#scvietwinter

Normal had never been a good or even decent descriptor for Jessica’s life. She’d essentially been born into HYDRA, infused with spider DNA (god knew what kinds) and somewhere along the way, ended up a HYDRA agent and then one of the good guys. Her ‘normal’ was private detective cases that typically lead her on more adventures, dressed as Spider-Woman. So sitting across from a man she met in HYDRA that remembered in bits and pieces when he wasn’t completely brainwashed? Not as weird as someone else might have found it. Honestly, hanging out with Bucky was something that Jessica had gotten used to. Really, humans were capable of adapting to anything if given the right circumstances. “You’re buying the burritos this time,” she informed Bucky before digging into their shared plate of nachos. Technically speaking, the restaurant was supposed to be closed, it was well passed curfew, but Jessica had connections. Being a superhero got you many places, thank you very much.

“So, how’s the whole ‘memory’ thing going?” She asked between mouthfuls. She could have beat around the bush, asked questions that would have given her indirect answers, but Bucky (and Jessica) had been manipulated enough. After everything the Winter Soldier had endured throughout the years, he deserved honesty, and if Jessica was among the few willing to give it to him, well, it was her duty as a mediocre human being.

Battling demons always worked up a good appetite, especially when it was a small army of them. Demons weren’t the easiest foes that Laura had encountered, they always traveled in small packs, prepared to call for reinforcements, and their scales were difficult to slice through. Truthfully, Laura enjoyed fighting them. She had always thrived in the face of challenges and discovering new strategies to slaughter them with was exciting. Perhaps that was a disturbing way to look at the threat to New York City, but Laura had been raised as a weapon, and though she had changed her outlook on the world as a whole, no longer viewing every situation as life or death, no longer anticipating her opponents (and allies) next move, Laura still thrived in the face of promised violence. It was nothing that she was ashamed of any longer, she put her knowledge to excellent use, aiding the X-Men, the X-Force, and working as Wolverine alone, saving people from common criminals. 

Her Wolverine costume, as always, was tattered as she sat in the restaurant booth. Had the restaurant owner not known Laura from the time she returned her money, the woman had been threatened by a gangster for allegedly ‘hurting his business’ after calling authorities, she was positive she and Bucky would not currently be enjoying ribeye steaks, several appetizers, and burgers. When Laura was hungry, she was starving, and very proud of that fact! She deserved to indulge. “This is amazing,” she informed Bucky as she took another large bite of her burger. The other patrons of the restaurant were staring at her yellow costume, wide eyed, and one man looked about ready to vomit because of the blood she was splattered in. Raising her eyebrows, she turned towards Bucky and asked, “Do you think people are disturbed by us? I don’t feel particularly well liked here.” Rather than offended, Laura sounded amused. “I’m worried the demons may have preferred us.”