entranceway | 005 ☆ video/action

[Like almost any time that Steve is making a solo broadcast, he's seated at the desk in his room. He's got the neutral yet firm look of a leader, which tends to be how he handles addressing the network. In this particular case, there's another reason for it. He can hide what he's really going through behind all of that authority.]

For anyone who knew Bruce Banner, the younger Bucky Barnes, or Peggy Carter, they've gone home.

[Home, which should be a good thing. And maybe it is, except that Bruce and Natasha had been happy here. Bucky's headed back into the middle of a war, and to something so much worse after that. And Peggy? Well, Steve is just relieved his voice didn't crack when he said her name.

He moves on quickly.] I also wanted to talk about what happened with the memories getting swapped around. I didn't go through it, but it sounds like a lot of other people did. Between that and those old events coming back in different areas, it kind of seems like Wonderland's running a little haywire.

[He hasn't forgotten about the closets malfunctioning for a while there, either.]

Is there any kind of precedence for that stuff?

[Because it seems to him that they should be worrying about it.]

Anyway, I think that's all.

[He ends the feed there, but he'll be spending some time out and about for the rest of the day, either eating at the diner or taking Dodger on a long walk throughout the grounds.]

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[Souji smiles, just a little.]

That's good to hear. It's sometimes hard for those of us who have been here a long time to remember that we need to keep struggling.

And just how long have you been here?

[Steve's brow creases as he asks. Just from the few hints he's been given so far, he's going to guess it's been a long time.]

Almost four years. [His "anniversary" is in early July.] There are a few people who have been here longer, though. Philip and James Potter are two of them.

[Four years? That's in the same range as Evelyn and James -- and apparently Philip, though Steve himself has only spoken to the man once, and it had been over text message, with Evelyn doing most of the "talking."

So it's kind of surprising that Steve hasn't come across this kid until now -- although he isn't nearly as young as he looks, is he? Not with four years added on.]

Actually, I don't think I caught your name. I'm Steve Rogers.

[Souji stopped keeping up with newcomers some time ago, and though he pays attention to the network and to the major things that happen among the other residents, but he mostly keeps to himself. Those he does know, he's mainly gotten to know through working at the diner.]

My name is Seta Souji.

[...]

That's my family name, then my given name.

[Steve wouldn't blame someone who's been here so long for wanting to keep to the circle of people they already know well. Having to greet new arrivals only to watch them disappear a few months later has to get old fast.]

That's Japanese, right? So I should call you Souji?

[The white hair isn't what Steve would expect from someone who's Japanese, but it's possible that he dyes it.]

[Souji answers both questions with a nod.]

Souji is fine. Should I call you Steve?

[Steve is older than him, clearly, but he might be one of those types who doesn't mind being on a first name basis.]

Works for me.

[Most people here who don't know him from back home will call him Steve. Or Mr. Rogers, but that has started to sound a little funny and Steve would rather nip it in the bud. As for his friends, it's a mix of Cap, Rogers, and his first name -- at this point he'll respond to just about anything.]

It's nice to meet you, Souji. Even though I imagine you're pretty sick of people coming through here like it's operating on a revolving door.

[It's something he thinks should be acknowledged, and he frowns sympathetically.]

[Souji shakes his head.]

It's nice to meet you, too. For most people, it's better for them to be at home where they belong, so I try not to think about it like that.

[He would be lying if he said he wasn't sick of it, though.]

[Which is the right way to think about it, and Steve's known that all along. Emotions are not so easy to control, but Souji is putting on a brave face.

He reminds himself that Souji's older than he looks. Steve clenches his jaw on one side.]

I'm guessing you'd rather be home too, right?

[There are a few people here who are dead back home and so Wonderland is all they've got, their version of an afterlife. Steve's hoping that Souji doesn't fall into that category, but on the other hand, maybe he'd be able to make his peace with this place if he did.]

Edited 2015-04-22 19:58 (UTC)

I don't really know anymore.

[It's more complicated than he should really get into in his first conversation with someone, but it's the truth of the matter.]

There isn't any particular reason, I guess.

[That doesn't sound good. Maybe Steve has accidentally stumbled into a topic that's better left alone. Is Souji really dead back where he comes from?

Granted, just because someone is young doesn't mean that they're somehow spared, depending on their situation. Steve saw plenty of young men lose their lives in the war.

Now that they're this far in, it's not like Steve can just drop it. After a long moment of hesitation, he asks:] Why's that?

I guess...

[Souji pauses for a moment to think about how to put it. It's never really been something he's put into words before.]

I don't really like leaving places I've gotten used to. And when I go home that's what I'll be doing.

[Not just leaving here, but leaving the place he'd been living there.]

It isn't anything really important, though.

[Not that he's dead or something bad is happening at home. He just doesn't want to lose what he has.]

[That isn't nearly as bad as Steve had thought, and relief touches at his face, his mouth smoothing out of a thin line and some of the tightness leaving the corners of his eyes.

Steve can read into the double meaning, that it's not just about leaving Wonderland but having to leave someplace back home too. Which isn't easy, but it's also a part of life.]

I'm guessing there are people back there who you'd like to get the chance to see again, though.

[Even Steve has come to miss some people, he'll admit. Sam, for one thing, and even Tony, though he wouldn't necessarily say as much out loud.]

[Souji nods. He doesn't generally discuss his ambivalence about being here simply because he doesn't think he has a particularly compelling reason to want to stay. On the other hand, he's not sure he has that many compelling reasons to go home, either. His friends are there, yes, and his family, but those relationships aren't going to be the same in the future.]

I get homesick.

[He glances down and to the side, pausing before adding:] I have to go back eventually. There's a promise I have to keep.

[A promise, huh? It sounds pretty serious, with the tone that Souji uses and the way that he averts his eyes as he talks about it, so Steve doesn't dig too deep.]

We're all gonna make our way back at one point or another.

[Unless something truly catastrophic happens, but Steve would rather not assume that just yet, even with all the warning signs that they've discussed.

He manages a tight smile.] Anyway, thanks for putting up with all my questions.

It's not a problem. It's one of the ways I can contribute.

[And there aren't that many others who can do the same. If he didn't answer questions from people newer than him, it would be like he was being remiss in his duty, somehow.]

If I can answer any others in the future, I'll do by best. Take care for now, though.

[They've been talking for a while now. Steve could probably come up with plenty more questions to ask, but it's enough for the moment, when he's already got so much else on his mind.]

I appreciate that. [He may very well seek Souji out in the future, depending on what happens around this place.] You too.

[And with that, he ends the call.]

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