[oom] a shadow in pursuit

[nerves_of_ice]

It's been well over a month since the auction, a couple of weeks since the procedure, and Bucky thinks they're all beginning to settle into what he thinks of as 'after.'

Sharon's at the lab with Shuri this morning. He's supposed to swing by there later or tomorrow, depending on how far she's gotten with the latest prototype - he'll wait to hear. In the meantime, he's concentrating on chopping up the latest fallen tree.

It's good work. Clean work, in more ways than one.

Comments

[from_the_outside]

"Ugh," she says, grimacing. "He is. What is it with the modern day bad guy and all their deep, philosophical schemes, honestly? How come nobody just tries to steal the Crown Jewels or something anymore?"

[marvel_npc]

"Maybe they're all like that Loki guy and want shiny magic rocks instead of jewels," he says, sourly. "Not to mention the speeches."

[from_the_outside]

"Yes. The speeches. What's with the speeches? Do you think they rehearse them beforehand?"

She shakes her head and settles back into the chair. "I've got to hand it to Zemo, though. He actually managed to do exactly what he set out to do, which is more than I can say for the others."

[marvel_npc]

"Maybe there's something to reading Machiavelli, more than being a self-inflated jerk. Who the hell knows." Ross sighs. "I hope to god there aren't many more like him out there. Especially right now."

[from_the_outside]

"Yeah."

It's sighed, the way it might have been on any other night in Berlin after a day that went especially wrong, and she's not so caught up in her own worries not to notice it. Her mouth twists as she considers him.

"You're stretching your own neck out, you know," she tells him. "If they find out you're in contact and didn't bring me in, even with the excuse of negotiating with Rogers, you could lose your job."

[marvel_npc]

"Don't remind me," he grumbles. "Maybe it's something in the air here."

[from_the_outside]

Her mouth twists as she tries to hold back a smile.

"Maybe," she says, mildly. "Could be all that vibranium."

[marvel_npc]

Ross raises his right hand and flexes his fingers, pointedly and without any sign of pain, under the bandage around his wrist.

"Could be. It's pretty amazing stuff."

[from_the_outside]

She nods at his wrist. "Sorry about that, by the way," she says, wry.

All the vibranium and rapid healing in the world doesn't make up for the fact that he got assaulted first. Even if he was holding a gun near her.

[marvel_npc]

Ross shrugs. "Not your fault. That White Wolf's one hell of a guard."

[from_the_outside]

Her mouth works like she's trying not to smile again. "He is that," she agrees. "I'm just glad you weren't actually aiming at me. Things could have gone a lot worse."

For Ross, first. And then for her and Bucky both. And probably T'Challa, too. "But you should be safe from now on."

[marvel_npc]

"As long as I don't point any more guns at you, I assume." Ross shakes his head. "What's the deal with the invisibility thing, anyway?"

[from_the_outside]

"He's scarier when he maintains an air of mystery," she says, absolutely straight-faced.

"But yes. I would strongly recommend not pointing any more guns at me."

[marvel_npc]

"Do me a favor and don't give me a reason to." Ross tips back his bottle for a swallow, then points it at her.

"I didn't enjoy it the first time."

[from_the_outside]

She chokes a laugh as she swallows her beer and waves her free hand at him.

"I didn't give you a reason to the first time," she protests. "I was just walking around."

[marvel_npc]

Ross gives her an extremely pained look.

"Carter."

[from_the_outside]

"Sir," she says back, and makes a face.

"If you're going to use that, then you should probably be pulling on me now, too. Nothing's changed. I'm still an 'enemy of the state' and you're still an agent of the CIA."

Even her light tone can't quite disguise the bitterness in her voice.

[marvel_npc]

"Goddammit, Carter. What did we just spend the last however-long arguing about if not to see about changing that? Among other things," he admits.

"We're solidly in the gray here and you know it. Don't pull that on me."

[from_the_outside]

"Well, forgive me if I'm still a little peeved about it," she mutters, but it's slightly mollified.

Could be the agreements they came to, or the sense of familiar camaraderie she's feeling.

Or it might be the beer. She drains the rest of her bottle. "Fine, I will try not to give you any reason to pull a gun on me. Or at least no more reason than usual."

[marvel_npc]

"I would very much appreciate that," he mutters, and finishes off his own beer.

[from_the_outside]

"Copy that," says Sharon, amused, and when he goes back to the fridge and offers her another, she nods.

They've got a lot of catching up to do.