[ Charging in with everyone else isn't her style, not remotely, so she's been waiting to hear back from what's been going on. Anxious, yes, wishing she had been ported in with something as ridiculous as super-strength so she could be there in a useful capacity, but remaining available all the same.
So when she reads his text, her stomach drops. ]
What happened?
[ It's nice he thinks anyone else ever keeps her in the loop on a regular basis, but really. ]
[ well, after the idea being pushed into his brain from both sides, he takes the route that most likely will end in less yelling at Loki. plus, Kate is his leader, he worries about Kate. if she falls, it's possible the Young Avengers will go with her. he may try as he might to remain the capricious god of chaos keen on new starts, but he didn't want to see Kate torn up in the way she would be. ]
Beat up enough that I had to bring her a casserole. Arm in a sling, hopped up on mortal painkillers, etc. etc.
It was the whole Hornets ordeal. I'm sure you heard about it.
That describes 90% of the population in the three cities specifically built on the backs of heroes. Which reminds me to mention that I registered, pointlessly.
[ okay, this takes him a second. he looks at the text message, scrolls up and reads the conversation once again. it takes him longer than a normal text, where he'd carelessly flit his thumb across the screen.
[ Biting her lip, she absently rubs her sore throat and looks up from her phone into the middle-distance of the room, back leaning against the wall. From the intensity of a lie taking her over to the horrible evening of the fires, her pause is inadvertent. Edward will talk to her about it all if she needs the company, he understands through first-hand experience why Verity banks her trust, and Jim is ... She doesn't need to talk with him. Registering was a stressful decision but it's already made things so much easier for her when it comes to getting around, to not feeling trapped in a strange city (more are better than one).
She has to wonder whether if she left for New York whether an identical apartment would be there, parodying her own home.
It's a clear minute before she texts back. ]
I'm tired. [ It feels like things might snowball and double if she gives them voice, even in writing. What she can admit is weighty enough, at least by her standards. Loki will understand what she means, she thinks, he won't dismiss things. ] It's a lie, registering as a hero or whatever they expect us to be. I'm not.
[ It's grating on a level that goes beyond anything as paltry as self-deprecation. There are real standards she holds herself to, bothered by fake presumptions she didn't argue against in order to live easier in a freakish dimension she didn't sign up for. ]
[ this isn't entirely what he expected. then again, Loki had never been a hero. he had never received the same victory and glamor as Thor had (as much as he found himself caught yearning for, otherwise). even when he started using his abilities to help, it was never really the same.
but he knows the other side of it. ]
Despite the hype, and the obvious political push- You don't have to be what they want you to be.
[ but Loki always found a way to do things the way he wanted to do them. occasionally it blew up in his face (ah, well, most of the time, really). ]
Or what anyone wants you to be.
[ and then a pause. to him, he had never thought that Verity allowed other expectations to weigh on her. that was part of the truth and the lie, but maybe in the inter-dimensional struggle, lies and truths got mixed up. his expression softens when he hits send. ]
Are you having doubts? [ maybe he wasn't the best person for this. maybe it was better if Verity had other friends. ] Well- I like you as you are, with or without all the added bells & whistles.
[ It's not the expectations that weigh on her, it's the enforced telepathy she can't escape. If she could tamp down on it at all then she wouldn't be so anxious about what it's supposed to mean that she was given it, or what should be done with it. The expectations she places on herself to be competent are grandiose in nature, and it grates on her that she's buckling under all kinds of pressure.
Her thumb passes over his message. Holding in a wealth of things she could say, she takes a small degree of relief in typing out one firm, unshakeable truth. ]
I like you just as you are, too.
[ It's probably a huge tell what she doesn't choose to address, but so is what she does. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
2/23
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So when she reads his text, her stomach drops. ]
What happened?
[ It's nice he thinks anyone else ever keeps her in the loop on a regular basis, but really. ]
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Beat up enough that I had to bring her a casserole. Arm in a sling, hopped up on mortal painkillers, etc. etc.
It was the whole Hornets ordeal. I'm sure you heard about it.
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[ Instead of waffling over her guilt, she channels it into something productive. Planning a visit already to fuss over Casserole Girl. ]
It was that much of a mess?
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Someone got herself kidnapped and needed to be pursued. You know Kate.
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Not really.
I'll call her, thanks for letting me know.
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[ it means she's good people, but Verity already knew that. ]
She'll appreciate it, I'm sure. But beware the woozy painkiller induced replies.
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1/
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4/4
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Yes. I don't want to talk about it. Bears mentioning, though.
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so there's a pause.
then it comes. ]
Are you OK?
no subject
She has to wonder whether if she left for New York whether an identical apartment would be there, parodying her own home.
It's a clear minute before she texts back. ]
I'm tired. [ It feels like things might snowball and double if she gives them voice, even in writing. What she can admit is weighty enough, at least by her standards. Loki will understand what she means, she thinks, he won't dismiss things. ] It's a lie, registering as a hero or whatever they expect us to be. I'm not.
[ It's grating on a level that goes beyond anything as paltry as self-deprecation. There are real standards she holds herself to, bothered by fake presumptions she didn't argue against in order to live easier in a freakish dimension she didn't sign up for. ]
no subject
but he knows the other side of it. ]
Despite the hype, and the obvious political push- You don't have to be what they want you to be.
[ but Loki always found a way to do things the way he wanted to do them. occasionally it blew up in his face (ah, well, most of the time, really). ]
Or what anyone wants you to be.
[ and then a pause. to him, he had never thought that Verity allowed other expectations to weigh on her. that was part of the truth and the lie, but maybe in the inter-dimensional struggle, lies and truths got mixed up. his expression softens when he hits send. ]
Are you having doubts? [ maybe he wasn't the best person for this. maybe it was better if Verity had other friends. ] Well- I like you as you are, with or without all the added bells & whistles.
no subject
Her thumb passes over his message. Holding in a wealth of things she could say, she takes a small degree of relief in typing out one firm, unshakeable truth. ]
I like you just as you are, too.
[ It's probably a huge tell what she doesn't choose to address, but so is what she does. ]