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Well, you don't have to worry too much about that from my end.
[ Steve's positive that Tony will at least try to wring every ounce of detail from Natasha that he can once he catches wind of all of this. He doesn't envy Natasha that conversation, though he's also sure that she can handle Tony with ease. She always has, come to think of it.
It is nice to get some tiny glimpse of what the future holds for the team, a promise that they come back together, even when losing half of their number. Of course he wants to know more. Who else was there? Who wasn't? He has a few names that have been confirmed already on either side, but getting an entire list is something that he knows will exhaust both of them. It's not fair to Natasha for him to ask, not when she's been mourning those people for five years now. ]
So, Tony and I. [ He takes a quick sip of water, though chances are that Natasha can already guess at his question. He doesn't look at her as he asks. ] We found some way to reconcile?
[ It's starting to get better here on Prismatica, though they've also been forced to forge that truce because of the circumstances. How long had it taken back home? ]
[ Steve's positive that Tony will at least try to wring every ounce of detail from Natasha that he can once he catches wind of all of this. He doesn't envy Natasha that conversation, though he's also sure that she can handle Tony with ease. She always has, come to think of it.
It is nice to get some tiny glimpse of what the future holds for the team, a promise that they come back together, even when losing half of their number. Of course he wants to know more. Who else was there? Who wasn't? He has a few names that have been confirmed already on either side, but getting an entire list is something that he knows will exhaust both of them. It's not fair to Natasha for him to ask, not when she's been mourning those people for five years now. ]
So, Tony and I. [ He takes a quick sip of water, though chances are that Natasha can already guess at his question. He doesn't look at her as he asks. ] We found some way to reconcile?
[ It's starting to get better here on Prismatica, though they've also been forced to forge that truce because of the circumstances. How long had it taken back home? ]
[ She takes a long moment to think about her answer for that before inclining her head and meeting his gaze. ]
Eventually. Once you two had a common goal to work towards together again. Tony... his loss against Thanos up there... it changed him. He walked away when he got back and I'm not sure he ever looked back until we showed up on his doorstep with Lang's crazy theory. And even then, he had to work around the problem on his own before coming back to join in.
Eventually. Once you two had a common goal to work towards together again. Tony... his loss against Thanos up there... it changed him. He walked away when he got back and I'm not sure he ever looked back until we showed up on his doorstep with Lang's crazy theory. And even then, he had to work around the problem on his own before coming back to join in.
[ She gives him a somewhat humoring look at that. ]
Okay, so you just didn't see the fine print, then.
[ There's always fine print. ]
Okay, so you just didn't see the fine print, then.
[ There's always fine print. ]
Look, I know how to read a contract. There was no fine print.
If you say so. In my experience, there's always fine print.
Well, if there was, I wasn't given opportunity to read it in which case it's actually not legally binding.
[ Steve finds that Natasha's answer doesn't surprise him that much. Feeling responsible for what Thanos did, losing Peter and then almost dying out in the vacuum of space, that would screw with anyone's head.
Of course it was a common goal that brought them back together. That's what had happened here, too. ]
Well, I guess he did always threaten to retire. Figures that losing half the universe would be the final straw.
[ He keeps his gaze on Natasha, studying her features with a close eye. ]
You didn't ever throw in the towel, though, it sounds like.
Of course it was a common goal that brought them back together. That's what had happened here, too. ]
Well, I guess he did always threaten to retire. Figures that losing half the universe would be the final straw.
[ He keeps his gaze on Natasha, studying her features with a close eye. ]
You didn't ever throw in the towel, though, it sounds like.
[ He struggles for composure, but it isn't until Natasha lays her hand on his arm that he seems to manage it. He's still tense, he holds her gaze as if all of his remaining strength resides in her.
He takes a breath. ]
I don't understand. What hope is there without the Stones?
He takes a breath. ]
I don't understand. What hope is there without the Stones?
[ She gives him a lopsided grin - one she feels like she's been giving him for ages now. It almost feels like deja vu, that last day he'd come to her, before Lang showed up on their doorstep. When they'd talked about moving on. Something neither one of them had ever managed to do.
It would take them both a lot longer than five years to accomplish that. ]
You know me. I'm really bad at knowing when to quit. Kinda like someone else I know.
It would take them both a lot longer than five years to accomplish that. ]
You know me. I'm really bad at knowing when to quit. Kinda like someone else I know.
[ She makes a face, because explaining science is hard enough, but taking science she barely understands and then translating into Asgardian space magic is a little out of her area of expertise. ]
So there was this scientist on earth who experimented with shrinking someone down to a subatomic level and.... look, he got made really really small and wherever he ended up, he found out that time moved differently there. So when he popped back into the real world, he'd only had five hours pass when it had been five years for the rest of us. Taking that, he ran with the idea that if we could find a way to navigate that realm, we could choose the time and place of our exit.
Meaning... [ She lifts a hand to wave it around and gesture at, well. Everything, because this still sounded utterly ridiculous to her. ] We figured out where and when we'd encountered each of the Stones in our past... and then went back to retrieve them to fix our present.
So there was this scientist on earth who experimented with shrinking someone down to a subatomic level and.... look, he got made really really small and wherever he ended up, he found out that time moved differently there. So when he popped back into the real world, he'd only had five hours pass when it had been five years for the rest of us. Taking that, he ran with the idea that if we could find a way to navigate that realm, we could choose the time and place of our exit.
Meaning... [ She lifts a hand to wave it around and gesture at, well. Everything, because this still sounded utterly ridiculous to her. ] We figured out where and when we'd encountered each of the Stones in our past... and then went back to retrieve them to fix our present.
[ Natasha isn't making any effort to mask the fact that she's calling him out, but she's always been good at telling him how it is without much in the way of fluff or hedging. It's part of why Steve had grown comfortable with her so quickly compared to some of his other teammates. He smiles wryly and bows his head, shaking it slowly.
Her words do serve to tell Steve at least a little about what his role in the future is going to be. There are a lot of blanks still left to be filled in, but he doesn't want to bombard Natasha with questions either. ]
I'm guessing you're still adjusting to this place. If there's any questions you still haven't gotten answered, I can try to help.
Her words do serve to tell Steve at least a little about what his role in the future is going to be. There are a lot of blanks still left to be filled in, but he doesn't want to bombard Natasha with questions either. ]
I'm guessing you're still adjusting to this place. If there's any questions you still haven't gotten answered, I can try to help.
I'm also guessing you're making lists of questions in your head even now of things you want to know, but you're trying to take it easy on me.
[ She's still sounding very amused as she gives him a crooked smile. Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees and cocks her head to the side to study him. ]
Why don't we trade answers for answers, then?
[ She's still sounding very amused as she gives him a crooked smile. Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees and cocks her head to the side to study him. ]
Why don't we trade answers for answers, then?
Works for me. I've asked you a lot already, so you first.
[ Steve knows that Natasha deals in information more than anything else. It's the most important tool that any spy can have; she taught him that too. That may mean she's already gathered together everything she needs to know, but he still wants to throw out the offer. ]
[ Steve knows that Natasha deals in information more than anything else. It's the most important tool that any spy can have; she taught him that too. That may mean she's already gathered together everything she needs to know, but he still wants to throw out the offer. ]
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