aimlessness | IC CONTACT.

[ clint laughs under his breath, slides his hands into his pockets. she's not the first person to say that and she won't be the last. the familiarity in it is comforting. even in space, people still make the same joke. ]

Thanks. I think.

[ better not to think about where she saw him using it, except-- ]

I'm better outside of dreamland.

I do not doubt your capabilities. [ Which is... true. There's a tiny draw between her brows that heavily hints at the fact she has no idea why that's funny, but. Humor is a strange mechanism anyway.

She watches his hands, first. Then, his face. ]

Are you functional, Operative Barton?

[ Which, of course, is not quite 'are you okay'. ]

[ the answer doesn't come easily to him. instead, he turns away from her for a moment, heaves out a sigh as he sits down on the edge of his bed. he presses his palms together, feeling the pull of muscle and trying to ignore the sense memory of drawing back his bow and the way it was so easy to aim with everything tinted blue. ]

In a manner of speaking.

[ everything else would come in time. ]

[ She looks a little— startled when he goes to move, like she hadn't expected that, and rightly so. Still, when Clint sits, Rosella hovers for a minute, then sits next to him on the floor, her knees pulled to her chest like she'd been outisde his door, back to the bedframe.

She looks up at him with a frown. ]

That is an ambiguous answer. Are you mentally compromised?

[ he rubs at his eyes, grinds the heels of his palms into them. he's inexplicably exhausted, though he shouldn't be. hadn't he just spent an ungodly amount of time sleeping?

she asks and he thinks, is there a point to lying? ]

Probably. Yes.

[ it's liberating in a way, to admit it. she's seen inside his head but she's not natasha, not an avenger, not s.h.i.e.l.d. he loses nothing by telling her that, by admitting the horrible secret that he's still laughably far from an even keel. ]

[ Rosella pauses. Eyes his hands, the spread of them; she's not wearing shoes because shoes against metal is too loud even amongst the sea of noises on the ship. She wiggles her toes, almost a reflex of balance in reaction to his movement.

To her credit, she does think it over. At the Aviary, health is paramount, and there had been— Tyler, who had come to her scared, sometimes. Rosella does not understand fear, but there are times when she sees it and can recognize it for what it is. Weakness. ]

Weakness is not acceptable, where I am from. We are encouraged to eliminate it. I do not doubt it is the same for you, but I have been told non-violence is part of my restrictions on-board the Tranquility, so I cannot offer you permanent solutions, unless that is directly what you ask of me. [ Well. 'Solutions.' ] Will your weaknesses interfere with your everyday functioning?

[ it doesn't take much to guess that what she's offering is pain, is unpleasant and something she shouldn't have to do, shouldn't know in the first place. wherever she's from, it's not a good place.

inhale, exhale. this is the frankest discussion he's had about this. maybe he'll regret it, later. ]

I'm compromised, but I function.

[ he reminded himself to sleep and reminded himself to eat and maybe he flinched away from things that shone blue or couldn't breathe when loki showed up on the network, but he was in working order. ]

[ She huffs. It.. kind of sounds like a snort, except it's somehow more remniscent of a grumpy dog trying to swat away a fly. ]

I do not believe the two can be synonymous. [ Wow! So supportive! ] But I will defer to your judgement. I have seen some actors who are capable of great duplicity. [ She reaches over to flick the toe of his boot. Harmless, really. ] Perhaps you will be the same.

[ she huffs and he huffs back, the kind of irritable that makes him sound older than he is. ]

I get by under pressure. An adrenaline rush cures all ills.

[ and a swarm of aliens trying to kill you made for a great distraction. what worried clint was the kind of ops he was known for, the ones that weren't all adrenaline, where he could fuck up but good if he flinched.

but that didn't look to be anything he'd have to deal with in the immediate future. ]

What kind of solution are you peddaling? Time and rest, maybe a psych evaluation, like everyone else?

[ his tone suggests he doubts it. ]

You are efficient. [ She sounds approving.

His question makes her frown, equal parts considering and thoughtful and maybe a little hesitant. ]

I have not had experience managing weaknesses. The Aviary corrected our own. [ She flicks the toe of his boot again, a little harder this time. ] I am unsure of the protocol in a non-violent enviroment, and so cannot offer suitable solutions. But since you have asked, I will answer.

[ She lifts her head to look at him, all wide-eyes and blinking stares. ] You must make your weaknesses your strengths, or you must rid yourself of them. I will aid you if necessary.

Damn right I am.

[ screw modesty. clint's good and he knows it. it's the kind of cocksure he can't quite pull off since loki, but he manages a passable imitation of it. ]

I might take you up on that. Nat says I just need to level out but...

[ but it's taking too long. clint wants to be back to who he was now, not in months. ]

Natasha is a skilled operative, [ is Rosella's only reply, which is maybe her way of agreeing that while it's not a bad idea, it's not the one she's actively endorsing. ]

You will make your fear and reluctance your driving forces. If you wish, we may spar, or engage in an ongoing stealth exercise.

[ clint's voice goes soft around the edges when he answers, ] Yeah, she is.

[ tells. clint barton has them, if you know where to looks. ]

Define ongoing stealth exercise.

[ A short pause. It's not hesitant, just thoughtful; Rosella doesn't refuse direct orders, even if Clint doesn't mean it like that. ]

You speak of being physically capable but mentally compromised. An ongoing stealth exercise would aim to urge you to be prepared continuously, so that you have no time to reconsider the options at hand, until such a time that your instincts have been recalibrated.

[ Be very aware, Clint: what she's offering is... probably a little dangerous. ]

[ clint likes a little dangerous in his life, to be honest. even if it is functioning as a distraction at this point. ]

Count me in then.

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