etherealstarr

[etherealstarr]

((Gonna take care of some Hiss, some AIs, and OOPs))

[etherealstarr]

@doubleofloor: "Ava Starr?" Is whispered in her ear, but strangely... the person attached to it is nowhere to be seen. Stranger still, she seems to have gotten into the tower, given that a moment later a cupboard in the kitchen opens up. The voice is still beside her, though. Just out of arms reach, now. "I have a proposition for you."

The whisper in her ear made her hair stand on end; seeing no one there put her in a heightened state that had Ava phasing out of view. All fight, no flight or freeze. "If that proposition involves me phasing your brain out of your skull, I'm all ears."

[etherealstarr]

"Hardly. None of us are a god, by your standard. So apologies in advance if we don't meet the standards you guys set."

@etherealstarr liked for a one - liner.

"i think it's nice to see others continuing our work, in our name." in a way.

[etherealstarr]

@celestialmantdonna: ❛ well? how do i look? ❜

The words caught in Ava's throat for a second as Mantis stepped into view, wearing some pastel green grown that looked like it was made from gossamer. When her brain managed to catch up with itself, it steered her words in a different direction. "You look like a faerie..."

[etherealstarr]

Ava gestured down at herself. "Unluck of the draw, I suppose. Though, can anyone really call this surviving?"

" The part about getting zapped by your father's experiment, that seems like a interesting place to start. So that happened to you for five years..im sorry to hear that, I couldn't imagine what thats like."

[etherealstarr]

"Not a threat. Just an observation. Perhaps if you'd stop seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances, you wouldn't take my words with so much salt." Ava cared not about his "other self;" there was always something out there to kill anyone. "Newsflash, Ross. You're not helping to save this world from any kind of embarrassment. That requires changing people. And how can you do that if you can't change yourself first?"

If this was a threat.....Ross wasn't having it.

" If you want to threaten me, then go ahead and do it. You think dying scares me? You think becoming a pile of bones in a grave is going to change how anyone looks at me?

Only two people in my life ever saw me as anything more than a mistake and one of them is in a family plot waiting for me. Only reason I keep fighting is so my little girl knows someone's there for her no matter what."

Ross didn't give a shit about time. Not anymore.

" I'm a monster now. Nothing can kill me. And if you think that's cool...it's not. Living forever means you'll always get left behind.

But as long as I still have one person out there....I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe from this fucking embarrassment of a world we live in."

[etherealstarr]

@inarms: x

Ava had met egos like him before, people who did all the paper-pushing but none of the actual dangerous work that required details and not getting caught. She'd never been fond of egos like him. "Perhaps if you'd consulted a few of us, you'd know why the plan is stupid." She picks up the folder and, without opening it, slides it back across the table towards him. "The man in that dossier's an imposter. A double. A frontman for scenarios exactly like this. The real man you're looking for is 600 miles away, safe and sound on a beach or mountain somewhere, waiting until this all blows over. I would know because I helped put him there. But, yeah, no, we're all friends here making decisions behind everyone's backs and pointing the smoking guns in what you thought was the right direction. So, here's a suggestion. Stop treating us like the muscle and consider that some of us actually have the brains to contribute."

[etherealstarr]

"As I've said, you're a bad liar." Ava didn't believe that in her current state, Mantis had the strength to put enough pressure on the wound, so back Ava's hand went on top of Mantis' to add more pressure. The other, she hooked under her arm and dragged her quickly over to the drawer instead of fetching the medical supplies herself. Only then did she return the responsibility of her gaping wound to fish through the drawer. "Tell me what I'm looking for exactly. Some kind of fancy medical spray, or...?" She probably should have familiarized herself with their tech before today.

She had been told that before, but Mantis was merely trying to make the situation easier for Ava. Three weeks ago the woman had tried to protect Mantis amidst an ambush. She would protect Ava without question – though admittedly, she had not seen that last attack coming.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Mantis cried out once, and then she bit back the pain when Ava pressed her hand to her wound. The empath's eyes opened, not without hesitation, and she felt light-headed.

"H-Here... Let me..." Mantis gently guided Ava's hand away, replacing it with her own. "I can staunch the bleeding. The medical supplies are i-in there..." She pointed to a drawer.

