etraya | text, un: hawkeye

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text, un: hawkeye

so is pass and fail just a judgment on our performance, or do we reckon it's gonna come back and bite us in the ass in the future?

aurora said she missed us, by the way. ( those are not the words she used. ) she also said that she and eos are free to run their cities in whatever way works for the people under her care, as long as we're well-taken care of.

but, thing is, she gets to define that. says she gets to learn from her actions and inactions in relation to us.

which is something to keep in mind when we're acting as a group or not acting as a group and trying to get answers, or choosing which rules are okay to break and which rules are okay to stretch.

because between here and moorecroft, right now i'd say we've got the better end of the deal.

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[ Gorgug moves over to the island with the drink now upon it, gives a thanks--he doesn't mind giving those, apparently--and slowly takes a seat, like there's still the possibility he's making the wrong move. Figuring now that words will come, the time for him to listen, and that does, except--

a corkboard first, dressed up so well that Gorgug's eyes widen. Oh. Riz would like this-- Riz would like this very much. The thought of his friend is buzzing in his head, and how this moment would be gold for him. Why isn't he here? He should be here instead. Would love this, be jumping right up and over to take everything in.

Unlike Gorgug, who doesn't rise upon the sight of the piece and its attachments. He stays seated, eyes flitting between it and Clint when the man starts speaking at first, but eventually landing on him to keep his attention on, the trickle of information. Five or six months, fewer amenities, buildings for comfort free or purchased. Points. ]

She took points for some books and materials I asked for, and wanted points for a gun. [ But he's thinking about that now, the fact that people have gotten buildings with or without asking. ] --Are you unlucky if she doesn't make you a building for free?

[ You can't ask for it, and get it for free. And by the question, the frown and wrinkle of his brow, Gorgug has the look of someone who didn't get a winning scratch card.

where's his free building???? ]

( huh.

not the same one, apparently, but—. )

oh, yeah, i know. it was either that or "so who are you?"

that was the nice way of saying we know the same people, ghost.

( clint's never done well with downtime either, for much the same reason. )

yeah, unless you wanna walk from apartment to apartment, knocking on people's doors.
or else you can just message people privately.

if we could tag it...

nobody important.

but they're not really, are they. though i can see why such redundant universes have been deemed potentially disposable.

are you saying that because you really believe it or because you want it to be true?

we're familiar with the same vague concept of certain individuals, shaped differently by experiences and relationships. doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

no-one's universe is disposable.

because i have a realistic sense of my place in the world. i dont need to convince myself otherwise.

no, suppose not.

[still, she's more curious than she wants to admit. what all those differences might be. if there's a version of her in that world, any happier. he hadn't shown any recognition of her alias, so perhaps little ava starr got to grow up normal there. or blown up with her parents. either way, preferable.]

do you know bill? dr. foster.

he'd probably agree with you.

( the corkboard is, for all intents and purposes, the most organised clint barton tends to get, even if his apartment isn't untidy. there are hints as to his propensity for it, for when it gets the better of him — or when his life becomes busy enough that keeping his apartment tidy drops to the bottom of his priorities — in the small yet haphazard collection of discarded coffee mugs scattered about the apartment, the newspapers shoved to one side on the small table next to the sofa, the arrows laying in a pile across the top.

he pulls a face when gorgug mentions asking for a gun, his gaze dropping to give gorgug a once-over, curious and considering and, just a little, judgemental, like he's trying to work out what gorgug would want a gun for. what he'd do with a gun.

it's not like he's inherently opposed — he's dated spies! married one! — but guns are impersonal. they make it easy.

instead of saying that, instead of asking about the gun, he says— ) She and I, we got into semantics about my bow. I asked for it, she said it wouldn't be the same thing, blah blah, it'd be a copy. Seems to me like she deducts points for things that serve a purpose, and gives us stuff that serve an emotional need. I did try and argue that my bow's very comforting to me, but she didn't seem to buy it.

( all of this is to say, really, that, ) Which is what I reckon it comes down to more than luck. ( a breath of a pause in which clint returns to his coffee, glancing at the circle of wet it leaves behind as he picks it back up. eh, whatever, he'll deal with it later. ) And there's a whole lot more of us than there were when I got here. I figure she's having to split her attention more, having to be more selective. It's not like Etraya's gotten bigger as the population increases.

[ Gorgug misses any judgment--if there's anything to be read, he's distracted by his own speaking, his thoughts moving onto luck and not luck. But the disappointment that had been waiting in the back of his throat doesn't come, deflated even by Clint's words, about Etraya getting bigger, Aurora's attention being split.

