[ Natasha leans back and gives Alexei a measuring look.
She knows that any attempt to get him to think about what he does and doesn't want to know will only increase his anxiety. Alexei's a lot of things, but he isn't a coward. She can tell he's made up his mind - he wants to know.
And it's probably better that he hears about it from her.
All the same. That's not going to stop her from attempting to manage the situation. ]
The Trials brought up something from your future? That's low.
[He doesn't like that answer. He doesn't like it for several reasons. It's confirmation, it's too nonchalant for what he's already learned, it doesn't sound right. His jaws clench and his eyes narrow.]
It is not just my own future, is it? You, Yelena, Melina... Entire universe, or so magic trial man said.
[With that out there, he does reach for the bottle to refill his glass. So much liquid goes into it that it almost overflows, but he manages to stop himself just in time. His hope is that Natasha will talk while he occupies himself.]
I wouldn’t put too much faith in a magic trial man, but in this case it’s an accurate statement. [ Her expression is controlled, neutral. ] There was a universe-altering event.
[ The weirdest thing about that phrase is that it’s no longer weird uttering it.
She weighs the odds and realizes… unfortunately, she’s bet on less. It must be the company she keeps. ]
In all I’ve been able to discover here, many people have returned home from Folkmore and then come back here. Only two people have had any memory of this place when they returned and as far as I know, only one was able to act on that information. Do you really want to carry this when there’s a good chance it won’t make any difference? It hasn’t happened for you yet, you don’t need to deal with it.
[ Of course, she knows what she’s doing. He won’t listen to the small odds after as comfort; she knows she won’t really be able to dissuade him. Natasha is telling him the truth. The odds are astronomically small that he can do anything about the Snap when he returns home. But they don’t not exist. And she isn’t above giving him some hope to stubbornly cling to despite her ‘advice’ against it to make it easier for him to deal with, and for her to deal with him… even though the math isn’t in her favor, she isn’t one to ignore any opportunity to turn a situation to her advantage. ]
[The thought of making a difference hadn't even crossed his mind as something he could do, because as far as he understood it, it's already set in stone. It's his future. Their future. If changing it were ever an option, wouldn't it not be their future? But now that Natasha's brought it up... Apparently one person was able to go home and act on that information. That's all the more reason he wants to know about it now.]
I am already dealing with it.
[He finishes refilling his glass and sets the bottle down again, the movement a little harsher than intended. Thankfully, the bottle doesn't break. And while he hates referring to the imaginary talkshow host as 'magic trial man', he doesn't know what else to call it. He doesn't know how much of that was real, beyond the statements being uttered. He doubts that guy had any media training, that's for sure.]
Magical trial man said that I lose one of my daughters. One. But Steve Rogers wouldn't tell me who. So. Who is it?
[ Something about the way he says my daughters makes Natasha want to punch Alexei in the teeth, even though she knows the throat would be more effective.
There is a brief, sharp downward tug of the corners of her mouth, and not only because she's fighting the urge to indulge in violence. The gnawing, massive grief, the loss, had been compartmentalized of necessity. Someone had to do the job that was in front of her, and as long as she was breathing, Natasha Romanoff was that someone.
She'd still had her darker moments. They'd helped to make her decision on Vormir easy, painless. She still does not regret it.
Natasha reaches for the bottle and pours herself a precise two fingers' worth of vodka. ]
That's a different question, [ she observes, and places the bottle back on the table in a motion so controlled it makes no sound. She doesn't want to tell him a story that's not hers, but even though lying to him and saying it was her would be easier - and in a roundabout way, true, there were problems with that as well. ] Steve was right not to tell you.
[ She picks up her glass and examines the liquid inside it. She's not going to betray her sister's trust to satisfy Alexei's curiosity. ]
I'll talk to you about the Snap. And Yelena and I will discuss if we want to talk about which of us was lost. Trying to figure it out through the process of elimination here won't give you the truth. We deserve the right to make this choice together.
[ She takes a sip of her vodka and sets it down between them with a definitive clack. ]
[Alexei doesn't notice Natasha's immediate reaction. He's too lost in what she's about to say- or should say, if he had his way. He used the word 'daughters' because that's what was said in the trial, but it's still very much a label he agrees with. It doesn't matter how long it's been, or how those two feel about it now. In Alexei's mind, no matter how misplaced the sentiment, both Natasha and Yelena will always be 'his girls'. That's all the more reason for the attitude he's being given to hurt.
