doclesliethompkins‌:

Leslie was sitting at the bartop at a newly opened club in Brooklyn, a place called Vortex. It was an interesting place but the decor of fish bones and other sea creatures was odd. Emptying her second glass, Lee waved for the bartender to grab her a refill before she noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. Whoever it was took a seat next to her and looked in her direction, but Lee didn’t look back. Clenching her jaw as she thumbed her empty glass, Lee let out a sigh, “Unless you plan on buying my next round — I’m not interested.” 

Tali walked into the bar looking around and taking inventory of the people around. She didn’t drink much. Hardly ever actually. It wasn’t her favorite activity and she’d done too much of it when she was young. Now she stuck to tea. Bars were, however, socially very good places. So she was inclined to go to bars every so often to be social. Besides the wide array of emotions were almost numbing and she rarely felt strong emotion because of that. However as she approached the bar that was proved wrong. She felt two strong, almost dangerous, spikes of lust and a strong pulse of annoyance. Without even thinking she came up with a probably very stupid plan and walked up to the woman sitting down. “Hello Angel.” She said with a bright smile putting her hand on the woman’s. “Sorry I’m late. You know how work it. Can my girlfriend and I help you with something Gentlemen?” She asked with a sweet and bright smile hoping not to anger the woman.

agentagent-coulson‌:

A bone deep fatigue settled in his chest as Coulson knew Tali was right about that. He tried so hard not to feel emotions sometimes, but occasionally it just wasn’t something that could be withheld, and he had to run and get away from people to allow them to come to the surface. Vivid memories of guilt flared in his mind, of broken pipes crushed by a cybernetic hand and shirts torn at the seams covered in blood. Emotions demanded to be felt, but he’d be damned if he’d let them get in the way of what he needed to do. “I wish I had that ability.” He commented. He leaned back, feeling a little spark at the idea of someone with powers - a distraction from his own fears. “I had a feeling.” He said. “How did you get them?”

She could feel his frustration and fatigue so strongly invading the air she almost wanted a nap. She winced a bit at his emotions. It was hard. Feeling things. Not sure what to do about them or how to deal with them. She felt guilt weave it’s way in and tilted her head curious what was bringing that on. Why he felt it. “No you don’t.” She assured smirking. “It’s a curse a lot of the time.” She admitted with a sigh. “I was borne with them.” She assured. “I don’t really have a way to explain it.” She admitted.

Kismet||Coulson

superbxyclxne‌:

“I understand that, time flies, and something that happened years ago, seem like just happened, he smiled at her, he knew how that, because there were so many things that happened years ago, that seem like just happened. Time flew so fast, that it seems like his reborn just happened, when it was also 8 years ago, in 2010. It was insane to think about it. “I get it, I felt that way too, and then I found out why after, because the people I’m close to are here,” he said with a small smile. “I hope so, yeah,” he nodded, he wasn’t ready yet. “I agree, I think it is too.”

Natlia nodded her musings filling her mind of all the things the past few years had done. “It goes so quickly. Especially when a lot of things are going on.” She mused remembering a lot of good time. Some bad. But this wasn’t the time for that. This was the time to shed the bad and look for the good. “Really? That’s always a blessing. Finding the people you love just happen to show back up in your life.” She said smiling. “I’m glad for you.” She said. She hadn’t really ever experienced it first hand but she could feel his emotions and she’d watched it from the outside. “But it’s a good thing you still have time. He’s got lots of energy.”

Orange Season||Open Starter

The Witching Hour||Event

quietbunjenna‌:

Jenna saw the look in her eye change, just a little, and she read into that smirk. Whatever that dance was, it had been a nice one – maybe even more fun than her contest with the other girl. She smirked back in response, waggling her eyebrows, giving Tali a knowing look. If she could’ve giggled, she would have. She touched the dress for a moment, just enjoyed the feeling of the velvet under her fingers, then pulled her hand back to write again. ‘Shop??’ she wrote, turning the pad towards Tali. 

Tali blushed at the look the girl was giving her. It looked very knowing. Tali was used to giving that look not getting it. Particularly in matters like this. Steve had been very handsome and kind and gentle and had had the sort of old fashioned sensibility she also seemed to have, but she rarely let herself feel things like that for long. Besides it was only a night. She smiled “I don’t think it’s anything quite like that but thank you.” She said her cheeks stained a rather bright red at the thought as she wondered if he’d think of her at all but refusing to let her mind down that path. That wasn’t her lot she was sure of that. “Yes I own and run a tea shop. We sell coffee as well but tea is much better.” She insisted.