It's hard to be grumpy towards her after recent conversations. Offers, even. ]

If Moorecroft's older, then maybe that's how they do it--start smaller, then keep growing... unless it's what the AIs think. I didn't ask Eos if she always ran it the way she did, but she said she liked it the way it was. Thought it worked best. [ ... ] She could've come to that over time.

[ After who knows how long--he really didn't ask as much as he wishes he had now. Focused too much on the current culture. ]

Etraya seems like Aurora's still figuring things out. [ So Gorgug says after a beat, and hopefully Clint knows what he means without explaining, sharing instead: ] I said it would be good if she asked what we wanted-- she asked me for my ideas after I talked about Moorecroft, and I thought there's places people can hang out and get to know each other, if that's what she wants. That's what I thought after the beach hang out and the bracelet trade.

[ Eos was focused on building community--Aurora seems to be the same. ]

( it's occurred to clint that he hadn't done quite as much exploring and questioning in moorecroft as he'd have liked to, retrospectively speaking. he doesn't know if clint and bobbi being assigned to the same family, being assigned as husband and wife was deliberate, or—. no, scratch that, he's certain it'd been deliberate, but what he's not certain about is why. had it been at attempt, foolish and pointless, to try and get them to reconcile? they've done that dance time and time again, and as much as clint would like—.

it's not going to happen. it always end in tears.

the other option, of course, was that it'd been a distraction. something that he'd been guaranteed to focus on rather than moorecroft himself. and if that'd been the aim, well, it'd worked.

that and the jobs. maybe that was the point of those, too, more then, or even just as much as, the community aspect. it's hard to spend time fucking around and making a nuisance of yourself if you're working forty hours a week. if you're tired from the day-to-day mundanity of your life.

those are the thoughts that don't get vocalised as gorgug speaks, his brain picking at the occasional remark. )

—Aurora said they're all free to run their cities in whatever way works best for the citizens under their care. Said that she's still gettin' to know us and what works best for our comforts during our time with her. ( their time with her. the implication that it's finite, despite moorecroft being around for years. he knows he'd said it earlier, but it'd been without the additional context of the broader conversation and what clint had been trying to get at with asking it.

he's not quite dumb enough to think that aurora can't hear what they're saying even when they're not wearing the earpieces, but he does think there's more security to be had in a private conversation held in person. ) Said, too, that she's designed to learn from her actions and inactions, and Eos was designed to "evolve" and learn from her experiences.

( a breath in, a sip of coffee and a quirk of his lips. it's almost a smile. ) Which is the long way of saying — sure. I'd put money on Moorecroft having looked a lot like Etraya when it first started out. It was probably those first few arrivals that had an effect on the look of the place and how Eos runs it.

—And, uh, not as part of this conversation, can't even remember how it came about. ( no, he can, it was because they'd been talking about his brother—. ) But she's got a full history on all of us. Knows about our childhoods, conversations we've had, relationships we've had. All of it.

( it's not that clint doesn't recognise 'ghost', it's that he knows she's not (can't be) the same one. it's that he knows what it's like to be here and have a whole conversation comparing you to someone who shares your name, parts of your history, parts of what makes you you, and know they're someone else entirely. know that they're not you, and that any comparisons made are forced, are based off false premises.

—and she's being difficult enough that commenting on it is, he's pretty sure, a solid way to tank the conversation further. )

you know you can change your place in the world, right? it's not static.

( but bill? the answer to that's yes, but how long's it been—?

(christ.)

type. delete. type. delete. )

i know ( knew ) him.
he's a good guy.

( ... )

how's he doing where you're from?

[ He's thinking as Clint speaks, listening to him and them finally getting into the conversation putting Gorgug in a certain kind of ease: their situation isn't seen any better, that hope he had been wringing himself over believing on the way over not any more cemented. There's no full picture to be found, even over the text, that much was obvious; but there are lines being etched into what's visible, even if they're sketchy, without colour. Maybe it's just nice to get to talk to somebody else about, as much as Gorgug appreciates his friends.

It's been that nagging worry he'd expressed to Padme about who they can trust, how much they can depend on others when they were being put into competition. It's so easy to fall in your own groups--it's so easy to suspect people you don't know.

And who can blame them, when home is on the line? (Could he be ruthless?)

