[oom] see right through my walls

[nerves_of_ice]

As T'Challa stares at the hologram in the palm of his hand, he can already feel the headache forming. "She what? No. Never mind. Bring her to me in the throne room, when she arrives. I will deal with her myself."

He clears the image, then taps the Kimoyo Bead again. "Nakia. I need you."

* * * * * * * * *

"You cannot be serious."

"I don't see why this is a problem. You brought Everett Ross here--"

"Ross was dying! And he was never allowed to know that the man he was seeking was here! Nakia, I have made a promise to protect him."

"She is not a threat. Not to him."

"I will be the judge of that."

Nakia throws up her hands. "Fine. You will see. I hope it does not bother you that I stay and watch?"

T'Challa smiles. "Of course not."

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"No rush, then."

She slips her hands into the back pockets of her borrowed pants and considers him. "Yeah, I bet. It sounds like there's...a lot of layers to dismantle."

It'll take time. But time is something he finally has, and Shuri has all the skill he needs. She tips her head towards the door. "Do you want to come sit outside with me? I always need a little fresh air after a nap, and I think I saw a nice shady tree out there."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Looks that way," he agrees, a little grimly, before a slight smile touches his lips.

"You probably saw more than one. Okay. Lead the way to whichever one you're thinking of."

[from_the_outside]

Yeah. She's pretty sure they don't need to discuss all the things that still need to be fixed in his head. Not right now, anyway, so she just smiles and leans forward to wrap her fingers lightly around his wrist and tug him back out the door.

He may have just spent the last few hours outside, but she takes a deep breath of the mellow Wakandan air and turns her face up briefly to the sunny sky before spotting a promising looking tree. It's near – but not too near – the goats, and has a broad trunk rising gracefully from thick grass, and when she lets him go to sit down with her back against the bark, she's got a nice view of the plains that stretch out towards the horizon on one side, and the lake on the other.

She leans her head back against the tree and rolls it to look at him, her smile small but bright.

"I like it here."

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn't protest, instead allowing himself to be pulled after her without resisting. She settles against the tree, and he sits down a little distance away on the grass, still in the shade.

"It's nice," he agrees. "I'm glad you like it."

She deserves a pleasant refuge.

[from_the_outside]

"Do you have a favorite part about being here yet?"

Favorites are hardly something he would have been able to allow himself before, except maybe in very small doses every now and again. But if he needs practice in forming opinions, he could hardly have a better mentor than her: she has opinions on everything.

[nerves_of_ice]

He thinks about it, and shakes his head - but hesitantly, as though there is something that he's not sure how to describe.

[from_the_outside]

"Maybe not 'favorite,'" she amends. "Maybe...something you like?"

It's a gentle prompt, in case he wants to try putting words to whatever just went through his head.

[nerves_of_ice]

"The sunrise. Sunsets, too, but -- the sunrise," he tells her.

"It makes everything look... new."

[from_the_outside]

She hums assent and leans back again, drawing her knees up and letting her hands hang loosely linked between them. "I bet you get a great view of it here."

She can just imagine it breaking over the fields, the lake; the whole sleepy little spot touched with new light.

Not that she'd ever see one, probably. Waking up for the sunrise isn't exactly her strong suit. "It was dark when I got to my room but I think the windows are west-facing. Some nice sunsets in my future."

[nerves_of_ice]

"You really do," he assures her.

"It's a nice view. Peaceful."

[from_the_outside]

"Peaceful sounds nice."

She lapses into companionable silence and just lets her thoughts drift as she looks out over the grass rippling like water, up at the wispy clouds scudding high against the brilliant blue sky.

She's been a lot of places, but none of them were anything quite like this.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's content to let the silence rest between them. It's comfortable, and he's talked more today than he has for weeks, much of it difficult.

At least, that is, until Shuri crests the grassy ridge and heads straight for them.

"You look very relaxed!" she laughs, as she reaches them. "I should have brought coffee with me."

