⠀ ⠀

"Ah, just how I imagined it," she answered; a light in her eyes that was pretty much equal to a smile, from her. "The same as you, I suppose -- just here for a drink, though I was lucky enough to also find a nice company for a chat," she added in a teasing tone, asking the bartender for a drink. "It's nice to see you, James." especially doing so well, though the last bit was left unspoken, just implicit in her eyes as she sent a small and appreciative smile his way.

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@-russianspies ,     james   rolled   his   eyes   but   it   was   accompanied   by   a   fond   smile.   "hilarious.   "   he   hummed,   taking   a   sip   of   his   drink.   "shocking.   "   he   admitted,   his   eyes   wrinkling   as   he   smiled.   "what   brings   you   here?   "

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@shymutant ,      / well /.   go   ahead.   i'd   love   to   hear   this.

Such news should've traveled fast — and maybe they did, she just thought them to be 'too good to be true'. Not that she believed he was lying, she would just be pessimist enough to think that part of their programming would've somehow remained, he just happened to be unaware. Who knows! Ekaterina would've hoped, however, that it wasn't the case — not for her sake only, but his own. "I won't need this, then?" she inquired, sounding a tad playful, perhaps in order to confirm he was indeed just making a 'friendly' visit, raising the knife she was hiding behind her so he could see what she was referring to. Gradually, she put it down, on the counter beside her. "How can I help you, then, if you aren't here to k1ll me?"

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@-greywidows ,      james   narrowed   his   eyes   at   her.   it   wasn't   often,   anymore,   that   he   was   regarded   as   though   he   still   remained   under   the   brainwashing.   many,   thanks   to   his   museum   exhibit,   recognized   his   change.   and   while   not   everyone   welcomed   it,   they   at   least   understood   it.   "ekaterina.   "   he   began,   head   cocked   slightly   to   the   side.   "no,   no   revenge.   i,   "   he   sucked   in   a   breath,   losing   eye   contact   for   just   a   moment   as   he   gathered   his   bearings.   how   do   you   tell   someone   you   hadn't   seen   in   / years /   that   he   was   making   amends?   forgiving   the   wrong   he'd   done   and   the   wrongs   against   him?   "i'm   making   amends.   "

She sent him an awkward smile as he reassured her; there was a sense of familiarity about him, but she only connected the dots upon seeing his metal arm, now that his jacket was out of the way. Anna had only heard about him, for all these years, but never really met him -- perhaps because she wasn't an active spy in the traditional sense. If she had stayed long enough in that life, inevitably, her paths would've crossed with him. Right? "May I, uh... buy you a coffee? As an apology?" she wouldn't make a reference out loud about knowing who he is, it would be more comfortable for them both, she supposed.

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@-wolfspyders,      james   scrunched   his   nose   at   the   uncomfortable   feeling   of   hot,   sticky   coffee   staining   his   clothes.   he   sighed,   sliding   off   his   jacket   in   hopes   to   alleviate   some   of   the   feeling.   "yeah,   yeah   im   fine.   "  he   nodded,   looking   at   her.   he   read   the   guilt   immediately   and   his   expression   softened.   "it's   fine.   had   worse   than   a   coffee   spilled   on   me.   "

*      curious 

/   surprise me

/       confused     or    injured pls    ! 

[   the things he found?   what did he find?   can't be what she thinks it is,   right?   there was no way.   those files were locked away tight,   at least that's what she believed..   or maybe he's bluffing.   trying to keep her attention here while she's trying to make her exit.  'just ignore him,'   she thought. 
            
            while all of this was slowly unfolding,   a masked figure perched on one of the taller buildings had their rifle aimed in her direction. 
            
            unaware,   deniz goes back inside to reach for the last of smaller bags and speed walks back to the car,   ignoring anything else james tried to say. ] 