Nothing about this should be comfort, and Gorgug still sits on the island chair, hands loosely wrapped around the glass, but it's close enough. He isn't lost in his own head, even when he does think; and think he does when Clint last speak what he does, and Gorgug's eyes widen slightly--then look away, thinking, trying to know what that means to him. Is there anything there in his history he cares about her knowing? What does knowing him mean?

--Oh. He looks back at him, realisation in his gaze. ]

She knew I wanted to know how to build her companion bots. [ But-- unless? The creases by his eyes wrinkle in doubt. ] I asked her where they came from, and... I could've asked her how she fixes them before she said that...

[ Now is he being the paranoid one? He only remembers being surprised, not expecting it, but he can't help but to second-guess himself. Still, even with a sheepish note to it: ]

She said she'd teach me.

[ A sheepish, happy note. ]

( clint's not that precious.

he knows what it's like to be doubted and to be distrusted, to have people expect the worst of you because of your reputation, because of your history, because of their understanding of actions chosen for reasons they have no real want to understand.

he's not interested in pushing anyone to one side, to ignoring them, to thinking the worst of them without reason. everyone deserves a chance, even if what that chance looks like entirely depends on who they are. no two people are the same, and all that. sure, he can be short and blunt and argumentative; he can be contrary and dismissive, but between all of it, he gives a shit.

his eyebrows knit together as gorgug half-starts and doesn't quite finish three separate sentences until, finally, clint pieces together what gorgug means. aurora knew about gorgug's interests and proclivities before he'd really mentioned them.

clint exhales, a sudden burst of air through his nose. it's almost a laugh because yeah, that tracks. she'd known all about clint and his archery, even if clint hadn't been shy about it. )

It'd be smart to take her up on it, ( he comments, gaze fixing on gorgug, blue eyes seeking out yellow. ) The more we can keep her on side, the better. And—.

( he turns away and disappears towards the lounge, stopping by the sofa to pick up one of the arrows before returning to gorgug and placing it next to him atop the kitchen island. the fletching is purple (shocking, truly), but the tip—.

it's not a traditional arrow shape at all. it's cylindrical, made of a lightweight metal with grooves. clint would never invite anyone else to make arrows for him, he enjoys it too much, it's part of who he is a part of being hawkeye, but—. )

Knowing how they work means knowing how to stop 'em if we need to. Nice and easy.

( you know, if aurora doesn't stay on side. )

[ He waits without question, gaze following Clint as he moves way, letting everything pause when Clint does to go and do whatever. And that do is to get: a tube, apparently, or Gorgug thinks at first. But it's what the man leads on with--a conversation that would spur mixed feelings within Gorgug, even if he would ultimately agree with the thinking, if he had the chance to think on it--that makes him look at it again.

His hands unravel from the glass, fingers pressed against the surface of the island top. Wanting to potentially touch, but waiting. Suddenly, Etraya and Aurora or the companion bots don't matter to him as his eyes fix onto Clint with the same, lowkey tone in his voice: ]

What does it do?

[ Is this thing cool? is his real question, and of most importance. ]

( it's cool, would be clint's answer to the question gorgug doesn't ask. clint's trick arrows are his pride and joy — or one of them, anyway, sat neatl nestled amongst his pride for his skills as a marksman, his brazenness about being either charming and handsome, or handsome and likeable, or just handsome, or just likeable. you know, he's a full package kind of guy—

—is what he'd say. )

You point it at people and you hit them with it. ( is, however, the answer he gives, flat and level, attention back on gorgug. ask a stupid question and all that.

the momentary silence following the remark implies that's where clint's going to leave it, but the small tug at the corners of his lips says otherwise. sly and self-satisfied, the pause is entirely deliberate before— ) This one's a sonic arrow. Emits a loud noise about two seconds after you fire it. Get too close, and it's enough to deafen a man.

( temporarily? permanently? yes. all depends on just how close is 'close'.

(don't stick it in your mouth, kids.) )

[ There's no flash of embarrassment that comes from the first answer. Instead, there's confusion, because Gorgug knows there's a goodie right here that isn't being shared with him properly, and his lips part and there's the definite start of a furrowed brow that would have definitely led to questions of but I want to know what it does does!!

But Clint shares, he's not that cruel. It does embolden Gorgug however, the arrow definitely cool and this tool, he'd very much like to peel it apart and see how it all comes together; but Gorgug isn't going to ask if Clint makes them, or for anything that's more in lines with how he's been questioning everything so far.

Clint teased him, and maybe he wants to puff himself up some. Not show as visibly just how much he likes seeing new technology and forms of it--no. He considers it, and decides, ]

I could make that. [ Confidently said, and after a beat: ] And a machine jammer. And magic.

