[ it hasn't even been a week since sam left the city with geralt, but their pace wasn't too bad. they would make it to the cave in good time, despite the fact that geralt's normal schedule was slowed by sam. and in all honesty, he'd been almost excited for the trip. a chance to get out of the city, to take a step away from everything, and it wasn't like he was able to let whatever geralt had found out there stay covered. he'd calculated the risk of it - if anything would happen, if he was putting any of his people in danger by stepping away. it would be a risk, it was always a risk when transportation was limited, but he had figured that worst case scenario, something with the singularity would go crazy again. that the summoned would have to deal with another strange magical situation. but it should be okay, and if anything was truly bad, someone could send him a message. he wasn't uncreachable, just...
no. no the possibility of something really wrong going on out here, buried under the sand, was too great. he had to look into it, and it made sense he would be of help. between his medical knowledge and engineering, if there were experiments out here...
it doesn't mean that sam hasn't been thinking about the city, about how he's pretty sure that they are due for another round of summoned to come through the well. he knows he's going to regret not being there (he always does), but he made his choice, and now that they were already so far out into their leave, he reminded himself that ruminating didn't help anyone.
that is, until the message comes through. handwriting that sam knows, knows, no matter how long it's been. they're on horseback, heading out further into the desert. there is a breeze that manages to hold back the burning heat of the day, but sam freezes all the same, seeing the letters form in the space in front of him. it's steve.
steve.
steve, in cadens. back. it knocks the air of sam before he realizes it, would have knocked him right off the horse if he hadn't had to brush up on his riding skills over the last year. if sam had the chance to, he would have read and then reread the words, because some part of him is still struggling with the concept that this could be real (no matter how long he's been in this freaking place). but there it is, wrapped up tight, i know you're in the middle of things. ]
STEVE-
[ he suddenly doesn't know what he wants to say, what there is even to say. for a solid, overwhelming moment sam honestly regrets leaving. that he wasn't in the city to find him. to walk him through all of this. his mind spins for half a moment, wondering who steve found first- if it was the kid, peter, or if it was tony. god, steve having to figure out about that, stumbling across that complicated situation without warning. and he says he's been in the city a few days, a few days, which means...they literally just missed each other. by hours, possibly.
but then sam pushes through it, pushes down the sudden urge he's always going to have - to turn back around. to speed off back towards the city. but he reminds himself why here's here, what the whole purpose of this trip. steve is here, but he's also steve rogers, and suddenly sam feels a bit ridiculous for how protective he'd felt. he decides that whoever it is that found steve is going to get a stern talking to about the merits of keeping your teammates updated and gets back to the message. ]
HEY MAN ITS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU. WELCOME TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF CRAZY NOW'S AN OKAY TIME FOR ME, IF YOU'RE GOOD? AND TELL ME SOMEONE GAVE YOU THE SPEECH.
[ it feels...weird. off. and sam hates it. this would be easier if he was in person, or even in the horizon, but they'd have to get there. first step. start small. ]
[ While Tony may not have given Steve an exact timeline for when Sam had left the city, it does sound as if they'd just missed each other. It's possible that when Steve had been on the wagon from the outpost, Sam had been riding out from the city. This is becoming some sort of unpleasant pattern between them, with their timings never quite right.
Still, Steve has waited five years. He can wait a little longer. He doesn't have a real sense for what Sam is up to out in the desert, but he knows that it must be important, and that he didn't go alone. Tempting as it might be to try and catch up with him, even Steve understands that isn't really feasible and that he would be better served getting himself situated in Cadens.
They'll just have to be patient, and at least they have this means of communicating with each other, even if it isn't ideal. After years spent used to holographic calls in the Avengers compound, text messages like this feel like a huge step back. Better than nothing, though.
A whole new level of crazy, Sam calls it. Steve would have liked to think he'd seen as much crazy as he could in one lifetime, but he's been proved wrong on that point enough times that he doesn't even question it anymore. There's a handful of them here, maybe not to the point that they could call it a team, but something he can work with so long as they stay on the same page.
