[It's a quiet question, watching him with a tilt of her head, jaw slightly lifted. She knows that he's trying to dodge the subject, and she understands, knows that feeling herself. What do you do when the old order crumbles and there's no one to report to? She'd turned mercenary, because like him, she was very good at what she did. And it had been easy to focus on that, to not have to think of the turmoil, of the lack of direction.
The money had no meaning at first, but then she'd discovered luxury, almost by accident, and that had been a sort of pleasure, something she liked. Which in the end had been the first cracks, the first pieces pulled loose. So she understands what he's going through. Knows only too well that pushing at those cracks could make him lash out because it's easier than the alternative. But Natasha's never been the type for the easy way out, either.]
Everything fell in the Storm. And I was kill-on-sight because you were supposed to terminate me to preclude interference in Project Insight. So: does it still matter?
[She knows he can't show weakness; neither of them can, not here, not like this. If she does, it'll make her too easy of a target, better to attack than face the turmoil she knows she's prodding at. But to someone like her, those are my orders isn't a sum total, it's something that can be questioned and deconstructed. What she doesn't do, is point out that he already failed. She is not that cruel; it's the only kindness she thinks she can offer him without inviting a fight that she doesn't want to have.
She was hoping he wasn't still this fraught, but she'd needed to know for sure.]
I want to know-- what you think my name is. I want to know where you stand, if you've realized you don't have to go back under this time.
no subject
[It's a quiet question, watching him with a tilt of her head, jaw slightly lifted. She knows that he's trying to dodge the subject, and she understands, knows that feeling herself. What do you do when the old order crumbles and there's no one to report to? She'd turned mercenary, because like him, she was very good at what she did. And it had been easy to focus on that, to not have to think of the turmoil, of the lack of direction.
The money had no meaning at first, but then she'd discovered luxury, almost by accident, and that had been a sort of pleasure, something she liked. Which in the end had been the first cracks, the first pieces pulled loose. So she understands what he's going through. Knows only too well that pushing at those cracks could make him lash out because it's easier than the alternative. But Natasha's never been the type for the easy way out, either.]
Everything fell in the Storm. And I was kill-on-sight because you were supposed to terminate me to preclude interference in Project Insight. So: does it still matter?
[She knows he can't show weakness; neither of them can, not here, not like this. If she does, it'll make her too easy of a target, better to attack than face the turmoil she knows she's prodding at. But to someone like her, those are my orders isn't a sum total, it's something that can be questioned and deconstructed. What she doesn't do, is point out that he already failed. She is not that cruel; it's the only kindness she thinks she can offer him without inviting a fight that she doesn't want to have.
She was hoping he wasn't still this fraught, but she'd needed to know for sure.]
I want to know-- what you think my name is. I want to know where you stand, if you've realized you don't have to go back under this time.