folkmeme | leap night tfln

Let's skip the diner and go to the cafe. I'll pick you up; I've got my bike. Where are you?

[ Where is she. What a good question.

Natasha flips the communicator and sends an off-kilter selfie. Red strands of hair are in the frame, but nothing of her face. The focus instead is on the distinctive landmarks of... wherever the hell this is. ]

Yeah, I know exactly where that is. I'll be there in about ten minutes, so hang tight.

Aye, aye, Captain.

[ It never gets old.

When he finds her, he’ll find that she… seems to blend right in? It would be hard to tell any significant difference between her current clothing and hair style and the natives… or non-natives of the place. She hasn’t been there long enough to gather any significant intel, but Natasha knows the dangers of standing out. Survival has been a… long-standing priority. (Until it wasn’t.)

When he pulls up, he’ll get to see something rare. A quick, wide, genuine smile. ]

Steve.

[ Steve's also gone native here, which means that he pulls up looking almost totally normal, except that he's got a beard full of flowers, and his bicycle has a basket attachment with tassels on it, courtesy of some of his spirit neighbors.

He parks the bike and then makes his way over, pulling Nat into a big hug, mirrored smile on his face. ]

Hey. I missed you.

[ He doesn't know how long it's been since they've seen each other, but it's been just about a year for him, so, he's really happy to see her. Even if she doesn't know how time works here, she might be able to discern that time has passed differently. ]

[ Steve has hug privileges, and Natasha returns it, holding onto him solidly before she pulls back. She takes in the image of Steve in all his beflowered glory and shakes her head. ]

If the artists of those propaganda posters could see you now.

[ She reaches up and plucks out a flower that seemed to be about to drop from the wind resistance and tucks it behind her ear instead. ]

I see you weren’t kidding about the beard.

Edited (Whoops!) 2024-03-04 17:20 (UTC)

I'm sure they would've just edited the flowers out. We can do that, you know. Artists.

[ But he can't keep the smile off his face. ]

Well, you know it's better to fit in. Which, come on, we've got some cats to see. They're gonna love rubbing their scent all over you.

[ …yay. ]

I was promised coffee, [ falling into step with him, ] and I’m going to hold you to it. I have a feeling I’ll need it for the flower explanation.

[ In other words, wtf is going on, Rogers? ]

It's just how people are in Willow. They wear flower crowns, and try to get you to put one on too, if you don't have one.

It's just easier to put them in my beard.

[ He gets back on his bike and grabs a helmet for her. ]

Coffee's waiting.

[ She eyes him, the extended helmet, and the bicycle skeptically. ]

And... we're taking that?

[ Does he expect her to... what, get on behind him? Sit on the handlebars? How does this work? (Natasha learned how to ride a bicycle, years ago in Ohio, and apparently it's something that you never forget, but...) ]

[ Despite the fun basket, it is still Steve's motorcycle, but before he enchanted it, it ran on gasoline, which is not something that the residents of Willow like, so they kept putting flowers in his tailpipe and attaching a wicker basket.

Now that he's enchanted it, he keeps the basket. ]

You could just hang onto me. Unless you want to sit in the basket. Like E...P?

LP?

[ Ooooh, a motorcycle. Nat can ride those, in all their various alien iterations. ]

ET. I'm not that short. [ She takes the helmet and fastens it, not being of a super serum stamina. She takes a seat and slides back so that he can drive. ]

[ He climbs on and waits for her to grab ahold of his back. ]

ET. Right. Well, hold on then.

[ And then, once she does, he's off - through a beautiful landscape of trees, and meadows, eventually moving into a city, equally as idyllic, but spotted with more modern amenities. He slows down, lets Nat take a good look at everything. ]

[ Hold on she does, with one hand on his shoulder as Steve takes them on the scenic route. The fresh air feels... heh. Well. She keeps herself in the moment and allows herself to enjoy every golden aspect of this moment. Meanwhile, she creates a mental map.

It's a nice looking place. Surprising enough, except for the fact that Steve's got flowers in his beard. ]

All right, Steve. Where are we?

Willow, but we're headed to the city of Epiphany. Where the cat cafe is.

[ He knows it's a lot to take in at once, but he thinks maybe he'll get to explain in more concrete terms later. She's always been good with demonstrations. ]

It's also where my studio is.

Your studio? [ That's good news, at least. ] You started drawing again?

