semi-open; gone, like it was destined

[cognitived]

Who| Clint and OPEN, plus some closed starters
What| Clint goes feasting on Wednesday, then runs away from his well-meaning team. Hi-jinks ensue.
Where| Avenger HQ, the Castle, the Forest.
When| Week 2, Wednesday and Friday
Warnings/Notes| Lame jokes, a master assassin being a loser, language, ect ect.

i. feasting

Even in the castle, the stench of rotting bodies has dug in. Clint can't exactly say it's a new scent, because he's lived a life of death since he was still more kid than adult, but this is so overpowering as to be impossible to get used to. And believe him, he's tried. He's scouted the castle, the surrounding land, and nobody where he is, the scent of death is as constant as it was when he started.

It's wearing on him, cutting through the hunger in his belly, weighing heavily. Clint tries to eat, because he must, but it is little more than nibbles. Mere bites of food and water when he can force himself to, even as his stomach churns. He does not manage much, and it is bad enough that he vomits, once. Stops himself from trying again, if only to save what little he has.

It's only been a couple days, but even a couple days in the Arena without food could be deadly. Luck is on his side though. Clint has allies, even if he is starting to feel stifled under the protection, and he hasn't been wounded beyond the still healing mess of his knee. When the feast is announced, well, it's with grateful relief. Sure, it could be a second bloodbath, could be poisoned, but Clint doubts it. Most are going to want that food, and most will be willing to call truce to look for allies and friends, to take time to sate their hunger. Clint's looking forward to it too, if only with the hope that some missed faces will appear alive and well.

Still, by the time Clint shows up, the Feast is in full swing. It's expansive, far more than he expected, though he shouldn't have been surprised given the Capitol's extravagance. He lingers on the edges of the party, watching people carefully, seeing what they eat and waiting to make sure it's safe. Then, and only then, does he find a seat and dig in.

ii. exploring

Though he escaped with Steve, at one point they wind up splitting off. Not, of course, that this means Clint can't track down the de-powered superhero. Clint might have been feeling caged in by his well meaning other teammates, but it doesn't mean he's foolhardy enough to completely lose track of a 90lb asthmatic with a heart condition. They might have wanted some space, but Clint will look after his teammate.

It's why he's heading back, retracing his path until he finds where they split, heading off after Steve. It's not hard to do, and Clint only has half his attention on tracking down Steve, scanning his surroundings in case someone decides to get the jump on him. Midstep, something white and gleaming in the underbrush catches his attention, sparking in his periphery. It doesn't look like anything useful at first, simply a white carved stick, unnatural but not threatening. This changes once he picks it up, turns it in hand, and accidentally shoots a bolt of lightning at the floor. It's loud, crackling and booming, sends Clint jumping a foot in the air and throwing himself out of the way on instinct. He takes a moment to make sure he's in one piece, knee throbbing, before getting up and staring down at the stick with his hands on hips.

"What the hell?"

Unfortunately, his luck wasn't enough to keep from drawing attention with that. At the sound of a twig snapping, Clint ducks and scoops up the stick, pointing it loosely at the intruder as he backs up.

Comments

[aboveangrybees]

Honestly, Steve isn't so sure about his decision to go back to camp with Bucky - not that he had much decision in the matter, but he did choose to stay once he did have some say. Part of him still thinks the guy will slit his throat in his sleep, then agreeing to being stuck in a camp full of people he thinks might kill him when they decide to? That was just dumb. But the other part of him knows he's safe there with them, safer than he is on his own. And it's not like he's forgotten trusting these people, believing in them, risking his life for them, but the fear weighs heavily on his mind, makes it a struggle. The notes help in their own small way, tell him was the best choice.

Doesn't mean he likes it.

The fear grows to be too much for him to deal with, nagging and clawing at him until he feels like he's about to crawl out of his skin with it. And it always wins eventually and, when it does, he makes his escape. He causes a ruckus and runs for it. Well, not run, he sneaks, but still, he makes a break for it. This time successfully.

Almost.

Successful all but for Barton, who is following him and not even trying to mask it like Bucky or Sam. The man is just tailing him with no pretense and for some reason that irritates Steve more than scares him.

He's no less wary, fully aware of the man's skills and capability, but unlike Bucky and Sam, Steve doesn't know Barton all that well. The man is a teammate, but there's no personal connection beyond it, not really. It's that lack of anything more than keeps Steve from becoming sick with confusion, stressed as his mind wars with itself. It allows him to be annoyed. IF he thought about it, he'd find it refreshing.

"I was going this way first, pick a different direction," Steve casts a glare over his shoulder, angling to keep the man on his left, unwilling to trust the man with his bad ear.

