ataraxion | fifth shot; video

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fifth shot; video

Two things. One, I'm one of the flight officers now. Name's Clint Barton.

Second... Still looking for some materials. If anyone has an extra mattress you don't want, I'll take it off your hands. Old winter coats, scraps of clothes from home you'd like to see someone tear up? I'll take those, too.

[He is about to end the feed when he has an additional thought:]

If you see a little dark-haired kid in a suit in places he's not supposed to be, let me know. He answers to "Anthony".

[Satisfied now, Clint slings a quiver of arrows and a sleek black bow over his shoulder before shutting off the transmission.]

[Text to Ultimates/allied Avengers; encryption 100%]

Did anyone else have an issue with those masks? I haven't felt right since those things showed up.

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I've never spoken to him. But if he's a lawyer, watch what you say.

Yes of course. That goes without saying.

[She can handle herself around him, and really he's proving a formidable opponent which is, well, entertaining for her.]

[Clint smiles. He didn't even need to say that to Wanda of all people. If anyone knows how to be obnoxiously diplomatic, it's her.]

So if we have one hand in flight, one hand in sec, and a third... we can get Tony into some science or engineering... we'll be set.

[Obnoxiously diplomatic, a skillful linguist, to-may-to-, to-mah-to.]

So you think I should consider joining then?

[She tilts her head, watching him carefully, but with her next sentence comes a wave of her hand.]

I would wonder if there would be concerns about...split loyalties or something.

If it suits you. See what he says. Why're you worried about split loyalties, though?

As I see it, I'm already part of a team.

[She shrugs her shoulders lightly.]

The question becomes, what happens if I join a ship-crew and suddenly these two teams I'm part of come into conflict?

We won't. I know how to keep a cool head. And if we do, I like to think I know who you'd stick with. Up to you, though.

Of course you know.

[Her loyalty to Clint and Tony would trump the others on board...]

The potential for conflict just gives me pause, is all.

Don't let it. I think everybody wants to hold hands and sing campfire songs, here. It's pretty peaceable.

[After a moment she nods.]

Then in that case I'll consider it seriously. I enjoy time off but it might be good to have something to keep me busy, keep my mind occupied...

[Because otherwise she's going to just keep replaying her last moments over and over again...]

Ultimately, it's up to you.

[He takes a seat beside her.]

But if we can contribute, we might as well.

[Wanda takes a deep breath, stretching her legs out and setting her heels firmly on the ground as the toes of her boots point up.]

I'll have to see how the meeting goes then.

[She goes silent, after a moment feeling awkward. One-on-one talks don't really happen often with Clint, and while she can't think of anything more they need to talk about, there's no where else she needs to go either.]

[He pauses for a moment. Yeah, this is awkward. And strange. It's just Wanda, but it's also just Wanda. Her alone, no buffer. How often has that ever happened?]

Are you feeling better?

[A small smile draws her lips up automatically, but it's a reflex more than anything else.]

Would you be feeling better?

No. Not even a little. Maybe a little more normal.

[Damn all of this.]

I didn't know if I should tell you or not.

[Another nod. Wanda's hands clasp in her lap, and she stares down at them, at anything in the room but him.]

It was fine the way things happened. Unexpected but...I'm not sure I could have braced myself for something like this even if you'd told me and I'd believed it.

[Shit, shit shit, what is he doing wrong? He's supposed to be looking out for her until she gets her feet under her, and what the hell is this?]

Either way, I'm sorry for everything.

[It's not you, Clint, really. It's her. It's all her and her monumentally huge issues that have only gotten larger since her arrival.]

Thank you...though I'm not sure there's anything you need to apologize for. It wasn't as if any of it was your fault, Clint.

[And there's nothing he can do. He knows this, knows it's not his fault or his responsibility, but he can't help but want to make sure everyone on the team stays in one piece.]

It wasn't, not any more than it was anyone else's.

[It's that feeling that perhaps has her looking to him as much as Tony as a leader of this team, in absence of anyone else.]

Can I ask you a question?

[God knows looking to Tony as a beacon of anything but industry right now is a silly notion.]

Go ahead.

I imagine you may not have an answer but I can't help but wonder...do you think your priorities or behavior would change much knowing that your days here were all you had left?

[It seems infinitely stupid to have become That Person questioning her own mortality and what she would do if she had Another Chance but when she's not thinking about her painful last moments, she's thinking about what she ought to do now that she's alive again.]

[An interesting question. He takes a deep breath, considering.]

I'd probably do anything I could possibly do. Anything I ever wanted. But that's me. I don't like regrets.

[It's not far off from where her own thoughts strayed.]

I've been considering the same things. It feels odd to be torn between trying to reach some normalcy by falling back into familiar habits and putting it all aside in an effort to enjoy whatever days I may have left.

It's not particularly the setting I'd choose for the circumstances but in either case I'll need to make the best of it.

I don't envy you. But I do think you should make the most of it. Make friends, spoil yourself, do anything you want. You've got people to look out for you, so... just try?

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