The Second Soldier

well,

Shallow breaths

A tap on her shoulder, sending her jolting alongside her racing heart, wide eyes searching for the source- an elderly woman with a light laugh, and an apology for startling her. She was only reaching for the milk

Bright, fluorescent lights

Constant chatter and clanging and beeping that was not, in fact, a heart rate monitor, and was instead the tills as the cashiers scanned various items

Too many options

kind of.

At some point she'd passed the bakery, and a small child in a cart had wheeled by, holding a...

And then she'd found herself in the office. The door was locked from the inside. The desk had the indent of fingers on the edge of it's surface, as though imprinted in wet cement. One of it's legs wiggled like a snake. Both still gleaned with the sweat of her hands.

The manager kept slamming on the door, shouting and raving about calling the police, and company files and trespassing. And yet she was frozen in place. - For Wade, sadiebrin

@sadiebrin

"Donuts or muffins?" Wade muttered to himself as he looked around the bakery section. His head tilted to one side, then the other. "Eh, they each have their good points..."

It was supposed to rain today. Not just rain, thunderstorm. So far, though, the sky had gone dark for a couple hours and it had gotten rather windy, but so far... no rain or thunder. Perfect weather for Wade to do a little shopping during normal human hours without fear of getting too impaired by the sun. He'd felt a mild tingling on his skin when he stepped outside, but... not too bad. And really, he just had to go from his apartment building to his SUV, and then from there into the store. He could do that standing on his head, so... time to shop.

He thought for a minute. "The only mental thing I noticed is that sometimes I have weird dreams or thoughts that I know aren't mine. They're Mae's. The uh... the woman who turned me. She warned me that might be a thing. It's because we've got a kind of bond between us because she's my maker or sire or whatever you call it in vampire terms. But the longer we spend apart, the more it'll fade, she said.

It was somewhat liberating to have told someone. Everywhere Wade went and whoever he talked to, he had to hide the fact that he was a vampire, but with Sadie, the cat was out of the bag. Or rather, on her lap, at the moment. It was nice to be able to be himself around someone, even if that someone was a person he'd just met having a panic attack in a supermarket. Nevertheless, he knew why she asked if he was careful who he told. "I am, yeah. Actually, you're... no joke, only the second person I've ever told in several months of being a vampire. The first was Rockland. He's a smart kid, he figured out somethin' was up with me, heh. And since he showed me a little of his powers, I told him about mine."

With regard to Bee's care, Wade nodded. "If you can, sure. I know more about dogs than cats, so I'll take any help I can get. Poor thing's got the walkin' farts 'cause I fed her fried fish, so I'm not off to too great of a start here," he said. "But I'm willin' to learn. I'll become the best cat dad I can be." It might be the only kind of dad he'd ever be, but just because it was a cat instead of a human didn't mean it didn't matter a lot to him.

She was the second person. Good. Who was the- Her eyes warmed with pride and amusement. Rockland. Out of how many people on Earth? Sadie focused in once more as Wade spoke of her son, holding onto every word. He was smart. Observant, it seemed. That was reassuring. Still, he needed to be more cautious with showing off his ability to strangers... She supposed that was a little hypocritical to consider, given she'd shared a little of her own abilities with Wade that evening, but she was a trained soldier. "What did he think?"

"Sure, I could." Sadie agreed. It shouldn't be too much trouble, contacting Oline through her burner phone. The walkin' farts. She snorted. "You made do with what you had available in the moment, and she certainly seemed to enjoy it, even if it's not a feasible long term part of her menu." She had to admit, though; a tentative warmth wormed it's way into her chest as he declared his determination to be the best cat Dad he could.

well,

Shallow breaths

A tap on her shoulder, sending her jolting alongside her racing heart, wide eyes searching for the source- an elderly woman with a light laugh, and an apology for startling her. She was only reaching for the milk

Bright, fluorescent lights

Constant chatter and clanging and beeping that was not, in fact, a heart rate monitor, and was instead the tills as the cashiers scanned various items

Too many options

kind of.

At some point she'd passed the bakery, and a small child in a cart had wheeled by, holding a...

And then she'd found herself in the office. The door was locked from the inside. The desk had the indent of fingers on the edge of it's surface, as though imprinted in wet cement. One of it's legs wiggled like a snake. Both still gleaned with the sweat of her hands.

The manager kept slamming on the door, shouting and raving about calling the police, and company files and trespassing. And yet she was frozen in place. - For Wade, sadiebrin

@sadiebrin

"Donuts or muffins?" Wade muttered to himself as he looked around the bakery section. His head tilted to one side, then the other. "Eh, they each have their good points..."

It was supposed to rain today. Not just rain, thunderstorm. So far, though, the sky had gone dark for a couple hours and it had gotten rather windy, but so far... no rain or thunder. Perfect weather for Wade to do a little shopping during normal human hours without fear of getting too impaired by the sun. He'd felt a mild tingling on his skin when he stepped outside, but... not too bad. And really, he just had to go from his apartment building to his SUV, and then from there into the store. He could do that standing on his head, so... time to shop.

That was nice of her to say, that who he'd been prior to becoming a vampire was relevant to her, and that he'd treated her with a lot of humanity. He hadn't expected her to say something like that, but it gave him pause nonetheless. "I guess I'm still holdin' onto my humanity a bit, even though it's gone," he mused. "Different kinds of humanity, I know, but still. Maybe I should be out there suckin' everybody dry and doin' evil vampire things, but that's just not me. I see no reason to stop helpin' people just because I've got a sun allergy and diet restrictions now. So... thanks for noticin'. It means a lot."