[cognitived]

It's easy to tail someone, to track them down like nothing more than another mark, another mission. Clint's lived like that for decades, sharpening and honing his skills to a fine point. The thing is, if Clint really wanted to, he could disappear and track Steve down all without the other guy noticing. He's silent as a cat, careful, careful.

But Clint doesn't care about masking his tracking here. Doesn't bother aggravating the mess of his knee any further than he already has, not now, not yet. In case he has to escape later, he'd prefer if it was on a slightly more healed leg than not. So really, thanks for being a relatively easy mark, Steve. Clint can't say exactly why he follows Steve, except that he's going more than restless here in their base, and the constant watching over is driving him crazy. It was nice to see Steve again, even if some horror clawed up Clint's throat at the sight of him so small and fragile. If the Capitol could take the Serum from Steve's veins, then what else could they do?

Clint's never been so grateful that all his skills were through his own hard work rather than some power.

That little glare is so strange though. Steve's features haven't changed, his face a little hollower maybe, but it's a far fiercer look than expected from such a tiny body. Clint's mouth curves imperceptibly with a crooked smile, fights the laughter bubbling up in his throat. His head tilts, brow raised at the order.

"Why should I?" And yeah okay, he's just being an asshole now. But really, Clint never took all that well to orders that went against what he thought was right. It's a problem, always has been.

[aboveangrybees]

Yeah, that look Barton gives him is enough to set Steve's teeth on edge, because he can see the unvoiced laughter there. He doesn't need to know the man to see when someone is laughing at him, years of being this small and mocked gave him more than enough time of hearing laughter you can only see as someone tries to contain it. So that glare becomes more of an intense scowl, because he's particularly sensitive to being laughed at now than he was before.

For a brief second though he's not entirely sure how to reply to that comment, because well, it should be obvious, Steve doesn't want the company. But because that's obvious (to Steve at least), he doesn't say it, because Barton should be plenty smart enough to realize that. No, instead he decides to be a bit of an asshole right back.

"Because I'm going westward and it's almost summer, that means you go north, so, follow your instinct and migrate," Steve makes a gesture northward as if to shoo him away, his shoulder popping as he does, but he ignores how his body seems to protest everything he does.

[cognitived]

It's less laughing at him, and being more amused to see nothing's changed. Of course not, since Steve is, technically, still himself. It's just weird to think about, when you grow up with the mythos of this supersoldier, and a couple months companionship doesn't really change it all. Even if it does mean Clint has a better grasp on who Steve is, what he's like. He likes the guy, but he doesn't much know him.

That said, it is very obvious that Steve doesn't want company. But here's the thing, Clint's just as stubborn as Steve is, and he also happens to be partners with a stubborn son of a gun too. Also, he's still unsure around a certain ex-brainwashed Russian assassin and he tends not to get on their bad sides if he can help it. Sorry, Steve.

"Ouch," Clint does actually laugh at that, faintly delighted, an easy sort of thing. Luckily for Steve, the sound of his shoulder popping is faint enough that Clint doesn't hear it, though he does see the faint tightness written in Steve's expression.

[aboveangrybees]

Steve gives a mighty huff at Barton now laughing out loud at him, but as much as he tries to look put out by it, he's actually not all that bothered this time. He huffs more to hide his own humor at Clint's laughter, to keep himself from smiling. Sure, he's scared of this man, he's a mess of emotions, but his humor isn't dead, he's not- well, no, he's not broken.

Still, that doesn't change that he wants to be on his own and Barton is still following him, against Steve's will. Though, a part of him does realize that maybe he shouldn't fight it so hard, Barton is a teammate and is injured, Steve can help take better care of him if they stick together.

"I'm not dumb, you used me as a distraction to escape, I doubt you planned us both to get out, but then we did. You meant to strike out on your own, so why stick to me like glue?" Steve gives him a curious and very cautious look. One wrong word and Steve is gone.

[cognitived]

It's hilarious, it really is. Steve's so utterly put upon, even though Clint can see the humor in his gaze, smile twitching at his mouth. Yeah, he knows Steve doesn't feel comfortable with them, and this is probably nothing at all like what he'd planned, but Clint can't help that.

"What, I can't just like your stellar personality?" Clint smiles, all sunshine innocence that's completely faked, before the look softens, far truer even as he thumbs at his jaw. It's rueful, because Steve's on the nose about this.

"You were my best chance out, yeah." A sigh, a thoughtful pause. "I dunno man, but we've got better odds out here sticking together."

He shifts, taking more weight off his injured leg, and that's maybe a bit purposeful. But it also hurts, one of those ever present aches that you might get used to but can't completely ignore.