mental link; day 49/50ish

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Sam's... not normally one to use the mental link to talk to the Nest in general; he still prefers in person most of the time. But the only other option he can think of for something like this is to stick up flyers, so mental link it is. With his widened connection comes the feeling of feathers and a distance rush of wind. ]

( For those of you who don't know me - I'm Sam. I'm one of the people you can find spending half the day in the training hall. I know a lot of us have got our own training routine, but I'm looking to step outside mine a little.

Guess you could call this an interest check, see who'd be up for doing some training in working together. I know everyone ain't into the team thing and I'm not asking you to be, if you don't want to. Just looking for the willing. We're all doing missions together, it'd be nice to have some practice seeing how our skills can compliment each other.

Not gonna drop my resume on people who ain't interested, but I'll answer any questions you want about my experience. Or you can find me in the training hall every morning. )

Comments

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Yeah, yeah, he's watching you right back, mister. Now he's gotta set it up, though, looks like he'll be bugging Damon, later. ]

( And mine is a lack of self preservation around puffed up hissing cats, apparently. I hope you know how to clean up cat bites, cause I'm gonna be coming to you. )

[ Where is this metaphor going, Sam doesn't know anymore. ]

[cognitived]

[ Yeah, yeah, he's well aware. As if you could stop watching anyway. Still, with a little acknowledging hum Clint sets it aside. It's all in Sam's hands now, which mostly means Clint can be lazy. Excellent. ]

( Just carry a spray bottle around, maybe it'll work on Barnes. )

[ Bad kitty. ]

[wrackful]

( So you can change it. )

[That's interesting.]

( Do you know what it's going to be before you do that? )

[blooded]

( I don't need training. I'm a vampire. I can kill all of you without breaking a sweat.

and if he can do that to people empowered by the symbiote, imagine what he can do with normal creatures. that's not to say he won't do it, though, and the link makes that much clear. he'll play along with sam's silliness. he just wants sam to know he doesn't have to.

he doesn't say anything in response to sam's dropping the subject, but the faintest glimmer of appreciation can be felt through the link. there's a reason you're his favourite, sam. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's a hint of something playful, too light to be called a challenge, but more along the lines of I got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Besides, there's always something out there bigger and harder than you. That ain't the point, though, and Sam does have confidence in Damon's skills. ]

( That's why I'm asking you to train with me, so I can learn to compliment what you do. 'Sides- ) [ There's a hint of a grin, teasing. ] ( One of my boytoys wants to meet you. Think he's gonna try to put you through the paces. )

[ Sam'll push, sure - but he also knows that pushing too much does nothing but make things worse. He's got no problem backing off when Damon needs it. ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ It's true, Sam can't even deny it. Not his fault, really, that's all Clint.

Laughter blooms across their connection. ]

( Nah, man, I can't do that to him. For a cat he's got one hell of a pair of puppy eyes. Almost better than yours. )

[cognitived]

[ All Sam might be getting back is a sense of smug superiority, tbh. ]

( Yeah, that's fair. He's got that kicked puppy look going for him. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Like he doesn't see you watching right back, mister. ]

( And he doesn't have that glint you get when you want something. )

[cognitived]

[ He pleads the fifth. ]

( Oh that's how it is? I see who your favorite assassin is, now. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Hard to do in a hive mind, Clint. ]

( Ex-assassin. ) [ Because Bucky doesn't do that anymore, not when he can help it. Then Sam's mental tone dips low, something warm and smoky curling around them. ] ( You know you're my favorite in everything you are. )

[cognitived]

[ Don't doubt him, he will find a way. ]

( In everything, hmm? )

[ Ignoring the rebuke -- or rather, acknowledging and settling it aside for later. Ex-assassin, right, because Barnes wasn't ever given a choice when it came to profession. Well that's fine, only room for one assassin in this nest anyway. ]

[deployed]

( Someone loud. Maybe someone who just woke up. )

[ It'll look more natural that way, Bellamy reasons. ]

( Or maybe Petre will help us. )

[blooded]

( You talk about me to your boyfriends? Sugartits, I'm so touched!

the words are a joke but the sentiment... kind of isn't. any time people talk about him it's usually in terms of "what destruction has he wrought now" and that doesn't tend to make people overly excited for his presence. sam hasn't seen him be overly destructive, and it's not a surprise that he'd talk about him to his friends...

except it kind of is.