"Oh man, if I could only get in on like a clinical study for iron deficiency or somethin' like that, that'd be great." But the longer he thought about it, the more problems he saw with that idea. "Of course... they'd probably want blood tests and all that jazz and who the hell even knows what my blood looks like anymore. The cells are probably all weird now or somethin'. All my red blood cells swimmin' around with these tiny little fangs..." A pause, and then, "Yeah that joke was bad, sorry."

"I am? Thanks. I've always had my own style, so it's good to know I don't I'm not a generic, cookie-cutter vampire," Wade said with a big grin. He, too, was happy about being able to take pictures with Bee. There was something about the tiny, opinionated, hungry, playful, and gassy little unit Bee was that just melted his heart. She was the medicine for an illness he didn't even know he had, the disruption to his life he never knew he needed. "She really is," he said, agreeing with Sadie on that point. "From now on I'll try to feed her a little better food so she doesn't drop stink bombs on us all the time," he added.

He laughed as Sadie called Bee the queen of this domain. "Yeah, ain't that the truth. I don't know about you, but she's got me wrapped around her finger, or her paw? Her... toe beans?"

Bee, for her part, pushed herself up a bit as her head was scratched, pressing against the nice touch, before curling up tight once more.

She nodded, as he spoke of holding onto his humanity. She could understand that better than he realized. "You're still you, even if your body's changed. You still have your memories. Your mind still feels like yours?" Assuming becoming a vampire didn't alter his cognition. That was where part of her own difficulties resided; how was she supposed to trust her mind, when Hydra had picked her apart? So much of her past was still fuzzy, and she couldn't help but question whether what came to her were true memories.

Her brows raised with amusement as he continued, maybe he should be out there, sucking everybody dry? "I sure hope not." It was sweet to hear how much he valued helping others. Since she'd escaped, she'd met some very kind people. As much as she was still incredibly wary, it certainly helped to restore some of her faith in humans. Sadie nodded, as he thanked her. "No problem."

Oh, he was running with the clinical study concept. Her features shifted into a muted concern, broken into a momentary grimace at the concept of red blood cells with fangs. It was an entertaining image, but, "That does not sound comfortable." She mused, shaking her head as he apologized, "No, it's fine." She went quiet for a moment. Needles and white coats stewed in her mind. "You're careful with who you tell, right?"

As for vampire stereotypes? "Definitely." Her expression was warm, bobbing her head as he said he'd feed Bee better food. "We could do some research into different options. I know a couple of people with cats, too. I could reach out."

It was amazing how quickly people could form a bond with other creatures. "Oh yeah." Bee had them both wrapped around her toe beans, indeed. She looked down at the kitten fondly as she pressed her head into Sadie's hand, and curled up.

She didn't have to put up with this treatment. Not anymore. Part of her feared if she got up, he'd follow her. She was nearly certain he would, if she gave him a choice. Was it better to run, or stand her ground?

Her laughter clearly bothered him, and his response reminded her that this? This was just one sad little man. And this was more of a moral quandary; a matter of what she'd stand for, now that she had a choice. A part of her may feel like she deserved poor treatment, but he didn't know her past. He just saw her as someone he could try to exert power over.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Okay, so maybe she wasn't making fun of him. Maybe she was just cracked. He hadn't taken her for an unstable person, but what she said didn't make any sense. 'Bastapult' wasn't even a word.

well,

Shallow breaths

A tap on her shoulder, sending her jolting alongside her racing heart, wide eyes searching for the source- an elderly woman with a light laugh, and an apology for startling her. She was only reaching for the milk

Bright, fluorescent lights

Constant chatter and clanging and beeping that was not, in fact, a heart rate monitor, and was instead the tills as the cashiers scanned various items

Too many options

kind of.

At some point she'd passed the bakery, and a small child in a cart had wheeled by, holding a...

And then she'd found herself in the office. The door was locked from the inside. The desk had the indent of fingers on the edge of it's surface, as though imprinted in wet cement. One of it's legs wiggled like a snake. Both still gleaned with the sweat of her hands.

The manager kept slamming on the door, shouting and raving about calling the police, and company files and trespassing. And yet she was frozen in place. - For Wade, sadiebrin

@sadiebrin

"Donuts or muffins?" Wade muttered to himself as he looked around the bakery section. His head tilted to one side, then the other. "Eh, they each have their good points..."

It was supposed to rain today. Not just rain, thunderstorm. So far, though, the sky had gone dark for a couple hours and it had gotten rather windy, but so far... no rain or thunder. Perfect weather for Wade to do a little shopping during normal human hours without fear of getting too impaired by the sun. He'd felt a mild tingling on his skin when he stepped outside, but... not too bad. And really, he just had to go from his apartment building to his SUV, and then from there into the store. He could do that standing on his head, so... time to shop.

"Yeah, I guess..." Wade said unconvincingly. "Although, everyone who really knew me is dead, so... what I used to be before I became... this... is probably irrelevant to anyone I would meet now." Now his tone sound almost accusing, as if he was somehow blaming himself for his own transformation. Maybe he was. If he hadn't screwed things up as badly as he had on that one mission, he might still be human and a whole lotta good people might still be alive. "Yeah, that's a priority of mine, figurin' all this out without hurtin' good people and without even killin' the bad ones, if I can help it. So far, it's been okay, I just have to skip cities before my uh... feeding patterns get discovered, that's all. But maybe if I can get myself a good butcher who doesn't ask too many questions, like you said, I could stay longer."

Wade hoped that the more he practiced and the more time he spend physically as a vampire, he'd improve his skills. Maybe they'd start to feel more natural after a while, or at least improve and become more versatile. Sadie seemed to think that was possible, so for now, he was going to let himself believe it. "I guess it's just that most people, when they think of vampires, they think of some suave, mysterious guy who looks like he stepped out of a GQ magazine and who definitely knows what's up, not some baldin' dude in jeans who sometimes crashes into walls when he tries to run fast," he said with a self-deprecating smirk. "So that's why I said it seemed kinda stupid. But yeah, to be fair, it is pretty fast. I mean, I was a fairly fast runner before all this, but now I'm just ridiculous."