From the sound of it, Sam's already put in a lot of the legwork there. Not that Steve would expect any different. ]
I got a basic rundown from Tony, but the way he tells it, you've been here longer.
[ Time doesn't have to follow the rules they all once thought it did, and so while it may not make sense that Sam, who'd been dust for five years, has also been in Abraxas for almost a year, it is what it is. Tony is here, and given that Steve had been at his funeral less than a week ago, Sam's presence is not the most unbelievable thing about this place.
Steve reaches up, rubbing at his forehead with two fingers to ease the ache starting behind his skull. ]
I'm sure you can fill in the blanks when you get back. Which isn't going to be for a few more weeks, I'm guessing.
[ sam's not even at the point of thinking that granularly - especially because if he did, if he knew, it might just drive him crazy. the idea that they could have been a day, maybe less, maybe hours out of sync. that he could have made the decision for the first time in a year to leave the city, to go and investigate something that still doesn't sit right with him, and of course it is that one time that he would miss steve rogers.
even still, sam has to keep himself from letting that feeling linger- that he could just turn around. that they're not far from the city, that he should. it's hard to fight a habit that ingrained, to turn back around and by near him, no matter how long it's been (his own words ring in his hears, to bucky. steve's gone. but he isn't, not really, not when the singularity decides to fuck with everything he knows about time). his hands tighten around the leather of the reins, his mind spinning through questions. who found him? what did they say? does he know what's happening? has he been picked up by the guard? has he been explained what happened in thorne? what the singularity can do? does he know about- ]
SO YOU RAN INTO TONY WANDA'S HERE TOO- AND THE KID, PETER. STEPHEN STRANGE TOO.
[ though all of the rest are a bit less complicated than tony stark. or at least, could be. god he hates that they're so far, that he can't do this in person. it feels a bit off to have to say any of this over whatever magic texting this is supposed to be.
he glances over to geralt, just for a moment, and is reminded of that shared bottle of wine. of telling geralt that it hurts, more than it used to, right when he'd been convinced he'd been able to move on. and now he's back again, seeing that same handwriting and wishing he could just. be back in the city. could see him. because he'd open himself up to this every time, over and over, if he really had to.
( and that's nothing to say about the relief of it, as off and different and disconnected as it might be. that it's steve. that he's here. that there is someone who might get what he's trying to do. )
sam's eyes fall back to the neck of his horse, to the main, the horn of the saddle. he closes his eyes and tries to think, what can he even do from here. how does he fix this. ]
EVEN IF I DON'T TRUST STARK TO GIVE A FULL REPORT IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT HE'S RIGHT ABOUT THAT I'VE GOT ABOUT HALF A YEAR ON EVERYONE, IF NOT MORE THE SINGULARITY DOESN'T REALLY CARE ABOUT TIME SO EVERYTHING'S KIND OF OFF
I DO HAVE A WHOLE RUNDOWN I CAN GIVE YOU WHEN I'M BACK NOT ENTIRELY SURE THE PRIVACY OF THIS MAGIC MIND TEXTING SERVICE BUT I'LL BE BACK IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, YEAH
[ does he have a place to stay? a job? has he been taken into the horizon?
now it's sam's turn for his hand to lift, his thumb and finger pressing against the bridge of his nose. ]
[ Given how long some of the other Avengers have been here, it stands to reason that Steve's going to hear some of the same information from each of them as they catch up. Tony's one of the newer arrivals before him, and while he'd done a decent job of getting him up to speed all things considered, this is still Tony. Who will tangent three separate times in a single sentence on a regular basis.
Still, Steve had heard about everyone who's here. That much is a review. He doesn't mind, figuring that Sam is going to give a much more thorough explanation of everything. Not all of it may be through these mind messages, but he'll catch him up eventually. ]
I talked to Peter already, and I was going to reach out to Wanda after talking to you.
[ Strange is less of a priority. The two of them never had much cause to interact before the Snap, and then Strange had been dust. Steve's sure they'll get in touch eventually, but people like Sam and Wanda had been the clear priority.