His features scrunch up into an annoyed, almost childish scowl of disapproval. It's such an easy question, and yet nobody wants to give him a real answer.]
I did not ask Yelena because I don't want to upset her. She is very emotional. But you... You take after Melina. That is why I thought you would be straightforward about it.
[And while both his mouth and his brain utter 'straightforward', the subconscious thought behind it translates to 'detached'. That much could very well be surmised through the context in which he says it. Hardly a flattering thing for him to say, but in Alexei's book, being compared to Melina is the highest of praise.]
sorry, I got stuck and needed to double-check things with Bev and life attacked
[ Natasha's eyes narrow. That's a lot of presumption for someone who spent two years with her a lifetime ago. He's not wrong, though, and that's the infuriating part of it. She knows there are ways that she and Melina align. That's how she was able to tell something was off, why they were able to so quickly make a plan...
Her lips compress and she ignores him for a moment, taking out her relic and sending Yelena a text. She looks back up at him to explain, because she knows he must be bursting with impatience. ]
I am confirming something with Yelena. I will wait for her to respond before I talk about anything regarding who was taken. If you want other information about the Snap, I will talk about that.
[ If not, they can just sit here, for all she cares. She's already told him what she will and won't do, and he doesn't get to take her choice from her. ]
[He's bursting, alright. He's annoyed and impatient and, deep down, scared. Even if the effects of the Snap are apparently undone later, it doesn't change that many people died, loved ones included. He hasn't even heard anything yet about how it affected Melina or himself. Natasha is making it clear now he won't be getting any answers about herself and Yelena just yet, so he could take the opportunity to ask about Melina instead, but this step already cost him so much effort.
Scowling a second time, though now with more petulance, he lifts his glass again and drains it in one go. Not that changes anything. All it did was buy him a little more time to consider the offer.]
I don't know, it is... hard to believe. Half of all life in the universe? All of it? Even dogs? Even fish? [It's the most menial question he could ask, but he might as well, since they're waiting for Yelena's response.]
[ Her expression goes more composed, controlled. Her tone is slightly dry. ]
Even plants.
[ It was bizarre and juvenile, the logic of a three-year-old with a stubbed toe. All the power in the universe, the power of a creator, and that was Thanos' choice?
It had been possibly the most horrific loss she'd ever experienced. And everyone had experienced it at the same time. The world had been broken because she had failed to stop it from being broken. And there was no filling that hole, there was only moving on.
And then, there had been the chance to wind it all back, to make it right. The choice had been so simple. ]
[Even plants? That strikes Alexei as so incredibly senseless, because what did plants ever do to anyone? It leaves him speechless- a situation that always comes rare for him. The thought of such a barren world and the chaos it would cause is chilling. His lips press into a thin line and he sets the glass down on the table. When words finally do come to him, they form some very typical questions.]
[ Natasha debates for a moment, but decides to tell him the truth, regardless. She doesn't need to protect him. That's not her job. ]
He was an idealist. He didn't care who or what he had to sacrifice to achieve what he thought was the greater good. [ A beat, because at least in this way, there was a difference. ] The deaths were the point, for Thanos. He thought it would make things better for the survivors, if there was more space.
[ She fills her glass. ] He was an idiot. [ She tosses the drink back, welcoming the sting. Fucker. ] But a powerful one.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
getscooperation) wrote2024-04-01 07:14 pm
no subject
She knows that any attempt to get him to think about what he does and doesn't want to know will only increase his anxiety. Alexei's a lot of things, but he isn't a coward. She can tell he's made up his mind - he wants to know.
And it's probably better that he hears about it from her.
All the same. That's not going to stop her from attempting to manage the situation. ]
The Trials brought up something from your future? That's low.
no subject
It is not just my own future, is it? You, Yelena, Melina... Entire universe, or so magic trial man said.
[With that out there, he does reach for the bottle to refill his glass. So much liquid goes into it that it almost overflows, but he manages to stop himself just in time. His hope is that Natasha will talk while he occupies himself.]
no subject
I wouldn’t put too much faith in a magic trial man, but in this case it’s an accurate statement. [ Her expression is controlled, neutral. ] There was a universe-altering event.
[ The weirdest thing about that phrase is that it’s no longer weird uttering it.
She weighs the odds and realizes… unfortunately, she’s bet on less. It must be the company she keeps. ]
In all I’ve been able to discover here, many people have returned home from Folkmore and then come back here. Only two people have had any memory of this place when they returned and as far as I know, only one was able to act on that information. Do you really want to carry this when there’s a good chance it won’t make any difference? It hasn’t happened for you yet, you don’t need to deal with it.
