[ 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 subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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. ]