"That's true. Oh, you know I'll be takin' all the selfies with her. C'mon, why even own a pet if you're not gonna take pictures of 'em all the time?" Wade said.

"Damn, girl," Wade said to the oblivious kitten, laughing as he, too, tried to fan away the aftermath of Bee's fish dinner processing. "I think maybe feedin' her regular fish instead of fried stuff next time might be a better idea, so she doesn't go turnin' it all into tear gas," he complained. "Or better yet, we should look into some of that like... Smalls or Farmer's Dog or whatever those brands are that ship you fresh, human grade pet food every so often. That has to be a bit more nutritionally balanced for sensitive little kitten stomachs than fried fish sandwiches are, right?"

Bee, listening to her new humans talking but of course not understanding, made another dramatic, sleepy stretch before looking up at Wade with half closed eyes.

"Yeah, we're talkin' about you. You just gassed us out, you little stinker," he said with a big grin. He looked to Sadie. "Look at that face. She knows exactly what she did. No shame. Unbelievable," he said, feigning a fair amount of aloof annoyance.

Bee curled up tight again, and with a hefty sigh, she closed her eyes and was contented again.

She could practically see him swirling into a whirlpool of negative thoughts once again. An empathetic shrug attempted to dissuade him, "It's relevant to me. Your past is a part of you. Anyways, you've treated me with a lot of humanity tonight. Maybe that's enough." Saying as much felt vulnerable, and she hoped she wouldn't come to regret it.

"Seems like a pretty good priority. I hope the butcher idea works for you. Maybe New York will have a good handful of butchers, you could rotate through them. Make it out like you're not entirely hooked on blood themed dishes." A smirk was cast his way. "Maybe you could even say you're taking part in a long term study on iron deficiencies or something."

Sadie snorted at his description of a literary classic vampire. "You're a refreshing break from the stereotype." Selfies with the little love was an endearing concept. She usually tried to avoid ending up on camera, out of fear her image could end up in the wrong hands, and ease in the tracking of her whereabouts, but maybe she could get ahold of an instant camera, or something similar. "Cute." She mused softly.

"The grease could be getting to her, I suppose." She agreed with disgusted amusement. "I'm not familiar with those brands, but I would hope so." Maybe she could reach out to Derek and Oline, and get a reminder of what they fed their cats.

What she didn't see coming was Dustfinger lurching towards her. Turquoise energy had just seeped into the fabric of the man's jacket when hands wrapped around her arm and yanked. She lost her footing... And her grasp on the knife, stumbling backwards with a wide eyed look of agitation in Dustfinger's direction. What was that? "Let go!" She made to pull her arm free, eyes darting between Dustfinger and the other. Was he worried she was threatening his buddy? No... That was ridiculous, right? He'd been trying to protect her... He hadn't seen her fight first hand, not really. He probably just saw the knife and let his instincts take over.

Basta flipped the knife in his hand, feeling its weight in comparison with what he was used to. He didn't advance, either, well aware that he'd regained the advantage, if he'd ever really lost it in the first place.

His eyes flicked briefly to the knife on the ground, now closest to Dustfinger, who wasn't inclined to pick it up.

"Stop. Stop."

He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady himself as much as the others.

"Let's just talk!"

Basta's weight shifted from foot to foot impatiently. He knew there was no reason for a fight, Dustfinger was sure he wanted nothing more than an excuse to start one.

"We were trying that. Then your girlfriend threw me into the wall. I told you what I came to tell you. Now you get a choice: come quietly, or..."

Despite the knife in hand, she noted the way this man's gaze flickered to his own on the ground. An attachment? Or simply a desire for more power? Regardless, she wasn't about to ask Dustfinger to retrieve it.

Sadie craned her head to keep an eye on her adversary, and took her opportunity to crouch. The moment her hand touched the ground, turquoise energy seeped in. She could use the pavement to grab hold of the slime-ball's legs, but that would leave his hands free and armed. She could bring the pavement up further and make a go at his arms, or sink him mostly into the ground, but both option would take a moment, and she didn't trust him not to lash out at a sign of trouble. So, she curled a snake of pavement around the knife handle and tossed it her own way, free hand snatching it from the air with practiced ease.

headcanon prompts with questions based on plants   &   what they represent in flower language .  happy roleplaying !!  ♡

abatina :   is there anything in life your muse has changed their mind about over time   (   due to becoming more educated on the topic ,   certain experiences  ,   etc .   ) ,    or that they   would   change their mind about under certain circumstances ?  

acanthus :   is your muse deceptive ,   or willing to lie or deceive to achieve certain means ?   why or why not ?   

aloe :   how does your muse handle grief ?

amaryllis :   what is something or someone that your muse takes pride in ?   how do they express that pride ?   

anemone :   how does your muse view the world ;   as a cruel   &   unforgiving place ,   a land full of wonders ,   or something in - between ?  where does that world view come from   (   what experiences ,   life lessons ,   etc .   ) ?  

angelica :   where does your muse draw inspiration in life ?   what motivates them ?

apple blossom :   how does your muse go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality ?  

bachelor’s button :   does your muse actively seek romantic companionship ,   or cherish the liberties of being single ? 

basil :   does your muse have a love - hate relationship with anyone or anything ?

bay tree :   does your muse seek glory   &   accolades ,   or do they favour a simpler ,   more personal life ?  

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ?  

belladonna :   how does your muse respond to silence ?   do they take comfort in soundlessness ,   or seek to fill the void with noise ?   

bluebell :   does your muse learn from their past ,   or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes ?  