[ And had time for that, which means... this place must be as relatively peaceful as it appears. ]

Yeah. Actually - there's two of me here. One's from an alternate universe where I didn't get the serum, but Peggy did.

So, it's our studio together.

[ She can't see him from behind, but he's smiling. ]

I think you're gonna like it here, once you get used to the fact that time's just gonna resume when you get home.

[ Going home is... less of a concern for her than some.

However.

What. ]

...just making sure I heard that part right. You just said you're sharing an art studio with an alternative version of yourself?

Yep. And lucky for him, the Peggy from his world just showed up, same as you, but last month.

[ That's said in a joking manner, but he honestly is happy for Steve. ]

Time doesn't really work the same way here as home. What year was it for you?

...huh.

[ Just... processing that.

And. She doesn't want to tell him what year it is. Because Steve had shaved, the last time she'd seen him, and she doesn't want to deal with him asking about the future. But. She doesn't really want to lie to him. She makes a habit of keeping on the technical side of the truth with the few people she calls friends. ]

2023. And you're from, what, 2017?

2018. Thanos is coming in two weeks once I go home.

[ He pauses, and there's a shift in the seriousness of his voice. ]

How much do you know about what happens?

[ To her, he means. But in general, probably. His tone is entirely mismatched to the bustle of the town as he pulls up by the cafe, various spirits who seem to know him waving and smiling at the two of them. ]

[ Her gaze lightens, just slightly. ]

So we're staying in that rathole of a hotel in Barcelona?

[ One might think this is a test and they were NOT in fact in hiding in Barcelona at that time, but the true test is that Steve quite liked the lighting of that hotel while Natasha complained that the wall design reminded her of Swiss cheese.

Since, after all... alternative universes apparently exist. He may be a Stephen Grant Rogers, but is he the one she was on the run with for painful years, and the one she'd rebuilt the Avengers with after... well, after what it sounds that he already knows about. Thanos in two weeks, huh? Shit. ]

And you know me. I only look like I know everything. [ A beat. ] Why, what do you know?

Edited (whoops, misread! sorry!) 2024-03-05 02:36 (UTC)

They were all rathole hotels, but Barcelona wasn't remotely the worst of them.

[ Because, as he remembers, they were pretty close to Scotland. Which, he knows he's heading to, in a few weeks. For an inevitability, as far as the others say. But he doesn't play that way. ]

I just remember thinking that you might get your hand stuck in the wall if you tried to stick your finger in one of the holes.

[ Anyway, moving swiftly on: ]

It's not good news. So, if you don't mind, I don't want to share it. But I'm sure Tony will.

[ He'd tried to ask Tony not to tell the last Natasha, only to have him get emotional. And Nat was too brilliant for any of that business. ]

Edited 2024-03-05 03:41 (UTC)

[ She ducks her head, hiding her smile. Natasha should probably be pissed that her friend was dragged into someone weird… whatever the hell this place actually is, and that Tony’s apparently been dragged here too, but…

…well, she hadn’t thought she’d get to see him again. She can take a moment just to be selfish, to be glad that they get to have… this time.

It’s almost enough to make her want to let him off the hook for a leading statement like that. ]

Foul play, Steve, [ quietly, wishing they were off the bike so she’d be able to look him in the eye. ] Bringing up something terrible and then not wanting to get into it. [ How am I supposed to help you with it if you do that? A beat. ] But I’ll let it go, for now. If only because I probably already lived through it. And because I was promised coffee.

[ But you are not off the hook, no way, no sir! ]

[ He just doesn't want to be the one to break it to her that she dies. He doesn't know how long she has left, and doesn't want to give her hope that she'll be able to change it. But he knows that one of the reason he wants to retain his memories is that he still can. He can go back and warn the others and maybe they can fight off Thanos before he snaps. And then Nat can go on and live a long, fruitful life.

Even Loki had told Steve to go back and to relay a message to Thor: Go for the head.

And when Steve started feeling bad for Loki, that's when things had really turned serious.

But that's a conversation for another time. He leads Natasha into a cafe, which looks totally normal on the outside, but inside, it's swimming with cats. Two of them in particular clamor over the others to come greet them, and it turns out he's a total sucker for them. ]

Alright, alright. Sesame, Miso, meet Natasha.

[ He picks them both up and take them to 'their table', where he offers her a menu. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject