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002 | [ video / action ]

[ When the feed comes to life Sam is sitting outside leaning against a tree. He's sweaty and breathing heavy, but that's what happens when you just get finished with a run. The stiffness in his ankle has pretty much vanished now that he's started running a lot more since he broke it. He's back up to his old times even if that is below Steve Rogers standards. ]

So--[ He smiles. ]--those blind dates were pretty weird huh? I mean they were nice. I get that their heart was in the right place, but was anyone else just a tad weirded out by how detailed and specific they were to each couple? I got a new friend out of the deal, but it still felt really odd.

[ He's not upset about the date. Neal was a good guy. Having dinner with him on the rooftop wasn't the worst night he's ever had. It was weirdly romantic for two straight guys who didn't even know each other, but free food and a good talk is hard to find sometimes. Though probably not here. ]

Not what I really wanted to talk about though. [ He sits forward and gets closer to the camera. ] I used to run support groups in the VA center back in DC and I was thinkin' about starting something similar to that here. Coming here isn't really that easy and it's gotta be rough on some people. Maybe you want someone to talk to about it? A group setting where you can talk about concerns or just issues back home you didn't get to rectify. I know a few people got some of those. Maybe they're scared that they won't get a chance or they're scared to go back? [ He shrugs. ] Give it a thought. If you'd wanna come just hit me back. I gotta go see if I left my lungs a mile back. [ He smiles and shuts the feed off. ]

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( Aww, come on Sam, you can't drop that nugget and then leave her hanging )

Good date?

He was nice. We had dinner on the rooftop. Good guy. Name's Neal.

[ You're just jealous because you weren't picked, Maria. ]

( She'd deciding if it would have been better or worse than Natasha picking her a date )

Just dinner, or did they include candles and rose petals too?

You're just jealous because no one got you a blind date.

[ He doesn't recall rose petals though. There might have been a few candles, but it was dark up there. They were sorta necessary. ]

Jealous. Happy. Whichever you hear.

( Don't be Natasha 2.0 now )

You work out who set it up?

What sort of issues?

Any kind of issues. I feel like nailing it down to one specific area would cut a lot of people out and that's not what I wanna do. I want everyone to feel welcome.

[ He's fine with keeping this kind of vague for now. Most people who need help don't wanna talk about it at first. ]

Would it still be a group thing?

Does the group thing make you uncomfortable?

[ A lot of people were not comfortable airing their issues in front of strangers. He might be willing to extend a few one on one talks to people. ]

I don't know if what bothers me is a group therapy sort of thing or I just want to talk to someone.

I'm curious, what exactly is a blind date?

[ The idea he put forth sounds rather nice as well, even if she does not think that she herself would want to go to such a group, much as she too has her regrets and fears, but they can talk about that later. ]

Edited 2014-09-14 11:49 (UTC)

Um.

[ He's getting the distinct feeling he's dealing with someone who might be on the same page concerning his world as Dany. Shit. ]

You don't know the person ahead of time. A friend sets the two of you up to see if you're compatible. Make sense?

[ A very similar page, at least. ]

I understand, yes. So someone... set you up?

Yeah! Some girl.

[ He remembers the girl showing her face on the Network to take credit, but he never responded. Just felt weird to. ]

I guess she thought we needed help? Kinda weird. I think she had a few hit and misses with a lot of her pairings. For one--I'm not into dudes.

[ Like one of the other responder, the phrase has Dany at a loss, frowning delicately and with inching concern at the mirror... portal device. Machine. ]

Is it... another expression? [ Like "cool," she thinks. ] Or have you been working amongst those who cannot see?

[ Sam laughs and shakes his head. She really is something else. ]

No. I've worked with blind people in the past, but that was mostly in my support group. A blind date is when you get set up with someone you don't know ahead of time by a mutual friend of sorts. Make sense?

Set up... to meet. [ She surmises. ] And you were sent to one of these meetings?

Yeah. You're getting it. She set us up to meet. Not sure if she was intending for romantic things to happen or not. Either way it was kinda weird.

[ The only good thing is that he made a friend that was outside of the Avengers and that whole world. ]

I... imagine that it would be. [ She tilts her head slightly, still curious. ] I have heard of arranged marriages, but... well, I suppose this is not very different. In a way.

The "dates" were strange alright, but I guess I'm like you. I'm not complaining.

[His voice was light, but now it gets serious.]

And those groups are a good idea. I'd go, at least just to support other people or have something to do.

[Don't lie, Alex, it's not becoming.]

Free food and someone who wasn't a complete psycho to sit with? I think we all kinda lucked out.

[ Plus no one was shooting at him which made it the best time he's had in a long while. ]

Yeah. I get it. Supporting people who need it is an important role.

[ Right. Supporting. He's got you, bro. ]

Right. So what's a VA center anyway?

Okay. Well, it's full name is Veterans Affair Center. It's for former military.

[ It's really difficult to explain this stuff to people sometimes. He seems to be collecting people who don't actually know a damn thing about his world. ]

Actually their family benefits from the center as well. I think Abe Lincoln said it best. To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan. [ He pauses. ] Unless you want me to get technical.

That sounds... really great. And no, no need to get technical, I think I get the idea.

A Wonderland support group?

[He can't help it--he snorts. In a fairly derogatory manner.

Even if he would benefit from some therapy. Not that he'll ever admit to that.]

I can't decide if that's a good idea, or an incredibly idiotic one.

Well, if you think it's idiotic you'll be happy to know it's not mandatory.

[ Because Sam ain't gonna deal with your shit, bro. He's seen a lot of people get put off of getting help because they were scared of what people around them would think about them. ]

If you got a problem I'd like to ask you to reserve your skepticism for private. It's comments like that which scare people outta talking to someone. Alright?

Actually, I think it's their experiences that scare them out of talking to someone.

[He is not an example of that, shut up.]

I didn't say anything about those who might attend, I don't care if they do or don't. But I think I'm allowed to be skeptical about the idea of therapy in Wonderland.

[But hey, he's not stopping anyone from starting a support group, nor is he stopping anyone from going. He's just really doubtful that it'll do anything for anyone.]

[ alayne thinks, he offers hope for those who still have it and she hates that she cannot be among the ones to respond at once. she is four-and-ten ( three-and-ten, in truth ) and she has learned one thing in those few years, the less people would know of you, they less they have to harm you with. king's landing had made her from bright-eyed sansa stark to a heartbroken girl who had seen what a fool she had been. king's landing taught her secrets and petyr baelish helped her to master the art, had made sansa into alayne and now she cannot know where one ends and the other begins.

lost in lies, certainly; but safer for them, still. the truth would only bring her closer to her own ending.

the girl who looks at him is four-and-ten and although she feels she cannot be helped, she does thing the effort is a touching one. ]

You are very good, my Lord, to offer other such solace.

[ Oh she is so totally like Dany. He seems to just be attracting them in droves. He's not sure how to go about explaining modern things to everyone. He'll do his best though if she starts to question his language pattern. Apparently he's gonna have to start learning some big words to replace some of the other crap he's picked up. ]

Thanks. That's what I'm here for. Solace. I hope you come. [ He smiles. ] How old're you?

[ She looks young. It upsets Sam when he sees young kids like this getting pulled into this place. Henry was the youngest he'd seen yet. ]

[ she does not know if solace is something that is within her reach, cannot remember the last time she had truly felt it. perhaps years ago when lord and lady stark were still around as well as Lady and she was still in winterfell. ]

Four-and-ten, my Lord.

[ a woman grown and wedded. ]

I am Alayne; Alayne Stone, if it pleases you.

Yeah. Sure. I guess it pleases me.

[ He's not sure what he's supposed to say to that. She called him a Lord which was just cool, but also really weird. She's clearly from the same world as Dany. He's gonna have to keep an eye on them. Not because he's wary, but because they might get exploited by some modern assholes here. ]

Okay. You don't have to call me my Lord because I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those. [ He winces. ] So you're fourteen I guess in my world. Kinda young, kiddo. You got any family here?

Edited 2014-10-01 02:27 (UTC)

What should I call you?

[ she would do as he asks, as implied by her gentle manners and refined body language. alayne is not one to insist on many things. ]

Fourteen.

[ she nods and then shakes her head in silence. I don't have family anywhere. I lost them all to cruelty and unfairness.

all except bran but alayne is not sansa and so bran is not her family, cannot be, not in the open. ]

I do not.

[ alone in a world she doesn't understand, the thought saddens her. ]

The VA center?

[She's clearly interested in what this might be all about.]

Veteran Affairs Center.

[ It's something most people know. Maybe she's like Dany. ]

A place for former soldiers. Pretty much covers a wide spectrum of things.

Oh, I see. I'm not a soldier, but it seems like anyone here could begin to feel a little bit like one after a while.

What happens in a support group? Just talking?

Yeah. A lot of weird stuff happens here. Some of it ends with a life lost and a lot of people don't know how to deal with trauma like that.

[ He raises his brows at her questions. ]

Yeah. Just talking. You tell me what might be bothering you. Nothing weird.

You know, that's not a half bad idea.

[Not that Kate's particularly fond of sharing her grievances in a group setting. But she definitely understands the benefits of therapy. It doesn't make the bad go away but it does help a hell of a lot in learning to cope with the present.]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned it sooner. Most of you guys have no idea there are alternate universes out there until you get here.

Yeah. I'm really getting exposed to them. Lots of different people here who might not deal with the transition so good. A lot of people from different time periods too.

[ Different worlds. Different universes. Different time periods. It's all very strange, but Sam thinks that maybe he's learning to cope better than most. He's just trying to keep an open mind coming into this. Henry had told him some pretty crazy stories about his own world. ]

Just think people might need a little help.

[It's definitely a lot easier to deal with craziness like this when it's practically a part of your every day life. A lot easier.]

Most people generally do, even if they don't realize it.

That's why the group can help.

[ He saw a lot of reluctant soldiers come in and suddenly open up in a big way. ]

They don't even have to talk, but most of the time just being there helps. It even gets them to imagine opening up and following through.

[She nods in agreement.

Helping people; that's half of the reason she became a superhero to begin with.]

Hey, if you need any help, let me know? This is one of the first worthwhile things I've heard of around here.

[ While Sam's busy being a productive human being and staying in shape, this asshole is cramming his face full of sugar goods that aren't available in his time, because that's a healthy way to deal with emotions. He's mid-doughnut when he catches Sam's message. Sadly even the Boston cream doesn't completely hide his stupid sulking. ]

Wouldn't know, I didn't get picked. I mean, there's a real obvious choice for me-- choices, even! Wouldn't even have to be romantic! Like ya said, get a new friend outta the deal. Obviously whoever set it all up don't got no taste if I wasn't invited.

[ Sam's life is now a parade of blond strangers unburdening their personal woes upon him. At least Steve isn't a fucking tool.

But as quickly as the whining starts, it dissipates, leaving behind frosting smeared around his mouth and newly piqued interest. ]

Whatcha mean by VA support groups? Like... troubled Virginians, or are we talkin' like veterans stuff. Like Grand Army of the Republic?

[ Sam cracks a smile when the guy proclaims to have multiple date choices and that Becky didn't have much taste for not including him. He doesn't respond to that though. He knows better than to wade into those waters with a stranger.

Steve is a fucking tool. Sit in his presence long enough and you notice it. He's a nice tool, but still a fucking tool. ]

Veterans and their families. Stuff like that. Probably have a few Virginians hanging around too. Who knows.

[ True enough. Alas, the toolness of Steve's life will never be recognized by America, who is so starstruck that he pretty much thinks the sun shines out his ass. It's a good thing he was only given the first Captain America movie or else Sam might be facing a similar level of stalking and neck breathing. As though he needs more people to show up at his door unannounced. ]

I got a house in Virginia. [ A nice filler statement as he decides what to say next. Which leads to a slowly unfolding smile and some verbal fumbling. ] That sounds good! Veterans and family support, I mean, that's always good! I mean, it ain't like I personally need any of that, 'specially pensions, but going to the club meetings can sometimes be fun! Uh.

[ And then he sorta nervously stares at Sam in one of those awkward silences white people give when you just know they're ranking their inner thoughts on a scale of 1 to racist. Finally he clears his throat and fixes his confidence back into place. ]

So you a veteran? 'Cause that's awesome! Doublely so if you're one of mine! And in which case I think I should give ya my thanks, but that might be kinda weird for ya, ha ha!

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