[etherealstarr]

Where someone could have taken that as an insult, Ava preferred to take it as a compliment; not being "right in the head" meant she was set apart from those who couldn't think their way out of a box. "When you had a physics expert for a father, it's easy to make the impossible possible." She clapped him playfully on the non-Vibranium shoulder. "But it's nice to know you have such little faith in my ideas."

@70yearsofwinter: "You know, you're not quite right."

"Oh? And what have I gotten wrong this time, oh ancient one?"

[etherealstarr]

Once, she would have happily given him a list of names and helped him on the hunt, to put down everyone who'd been involved with her captivity. But it took plenty of lengthy conversations to put that vendetta behind her, to learn that it would solve nothing except more death. It wouldn't put the pieces of her back together either. "No, no names." She shook her head, messy hair falling about her face as she tried to keep herself together. Moments like this, she typically dealt with alone, away from prying eyes so that she could scream until her voice was hoarse and then go back to pretending like everything was normal. "Half of them are either dead or gone into hiding, and it would be better to leave them that way, living with their guilt." At least, she hoped they felt guilty. "Other than putting a bullet between someone's eyes and downing liquor, what do you do with the anger when it becomes too much? How do you... not boil yourself from the inside out?"

immediately following his offer, bucky watched her body grow rigid with obvious skepticism, eyes sharpening with mistrust and suspicion. she was quick to apologize, to which he was equally as quick to dismiss, waving off her words - unnecessary. he did not take it personally, nor did he hold it against her. they were both damaged, wounded souls, having spent more time than not either being abused or manipulate - or both. if trust issues were the worst aftereffects to come out of years of pain && exploitation, they would get off lucky.

they were barely anything more than strangers - but still ... barnes felt a certain kinship with the female, linked together by an unfortunate commonality. both were results of the worst of what humanity had to offer. weaponized victims of experimentation and manipulation. in fact, he would encourage her to remain distrustful. keep those walls up and never let them down. it would keep her safe. overtime, scar tissue could become as hard as armor. there were downsides, certainly. peeling back skin to connect with others - friends, family, comrades - was difficult and oftentimes painful - but they were both driven by the proven consistencies of their past - and betrayal and cruelty had always been constants.

she made a point and he nodded, lips twisting with defeat - but what he lacked in intelligence, he made up for with BRAWN. ❛   i'm pretty intimidating && good at tracking down a target. give me a list of names. i can get them into a room for you. i can make them listen. ❜

the weight of loneliness flickered across her expression, into the colors of her eyes - the way her shoulders slumped. he could be patient ;; he was good at listening - and he promised her that with a firm nod.

❛   i can do that. ❜

[etherealstarr]

Ava was taken aback for a second; those things called dreams and hopes had died long ago in that SHIELD facility, forbidden things she'd never reconsidered once she'd gotten out. But without those bounds and a bounty on her head, she'd never re-approached the subject. "Maybe because... Have you ever heard the saying 'expectations only lead to disappointment'? I don't want to set things up for failure but setting a goal post in front of me. Because it can be cut down and set on fire at any second." Ava sighed heavily, her shoulders practically sinking. "But... maybe you're right. Maybe I should start thinking about something to strive towards, other than staying alive."

Perhaps it was the fact that the two of them belonged to different species, perhaps it was a matter of their opposite personalities, but in any case, Mantis was struggling to fully understand Ava.

But she wanted to.

Mantis sat next to the other woman, hands folded on her lap, eyes downcast.

"One time you told me that we don't know each other all that well, and I said I tend to know others better, thanks to my powers." She paused, wondering if she was making sense. "But still – I'd like to know more about your interests. Your dreams. You rarely talk about them. I know you want to find a cure. But if you already had it, what would your goals be?"

