07 | We All Have a Face That We Hide Away Forever

[sinistral]

WHO: the Soldier/the Winter Soldier (sinistral) and you
WHERE: Sh'Ka
WHAT: after helping Beck escape, the Winter Soldier was sent off-world for a mission; he's physically returned but mentally there's still a battle...
WHEN: conspicuously after Calibrations ended, for which he was conspicuously absent
WARNINGS: possible violence (please don't make me write a fight scene I'm not good at it); possible mention of violence; possible mention of mind control and actions performed without consent

---

SH'KA
→ Δ; Delta; Closed to Billy;

Sh'Ka. Or what appeared to be Sh'Ka; the Winter Soldier recognized that his current location didn't match his previous, but in trying to catalog the details of that previous locale he found he couldn't clearly capture them. It frustrated him, one of the few emotions he could feel. He needed to focus though; he didn't know how much time had elapsed since his last visit, or even since the start of the day. His main concern was shelter: hidden and defensible, and unknown to others.

He had equipment here in the city. Supplies. None of that could be trusted. No one—

He rolled his shoulder, the motion causing a ripple in the plating all down his left arm, and rose from his crouch behind a half-collapsed wall. He could still manage for half a day without sustenance, making the search for a place to shelter the highest priority. Enough of Sh'Ka was rock and rubble, grey and green and red—

Red red blood on the rocks on his hands on his face and it should be warm but all he knows is cold, cold, cold—

Red but not blood; the flutter of fabric on a breeze and a body wrapped in (impossible!) stars, a figure so viscerally real it hit the Winter Soldier as a physical blow.

→ η; Eta; Closed to Reeve;

The quiet hours of twilight and predawn, with the night in between, felt the most comfortable to him. The days seemed too unnaturally long; the alien sun had too piercing a gaze. Night harbored the dangerous things; he belonged to it.

Night let him slip into the greenhouse when he needed food. Not enough for his metabolism to truly be satisfied but enough to remain functional, especially supplemented with what he could gather from the trees. The big house seemed to hold some amenities but too much in activity; he ruled it out quickly. That left the fountain— or—

He sat on the lip surrounding the basin. The fountain, or something related to it, was important for some reason. He didn't know why, or to what part of him it pertained. Water, but that didn't feel right. Power, but again it didn't resonate completely. Something of a sense of watching, but also of physical work. That he really couldn't reconcile.

Too soon he finished eating the meager meal — and not soon enough, as true morning was nearly upon him. He still needed to secure a place to rest, and to perhaps attempt to sort out the new confusion sitting by the broken fountain caused.

→ ε; Epsilon; Open;

It didn't matter which personality had control; both were highly skilled in moving covertly and Sh'Ka's landscape certainly aided that pursuit. When the Soldier didn't want to be found he could evade most people, and right now he didn't want to be found.

Except—

He shook his head and pressed his right hand to his temple; the migraine from this morning showed no signs of abating. Add to that the feeling (paranoia?) of being followed; he committed to a circuitous route to his temporary shelter and already cursed the distance. But a straight path would lead his pursuit right to—

Boots on pavement; harsh voices; crisp winter air. Training exercise, training exercise, training accident——

A sharp inhale; the exhale a curse emphatically muttered in Russian. Look right, look left, step—

And whirl around, knife in hand to meet the threat.

→ μ; Mu; Wildcard;

Open to other ideas. Please reach out to me at sometimesamuse or via PM for plotting needs. As always while I write starters in prose I'm happy to match brackets if that's your preference.

Comments

E is for eikooc that's good enough for me

[deal_me_in]

"Well! Nice to see you're still on point!"

For someone finding themselves greeted with a knife, the Soldier's current company sounded almost jovial. Once he saw who it was, it probably wasn't all too surprising. Cayde had his hands up but his metal features still bore something of a smile, however possible that was, and yet you couldn't deny it.

"Heya Soldier, find any good tracks lately?"