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ?   how do they express or not express this relationship ?  

chamomile :   what is your muse likely to take away from a painful experience ?   are they one to be haunted by adversity ,   or to use what they’ve gone through to become stronger ?  

chrysanthemum :   how does your muse express romantic love ?  how do they feel about love as a concept ?  

daffodil :   is your muse one to be loyal in relationships ,   or are they likely to quickly move from one bond to another ?

daisy :   did your muse ever feel as though their innocence had been lost ?   what moment in their life could be described as the end of their innocence ?  

edelweiss :   what was the bravest moment in your muse’s life ?  are they known to be courageous from then on ?  

fern :   does your muse believe in magic or cosmic forces ,   or are they more likely to think their life is ultimately a matter of their own control ?  

forget - me - not :   has your muse ever forgotten something that is or was important to them ?   are they afraid of forgetting things like that ?  

gardenia :   is your muse one to confess romantic feelings early on ,   or to conceal them for long periods of time ?  

gladiolus :   describe a moment from your muse’s life that they will never forget .

goldenrod :   does your muse believe in luck or fortune ?  why or why not ?   where do they believe these things come from ?  

heliotrope :   does your muse believe in soulmates ?

hibiscus :   how does your muse view the gentler ,   daintier things in life ?   as things worth preserving   &   caring for ,   or things only bound to wither   &   disappear ?  

holly :   how strong is your muse’s sense of intuition ?  are they aware of it ?   do they ever fear that it is only paranoia ?  

hollyhock :   how strong is your muse’s sense of ambition ?  what’s something they strive for in life ?  

hyacinth :   is your muse athletic ?   does it come naturally to them ,   or have they had to work for their physique and/or skill ?  

hydrangea :   how much does your muse value communication in their relationships with others ?  are they prone to being misunderstood ?

iris :   if your muse could convey one last message to someone they have lost or left behind ,   what would it be ?  

ivy :   what are your muse’s views on marriage ?   do they believe it is something strictly for love ,   or an institution rooted in business   &   social benefits ?   do they desire or have they desired to be married ?

lavender :   how easy is it to gain your muse’s trust ?  once their trust is broken ,   how might one go about mending it ?  

lilac :   what was your muse’s childhood like ?   how has their upbringing affected them as they’ve aged ? 

lily :   how does your muse view their mother ?  

lotus :   has your muse ever felt as though they’ve been reborn ?  have they ever desired the feeling of a fresh start ,   or a better understanding of themself and/or the world around them ?  

magnolia :   describe your muse’s relationship with nature   &   the natural world .  

marigold :   is your muse prone to jealousy ?  how might they handle envious feelings ?  

mint :   does your muse view themself as virtuous   &   moral ?  what do these words mean to them ?

nasturtium :   describe your muse’s relationship with their birthplace ,   or homeland .  

oak :   who would your muse consider the strongest person they know ?  

pansy :   does your muse often reflect on their own actions ?   do they ever think a lot about the past ,   and what they could have done differently ?

parsley :   describe a holiday your muse enjoys ,   and why they enjoy it .

peony :   what would a   ‘  happy life  ’   look like in your muse’s eyes ?

poppy :   what comforts your muse ?

rhododendron :   is your muse receptive to warnings   &   advice given by others ?

rose :   how much does your muse value other people ?   do they wish to have many friends ,   lovers ,   and/or associates ?   are they an easy person to love ?

sage :   what is your muse’s legacy ?   what do they want to be remembered for   &   what might they actually be remembered for ?  

salvia :   is your muse possessive over people or things that matter a lot to them ?  how do they express that possessiveness ,   or lack thereof ? 

snapdragon :   is your muse merciful ?  why or why not ?

southernwood :   how seriously does your muse take themself ?   do they prefer a solemn   &   intellectual atmosphere or do they delight in jokes   &   banter ?  

sunflower :   what brings your muse the most joy in life ?  

tulip :   how does your muse view people in general ?  

violet :   how does your muse respond to betrayal ?

willow :   how does your muse handle sadness   &   depression ?

I want to make this known; it’s OKAY to flirt with my muse, it’s okay to say flirty things to them, yes, they may not react to it, they may not respond to it positively, but know as a mun I’m 100% OKAY with it. Especially if my muse is clearly attractive appearance wise, go a head, flirt with them, if my muse is your muse’s type, it’s okay to flirt, we don’t have to be shipping, we don’t ever have to ship to have you flirt with my muse; I WON’T think you’re pushing a ship on me either. But I just feel that some people are scared to have their muse be flirty to another because we a muns might take it the wrong way.

“…- worthless if we can’t get the asset sorted out. Check into other candidates. For now, I’ll get Victor to take a look. Get the soldat in place.”

The input of a key code. A clink of locks. Rough hands grabbing at heavy arms, weighed down by drugs and metal gauntlets locked around forearms, bubbling out around outstretched fingers. She walked alongside the agents. If she didn’t, they would drag her. Moments later, and they were in another room, just as cold. She sat. Waited. - Sadie for Victor?

@sadiebrin

This really wasn't at all what Victor had in mind when he signed on to work for HYDRA. To say that they had misrepresented themselves was a gross understatement. Although he really couldn't argue with the fact that he was performing cutting edge research, he just didn't expect to be performing it on restrained and decidedly non-consenting patients.

Her thanks made his chest tighten, though, for he felt that giving someone water was no great act of charity, for having it should be a basic human right in the first place. "You're very welcome," he said nevertheless, forcing a smile for her. It wasn't a fake smile, just one he had to push past the layers of other negative emotions he was feeling at that moment. She was not the source of those emotions, nor were they her fault, so he tried not to take it out on her.

"Careful, doctor. You're presence here is suffered only for as long as you are useful to us," one of the soldiers warned him.

Victor really couldn't help the smirk that followed. "Did that feel good to say? Hmm? Don't worry, I shall be sure to tell your superiors that you kept me well in line, you needn't try quite so hard," he said. He would have added a shoulder pat, but... he knew he was on thin ice already as it was.