[etherealstarr]

VILLAINY — MANIPULATING

"Ungrateful…" "Calm yourself." "I did it for you." "I never said that." "You forced my hand." "Tell no one of this." "You always do this…" "Have you calmed down?" "Are you this sensitive?" "You know I care for you." "Are you certain of that?" "So you're leaving me…?" "You were told what to do." "You care about me, right?" "This is for your own good." "Are you trying to hurt me?" "You always side with them!" "Indulge me just this once." "So be it. Do what you want." "It was a joke. Lighten up." "I'm not perfect, no one is." "And you trust what they say?" "Look at what you made me do." "You'd be nowhere without me." "You should be more grateful." "I only want the best for you." "No one sees you as I see you." "They all conspire against you." "I'm sorry you feel that way…" "I warned you this would happen." "No one else had any objections." "Who would you trust, them or me?" "It is all in the past. Let it go." "Your trust in me will be rewarded." "Ah. I see. You're scared to do it." "If you'd just let me, I'd help you." "I don't know why I trust you at all." "This is what they would have wanted." "I urge you to reconsider your words." "You should know what you did. Think." "So you don't care about me, is that it?" "Please, I don't want to argue with you." "Forgive me, please, it won't happen again." "Other people have it much harder than you." "You let your emotions get the best of you." "It's not you I don't trust, but the others." "Are you incapable of following instructions?" "I may be the only person that cares for you." "Don't crawl back to me when things go south." "You should think your choices over carefully…" "I wouldn't do it like that… no, no, keep going." "Every time… it's always the same thing with you." "Your orders were simple, and yet… you disappoint." "It was nothing more than a lapse in my judgement." "I know you think that this is what you want, but it really isn't." "No, it is my fault, I should not have expected different from you."

[etherealstarr]

"Yes, well..." Ava shrugged. She'd slowly learned the history between the two, why they always acted like feral cats with their hackles up every time they were in the same room together. She would be a hypocrite for saying that they acted like children. "Irritating isn't the word I'd use. 'Trying too much,' maybe? Look, he's been rejected by almost everyone he holds dear and he's just trying to fit in. Problem is, he doesn't know what that is yet. Steve gave you that open door to help you re-find yourself, it would only be fair if we gave him the same courtesy, no? If you put aside his bad jokes, he's actually not that bad."

"Shaped like a brick?" Bucky asked, playful eyebrow raised as a looked at her with an amused expression on his face. "Perfect size to throw at people who are annoying me." He was just kidding, of course, but there'd been times when he'd wished he'd do what he had just implied.

"Did Walker tell you that?" He asked then, expression a little more serious. "The fact that I don't pick up his calls immediately doesn't mean I don't see them." Same was true for phone calls or text messages from Alexei, but that felt like an obvious detail he didn't need to point out. "He's just incredibly irritating sometimes, you know?"

[etherealstarr]

((Twitch would not cooperate with me last night, but I finally got it fixed. Hopefully I can stream Firebreak the next time we play))

[etherealstarr]

@thatwhitewidow: " What are you smiling at ? "

It was strange, searching for a moment like this her entire life. Belonging somewhere, being around people who understood, who didn't care that she was essentially a freak. She'd found it here, amongst these misfits; the thought of it brought a smile to her face. It was instantly wiped away in her unguarded moment; Yelena had seen, and there nothing (legal) Ava could do to make her forget it. "Life, I guess. How it has a funny way of fixing things I thought would be forever broken."

[etherealstarr]

"If that's your way of introducing yourself and trying to make friends, it's kind of a shitty strategy."

“Definitely longer, then I can tell you mine and we can compare trauma.”

[etherealstarr]

"They do have those small purple flowers that look like little puffballs, I suppose." Ava didn't really regard them as anything special but she bit her tongue, not wanting to downplay Mantis' appreciation of them. "My favourites would be snapdragons. You pinch the sides of the flowers and they open their little mouths. And the seed pods look like tiny skulls. And I didn't know that but it makes sense. They know when they're in danger. That's why some of them evolved to grow thorns so that they could stop being eaten." Ava mostly used the growth of her plants to signal the passage of time. A new leaf. A new flower bud. But out in space, there was nothing outside of the ship's chronometer to distinguish one day from the next.

There were many things Mantis had learned from plants and flowers: patience, perseverance, hope, growth, and the temporary nature of all things. Ava tried hard to make the plant grow, not realizing that perhaps she should try softer. Mantis shrugged.

"They all have something to offer and that is what matters. But your planet has these... clovers. Specifically four-leaf ones. Something about them comforts me." Sitting back down, Mantis gestured to the plant. "Did you know plants can distinguish when touch starts and stops?"