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@lacrymosas ,     (     he   watched   her   for   a   moment,   a   serious   expression   written   over   his   visage.   he   knew   he   did   a   shitty   thing,   both   himself   and   his   therapist   were   / painfully /   aware.   self   sabotage   was   what   she'd   called   it.   getting   close   and   then   digging   for   answers   where   he   should've   left   them   lie.   'everyone   has   secrets,  james.  even  you.'   was  what   she'd   said.   and   after   quite   a   while   of   reflection,   he   realized   she   was   entirely   right.     )      i   wasn't   really   looking   for   forgiveness.   i   did   come   to   apologize   though.   and   tell   you   that   the   things   i   found—-   nobody   will   know.

well,  *i* don't.   i don't have the time,   and i don't want to.   [ deniz moves past him with a suitcase in hand,   wobbling over to the trunk of her car and placing it inside.   she rushes back in to grab a few more bags left in the hallway of the apartment building and placing them with the suitcase.   there is this frantic feeling that almost seeps out of her,   only made worse by the fact that she's avoiding eye contact entirely and looks intent on leaving in a hurry.   was she going on a trip?   no.   it wouldn't make sense during this time,   seeing as her surgical fellowship would be starting soon.   she couldn't have possibly been moving out for it either considering the lack of moving vehicles. ]   you did a shitty thing.   just accept it and leave me alone.   i don't forgive you,   so stop wasting your breathe and /go home/.   i'm done with this conversation.

"Bucky," she nodded, holding out a hand to greet him. "Wow, I can't believe this — oh! Yes, of course. How rude of me — I'm Kate Bishop! The other Hawkeye. The best Hawkeye, as some are saying — kidding, no one's saying that. Maybe. Who knows. Sorry — I'll shut up now."

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@-hawkeyes ,     "yeah.   "   he   rose   his   brows   a   little   at   the   woman's   excitement.   it   was   a   strange   feeling   to   be   met   with   such   positive   emotions.   "just   bucky   is   fine..   who   are   you?   "

like a old man sitting in a boat that likes to whistle tunes and stares down the fish in the lake.   [ she cracks a smile, ]   joking.   you look fine.    you'll find it much easier to keep your eyes open,   and your face will thank you tomorrow.

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@lacrymosas ,      (     james   stared   at   her   incredulously.   he   wasn't   sure   why   he   thought   she'd   back   down,   she   was   in   the   medical   field   after   all.   this   would   be   a   losing   battle.      )      yeah,   yeah.   fine.     (    he   grumbled,   taking   the   hat   and   sliding   it   on.   he   felt   RIDICULOUS   in   it.     )     how   do   i   look?

we're going to be out here for a couple of hours,  and you're going to /burn/ if you stay like this.   did you know you can develop melanoma on your scalp?    /skin cancer/,   james.   it's a very serious thing.   this will protect your scalp and shield your eyes.    [ her hand is still holding out the hat, ]   put it on.   

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@agentshrink ,      (      james   made   an   effort   to   think   her   question   over.   nothing   traumatic   had   happened   to   him,   not   recently   anyway.   these   days   were   full   of   reliving   the   events   he   wished   he   could   forget   and   focusing   on   survival.   he'd   heard   the   same   advice   time   and   time   again;   that   time   healed.   he'd   lived   many   years.   couldn't   it   heal   a   little   faster?     )     not   that   i   can   think   of.    (    he   shrugged,   rubbing   his   hands   together.    a   habit   of   his   own.      )     it's   been   quiet.

* peyton watched bucky, tapping her index finger against the back of her hand while she waited. it was in no way an impatient action, but actually just a habit of hers. *  did something happen to cause these nightmares so frequently?

݁⠀ ⠀.̲.̲.̲⠀ ⠀:⠀ ⠀@agentshrink ,    (    he   scratched   the   back   of   his   neck   before   clasping   his   hands   together.   he   let   out   a   breath,   looking   from   the   wall   and   back   to   her.     )    uh,   more   frequently.   almost   every   day.   um,   they're   not   / just /   about   me   anymore.