Sam continues to summarize, his neat blocky handwriting appearing on the walls and floors, wherever it can find space. Half a year, he'd been here by himself. Steve knows what that's like better than most, and Sam's clearly made something of all that time judging from all that Steve's heard of him around Mag's, but it must have been tough.
Not that guys like them ever admit to things like that. ]
Yeah, I didn't know how secure this all was. I can wait for the full briefing when you're back. I'm guessing it'll be a few weeks? I made it to Mag's. Tony brought me. I'm here right now, actually.
[ that might just be part of it, too. sam had never truly considered himself much of a control freak, but being here the longest, with the furthest reach in terms of the singularity and other factions, and knowing that steve's going to want all of that...it is a little frustrating, to say the least. that he can't give him. that pointing him in the direction of the conspiracy board will probably just further confuse him.
sam lets out a huff, trying to push out that frustration with it. nothing he can do, now. and no matter that underlying urge that remains, he has a job to do. if he turned back now, he'd probably never make it out to the cave. and then what? ]
PETER'S BEEN AROUND ALMOST AS LONG AS I HAVE GIVE OR TAKE A FEW MONTHS IN BETWEEN SO IF YOU NEED ANYTHING YOU CAN ASK HIM OR MAG SHE'S A GOOD WOMAN, GREW UP IN CADENS, KNOWS HALF THE CITY, ALSO ISN'T AFRAID TO KICK YOUR ASS
[ steve knows sam well enough to know what that means. that sam doesn't trust much of the locals, that he doesn't really trust too many people here in general save for his select few, but mag is as close as he will get to opening up to a native. that he wouldn't have set up in her inn, wouldn't have the rapport with her that he does, if that wasn't the case. which also means that she will like steve, pretty instantly.
and steve's not wrong, to consider strange less of a priority. sam hadn't even met the guy before here. but also, that's going to have to be an update he gives in person - how stephen strange has become something of sam's go-to. an ally he wouldn't give up for the world. sam's a work husband kind of guy, steve. you should know that by now. ]
YEAH IT MAY JUST BE ME BEING PARANOID BUT TOO MANY LOCALS HAVE A NEWFOUND INTEREST IN SINGULARITY MAGIC SO WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN READ IT NOW I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THEY DIDN'T FIND A WAY SOONER OR LATER
YEAH, A FEW WEEKS PROBABLY AROUND THE END OF THE MONTH BUT YOU CAN REACH ME WHENEVER.
[ While it would feel odd to lean on Peter for anything, Steve does keep that in mind, at least for up until Sam returns. He isn't about to underestimate the kid, well aware of what he'd been like at his age. Peter's a part of the team, there's no doubt about that at this point, but there's no denying the large difference in age between the kid and the rest of them.
As for Mag, well, Steve isn't really surprised to hear any of that. She sounds like the exact sort of person that Sam would have made a connection with early on. Willing to help and share her resources, but also no-nonsense. ]
I met her briefly. I think she had some words to say about you leaving for weeks and abandoning all the work you're supposed to do around here. I'll try to pick up the slack so you're not in the doghouse when you get back.
[ It's good that they at least have a few people native to this place who they can trust. Steve isn't planning to make a lot of friends beyond the Summoned, but it's not a bad idea to create some connections. Sam's the better man for that job, having always been more personable than Steve.
Still, he'd tried. He'd picked up where Sam left off because Sam was gone. With the group talks, with all of that. Whether or not he'd done as good of a job was hard to say, when everyone had been so traumatized after the Snap. ]
Let's hope that doesn't happen. It would be nice to continue having this as a resource.
I think I'll be able to survive a few weeks without you. [ What's a few weeks after five years? They'll manage. ] But if you start to get bored out there, feel free to check in.