"Continue with the subject," ordered the other soldier, growing impatient with Victor.

"Oh, have I reached today's limit of acceptable pushback? Darn. Well, tomorrow is another day," he said, turning back to the woman. "It is a shame that I always seem to hit my limit by lunchtime. It leaves nothing left for relief of the soul, come dinner," he mumbled as he prepared the pill.

And still he pushed their buttons. Was he seeking punishment?

The doctor turned to her once again, mumbling. She responded with silence, but her eyes were fairly steady on him, now. Listening. She was rewarded with another upwards pull of his lips, as she agreed to take the medication. Was he responding positively due to her compliance? Or was he truly relieved by her agreement? Perhaps it made him feel lighter.

He began with the instructions. More water? That was certainly welcomed. She nodded, sticking her tongue out slightly and swallowing the medication back alongside the water, once both were offered. A dulled wave of nerves washed over her, but the sensation was distant enough still that she paid it little mind.

well,

Shallow breaths

A tap on her shoulder, sending her jolting alongside her racing heart, wide eyes searching for the source- an elderly woman with a light laugh, and an apology for startling her. She was only reaching for the milk

Bright, fluorescent lights

Constant chatter and clanging and beeping that was not, in fact, a heart rate monitor, and was instead the tills as the cashiers scanned various items

Too many options

kind of.

At some point she'd passed the bakery, and a small child in a cart had wheeled by, holding a...

And then she'd found herself in the office. The door was locked from the inside. The desk had the indent of fingers on the edge of it's surface, as though imprinted in wet cement. One of it's legs wiggled like a snake. Both still gleaned with the sweat of her hands.

The manager kept slamming on the door, shouting and raving about calling the police, and company files and trespassing. And yet she was frozen in place. - For Wade, sadiebrin

@sadiebrin

"Donuts or muffins?" Wade muttered to himself as he looked around the bakery section. His head tilted to one side, then the other. "Eh, they each have their good points..."

It was supposed to rain today. Not just rain, thunderstorm. So far, though, the sky had gone dark for a couple hours and it had gotten rather windy, but so far... no rain or thunder. Perfect weather for Wade to do a little shopping during normal human hours without fear of getting too impaired by the sun. He'd felt a mild tingling on his skin when he stepped outside, but... not too bad. And really, he just had to go from his apartment building to his SUV, and then from there into the store. He could do that standing on his head, so... time to shop.

Wade shrugged, though he looked unconvinced. "Humans don't usually eat each other, so that's a big red flag. I think that's probably what most people would cite as bein' a reason why vampires aren't human." They way he said it, it sounded like he was upset about the fact that he didn't consider himself human anymore. Sad, or maybe regretful. He did notice how Sadie seemed to become subtly uncomfortable when he mentioned doctors and getting poked by them, so maybe that was a topic best left alone.

"Before. She was our bounty, actually," Wade explained. "We were supposed to arrest her in Mexico and bring her back to the states, but... obviously we had no idea what she was and she gave us the slip a couple times. And then... we got mixed up with a cartel. They wanted her, we got in the way, and shit happened. The rest you know, I guess. I don't know where she is now. We decided we'd prefer to go our separate ways, but we parted on good terms."

Wade laughed at Bee's lackluster response to him preparing to show off his abilities. "Yeah, I can tell she really cares," he said. "It's okay, whatever. Naps are really important, I get it." He chuckled again as Sadie told him there was no pressure to get ready. "I can do it, just... I'm still not like... all that great and turning it on and off whenever I want, I gotta like... get in the mood. I know that sounds stupid, but I guess I'm still learnin', heh."

"Yeah, I show up in mirrors. The longer I... uh... exist, I guess... as a vampire, the more I'm learnin' that a lot of the fantasy stuff in books and movies just isn't true," he said, shaking his head. "We don't turn into a puff of ash in the sun, we don't turn into bats, we don't sleep in coffins or on grave dirt, we have reflects in mirrors and on camera, and garlic doesn't bother me any more than any other human food does. Crosses don't do anything, I can cross flowing water, silver chains don't hold me down, I mean... there's a whole lotta bullshit out there that totally isn't true. Oh, and I can go anywhere I want, you don't have to invite me in first," he said with a half smirk.

"I did, actually. It's a little hard to get to full speed in a space this small. Smackin' myself into a pancake on the wall isn't my idea of fun, so... yeah, I held back just a bit." Wade thought he could go a bit faster if they were out in the open, but he didn't like to do anything conspicuous like that in public... not unless it was necessary. He wasn't exactly trying to broadcast that he was a superhuman something-or-such to everyone around him. He'd only told Sadie because... well, she kindof was too, and they needed to know a bit about each other's abilities to work together. And in the spirit of being honest, since she had understandable trust issues.

Wade kindof... stopped and blinked himself when he heard the diminutive poot. His brow furrowed and he started to smile. "Did she... just do what I think she did?" he asked, but just as with Sadie, Bee's brief foray into miasma expulsion soon made itself known to him. "Aw, daaamn... How does somethin' that small make a stink that potent?" he said, waving the air in front of his nose and chuckling. "Well, I guess we know all her pipes are workin' just fine, right?"

With his first line of evidence as to why he wasn't human, her lips pressed together, brows slipping down into an awkward expression. "Fair point." A pause. She noted his tone, almost grieving. "I can't say one way or another as to whether that's ever been an expression of mutations, or if it is something different. You were born a human, though. That has to count for something, right?" At what point was a human no longer considered a human? When they were turned into a weapon? An icy weight seemed to drop in her stomach. You're a person. That was just a thought. You're alright. And she was a human. So were the people who had treated her otherwise. She rubbed at her face, exhaustion setting in from the day, and the weight of her thoughts, "People can be incredibly cruel to one another. At least for you, you have a chance to figure out a fairly ethical means of getting what you need to survive, while causing minimal harm, if I've understood right?"

