New Years Conundrums

[red_room]

Nat's in a more prominent spot in the Nexus today, with what looks to be a whiteboard stand set up next to her chair in the Forum. She's idly tossing dry erase markers while she observes the people coming and going.

"They say the new year is a time for change, and yet every year people aim so pitifully low. If you could change one thing next year....any one thing, what would it be?"

Inquiring minds want to know! Or, you know, one bored red head with too much time on her hands.

Comments

[aw_hawkguy]

Of course he catches it. Squeeka, squeeka, writing on a whiteboard is noisy. "Oh, like I never clean up after you." That's mostly bluster. One way or another, the Nat he knows rarely leaves much of anything to clean up.

"Eh, I figure, stuff in my life, I can handle it myself. Fixin' it's on me. Disease, though? I got nothin'. Not even a penicillin arrow. So as long as we're wishing, might as well wish big and do the little stuff myself."

[red_room]

"If you do, I must be losing my touch." She goes along with the joke, but her smile is easier. More sincere. Lasts a lot longer, too. "It's a good wish."

He certainly hasn't disappointed.

"Go big or go home has always been your style though. I'll stick with ending world hunger. It's up there one the list of 'things not even the Avengers can do for the long term', no matter how much Tony donates to charity." Changing things they can't otherwise change seems safe.

And picking a noble change means keeping her more personal wishes to herself. Seems like a safe bet.

[aw_hawkguy]

"World hunger it is," he agrees, writing "world hunger" and drawing a big, fletched arrow sticking through them.

"I'm pretty fond of go big and go home. After you win. Fall asleep watching Dog Cops, good times."

[red_room]

"Is..is that a real thing?" Natasha actually looks confused for a moment there. Someone doesn't watch a whole lot of television unrelated to her work. "Go big and go home is the goal. Wouldn't be much good at our jobs if we didn't come back."

Yeah, brushing right over the memories that brings to mind. She's glad they made it back from the Ultron incident, even if they were prepared not to. Most of them...anyway.

"Has Tony enforced mandatory Schwarma post-victory wind downs over there too? We made a tradition of it, for a while."

[aw_hawkguy]

"You haven't seen Dog Cops? Nat, the Cold War's over. Iron Curtain came down. Get yourself a free weekend and a Netflix. That's a prescription from Dr. Clint."

Incidents like that come with the job. Avengers are Avengers unto death--and beyond (as one zombie-raising villain learned to his dismay).

"Schwarma? No, that hasn't happened. I might bring some to the next meeting, though. What is it?"

[red_room]

"The first is hard to come by, but I have the second." Natasha's rolling her eyes. "I've made it a bit of a project making sure Steve sees the classic movies that he missed while he was under. Was going really well until everyone else found out about it."

She doesn't seem to approve of certain someone's tastes in cinema.

"Middle Eastern gyros, pretty much. There's a place close to the tower we ended up frequenting at odd hours of the night post missions until the press caught wind. Guy's business has been great since." She shrugs with a smile. "Nice folks. Even helped us wake you and Cap up after you'd fall asleep at the table."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Wake me up from a post-mission food coma? Sounds like dangerous work--you roped in civilians?" He chuckles, teasing, "cold, Nat, cold."

[red_room]

"A professional uses their surroundings to their advantage at all times, Barton. Like I want to be the one lifting either of you two muscle brained fools." By now Nat has gone back to sitting in her seat, but has gone from tossing the dry erase marker up by herself to playing an odd game of catch with it with Clint while they're talking.

"Speaking of missions, things quiet over there or have you had to break out the Christmas presents already?" A peaceful Christmas or a whole lot of fun putting down some baddies--either way Nat hopes it's been a good Christmas for him.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Haaa, well, I had a little New Year's world tour. Not as bad as the time a Kree scout ship flew through fireworks and thought they were under attack, but still, pretty busy."

[red_room]

"A tour? Busting up HYDRA bases? Hunting otherworldly artifacts that may fall into the wrong hands? The usual stuff?"

He looks to be okay, so Natasha doesn't seem worried. She knows better than most that he can take care of himself.

[aw_hawkguy]

"Yeah, pretty much. HYDRA tried to gas Times Square, witches and ninjas in Cali, giant monsters in Hawaii, magic stuff in Nepal, and radioactive swamp men in Siberia. And that's the highlights."

[red_room]

"You get to do all the fun stuff without me." Nat snorts and drops her gaze for a moment. "All I've been doing is training recruits."

Though the new batch of Avengers is hardly what she'd consider fresh meat.

"You'll be pleased to know that I'm on extended reconnaissance tour for this place, too." This time she does look up again. "So I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, unless it's Avenging time."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Well, I'm gonna hope it's not Avenging time for a good, long while, because I could use a nap. I'm gettin' old again."

[red_room]

"I could agree to that. The less Avenging time, the better off the world is, in theory." Natasha isn't quite sure what she'd do with herself if she was no longer needed.

A question she doesn't need to worry about.

"At least Christmas is over. I like it enough but I was getting tired of everyone telling Steve he had to watch Christmas movies all month."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Aw, that's rough. At least tell me someone slipped Gremlins and Die Hard into the rotation? Gotta have something good to cut all that sugar."

[red_room]

"I dunno. You should have seen some of the pranks he thought to pull on Tony after watching his third Home Alone movie."

Natasha may have helped.

It's best not to talk about who poured syrup and pillow feathers on who, now. They're grown ups.

[aw_hawkguy]

"...tell me you have video."

[red_room]

She's already pulling out her phone and tapping it a few times, before passing it over to Clint.

The garbled "ROGERS YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!!" Can be heard loud enough to blow out her phone's built in speaker.

[aw_hawkguy]

Oh, what a laugh that's worth. "Oh, my god, I need a copy of this." He digs out his own phone. "Can I?"

[red_room]

"Only if you promise to give yours ideas." Natasha winks but she's already moving to send the video to him.

"If only I could get Steve to understand what 'Do it for the Vine!' means...Actually, no. That would devolve into Super Hero Jackass the motion picture in no time."

[aw_hawkguy]

"Tony has been being kind of a dick, lately... deal." He grins, because what Barton doesn't love a prank war?

"I'd be more worried about Thor picking it up."