mental link - :018

[circumspector]

[ There's a crackle of static, of a radio station getting tuned in and a deep breath. Not a loud one, this one, just tentative brush at whatever is closest. ]

( ... Aoba? Petre? )

[ Well, someone's awake. Tired sounding, but awake and she tries to clear her mind to focus enough to reach out broaden to whoever might be nearby. More direct, a little more present. Nervous always, when she feels disconnected from others. ]

( ... Hello? Anyone nearby? )

[ and for anyone looking for her, she's around the Bearings as she catches up on what she's missed out on, getting herself cleaned up from her extended nap time, and plugging herself back into the nest of machines in the common area. ]

Comments

[decommission]

[ He pulls in a breath, lips thin. ]

You ever think about how - there's another version of you somewhere, in another universe? And maybe things go differently for them?

[circumspector]

[ She steps back a little then -- that's. A lot. Something she understood maybe better than anyone. Carefully she caught his hands, lifting them up so she could weave her fingers through his. ]

All the time. It used to be everything I did. [ Her thumb brushed against the back of his hand, and the connection that comes through is one of warmth, acceptance, easiness. ] Is... your friend not the same as you remember?

[decommission]

[ The flow through the link has him closing his eyes, letting out a short, surprised exhale, shaking his head at the question. Despite the sudden warmth his own thoughts darken, a thick fog of radio static around the conflicting portraits of his friend. ]

He's from the future - a long, long way into the future. He's been through a lot. [ The details are locked from their connection. He's hardly got all of them, but what he's seen - the lines at his brow deepen. ] I was there too.

[ Long after he would've been taken by the Nest. Another future. ]

[circumspector]

[ She can't quite imagine it, but she knows something like it. A different possibility is always hard to swallow, that life might go on without you, somehow. Granted, when she'd found out, she had everything she ever wanted. ]

It must be hard for you both, then. To know that there's another version of you that... didn't come here. For him to be confused about who you are here.

[ A comforting squeeze then, lips pressing together, trying to help him through it. ] But... you still remember each other at least? That means you can help each other work it out despite the differences, right?

[decommission]

[ He nods. They remember each other. And when Bucky forgets - he's always remembered again, just takes a little while sometimes. ]

We've gotta try. [ His features read hopeful even as his tone turns self-deprecating. Despite the conflict, both sentiments manage to be genuine. His chin dips down and he lets their hands fall, pausing for a second before eyeing her again. ] You get anything to eat yet?

[ Since she's been up. It's not exactly a patronizing concern - he happens to be hungry too. ]

[circumspector]

If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. Looking after people who have been through a lot sort of... used to be my area.

[ Because that she would do anything to help was obvious. She settles her hands back to her sides and takes the distraction easily. ]

Definitely. I'm always hungry.