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[prespangled]

[He was gonna go somewhere a little more peaceful for this, maybe the outskirts of the park. But his energy levels are running low, even lower than usual with the stress of late, not that he'd ever admit it.

But he's not dead, not even hurt really. He's just tired. So what you get is one Steve Rogers, sitting in front of a pile of nondescript rubble. There's something just at the edge of the video, something he tried to push out of sight completely. But anyone who's every seen a little red wagon will recognize it for what it is, no matter how dirty and dull it appears.]

I know just about everyone's had a rough few days recently. I thought...maybe I could help. [Those words bring a lump to his throat. He wanted to help while it was all going on too, but in the end he wasn't able to do much.] I'm already out, so if there's anything that you need, I'll do my best to find it and get it to you.

[Steve's eyes lift and dart to the wagon, which he has a love-hate relationship with right now. It reminds him of when Bucky wanted him to do this sort of thing. Pride is always a bitter pill to swallow, and Steve's never really managed to choke it down. Come to think of it, maybe that's the lump in his throat.]

Of course, I'll be able to get it there faster if anyone knows how to put a wheel back on. I can live with the scratches and dents.

Comments

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[wipedclean]

[A look of concern. He can tell when Steve needs help, and it's not just for the wheel either, he's pretty sure.]

Where are you?

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[prespangled]

[Steve looks back over his shoulder, checks his pile of rubble like that's some kind of landmark that will tell him something.]

I'm near the park. I think.

[wipedclean]

[He nods.]

Stay there. I'll find you.

[He rather abruptly signs off so he can go find Steve. It takes him about twenty minutes, but he gets there and immediately starts looking over the wagon.]

What happened?

[prespangled]

Bucky-

[Whatever protest he was about to make is lost when the other disconnects. He should've learned by now that Bucky on a mission is never deterred.

So he waits. It's a good excuse to rest anyway.]

I just sorta found it that way. Dug it out. It'll come in handy, I guess.

[wipedclean]

[He nods in understanding and concentrates on the wagon, sitting down next to it and getting started on fixing it as best he can.

He doesn't say anything.]

[prespangled]

[Steve watches him, wonders if he's secretly pleased in some way even if he doesn't understand why.

That'll probably change.]

Hey, since we're already this far, I wanna go to the armory.

[wipedclean]

[The whell half affixed, he turns his head and considers Steve.]

You willing to ride in the wagon there?

[prespangled]

[What is this that he's feeling, is he amused, is he offended.]

No, I'm not.

[He fixes Bucky with a narrow-eyed stare.]

Are you?

[wipedclean]

[He snorts.]

Can you pull me?

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[unknowable]

It's just a wagon, right? I could get the wheel back on, if you still need help.

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[prespangled]

Yeah. We managed a temporary fix, but I don't think it's gonna hold for very long.

[Especially not when Steve's trying to pull super soldiers around in it.]

Are you good with this sorta thing?

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[unknowable]

I fixed cars back home. A wagon wheel should be pretty easy, comparatively.

[He smiles, just a little.]

Where are you?

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[prespangled]

Seems like a handy skill to have. Where'd you learn to do that?

I'm not far from the edge of the park. I was actually trying to make it there when it fell off. Started rolling, I almost couldn't catch it.

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[unknowable]

I worked at an auto shop.

[Not the whole truth, but the part he's willing to tell a stranger.]

I'll head there now. It just fell off? I'll bring a few tools, see what I can do.

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[prespangled]

Yeah. It wasn't in the best shape when I found it.

[He shrugs, the unspoken 'you know how it goes' in it.]

Thanks.

[He'll wait, of course. It gives him a chance to rest that he wouldn't otherwise take anyway.]

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[unknowable]

[Adam's not really one for wasting time. He's been able to find a few tools since he got here - a couple different screwdrivers, some pliers, that sort of thing - so he loads them into his backpack and heads out toward the park, looking for the man he was just talking to.]

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[prespangled]

[The wagon's probably more remarkable than Steve is, even dirty and dented with three good wheels.

As for the man himself, he's just resting his eyes, or so he would claim. He probably shouldn't be, not out in the open like this, but he hasn't gotten much sleep in the past few days.

He does open them again when Adam approaches, looking guilty have having been caught.]

Oh - hi. You came.

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[cashlin]

[He's so... small.

