video

[outstandingbalance]

[The woman who appears on the feed might be familiar to a few people. She's sitting at a table or a desk and facing the camera, composed, but a little worse for wear. She looks tired.]

You sure know how to make a girl feel at home. [Not that she's faced frost giants or dark elves before, but dropped into the middle of a fight she wasn't expecting and wasn't prepared for? One that probably should be left to gods and super soldiers? That is familiar. The last two days haven't been boring] Is that normal?

[Natasha taps the table in front of her twice, drawing a slow breath as she considers how she's going to play this. If putting her face on the network is a mistake, then she's already made it.]

I think I'm ready for the welcoming committee now.

Comments

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha isn't so interested in how it happens. To a degree, she'd almost rather it was more literal. At least that that might come with warnings, be something they could fight.]

Just how often do things like this happen?

[bravejemma]

Well, it's happened twice since I've been here, and that's a year now. Though I suppose that Wonderland can make it happen whenever it likes, just to keep us alert.

There's been a few more that play rather fast and loose with the psyche. It's rarely a pleasant thing.

[Because there have been those -- ones where they weren't dying, thinking they were someone else, or in mortal peril. But she doesn't expect those, of course.]

[outstandingbalance]

Like the people in costumes this last time?

[Natasha doesn't have all the details there either, but she's got a word or two. Enough to get that they weren't being rewritten or anything, but they also weren't exactly in their right mind either.]

Sounds like these things really run the gamut. Timing aside.

[bravejemma]

Yeah, that was a bit of a new one on me... the clothes were definitely influencing their actions.

[It was kind of disturbing. This time the clothes had been Asgardian, definitely not an every day wear for most people, but next time what if the clothes were their every day accoutrements? And what would it influence them to do?]

They do, at that. Unfortunately the only known quantity is that everything else is unknown.

[She smiles a little. If she's going to deliver bad news, she may as well do it with a smile.]

I wish I had better news for you.

[outstandingbalance]

[Or at least that the logic behind it hasn't revealed a pattern yet. Natasha's not sure she believes that it's entirely unknown and unpredictable. They just need better intel.

She needs better intel.]

Don't worry about it. I don't think you're holding back on the good news intentionally.

[She lifts her eyebrows then, ironic.]

Is there any good news?

[bravejemma]

You can get pretty much whatever you need or want out of the closets. And the food from the kitchen is pretty delicious.

[It's a small thing, but when you don't have a lot of other good news to hold on to, a creature comfort like a big warm blanket or your favorite can go a long way.]

And having friends here helps.

[Jemma doesn't presume to know anything about Natasha Romanoff's personal relationships, of all things, but judging from just what she can see archived from this post, she will do fine.]

[outstandingbalance]

And you have friends here? [Natasha... might. Steve at least counts still and Wanda's welcome was warm enough. It's a complicated situation, though. Easier to redirect their conversation than address that.

Keep it on her.]

You know, I don't think I caught your name.

[bravejemma]

Two of my best friends.

[Not just people she knows, two people she loves and admires most. That makes her even luckier than most. If it helps, she wasn't fishing for information from Natasha and doesn't expect much in the way of reply.]

I'm Jemma Simmons.

[outstandingbalance]

That's got to help a lot.

[Natasha has to wonder who those friends are; she might have a guess, but it's way too early to start making assumptions.]

I'd say it's nice to meet you, Jemma, but... [Natasha lifts her hand, waving vaguely around them.] As nice as it can be under the circumstances.

[bravejemma]

[She gives a tight smile in return. She notices Agent Romanoff hasn't volunteered anything in return, but doesn't say anything about it.]

Circumstances being what they are, yes.

[outstandingbalance]

[All things considered, it really can't be much of a surprise. There's more to it than that, though.]

Mind if I ask you something, Jemma?

[bravejemma]

Not at all.

[Good lord, what sort of question might this end up being?]

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha leans forward, clasping her hands in front of her as she makes steady eye contact with the camera.]

Do you know me?

[bravejemma]

[She really should have just guessed. Jemma wouldn't consider herself an equal of Natasha's, but she can hold her gaze steady on screen.]

Not personally. But I do work for SHIELD.

[She pauses at that.]

Or I did.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha hums. She hasn't put that fine a point on it, though her answer fits. It also could have been she was just from the same world, or that she knew her, or the other version of her, who was here before. She hadn't narrowed it down beyond some level of familiarity.

And honestly, even that might have been paranoia on her own part after having what she's run into before.

The confirmation is comforting.]

I see. That makes sense. R&D?

[bravejemma]

SciOps, yes.

[Essentially R&D, but R&D feels... well, not as cool.]

We went out into the field a couple of years ago.

[outstandingbalance]

SciOps. Sorry. [She doesn't sound sorry, but she doesn't sound snide either, so call it about even.] I'm sure you had plenty of work to do, either way.

[bravejemma]

[Jemma shrugs it off. It was such a knee jerk reaction, and she was used to what she did flying under the radar.]

It's certainly never been boring.

[outstandingbalance]

[Natasha hums slightly, thoughtful. Coming face to face with SHIELD agents again at this point isn't the most comfortable thing. There's a part of her that's inclined to bow out of the conversation there, leave it with an open ended invitation to talk in the future.

But there's still at least one thing she's curious to know.]

Just how busy were they keeping you when you were taken?

[A round about way of seeing just when Jemma is from, relatively speaking.]

[bravejemma]

Well, I was busy being rescued from being stranded on a planet in some other portion of the universe for six months.

[It sounds very blase when she puts it that way.]

So all told, not as busy as I could have been, due to my forced holiday.

[outstandingbalance]

[A detail that, through no fault of Jemma's, prevents Natasha from pinning her down in any particular timeline.]

Generally I'd call being stranded on alien worlds busy. At least it seems like it would be an effective distraction from getting anything else done.

[bravejemma]

I was very singular in my pursuits, actually. Survive, get home... that sort of thing.

[It was after their shot had been blown that had been the harder part.]

[outstandingbalance]

Like I said, seems like that would keep you from getting much done.

[When it comes to triage, staying alive yourself generally takes top place. There can be some exceptions, but as a rule.]

Did you come here from there?