[Video]

[usavatar]

[He examines the monitor with the passing familiarity of someone who knows how this works, but isn't entirely used to it and doesn't particularly like it. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, solemn.]

Thank you, first of all, to the people who helped me out of the water and into the city. I hope some of you see this. If there's anything I can do to repay you for that, please don't hesitate to ask. My name is Steve. Steve Rogers. I'm a captain in the United States Army, from Earth, or Midgard, I guess, if you're familiar with that name. This… Well, I'm not sure what to make of it all, but I'm curious to know if anyone is trying or has tried to get to their homes from here.

Are there people from Earth here? Or other worlds. Anyone at all, really, who'd be willing to tell me more about what we're into.

I'm more than willing to meet wherever you feel most comfortable.

[A pause, a nod, and he turns off the feed.]

Comments

[withoutaworld]

[ Rikki swallows hard and nods, rubbing awkwardly at the back of her neck. ] Yeah. Um... You saved me once. And then you let me tag along for some reason. Got me SHIELD training and everything and... we worked together.

[ She smiles faintly, her eyes fixed on the ground. She's never been happier than when she was his partner. ] So you can't just be 'Rikki Barnes' when you're Captain America's partner, so I picked Bucky. It was my grandfather's nickname in World War II, and... y'know, you being you, it seemed like it fit.

[usavatar]

[He needs to sit down. ...Except oh look, he already is. Bucky is here, there are apparently several versions of him out there in the universe somewhere, with whole lives built from the ashes of their old ones, and he's looking at Bucky's granddaughter.

The implications of Bucky having a granddaughter are at once staggering and so dangerously promising.

He closes his eyes and presses both hands against his mouth, willing himself to focus, not to do this in front of her when she's clearly already upset.

Deep breath. Steve sits up.] Does. Have you talked to him? To Bucky, here?

[withoutaworld]

[ Whoops, she broke Cap. Good job, Rikki.

She blinks at him for a moment, going very still while she waits for him to say something. Aaaanything at all. Seriously, she cannot be the person who broke Captain America.

When he does finally speak again, she blows out a little relieved breath and nods. ] Yeah. I ran into him my first day here, actually. Met up a few times since. We're... Well, we're getting to know each other. My grandfather raised me, but obviously he's not the same guy and he doesn't know me... but I like him so far.

[usavatar]

[Steve nods, realizes he's rubbing his hands together in a kind of daze and stops himself. He gives Rikki a long look, measuring her up - physical build, the way she carried herself when she arrived, the way she's standing now. Subconsciously filing it all away to start building a psychological portrait of the stranger who ran flat-out from wherever she was to find him and say she was sorry for dying.]

Miss Barnes... Whatever happened to you, whatever it is you think you did - if you did it because you thought it was the right thing to do, no... version of me has the right to hold that against you. I hope I never would. I know I never would.

[withoutaworld]

[ She ducks her head a little, smiling very faintly. ] I think that's what he'd say too. My Cap. I still hate feeling like...

[ Like he'd be disappointed in her. Like she was reckless and she didn't trust him and she died stupidly. She blows out a sigh, glancing back up at his face briefly. ]

I guess it doesn't matter. I'm sorry, I know you're not him, and I"m sorry for dumping all of this on you when you just got here and I know that's not exactly easy to deal with on its own, I just had to see you. In person. And I can go now if this is awkward, and you don't have to do the nice Steve thing and tell me to stay even though you're really uncomfortable with me, I know... I know you do that sometimes, and it's okay.

I'm... I'm okay.