Which boytoy? Tiny one, armless one, or bird one? )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( Damn right, honeypie, what kind of drinking partner would I be if I didn't? )

[ Damon is... a not insignificant part of Sam's life, if he's putting it in mild terms. Of course he's talked about him with his friends. Not as much as he thinks about him, sure, but still.

There's another burst of amusement at Damon's descriptors, and the mental impression of Sam shaking his head. ]

( Bird one. The one who likes to lurk up in the rafters, I told him to be polite and actually come say hi with me. )

[blooded]

( damon only knows sam's boytoys theough mental impressions, really — bucky he's met, but he's the only one, and it wasn't enough to start a lasting friendship. sam's mental impressions of each of them are... well, if he thinks about damon in as glowing terms, damon would blush.

This'll be fun, he says, and weirdly enough... he kind of means it. Am I getting the shotgun talk or do you mean actual paces? )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ Better start blushing, then. He knows Damon is dangerous and impulsive, sure, but Sam trusts him under almost any circumstance.

Barring Elena's life being in danger or Damon being pushed to the breaking point, really, because Sam loves him but he's still practical. ]

( I'm hoping so. ) [ There's another chuckle. ] ( Actual paces, I'm pretty sure. He's probably not above a shotgun speech, though. )

[blooded]

( sam thinks he's practical enough to know the limits of damon's good behaviour, but damon knows that sam's looking at him through rose-coloured glasses. just because he hasn't had reason to do anything stupid here yet doesn't mean he's not himself, which means it's only a matter of time. sam wants to think it can be avoided if damon's in a good enough place... and damon wants sam's friendship too much to tell him that's not how it's going to work.

"Be nice to my boyfriend, new boyfriend, or else, also run this obstacle course in five seconds"? Can't wait.)

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ All right, yeah, that's fair. Sam hasn't seen him when he's in a truly terrible place, and just because he suspects might happen doesn't mean he knows.

But he's not stupid enough to think it can be avoided. It's gonna happen, sooner or later, same as Bucky's gonna get trigger into being the Soldier again - but they deal with that as it comes, and that's the same approach he's gonna take here.

For now - well, for now amusement can spark over their link as Sam laughs. ]

( That's a pretty good impression, man, you should do it for him. He'd love it. )

[sizeofyourbaggage]

[ There's something like a huff across the mental link, mostly amusement, with just the smallest undercurrent of something more. ]

( Don't ask questions that you know you don't wanna feel me answer, man. )

[ He knows Clint and feelings, man, and there's no way he could answer that even the slightest bit truthfully without some of them coming out. ]

[sizeofyourbaggage]

( Hell yeah, I'm a pretty decent shot. Got a favor to ask, though - you think you could teach me to use a sword, or whatever you've got? )

[blooded]

( Is that mocking I hear, Samuel? Are you mocking me?

a brief sensation of indignance before damon laughs, unable to keep up the act. this is why he can talk to sam about things that actually matter, when he never would with misato, or stefan, or sometimes even elena. sam listens when damon says he's done, and moves on. no pushing, no sense of you would feel better if you just... damon gets to retreat while still being with someone and that is... nice. in a way he never expected, or would have thought to look for.

affection, comradery, friendship — it doesn't have to be cloying or pushy. who knew? )

[wille]

( Maybe. Yes. I think so? )

[ She's unwaveringly, unapologetically certain in the face of uncertainty, but the prospect of so much agency turns her apprehensive. ]

( I would need to know what I want to choose it, right? But if the one I choose is too improbable, it might not work. Anyway, I can always ask Cathaway, if she'd give me a straight answer, anyway. )

[wrackful]

( She's not going to know the details on how yours works. She'll probably just make you do the same tests you're talking about. )

[He sounds pretty certain on that. As if he's asked her himself. And if testing is the next best step, then:]

( Cards are going to be better. Unless you know someone who can rig coin flips. )

[cognitived]

[ That's -- well, he appreciates the warning to this actually. There's a faint impression of someone holding their hands up and backing away. Joking, mostly, but also not. Sam knows him too well. ]

( Yeah, yeah. You got anything else for me? )

[ Because otherwise he's going to sink back into the shadows. Maybe literally. ]

[wille]

( She'd know the options I can choose from, removed from cards and coins.

But talk to me, what are you thinking? I'll find us a deck of cards while you talk. )