[from_the_outside]

"Bringing coffee is always a good move," Sharon returns, smiling.

(That's something she needs. Maybe she can wheedle a little coffee maker for her room.)

"Hey, Princess. How's it going with you today?"

[nerves_of_ice]

Bucky nods a greeting, but stays quiet, recognizing the signs of brimming enthusiasm in the way Shuri is practically vibrating.

"It is going very well," she proclaims. "I have made such progress with the data from the notebooks. I think we will be ready for an entirely new scan within a couple of days!"

He nods.

"Whenever you say."

[from_the_outside]

She flicks a glance at him, but it's only a second before she's smiling back at Shuri. "That's great news."

It is. Anything that helps him get a little closer to better, a little closer to whole again, is the best kind of news.

But she can see why it might not be his favorite.

[nerves_of_ice]

"The day after tomorrow," Shuri decides. "First thing in the morning, once you have fed the goats. That way we will have all the time we need."

Bucky just nods again.

[from_the_outside]

His silence now isn't the comfortable quiet of earlier. She can only imagine what he's thinking or feeling – and none of what she's imagining is great.

"So what else are you working on?" she asks Shuri, cheerfully. "Anything cool I can come test out for you?"

She's pretty excited to get her hands on the inventions Shuri had shown her just last night, already.

[nerves_of_ice]

"Many things," Shuri promises. "Come back with me now! I have just modified a pair of boots to allow antigravity jumps, and I want to see how they work against an opponent."

A quick, amused smile flashes across Bucky's face at the mental image.

[from_the_outside]

"How could I resist an offer like that?"

It's a little bit of a pang to think about leaving, but she's been here for a while and it hasn't been the...easiest of social calls.

And she's staying. For at least a while. They'll have plenty of time.

For now, she pushes herself up, dusting off the seat of her pants and looking over at him. "You've been an excellent host," she says, smiling.

"See you later?"

Tomorrow, if not tonight. He can count on it.

[nerves_of_ice]

"See you later," Bucky agrees. "You too, Shuri."

Shuri taps out a pattern on her bracelet, then lowers her hand and grins back at him.

"You better believe it." She turns to Sharon. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

[from_the_outside]

"Nothing at all," she says, amused, and steps quickly to catch up with Shuri as the younger woman turns back to the Citadel, walking purposefully.

"Antigravity jumps?" Sharon says as they move off. "Please tell me you're calling them 'moon boots.'"

[nerves_of_ice]

"When I built shoes that would let my brother move silently, I called them 'sneakers,'" Shuri tells Sharon as they walk away, and Bucky shakes his head and moves to lean back against the tree. He closes his eyes to keep himself from watching them leave.

He's glad they're getting along well. Glad Sharon has friends here, and is making more, especially if she'll need to stay for a while.

(He wishes Steve was here, and knows he can't be.)

He feels a little ragged around the edges, and concentrates on trying to ground himself in the moment and the place. He sets his hand against the earth, running his fingers over the grass and feeling their texture, and just breathes, and doesn't let himself think about anything else.

It's been an eventful day.

[from_the_outside]

His reprieve does not last long.

There's the soft sound of light steps on the grass, and then an icy presence descends over the little clearing like an unexpected frost on a summer morning. "Sergeant Barnes."

Nakia has clearly not thawed at all from their brief interaction earlier. "Do you have a moment?"

Her tone suggests she'll be taking one regardless of what he says.

[nerves_of_ice]

Well, это пиздец. (On realizing which curse he's defaulted to, he gives himself a mental shake.)

Eyeing her carefully, Bucky gets to his feet. Only then does he nod.

"Of course."

[from_the_outside]

"Come. Walk with me."

She turns without waiting for him, and strolls out into the grassy fields. Once he's caught up with her, she says, without looking at him. "I am very happy to have my friend here. It has been much too long since we last saw each other."

It has the cadence of a story's beginning.