driftfleet | mission 02: voice, action

Entry tags:

mission 02: voice, action

Who: ~~Steve~~ Rogers (AU)
Broadcast: Fleet
Action: Heron or Iskaulit; Work, Art Therapy, Gym
When: During drift

broadcast
If you could have any name, would you keep your own or pick something new?

action
[ If you're looking for this former star-spangled menace, he can generally be found one of two places. On the Heron, attending to his ship responsibilities, or on the Iskaulit, tentatively settling in with newer responsibilities. He can often be found in the gym, preferably at odd hours, and it's not inconceivable he might wander into the art therapy room to see what it's all about. ]

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I think I'd do whatever I want.

[Which elides the fact she can and has come up with new identities many times.]

[ It's pure coincidence his snort sounds suspiciously like a laugh. ]

I don't doubt that.

[Complete coincidence.]

Don't be to shocked, but I may have even done that once or twice before.

For a while, at least.

[ The coincidence-iest. ]

Changed your name or have done whatever you please?

Oh, one or the other of those.

[Maybe not the second one all that often, but... it's been known to happen.]

Alright. [ He ponders that for a moment. If names are discardable, ] What does identity mean to you?

[Now that, that is a more complicated question. It doesn't exactly trip Natasha up, but there's a pause before she answers, a noticeable hesitation.]

I told someone once that the truth isn't all things to all people, all the time. Neither am I.

[She snorts. The context had been different then. But it's more complicated than that.]

Then I asked who he wanted me to be.

[Even Natasha's not entirely sure if this is a dodge.]

Who do you want to be?

I guess it would depend on someone's perspective. I don't know, Romanoff. I feel the truth should be the truth, regardless of what someone might try to dress it up as.

[ Facts are facts. They make him feel slightly more settled, even if he might not like what the facts add up to. ]

Haven't figured that out yet, beyond not being someone who does HYDRA's dirty work.

I'd still say that's a matter of perspective.

[Not an attempt to change his mind or defend her position. In a way, that makes it like a statement of fact?]

That's a pretty good start. A little long for a name, but...

[ Semantics. ]

Maybe I'll shorten it to 'that guy'.

[Exactly.]

Hm. You could. Might be underselling it a little.

[ Alright, you Russian smartass. ]

Go ahead and suggest something. Less 'underselling'.

That's the harder part. Usually when I'm coming up with aliases, I'll go with something close to the name I'm used to. Easier that way.

[Or maybe she's just not that creative? Who knows.]

If you're not used to anything, doesn't give you much to work with.

And you don't look like a Grant.

[ That. That is - unexpected. So unexpected, in fact, that his eyebrows shoot up, and the kind of expression associated with lemons flickers across his face. ]

Grant belongs to me as much as everyone says Steve does. I've got more right to it than randomly picking, say -- Phillip.

[Quick as it is, the expression says a lot coming from him and Natasha is quick to realize how her joke—meant to lighten the mood and take some pressure off Rogers—backfired.

She has the good grace to look rueful.]

You do have every right to it. And if it feels less like it belongs to someone else...

[ Neither of them knew, but now the name is lying there like a white glove tossed down in challenge. He doesn't make an overt move to pick it up. But it's lurking, now. Something to think about. ]

Less like the script of a play, or a mission. Putting on someone else's life. [ He lets out a breath. ] Maybe. Guess I could make everyone's life easier and choose something like Stefan.

When you put it that way, Grant sounds a lot better.

[Wryly, a little flippant, but there's some very real support there. She doesn't push, but if he's going to show an inclination to exercise his agency like that, she'll encourage it.]

[ Something eases in his expression, and maybe the set of his jaw relaxes just a little too. In the face of Natasha's willingness to accept what is, for Steve, a large and somewhat terrifying step. ]

It does. [ he clears his throat. ] Something to think about, anyway.

Just let me know. I'll update your contact in my phone.

[No rush. But if he wants to sit with it for an hour or a day.]

Anyone else have interesting things to say? I figure a lot of people have opinions about names.

I will. [ With a faint note of bewilderment, that Natasha is sticking with this association between them for no discernable reason other than she wants to. That's going to feel weird for a long time. ] People do have opinions. Lots of them.

Seems like people keep their original ones because it's easy, or there's something meaningful. [ which doesn't help him out much, but at least it's intel. ]

Easy is probably why most people do most things. [Natasha's been guilty of that too.] But it's not usually a strong argument.

But having a meaningful connection does.

[ make a strong argument. ]

If you have a meaningful connection, it does. Sounds personal.

[By which she means, there's no requirement to have one.]

Aren't most things personal? In that people care about things when it touches them in some way?

[ as opposed to making a choice simply because it's the right one. ]

Maybe. Something like this, probably.

[Something where there's no right answer.]

Other things... like I said, it depends. Sometimes we try not to let it get personal.

Clouds the judgment.

(no subject)

unspangled - 2019-04-25 14:37 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

outstandingbalance - 2019-04-25 17:12 (UTC) - Expand

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