I'm now singing the cookie monster song. And I want cookies.

[sinistral]

Also, on point, excellent use of the pun. A+.

No matter what personality was in charge, the metal face wasn't easily forgotten. Metal and durable and somewhat carefree, or so went the impression he had. And somewhat of a wildcard.

"No tracks," he replied cautiously. "What do you want?"

XD

[deal_me_in]

Cayde gestured at the knife. "You can put that away now," he reminded. "And what, can't a guy stop and say hi? Feels like I haven't seen you in forever. You lucked out you know, we got stuck up in that dumb cave again, except this time they didn't even let us bring anything!"

He paused. "You did notice we were gone, right? Or at least you noticed I was gone?"

[sinistral]

"No one does that without a reason." Even before Beck, no one paid social calls to him, and he didn't much engage with the community at large. Someone dropping by for a visit never happened without a motive behind it. Surely this would prove no different.

"I wasn't here," he replied eventually. "There was nothing to notice."

[deal_me_in]

To be fair, it was hard to pay a social call on someone who had the tendency to move around if not just be off the grid.

Cayde gasped, clasping a hand over his chest. "Ouch! -wait, hang on, what do you mean you weren't here? Where were you then? You weren't in Calibrations because I would've known when I pulled everyone's beds out into the hall. But you weren't here either?" Pause. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Because the Soldier is such a kidder.

[sinistral]

Who would want to, even if he didn't? Though admittedly the Soldier unconscionably believed that the list was minuscule.

"I mean what I said." He wasn't here, and he couldn't remember where he'd been sent. And it wasn't the first time.

[deal_me_in]

It's hard annoying a buddy that you can't pin down. Can't even send a gift basket!

The Exo frowned, but he knew the Soldier didn't mince words but nor did he have much reason to lie about this either. He finally shrugged. "Well, okay then. You doing all right at least?"

[sinistral]

Admittedly, the Agrii might confiscate said gift basket for having too much ordinance. If Cayde could truly craft such a thing, anyway.

"I am functional," he replied to the question. It was true at least, no lie or exaggeration. "Maintenance not required."

[deal_me_in]

Moderation. He'd have some cyananas tucked in between the knives and explosives. A few flowers and a four-armed sweater. Totally normal gift basket!

"...pfff." Cayde couldn't hold back the laugh completely. "You sound even more robot than me." Which was sad, really. "But I guess no maintenance is always good. I bet Tony'd be excited to get all handsy on offering to fix you up if you required any."

[sinistral]

The Agrii would probably not even allow him to have the empty basket, at this rate.

And in his eyes, there was no point in trying to sound like everyone else. He was broken; he didn't get to become a real person. That was fine. "Assistance is not needed. Tony has already offered. It is unnecessary." Two tiny little white lies, but truly he didn't need repair at the moment.

[deal_me_in]

At least Cayde's not one to press it. He gives a rolling shrug as though to physically dispense of the questions and concerns he'd brought up. They'd been natural follow-ups, but the Exo's just glad to see the Soldier about at all.

"So what's on the schedule for today then?" he asks as he turns about, looking around the stretch of empty streets before them. "Wall climbing, a light jog, hunting expedition..." It seems the Exo's invited himself along for whatever it might be.

[sinistral]

Cayde clearly knew the secret to dealing with the Soldier: let him do his own thing and don't ask too many questions. The forced time together was apparently there trade off but it could be worse.

Besides, he could probably lose Cayde in the ruins somewhere. Eventually. "A meal. Sleep." He could probably manage both in the greenhouse, and not give away any of the potential camps he'd scouted.

[deal_me_in]

A game?!?!

"Eh, I guess that counts too. Eating and sleeping are important." True that he needed neither of them as an Exo, but human habits clung hard sometimes. "Ooh! I got just the thing."

Cayde patted around his pouches and pockets before pulling out a packet of instant spicy ramen. He tossed it over with a grin.