The woman been their bounty. Interesting. She listened quietly, a bob of the head meeting the conclusion to the intel. Good terms. At least he didn't have her on his tail. "Good."

He had to get in the mood. A playful little grin tugged at her lips, and for a moment he'd be able to see where Rockland got his smile. "Not stupid." She reassured. "Abilities are like muscles, in my experience. You don't typically become a body builder overnight. Not naturally, anyways." Accounting for super serum and the like.

Her head crooked to the side, curious, as he listed off the facts and myths of vampirism from his experience. "Noted. At least you won't have to miss out on family pictures with Bee."

A sympathetic wince met his description, a pancake Wade definitely did not sound like a good time. "Good call. That's pretty impressive. I can run faster than a lot of people, and you're definitely faster than me."

Sadie hadn't been aware of Bee applying to work in a deli, but she had certainly cut the cheese. "Yup." And then the smell hit, like rotten fish left in a garbage can in the summer, and she reached up to plug her nose. "No kidding." Only her no sounded kind of like doe, and she laughed. She contributed her free hand to the fanning process, and that helped dilute the smell soon enough. She set her palms back down, one coming to rest gently on Bee's back, the other on her lap rather than the couch.

His knee brushed hers, sending an uncomfortable tickle through her skin. Memories skittered through her brain. The movement was purposeful, there was no question. Her muscles tensed, heart picking up it's pace, and a series of responses drew up in her mind;

Punching him in the face. A classic.

Drawing the stairs up into a wall between them.

And then there was a section of the stairs lurching up under Basta's ass, sending him catapulting across the street, or backwards through the doors of the building since he'd been oh so keen to listen in, like something from Loony Toons. Hmm. Yeah.

Basta's face fell into a glare, his cool facade evaporating in an instant.

What was she laughing at? It wasn't a nervous laugh, or even the laugh of somebody who'd gotten the upper hand. Was she making fun of him? Was there something about him she found ridiculous?

She didn't have to put up with this treatment. Not anymore. Part of her feared if she got up, he'd follow her. She was nearly certain he would, if she gave him a choice. Was it better to run, or stand her ground?

Her laughter clearly bothered him, and his response reminded her that this? This was just one sad little man. And this was more of a moral quandary; a matter of what she'd stand for, now that she had a choice. A part of her may feel like she deserved poor treatment, but he didn't know her past. He just saw her as someone he could try to exert power over.

This man had no clue what she and Dustfinger had been through together. He hadn't seen her companion protect her, and become injured in his pursuits. She didn't necessarily trust him because of how much she knew of him; they looked out for one another. That was fact. She'd allowed him the privacy of his past, just as he had, hers. And that was still the case, as much as she wanted to know what was going on.

This man. Boy was he brazen. Sadie's brows raised as he shifted about in her hold, as if he didn't have a knife pressed against his side. As he actively got in her space in a way she couldn't brush aside as accidental. Her heart had been pounding throughout most of this exchange, and she was having a hard time hiding her trembling with adrenaline, now. She was done. Working with his momentum, the soldier grabbed hold of him with her free hand and made to slam him against the alley wall, with a restrained strength. Enough to make a point, not enough to send him through the bricks.

Inkheart? Okay, that didn't sound like a code word for a Hydra journal.

Sadie. Blue eyes remained fixed on the threat.

Look at me. Gritting her teeth, she did. Brows furrowed in further disbelief as he continued on his request.

Basta showed only a split second of surprise as he collided face-first with the brick wall of the alley. But a light entered his eyes that nearly stopped Dustfinger's heart.

The fire-dancer was already moving forward as Sadie spoke and Basta took her words as an opportunity to go for the knife pressed against his side.

Dustfinger's hands wrapped around Sadie's upper arm, hauling her backward with all his strength, knowing it might not be enough to move her. At the same time, both of Basta's hands wrapped around the knife. He palmed the flat of the blade with his right to shield his organs from any quick moves on her part. His left gripped the handle, deftly twisting in an attempt to wrench it from Sadie's grasp.

What she didn't see coming was Dustfinger lurching towards her. Turquoise energy had just seeped into the fabric of the man's jacket when hands wrapped around her arm and yanked. She lost her footing... And her grasp on the knife, stumbling backwards with a wide eyed look of agitation in Dustfinger's direction. What was that? "Let go!" She made to pull her arm free, eyes darting between Dustfinger and the other. Was he worried she was threatening his buddy? No... That was ridiculous, right? He'd been trying to protect her... He hadn't seen her fight first hand, not really. He probably just saw the knife and let his instincts take over.

“…- worthless if we can’t get the asset sorted out. Check into other candidates. For now, I’ll get Victor to take a look. Get the soldat in place.”

The input of a key code. A clink of locks. Rough hands grabbing at heavy arms, weighed down by drugs and metal gauntlets locked around forearms, bubbling out around outstretched fingers. She walked alongside the agents. If she didn’t, they would drag her. Moments later, and they were in another room, just as cold. She sat. Waited. - Sadie for Victor?

@sadiebrin

This really wasn't at all what Victor had in mind when he signed on to work for HYDRA. To say that they had misrepresented themselves was a gross understatement. Although he really couldn't argue with the fact that he was performing cutting edge research, he just didn't expect to be performing it on restrained and decidedly non-consenting patients.

"Come on, come on..." Victor said, irritated, snapping his fingers at the soldiers. Would someone get him a cup of water today? How hard was it to just get water? Once he had the water in hand, finally, he brought it closer to the woman. "Here. Just drink some water first," he said, concerned that, if she was too dehydrated from the sedative, the pill might get caught in her throat and she could choke on it. He helped her to sip from the cup, as much as she wanted to drink. "There we are," he said gently and with a smile. It wasn't much, but at least he could be cordial to her.