[ That seems unlikely. Sam's out in the middle of the desert, detached from civilization, and there's apparently monsters wandering around out there. Steve would rather he wasn't distracted, but he may as well take the chance to make the conversation a little more lighthearted. ]
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no. no the possibility of something really wrong going on out here, buried under the sand, was too great. he had to look into it, and it made sense he would be of help. between his medical knowledge and engineering, if there were experiments out here...
it doesn't mean that sam hasn't been thinking about the city, about how he's pretty sure that they are due for another round of summoned to come through the well. he knows he's going to regret not being there (he always does), but he made his choice, and now that they were already so far out into their leave, he reminded himself that ruminating didn't help anyone.
that is, until the message comes through. handwriting that sam knows, knows, no matter how long it's been. they're on horseback, heading out further into the desert. there is a breeze that manages to hold back the burning heat of the day, but sam freezes all the same, seeing the letters form in the space in front of him. it's steve.
steve.
steve, in cadens. back. it knocks the air of sam before he realizes it, would have knocked him right off the horse if he hadn't had to brush up on his riding skills over the last year. if sam had the chance to, he would have read and then reread the words, because some part of him is still struggling with the concept that this could be real (no matter how long he's been in this freaking place). but there it is, wrapped up tight, i know you're in the middle of things. ][ he suddenly doesn't know what he wants to say, what there is even to say. for a solid, overwhelming moment sam honestly regrets leaving. that he wasn't in the city to find him. to walk him through all of this. his mind spins for half a moment, wondering who steve found first- if it was the kid, peter, or if it was tony. god, steve having to figure out about that, stumbling across that complicated situation without warning. and he says he's been in the city a few days, a few days, which means...they literally just missed each other. by hours, possibly.
but then sam pushes through it, pushes down the sudden urge he's always going to have - to turn back around. to speed off back towards the city. but he reminds himself why here's here, what the whole purpose of this trip. steve is here, but he's also steve rogers, and suddenly sam feels a bit ridiculous for how protective he'd felt. he decides that whoever it is that found steve is going to get a stern talking to about the merits of keeping your teammates updated and gets back to the message. ][ it feels...weird. off. and sam hates it. this would be easier if he was in person, or even in the horizon, but they'd have to get there. first step. start small. ]
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Still, Steve has waited five years. He can wait a little longer. He doesn't have a real sense for what Sam is up to out in the desert, but he knows that it must be important, and that he didn't go alone. Tempting as it might be to try and catch up with him, even Steve understands that isn't really feasible and that he would be better served getting himself situated in Cadens.
They'll just have to be patient, and at least they have this means of communicating with each other, even if it isn't ideal. After years spent used to holographic calls in the Avengers compound, text messages like this feel like a huge step back. Better than nothing, though.
A whole new level of crazy, Sam calls it. Steve would have liked to think he'd seen as much crazy as he could in one lifetime, but he's been proved wrong on that point enough times that he doesn't even question it anymore. There's a handful of them here, maybe not to the point that they could call it a team, but something he can work with so long as they stay on the same page.
From the sound of it, Sam's already put in a lot of the legwork there. Not that Steve would expect any different. ]
I got a basic rundown from Tony, but the way he tells it, you've been here longer.
[ Time doesn't have to follow the rules they all once thought it did, and so while it may not make sense that Sam, who'd been dust for five years, has also been in Abraxas for almost a year, it is what it is. Tony is here, and given that Steve had been at his funeral less than a week ago, Sam's presence is not the most unbelievable thing about this place.Steve reaches up, rubbing at his forehead with two fingers to ease the ache starting behind his skull. ]
I'm sure you can fill in the blanks when you get back. Which isn't going to be for a few more weeks, I'm guessing.