[ Of course, she knows what she’s doing. He won’t listen to the small odds after as comfort; she knows she won’t really be able to dissuade him. Natasha is telling him the truth. The odds are astronomically small that he can do anything about the Snap when he returns home. But they don’t not exist. And she isn’t above giving him some hope to stubbornly cling to despite her ‘advice’ against it to make it easier for him to deal with, and for her to deal with him… even though the math isn’t in her favor, she isn’t one to ignore any opportunity to turn a situation to her advantage. ]
no subject
I am already dealing with it.
[He finishes refilling his glass and sets the bottle down again, the movement a little harsher than intended. Thankfully, the bottle doesn't break. And while he hates referring to the imaginary talkshow host as 'magic trial man', he doesn't know what else to call it. He doesn't know how much of that was real, beyond the statements being uttered. He doubts that guy had any media training, that's for sure.]
Magical trial man said that I lose one of my daughters. One. But Steve Rogers wouldn't tell me who. So. Who is it?
no subject
There is a brief, sharp downward tug of the corners of her mouth, and not only because she's fighting the urge to indulge in violence. The gnawing, massive grief, the loss, had been compartmentalized of necessity. Someone had to do the job that was in front of her, and as long as she was breathing, Natasha Romanoff was that someone.
She'd still had her darker moments. They'd helped to make her decision on Vormir easy, painless. She still does not regret it.
Natasha reaches for the bottle and pours herself a precise two fingers' worth of vodka. ]
That's a different question, [ she observes, and places the bottle back on the table in a motion so controlled it makes no sound. She doesn't want to tell him a story that's not hers, but even though lying to him and saying it was her would be easier - and in a roundabout way, true, there were problems with that as well. ] Steve was right not to tell you.
[ She picks up her glass and examines the liquid inside it. She's not going to betray her sister's trust to satisfy Alexei's curiosity. ]
I'll talk to you about the Snap. And Yelena and I will discuss if we want to talk about which of us was lost. Trying to figure it out through the process of elimination here won't give you the truth. We deserve the right to make this choice together.
[ She takes a sip of her vodka and sets it down between them with a definitive clack. ]
no subject
His features scrunch up into an annoyed, almost childish scowl of disapproval. It's such an easy question, and yet nobody wants to give him a real answer.]
I did not ask Yelena because I don't want to upset her. She is very emotional. But you... You take after Melina. That is why I thought you would be straightforward about it.
[And while both his mouth and his brain utter 'straightforward', the subconscious thought behind it translates to 'detached'. That much could very well be surmised through the context in which he says it. Hardly a flattering thing for him to say, but in Alexei's book, being compared to Melina is the highest of praise.]
sorry, I got stuck and needed to double-check things with Bev and life attacked
Her lips compress and she ignores him for a moment, taking out her relic and sending Yelena a text. She looks back up at him to explain, because she knows he must be bursting with impatience. ]
I am confirming something with Yelena. I will wait for her to respond before I talk about anything regarding who was taken. If you want other information about the Snap, I will talk about that.
[ If not, they can just sit here, for all she cares. She's already told him what she will and won't do, and he doesn't get to take her choice from her. ]
no subject
Scowling a second time, though now with more petulance, he lifts his glass again and drains it in one go. Not that changes anything. All it did was buy him a little more time to consider the offer.]
I don't know, it is... hard to believe. Half of all life in the universe? All of it? Even dogs? Even fish? [It's the most menial question he could ask, but he might as well, since they're waiting for Yelena's response.]
no subject
Even plants.
[ It was bizarre and juvenile, the logic of a three-year-old with a stubbed toe. All the power in the universe, the power of a creator, and that was Thanos' choice?
It had been possibly the most horrific loss she'd ever experienced. And everyone had experienced it at the same time. The world had been broken because she had failed to stop it from being broken. And there was no filling that hole, there was only moving on.
And then, there had been the chance to wind it all back, to make it right. The choice had been so simple. ]
no subject
What is the point? Why take away that much?
no subject
He was an idealist. He didn't care who or what he had to sacrifice to achieve what he thought was the greater good. [ A beat, because at least in this way, there was a difference. ] The deaths were the point, for Thanos. He thought it would make things better for the survivors, if there was more space.
[ She fills her glass. ] He was an idiot. [ She tosses the drink back, welcoming the sting. Fucker. ] But a powerful one.