Hearing her question, Victor hesitated for a moment. One of the soldiers, however, was quick to get annoyed over the simple asking of a single question? Victor turned to glare at the man. He might not have much authority in this place, but he had some ability to push back. They needed him, at least for now, after all. "Settle down, man," Victor said. "You've taken away every other right of hers, at least leave her the privilege of asking a question."

"She does not need to ask any questions," the soldier said firmly.

"Well it just so happens that I need to answer. Call it a self-indulgent compulsion of mine," Victor said, very nearly going nose to nose with the man. He then grinned very fakely. "There's a good lad. You'll get over it. I am certain there are a thousand other ways in which you can express your toxic masculinity," he muttered, turning back to the woman.

"Thank you..." She murmured, panting.

With the other soldier's sharp warning, her features stiffened and snapped downwards. It was only as the doctor's voice rose, that her gaze did as well. Muddled surprise and concern washed over her features. He was... defending her? Did he know what he was risking on her behalf? Hydra didn't take kindly to defiance.

She watched with bewilderment as he got right up in the other man's face. Were they going to fight? Did-did he just- Toxic masculinity? Her lips parted, jaw falling slack, eyes wide. What was he doing?

It took her a moment to process what he was saying, between the sedatives and her brain fixating on how much trouble he'd likely just gotten himself into on her behalf. Why? Why? Why would he do that for her? Did he not realize how Hydra worked? Focus. The meds were safe, just not ideal under the circumstances. Okay. Not as terrifying. Especially if they did help with the... Seizures, he'd said? She appreciated his phrasing; a request, rather than an order, even if she knew a no wouldn't go down well in the circumstances. Her eyes brushed over the armed soldiers, and focused back on him. Hydra needed her at full functioning. If the meds really were what he described, maybe they'd help.

well,

Shallow breaths

A tap on her shoulder, sending her jolting alongside her racing heart, wide eyes searching for the source- an elderly woman with a light laugh, and an apology for startling her. She was only reaching for the milk

Bright, fluorescent lights

Constant chatter and clanging and beeping that was not, in fact, a heart rate monitor, and was instead the tills as the cashiers scanned various items

Too many options

kind of.

At some point she'd passed the bakery, and a small child in a cart had wheeled by, holding a...

And then she'd found herself in the office. The door was locked from the inside. The desk had the indent of fingers on the edge of it's surface, as though imprinted in wet cement. One of it's legs wiggled like a snake. Both still gleaned with the sweat of her hands.

The manager kept slamming on the door, shouting and raving about calling the police, and company files and trespassing. And yet she was frozen in place. - For Wade, sadiebrin

@sadiebrin

"Donuts or muffins?" Wade muttered to himself as he looked around the bakery section. His head tilted to one side, then the other. "Eh, they each have their good points..."

It was supposed to rain today. Not just rain, thunderstorm. So far, though, the sky had gone dark for a couple hours and it had gotten rather windy, but so far... no rain or thunder. Perfect weather for Wade to do a little shopping during normal human hours without fear of getting too impaired by the sun. He'd felt a mild tingling on his skin when he stepped outside, but... not too bad. And really, he just had to go from his apartment building to his SUV, and then from there into the store. He could do that standing on his head, so... time to shop.

Maybe she couldn't help him all that much with his vampirism, and maybe he couldn't help her much with the people that were after her or with repairing her relationship with her son, but there was something to be said for just... not being alone through it all. Sometimes, just having someone to talk to about things helped immensely. "Okay, then," he said with a nod when she said they had a deal.

He chuckled over the whole issue of being able to still call himself human in a conversational sense. "Well, if you're givin' me permission to still use it, then I guess that's good enough for me. And yeah, you guys are definitely human. Me? I have no idea what I am anymore. Part of me would love to find out, but the other part doesn't wanna get poked and prodded by a bunch of doctors tryin' to find out, you know?"

When she asked how big of a room he could cross in a second, he looked around his modestly-sized living room. "Well... I guess the stronger you are, the more distance you can cover. I haven't been one very long, so I'm pretty weak as far as they come. The one who made me, she was pullin' all kinds of crazy shit on me when I was tryin' to arrest her. Like... she'd be standin' right in front of me, punch me in the face, I lean back from the impact, and by the time I bring my head back down, she's gone. I turn around, there she is right behind me. She punches me again, gone. Nowhere in site anywhere around me. And that was standin' out in the middle of a desert gas station pavilion, in broad daylight, hot sun beatin' down on us, and she was still that fast. Me? I dunno. I can do a little."

He looked around the room again before getting up from the couch. Bee lifted her head, eyes sleepily blinking, before she went back to sleep. "Okay let's uh... I'll go from here to there," he said, pointing from the couch, across the room, to the end of the hallway that led to the bathroom and bedroom. "Gimme a second to uh... do my thing," he said. He didn't know how to just casually use his abilities yet, he always had to be in hunter mode first. So he took a second to get into that mental headspace, enough to make his fangs descend and his eyes go all funky, feeling his heart start to beat faster. Curious, that... since he always thought vampires were.... well, dead. "Okay. Oh... you can see my eyes now, by the way," he said, bending and pointing to them so she could see the icy blue reflective quality to his irises. "Okay here goes..."

He wasn't great at this yet, but he did it as well as he could. To Sadie, it'd look almost as if he had quite literally teleported from one spot to another, except for the quickest, blurriest movement in between. A slight breeze rustled some things in the room, indicating that he had moved through the space, just really quickly.

Bee slept through the entire thing. The tiniest of kitten farts escaped her in her sleep, the fish from earlier beginning to work its way through her system.