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even still, sam has to keep himself from letting that feeling linger- that he could just turn around. that they're not far from the city, that he should. it's hard to fight a habit that ingrained, to turn back around and by near him, no matter how long it's been (his own words ring in his hears, to bucky. steve's gone. but he isn't, not really, not when the singularity decides to fuck with everything he knows about time). his hands tighten around the leather of the reins, his mind spinning through questions. who found him? what did they say? does he know what's happening? has he been picked up by the guard? has he been explained what happened in thorne? what the singularity can do? does he know about- ][ though all of the rest are a bit less complicated than tony stark. or at least, could be. god he hates that they're so far, that he can't do this in person. it feels a bit off to have to say any of this over whatever magic texting this is supposed to be.
he glances over to geralt, just for a moment, and is reminded of that shared bottle of wine. of telling geralt that it hurts, more than it used to, right when he'd been convinced he'd been able to move on. and now he's back again, seeing that same handwriting and wishing he could just. be back in the city. could see him. because he'd open himself up to this every time, over and over, if he really had to.
( and that's nothing to say about the relief of it, as off and different and disconnected as it might be. that it's steve. that he's here. that there is someone who might get what he's trying to do. )
sam's eyes fall back to the neck of his horse, to the main, the horn of the saddle. he closes his eyes and tries to think, what can he even do from here. how does he fix this. ] [ does he have a place to stay? a job? has he been taken into the horizon?
now it's sam's turn for his hand to lift, his thumb and finger pressing against the bridge of his nose. ]
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Still, Steve had heard about everyone who's here. That much is a review. He doesn't mind, figuring that Sam is going to give a much more thorough explanation of everything. Not all of it may be through these mind messages, but he'll catch him up eventually. ]
I talked to Peter already, and I was going to reach out to Wanda after talking to you.
[ Strange is less of a priority. The two of them never had much cause to interact before the Snap, and then Strange had been dust. Steve's sure they'll get in touch eventually, but people like Sam and Wanda had been the clear priority.Sam continues to summarize, his neat blocky handwriting appearing on the walls and floors, wherever it can find space. Half a year, he'd been here by himself. Steve knows what that's like better than most, and Sam's clearly made something of all that time judging from all that Steve's heard of him around Mag's, but it must have been tough.
Not that guys like them ever admit to things like that. ]
Yeah, I didn't know how secure this all was. I can wait for the full briefing when you're back. I'm guessing it'll be a few weeks?
I made it to Mag's. Tony brought me. I'm here right now, actually.
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sam lets out a huff, trying to push out that frustration with it. nothing he can do, now. and no matter that underlying urge that remains, he has a job to do. if he turned back now, he'd probably never make it out to the cave. and then what? ][ steve knows sam well enough to know what that means. that sam doesn't trust much of the locals, that he doesn't really trust too many people here in general save for his select few, but mag is as close as he will get to opening up to a native. that he wouldn't have set up in her inn, wouldn't have the rapport with her that he does, if that wasn't the case. which also means that she will like steve, pretty instantly.
and steve's not wrong, to consider strange less of a priority. sam hadn't even met the guy before here. but also, that's going to have to be an update he gives in person - how stephen strange has become something of sam's go-to. an ally he wouldn't give up for the world. sam's a work husband kind of guy, steve. you should know that by now. ]
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As for Mag, well, Steve isn't really surprised to hear any of that. She sounds like the exact sort of person that Sam would have made a connection with early on. Willing to help and share her resources, but also no-nonsense. ]
I met her briefly. I think she had some words to say about you leaving for weeks and abandoning all the work you're supposed to do around here. I'll try to pick up the slack so you're not in the doghouse when you get back.
[ It's good that they at least have a few people native to this place who they can trust. Steve isn't planning to make a lot of friends beyond the Summoned, but it's not a bad idea to create some connections. Sam's the better man for that job, having always been more personable than Steve.
Still, he'd tried. He'd picked up where Sam left off because Sam was gone. With the group talks, with all of that. Whether or not he'd done as good of a job was hard to say, when everyone had been so traumatized after the Snap. ]
Let's hope that doesn't happen. It would be nice to continue having this as a resource.
I think I'll be able to survive a few weeks without you. [ What's a few weeks after five years? They'll manage. ] But if you start to get bored out there, feel free to check in.
[ That seems unlikely. Sam's out in the middle of the desert, detached from civilization, and there's apparently monsters wandering around out there. Steve would rather he wasn't distracted, but he may as well take the chance to make the conversation a little more lighthearted. ]