Lilith frowns at the thin, tired man on the video: a guy like that would get eaten alive the moment he stepped on Pandora. (Maybe literally if he wasn't lucky.) After everything that'd gone down over the last few weeks, it's actually kind of a shock to see anyone as, well, fragile-looking as Steve still standing and volunteering to help like this.]

Nice ride.

[She manages a hesitant smile. If Steve's got a sharp eye (and can get over, uh, all the cleavage she's baring), he'll notice some hastily-applied bandages peeking out around her tattooed shoulder and torso, the seeping blood only just dried.]

I need help picking up some things, if you're still offering. I don't have much to trade you for, but I'll fix that thing for you if nobody else has done it yet. I've got some dried monster meat, too, if you want it. One of my neighbors disappeared and there's... kind of a surplus.

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[prespangled]

[He's like a certain blue phone booth, he's bigger on the inside.]

Thanks. I guess it's not so bad after all.

[Steve knows that his initial resentment was a knee-jerk reaction. But it really will come in handy. He tries to keep his eyes, well, on her eyes, but they do eventually land on the bandages. His brows pull together in concern.]

Yeah, I can still do it. What do you need? [It even seems to give him something of a second wind, as Steve sits up a little taller.] How long ago did your neighbor disappear?

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[cashlin]

Sure isn't. Sometimes, you just gotta use whatever works.

[God knows what kind of slapdash fixes she's had to use on everything from cars to guns. Funny how, with the exception of firearms, Hadriel's actually more well-supplied than the backwater planet she'd been on before being unceremoniously dragged in here.]

I need some food that's not a cave monster. [you can only eat so much bear before you get a little bit sick of it.] And maybe some first aid stuff from the clinic. It's not much, but if I were carrying it alone, I'd probably need to make a couple trips.

And about Jack... I dunno. He's a quiet guy. It's been anywhere between a few days to a week. [She furrows her brow.] He w-- he's a pretty strong guy. He wouldn't have gotten himself killed. If you want my bet, this has gotta be a god thing. Or a Door thing.

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[prespangled]

[You make do. Steve hears an echo of his own experiences in her words, though he doesn't know if it was a part of her life before she came here or something she's learned since.]

No, you just stay put. I can handle it. [His eyes go to the bandages again.] How bad is it?

[Steve makes a list in his head: food, fresh bandages, something to clean the wound with. Maybe some sort of pain killer, if he's lucky and Doctor Banner has any in stuck. But given all that just went down, it won't surprise Steve if he doesn't.

He listens too, and the more he listens, the more his frown deepens. If he does manage to find the rest, there's nothing that will take the sting off of missing a friend.]

Jack. If I see anyone...

[He'll check with them. He'll keep an eye out.]

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[cashlin]

[Lilith blinks: she's still somewhat taken aback by all these concerned strangers. And Steve's aggressive helpfulness. One of her hands instinctively reaches up to touch the bandages.]

They sting like a mother, but I've had worse. [That'd been Maketh who'd gotten the brunt of that week's damage. It's very possible that Lilith had aggravated some of the cuts bringing Maketh and Chris (and, at Chris' insistence, Nick) to Banner's clinic one at a time, but she'd quite staunchly ignored the pain until the two of them were safe. Even now, she's dealing with it in the tried-and-true Vault Hunter way: a helluva lot of whatever painkillers she's got on hand.] Nothing important got cut up.

[As for Jack...]

He's got brown hair, a beard, and an eyepatch. Military guy. Real tall and broad.

[She smiles sheepishly at him.] Thanks for all of this.

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[prespangled]

[Steve nods, a little relieved at that. It sounds like she was lucky, if you want to call it that. Or maybe she was just skilled enough to keep it from being worse.

It's a pretty detailed description that she gives him. He could probably even sketch something from that.]

It's nothing. We should pull together and help each other out when we can. It'll make things...easier.

[He frowns uncertainly at that last word before offering a bit of a smile. He's sure she knows what he means.]

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[cashlin]

[Skill and luck had played equal parts. Kanda, skilled and packing whatever inhuman element his sword was made of, had been one thing; Tyki's complete denial of her attacks in the most literal sense, bullets and all, had been another.]

Yeah. S'all we can do at this point.

[She's alive and so are all her friends, even if Jack's currently MIA. That's all she can ask for.]

What about you? How've you been taking this week from hell?

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[prespangled]

No worse than anyone else.

[But no better either.]

Was worried about my friend most of the time, but he seems better now.