Worst case scenario, we see what we can find in the next system. Unfortunately, all I have left is a couple of bottles of something that's almost vodka."

Steve makes a grimacing face at that idea. Something almost vodka? He barely even liked vodka as it was. He's not about to eat it in a gel form or whatever else they had here. He smiles and shakes his head. "I heard something about a...an Iska....Iskal...Something. They apparently have food and drink. Any good?"

"It's okay. Most of what you'll find over there is what the people running the places have been able to pick up. Alcohol tends to be more reliable than food, but..." Natasha shrugs. She thinks of Jarvis and his cafe. "All depends who's working. Sometimes you can find something good there. Better than cabbage soup."

He grins, scrunching up his nose in memory. "Nothing could be worse than cabbage soup with stale bread. I had it almost for a month straight before I got a paycheck and we could add some carrots to it." He nudges Nat and tries to keep the smile on. "And maybe we'll get lucky with the alcohol. Different universes and all."

Natasha matches his smile, both the effort and the difficulty. But they're together on this again, and that counts for something. She doesn't want to admit it, but the fact Steve and Thor know now, that she's not the only Avenger carrying around this information, it takes a lot off her shoulders.

"I'll keep an eye out. And for the time being, well... like I said. If you want company."

"I am always going to want company.. "

Steve sighs and looks down, the loss weighing down on him once again. The failure that the both of them share. He can't imagine what it must have been like to hold on to that secret. What it must be like to know what happened and to be stuck here, unable to stop any of it.

"When I left. You...you gave up a lot to help me and Buck. So as far as I see it, with Bucky the way he is right now, you're probably the best friend I've got here. Of course I'll want your company."

"I did what I had to do." It was the best call in that moment. She'd seen that clearly in the moment—that Steve and Tony were going to collide until one or the other of them broke, and the only way to prevent the worst case scenario was for someone to take the wheel and swerve.

She stood by that.

"You told me once you wanted a friend. That's what you got, for better or worse." Her smile is rueful, remembering that conversation. Among other things.

"For better. It's always been for better."

Steve scrubs a hand over his face but keeps the smile on. What a mess this all was. And for the moment they couldn't even do anything because they were trapped here on this insane show.

Yeah. He needs alcohol. All of it.

"What do you say to messaging Thor and figuring out which one of us can out last the other? Got any other plans tonight?"

"No where else I'd rather be." It sounds like a terrible game, Steve, but if he wants to play it then she'll be there with him. And with Thor. "Should I invite Thor, or do you want to?"

"I'll send him a text. I just figured out how to do that with the computers here." Yeah, he's proud of himself. "Anyone you want to bring along?" He's not the only one mourning, after all. Nat's held this for far longer.

"Can't think of anyone I'd like to go drinking with more than the two of you." At least no one who's still here. She has other friends, but they don't know what's happened, and she's not interested in drawing them into it.

"You can meet everyone else later. Once you've had a chance to settle in."

Steve smiles and pats Nat on the shoulder fondly. They both need this, he thinks. They both need to just mourn with someone who is in the same gripping loss as them. But first, he needs a minute and he's sure she probably does, too.

"I'll contact Thor and meet you over there?"

He looks at the dent he punched in wall and thinks, without any other options, it wasn't a bad way to get some fury out.

"Hour, maybe? Apparently I know how to fly the shuttles, so..."

That gets a laugh out of her. It works like that here sometimes, Steve. It's strange. You don't really get used to it. "Good skill to have." Useful, for a ship. And good to know who's been assigned which augment on what ship. If it comes to a fight—and sometimes, it does—then it makes it easier to plan strategize. "An hour sounds good. I'll see you then?"

Steve needs the time to himself but it also is like ripping off a limb to have Nat leave so soon. She feels like one of the only solid things he has here, right now. And even though Steve is usually the rock for everyone else, it's nice to feel like he has an island to have refuge on, now. Even if for a moment.

"An hour. Yeah." He reaches out and pulls Nat into another hug. "Thanks for being here."

She leans into the hug, leaning on him for a moment. It's a mixed situation. Natasha would never wish Steve back in the fleet. At the same time, there's no one she'd rather have at her back.

"Anytime."

Action + Video | Captain on the bridge. Sort of...

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