[ We're out here being a bold boy right now, his back even straightening a little. H-he can be cool too, you know. ]

Yeah?

( immediate, reassessing. immediate, and clint thinks of bryce and he thinks of how stupid it is for him to let people involved in his life because they just get hurt.

but there's no parker robbins here. no enemies of clint barton, or of hawkeye, or ronin, or whatever identity clint's decided to assume this week because he's struggling (again) with the concept of who he is and where he fits into everything, because he's struggling with the realisation (again) that sometimes, sometimes what the avengers do isn't enough. sometimes it doesn't get the results you need.

the thought lingers, quietly but present, even as clint ignores it. there's a solid chance they're all going to get hurt anyway, right? but that doesn't mean he has to make it more likely.

(fuck.) )

—It's not just about the tech. It's the engineering. It's gotta be aerodynamic, too.

[ He's put himself in this position: Clint isn't challenging him. But he's fluffed himself up on a promise that he can't immediately back up, but wants nothing more than to keep. Gorgug knows he could do it, just like he can do a lot of things, just like he wants to do--he just needs time. And he wants nothing more than to prove that to himself first before anybody else.

And now, there's nothing else he wants. 'It's gotta be aerodynamic.' An itch grows in his fingers. He's never done anything with arrows. He wants to do everything with arrows. ]

I need samples, or I can read up on arrow crafts and start from there, make prototypes until I get the right weight and power. [ Confidence isn't carrying in his voice, but the energy is earnest, doubt far from present. Even as he speaks like knows he needs to convince. Wants to convince. ] I need time, but--I can do it. I've worked with weapons.

[ He wants a chance. ]

( it doesn't quite remind clint of himself — he'd been younger, a little over half gorgug's age, and he'd jumped into being a volunteer for the swordmaster's show without a second thought because it was better than shovelling elephant shit, but there's a thread of similarity there. it's in the want and the desire to prove oneself, and that— clint's very familiar with that.

clint has a soft spot for that. )

I don't have many samples, not here, ( he admits, rolling the arrow against the table. it's a distracted action, born of clint's need to do something with his hands more than it is anything else. ) No sporting goods store, no easy template to crib off without asking Aurora for help. ( which, to be fair, is easy enough to do — present it as "I've been thinking about what I need to be effective in the missions", but— mm.

he picks the arrow up, taps it mindlessly against his chin. it's the rest of it. the mechanics of it all. ) I can give you some of my duds. ( the ones that don't work, the net arrows that don't retract, the boomerang arrows that don't boomerang. not ideal, but it is what it is. )

[ There's the chance. A knit in Gorgug eases, but doesn't fully unravel: next comes everything else, the proving himself. Just as important, and more manageable than getting people to trust him with words he doesn't have. Words he wouldn't believe in, probably.

He nods at the offer of duds, but not for that. ] I've asked for books and materials before-- I was studying [ a beat ] arcanotech back home. Magic, and technology. My focus is battle smithing, making items for fighting, so it's not weird. [ If there's a concern about that--that asking for fighting-oriented supplies would raise a certain suspicion Clint doesn't want. ]

If I take scans of your working arrows, your bow too-- that could help.

[ Work backwards on the design, seeing how everything fits into place, or should. It's worth a shot. ]

this has been quite helpful thank you
.
i will hunt around and see what may be lurking out there
.

[ Dimitri has no idea what 'tagging' it means in this context, but assumes it's either tag-teaming to take it down, or perhaps something with tracking. ]

( wAIT. )

maybe don't it alone?

i assure you i will not get lost
.

[ Clearly that would be the only concern here. ]

great.

but that's not what i'm worried about.

[ Dimitri will consider this. It has been years since he has really worked with a team. An army may have been gathering around him back in his home world, but he hadn't really worked with them. Rather beside or in front of them. ]

you mentioned it was quiet here between missions however are there any threats i should be aware of
?
otherwise if it eases your concerns i can stick to reconnaissance for the time being
.

[she's difficult, perhaps purposefully so. but if she didn't want to be engaging she could simply not respond. despite it all, she is trying to work out some sort of... understanding. even if not necessarily agreement. or maybe she just wants her frustrations to be heard, for once.

but the subject of bill is safe territory to fall into. discussing him, rather than herself so directly.]

he is. i miss him. but. he's probably better off without all the trouble i cause.

he's working as a professor. at berkeley. quantum physics. he used to work with pym. and my father.

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