A Break in the Weather

[stands_for_something]

There's an old man sitting at a table in the Forum, reading his way through a pile of mail and enjoying one of the first balmy days this part of the Nexus has had in a while. To all appearances, the letters are a series of magazine-publisher sweepstakes entry forms, if anyone feels like reading over his shoulder.

Setting one down, he sighs, then looks up and turns a question toward whomever might be around and inclined to talk. "Does anyone have a story of a particularly satisfying way they quit a job? Or if you're management, a satisfying way you dealt with a problem employee?"

Comments

[stands_for_something]

Like the ideals for which he stands, his smile shines as bright as ever it did. "Nothing wrong with enjoying most things on their own merits," he agrees.

"What a time for no one to have a camera phone handy," he mock-sighs. Following the direction of Verity's gaze, he answers the unasked question: "SHIELD reports, encrypted to look like junk mail. What they think of down in R&D."

[brave_heart_verity]

This is why he's her favorite. He can sit down and be nice to a card-carrying coward and not even mention that her coffee is mixed with akh. "But with a little sugar to mask the bitterness? Try adding a pinch of salt to the coffee grounds. The coffee won't taste salty but it's much less bitter." No coffee magic secrets are kept from him. No, sir.

"I know. It probably would have started a trend. Hashtags and things." The mail gets another glance before she asks, "Wait, was I supposed to read all that stuff in my mail instead of throwing it away?"

[stands_for_something]

America is the land of the free, and its diversity is one of its greatest assets. A revolution was fought and tea thrown in a harbor so that Verity could have akh in her coffee if she wants to (among other things). His brows rise as she imparts her coffee wisdom, and he gives a thoughtful nod. "I'll have to try that. Fun with chemistry, I take it?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "No, no, most junk mail is junk mail. But if an agent's location is compromised, what's going to be looked into? The personal computer? The Starkphone? Or the pile of junk mail on a table by the door?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Saltwater tea is one of the most underrated American delicacies. "Mm-hmm. Girl's got to do something exciting on Friday nights, you know." She plays at chemistry for fun and has magic, how exactly did she not end up a superhero?

"Oh." Well, that's good. She'd have been miffed if that was how SHIELD decided to tell her she was being hired for a job she never wanted. "That's... really clever, actually. And kind of explains why Clint's so fussy about what I do with his piles of old mail."

Whoops.

[stands_for_something]

Too much good sense, obviously. You've got to be a very particular kind of dumb as a post to take up the heroing life in the 616. "Better than Breaking Bad," he agrees.

Steve chuckles at Verity's realization. "It might just be Clint being Clint," he soothes. "Oh, some of the things he used to say. 'I'd show you who oughtta be the ramrod of this sewing circle, and for a clue his initials are Hawkeye.' Such a card."

[brave_heart_verity]

It is so sad that he gets that reference when it takes her a minute. What is this life she's been living. Too much good sense, indeed. "Yeah. That's true. I think my neighbors would have complained."

Ver would be laughing at that if she weren't so shocked. Because that's... she's not even sure that counts as English. "'The ramrod of this sewing circle'? Seriously? Oh man." Now she's laughing. And plotting exactly when to pull that out. Sibling rivalries are cutthroat in their family.

[stands_for_something]

Well, pop culture isn't his kryptonite. He gets to pick this stuff up by osmosis more easily. "So, can you make fireworks, or is it all cooking for you?"

Steve chuckles along with Verity's laugh. "Well, it was a different time, the lingo was different. But still, it's worth a laugh looking back." Sorry, Clint. If you didn't want a remark like that to come back on you forty or fifty years later, you shouldn't have made it.

[brave_heart_verity]

Sometimes there are commercials for things when he's watching his classic movies channel? "Mostly cooking. I'm definitely sure my neighbors would object to my trying to make fireworks."

Clint gets no breaks. Except possibly getting Ver on his team, but that's still debatable. If teasing and getting teased about the 'old-timey' slang is fair, there are questions she could ask... such questions... but she'd be too embarrassed to say that to him. "Still. Did you explain to him what initials are at some point, or is he still tragically confused on that point?"

[stands_for_something]

It's hard to watch AMC without picking up the occasional commercial for one of their top-rated shows during its heyday. "If the rest of your cooking is as good as that chili you made, I'd say you're on a good track. You don't get Clint to talk about someone else's chili easily."

"Well, I never formally went over it with him, so he might still be confused. You could always ask him sometime." Who knew the sentinel of liberty had a mischievous streak?

[brave_heart_verity]

"You heard about that?" She is pleased and blushing all at once. "I um. You could come find out for yourself sometime. If you'd like."

A country like America needs to have a mischievous streak to keep things going, and it's only fitting their living symbol have one too. "That would be very sisterly of me. To make sure he wasn't confused."

[stands_for_something]

"I did. He said it was just a pity it'd all been eaten, so I couldn't try any." He flashes a grin. "A pity I'd be happy to see set right."

There's thirteen stripes on the flag. One of them is probably mischief. "Be sure to tell me how it goes, would you?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"Then we'll have to do that. I can have some ready for dinner tomorrow if you'd like." One of the good things about the recipe is she can start it the night before and let most of the cooking happen while she's asleep. Sneakily convenient things, slow cookers.