"You really think a butcher would buy a story like that, though?" Wade asked, now looking quite the vampire with his reflective eyes and fangs that changed his speech in just the slightest way. "I don't want the guy callin' the police sayin', 'Hey, yeah, you know I think this guy might be a serial killer or somethin'," he said with a chuckle. He came to sit back down on the couch.

Okay then. They had a deal.

"Yeah, I mean, we can do a whole knighting ceremony if you'd like, but I think you can just use the phrase as you will." She considered his words, head tilting from side to side, "What makes us so clearly human, and you not?" Poked and prodded by doctors. She grimaced at the visual. White coats, sharp needles, beeping hardware. Electrodes and rubber between her teeth. Pain. The smell of antiseptic. "Yeah... I get it."

She was grateful for the distraction. The stronger, the more distance. That made sense. He'd been trying to arrest the one who'd made him? "Was that before or after everything went down?" As he described the fight, she could visualize the sequence with relative ease. Her eyebrows raised, and she scratched at the back of her ear. And that was with the sun beaming down on them? "That's... yeah. That's fast."

Wade was getting up? He was getting up. He was going to show her? Oh, this could be interesting. Her eyes lit up, and she sat up a little straighter, though her movements were slowed, because baby. The little one seemed briefly intrigued, and Sadie murmured, "Your Dad's going to show us a trick." And she was sleeping again. The woman snorted softly, and watched as Wade laid out the plan. An amused smile tugged at her lips as he requested she give him a moment to do his thing. "Take your time. No pressure." She teased.

Wow, his eyes were very cool. "They're almost mirror-like... Can you see yourself in mirrors?" Had she seen him in the diner window, earlier? She couldn't quite remember.

"Whoah." He was fast. A gentle breeze brushed her face, and she wasn't sure if she was reassured or intimidated. Both? Both. At least, if something were to go very, very wrong, he could likely handle himself in a fight... Even against her. But if he didn't turn out to be who he seemed? That very thought could become unnerving very quickly. Noted. "Did you have to hold back a bit, to stop yourself running into the wall?" Could he be even faster in an open space, in that case?

And then came the tiny toot. Sadie blinked, "Was that what it sounded like?" A breath later and- "Oh. Yup. That's fish." Her eyes squinted, nose wrinkling, and she laughed.

“…- worthless if we can’t get the asset sorted out. Check into other candidates. For now, I’ll get Victor to take a look. Get the soldat in place.”

The input of a key code. A clink of locks. Rough hands grabbing at heavy arms, weighed down by drugs and metal gauntlets locked around forearms, bubbling out around outstretched fingers. She walked alongside the agents. If she didn’t, they would drag her. Moments later, and they were in another room, just as cold. She sat. Waited. - Sadie for Victor?

@sadiebrin

This really wasn't at all what Victor had in mind when he signed on to work for HYDRA. To say that they had misrepresented themselves was a gross understatement. Although he really couldn't argue with the fact that he was performing cutting edge research, he just didn't expect to be performing it on restrained and decidedly non-consenting patients.

He watched as she did her best to follow the flashlight, noting how she was alert enough to hear and understand him, but also how the light seemed to hurt her vision. "I would prefer to wait until the sedative has worn off," he tried to insist, even knowing that was impossible. He might not have a choice in the matter, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to still be as much of a pain in the ass about it as he could.

"Just follow your orders, doctor," said one of the men. "Your opinion isn't needed."

Victor smiled in that sort of way someone smiled when they were pissed off by trying to maintain some level of decorum. "My professional opinion... is why I am here. Unless one of your has earned your doctoral degree overnight? Hmm? Either of you?" Victor said, looking between the two men with no small amount of sass.

"Just do it," said the second man. "Stop delaying."

Not to mention, her eyelids were heavy, and her body felt weighed down. Would her mouth pronounce the words right? Would her brain form them, and put a full sentence in order?

She closed her fists and reopened them, within the gauntlets. Flexed her toes. Allowed heavy eyes to close for a moment... She heard a rustle, the quiet clink of something solid against the walls of a small container. And then the doctor requested water. Water? Blue eyes opened once more, pulling up to the dark haired man's face. She swallowed past a sandpaper throat. But the water came with the pill.

A faint ripple of concern brushed through her once more. "... it's... safe?" She mumbled, voice a bit drawn out, but the question was paired with an instinctive nod.

"Soldat." One of the soldiers chastised firmly all the same.

"By all means, join the party." With a grating grumble, the stairs shifted back into place, as best she could manage. Because that wasn't the point and she felt confident he knew as much. Plus, she kind of wanted to make a show of how much she didn't care she wasn't in there. How did trust her friend, despite this man trying to pull them apart. Dustfinger hadn't done anything to betray that.

"But if you want to talk? We're going to do so face to face." Her voice was firm. She tilted her head, raising an eye brow. Got it? She doubted setting boundaries would go over so easily, with Basta, but make them clear, she would.

So he had gotten under her skin just by standing behind her. Sadie was so predictable. It almost seemed unfair to tease her, but Basta had nothing better to do.

"Oh, but I thought you didn't like people getting too close."

He slipped easily into a seat on the step next to her, just close enough that his knee brushed hers as he pulled his knife from his hip, snapping it open with a practiced flourish, and began picking methodically at his nails with the tip of the blade.

"Or was that just me?"

His knee brushed hers, sending an uncomfortable tickle through her skin. Memories skittered through her brain. The movement was purposeful, there was no question. Her muscles tensed, heart picking up it's pace, and a series of responses drew up in her mind;

Punching him in the face. A classic.

Drawing the stairs up into a wall between them.

And then there was a section of the stairs lurching up under Basta's ass, sending him catapulting across the street, or backwards through the doors of the building since he'd been oh so keen to listen in, like something from Loony Toons. Hmm. Yeah.