Truth, justice, liberty, freedom, democracy, moral fortitude, cowboy diplomacy, mischief, good oral hygiene, respecting one's elders, free speech, individualism, and self-determination? "Of course. So you can update your files and enter him to win that hot tub."

Ver gets a little more serious then. She can't read what's in those files, but it makes her wonder. "You know, I think getting registered came with some kind of clearance level. If you need to talk about something?"

[stands_for_something]

"I'd like that, thank you." Kitchen magic is the best magic.

Those colors don't run. This captain has another chuckle, though, over Verity's remark. "Think he should get the hot tub? I was going to put him in for the grill set."

The offer isn't dismissed out of hand. He does ask, however, "what clearance level did they give you?"

[brave_heart_verity]

Okay, so she's making dinner for Captain America. No big deal. Really. She can handle this. "Let me write down directions to my new apartment." Oh god oh god her first formal dinner guest is Captain America oh god.

"Oh, he'd love a grill set. Guess I'll need to think of a new birthday present for him." Don't worry Grandtain it wasn't really going to be a grill set. And honestly, non-Skrull meats to grill would probably be more popular anyway.

"That's an excellent question. I have no idea. I went, I registered, and I never went back. But I still have my old ID card." She'll get out her wallet while she's digging out a pad and pen. It's a sketch pad full of bad sketches she's scribbled over in frustration. Someone's attempts to teach herself to draw are not going well. She hands over the ID before starting the directions and drawing a map. "Here we go. Think it's on there?"

[stands_for_something]

Breathe, Verity, breathe. It'll be okay, Grandpa America is a pretty chill guy. "Thank you."

"Let's hope he wins, then, eh?" Old man Steve adds, still chuckling. Non-Skrull meats are the sort of meats everybody wants to grill.

"Huh." Steve looks over the card thoughtfully, before remarking, "I can honestly say this is the lowest registration rating I've ever seen. I can guess why, too--I'm sorry, if it was upsetting for you."

[brave_heart_verity]

She can breathe and have a little panic attack at the same time. She's very talented! In fact, she can do both of those things and keep smiling for as long as he's laughing.

"Yes. He deserves some good luck one of these days." Non-Skrull meats is one of the best things about the Nexus, in her opinion.

The smiling can't quite last through talking about this. Sorry, Grandtain. "Yeah, I think I'm the only one with it. It's not--" She cuts herself off and takes a breath while she thinks about what she wants to tell him. "Mostly I was annoyed that I went through all that testing for very little reason. I didn't want to be there, and it was painful at times, and I didn't want to be a superhero or anything, but..." But she wanted the pain to mean something. She's not sure how to explain that without sounding like she's whining.

[stands_for_something]

Old Steve nods his agreement at the assertion that Clint deserves to have some good luck. When Verity can't smile about registration, he isn't bothered--he can't smile about it, either, and he's not the sort of man who expects women to smile through everything. "You said you registered right away? That explains it: early on, Tony wanted heavy hitters and media darlings, people he could trot in front of a camera to show how safe the program was making people. You didn't want power or fame, and average people probably wouldn't have been comforted by the idea that any communication they might ever have made could be reviewed by you and deemed true or false in a second. You'd have been someone to keep away from the cameras if you'd wanted on a team."

[brave_heart_verity]

It's things like this that make him her favorite. The little things, the fact he's a good man even when it's not terribly important. "I guess that makes sense. I wouldn't have been any help in his public relations efforts, that's for sure. Can you imagine the faces I'd be making every time he opened his mouth?"

Because she can. And she almost regrets not having the chance.

[stands_for_something]

Old Steve chuckles quietly, taking a sip of his coffee. "Part of me would've liked to see that. But I'm just as glad you didn't have to go through the rigmarole."

[brave_heart_verity]

"I doubt I'd have been invited back for a second time anyway." And Verity can take the hint that he's not going to talk about whatever's bothering him, so she'll drink her akhaccino instead.

[stands_for_something]

Steve passes her SHRA ID back to her. "Did they at least help you with some work placement, or something? I know Tony made some claims in that direction, but it was hard to tell with him how much was pitch and how much was promise."

[brave_heart_verity]

She'll tuck it back into her wallet, which goes back into her bag. Girls and their lack of pockets, right? "Not really. I mean, having the documentation helped me prove to people that I could do what I said I could do, but other than that, it was all on me. Which I didn't mind, I had some pretty specific requirements. But the curse is extremely marketable, I didn't need help. There were other people who could have used it more."

[stands_for_something]

Maybe that's why '90s heroes had so many pouches.

"Ah. Were you able to find a job you liked, at least?"

[brave_heart_verity]

It all begins to make sense.

"It was okay. My boss was pretty nice, and the work wasn't horrible. I got to work from home and could afford a nice place in a safe neighborhood. I didn't have much to complain about." Except the pain. Always, always the pain, and the isolation, and... nothing important.

[stands_for_something]

"You make it sound nice," he observes gently, "but that's not the face of job satisfaction." It's important to him. It will always be important to him.