The Witching Hour||Event

hexaghoxtstcry‌:

As always, Dugan basked in the attention, flopping over and rolling in the leaves, peeping up at Natalia with his belly exposed, an invitation to pet. “Be careful, he’ll turn on you if you pet his stomach for one second longer than you want him to,” Bucky said, with a little smile. “I’m sure it’s beautiful.” His favorite season used to be winter, but now he wasn’t as fond of the cold as he used to be. “I guess so, yeah. Summer is definitely my least favorite. I can’t stand the heat.”

Natalia chuckled at the cat’s antics and slowly, carefully, did as she was bidden by the small furry creature. All the while she was careful to listen to the cat’s emotions and do as was requested. She pulled her hand back when it seemed the kitten was starting to become overwhelmed. “That’s just because he knows what he wants.” She observed. “But thank you for the warning and for allowing me to pet him.” She said smiling. “It really is. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.” She admitted. She had been many placed but even after all these years away Colorado still felt like home. She’d lived in Maine longer but Colorado felt... more important. She hummed her agreement “I’m not a fan either. I prefer to put more layers on then take them off.” She admitted.

Orange Season||Open Starter

superbxyclxne‌:

“That’s a long time, any particular reason why you moved here 8 years ago?” he asked, genuinely curious to know about it. “I agree, I don’t think I will be ready to see him go,” he knew he wasn’t immortal. “But I try not to think about it, and just enjoy the present.”

She nodded “It is. Sometimes It still feels like yesterday.” She admitted. Why had she moved here. Boundless opportunities? The wide cultures? “It just felt right. It felt like God called me here.” She admitted. It was the truth. It felt like where she was meant to be. “That might sound silly.” She added with a smile. “Well hopefully that won’t be for a very long time hum?” Tali pointed out. It was terrible to think of death. “And you’ll always remember what you had with him.” She added smiling at the canine running around playing. “That’s a good plan.”

Orange Season||Open Starter

gwen-stacies‌:

Blinking, Gwen looked at the woman for a moment before looking at the door, “That’s really cool.” A business woman – it reminded her of Hope. Two different industries but the concept was the same in her mind, she was a woman in charge. And that idea had always been appealing to Gwen. Following the woman inside, Gwen looked around the entrance of the shop, admiring the decorations before hearing the question – would she like to talk. Biting the inside of her cheek, Gwen shrugged slightly. “It’s been a long… I don’t know, day? Month? Year?” Making her way over to a chair, Gwen slumped down and sighed, “A good friend of mine was murdered recently…”

Natalia smiled warmly. “Thank you.” She said with a nod as she offered her the door holding it wide for her. “Come on in.” She offered.  The shop was empty since she had closed it before leaving, her two employees having left abruptly taking with them a piece of Tali’s heart. She hoped they were happy and well but it left a bit of a void for her in more ways than just business. She had gotten used to coming in to a bustling shop when she returned. Still she was working back towards being accustomed to being alone again. Natalia listened as the girl talk letting the girls emotions and feelings and essence wash over her to find a proper flavor for the tea. “That is a difficult feeling.” She commiserated. When the girl spoke of her friend Tali turned and put a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry. That must be devastating.” She offered understanding pain and loss a bit too well. She had to remind herself constantly that her parents and God were watching over her and in a better place. She could only imagine the pain of losing a friend. That explained the sharp pain and fear in the woman.

supersoldierwithashield‌:

A wave of relief washed over him when he heard her voice – instead of her scream. Inside here, the shop warm and untouched by looters or the chaos outside, it almost felt like an entirely different world. He moved past the shelves, and smiled when he saw her, though she did look as exhausted as he felt. “Are you okay?” he asked, nearly the same time she asked him, and he laughed lightly. It was a weak laugh, but it was something.

“Thanks. Tea sounds… pretty amazing, actually,” he said, sitting down in one of the chairs she gestured towards. He set the shield at his feet, still within easy reach should he need it. “I shouldn’t stay long,” he said carefully. “But I wanted to check in on you.” 

Natalia chuckled as they spoke at the same time and shook her head. “You look like you could use a shower and a very long nap.” she observed. Granted at this point she wanted the same. She nodded her head though as she walked closer to the counter. “I’m fine just tired And you?” She assured. She looked at the suit and the shield and it hit her who he was. She didn’t keep much track of the heroes running around but knowing he was one simultaneously made sense and seemed so strange. She could see him being a hero but he was also a man. Still she supposed with her abilities she shouldn’t be surprised by anything. 

She nodded “Good.” She said and instantly set to work. She knew chamomile would relax him but he didn’t feel like chamomile and after a good while of mulling over and over his flavors she had settled on his tea and had wanted his opinion on the flavors. She started with mixedberry Zinger thinking the tart and sweet mix of strawberries, raspberries and black burries fit. She added honeysuckle oolong for a warm sweet and hint of smoke flavor. Then finally Hojicha for a strong roasted flavor that would match that strength he held. “I’m glad you did. You can stay as long as you like. It’s... very dangerous out there. Everyone feels so ..... violent.” She shivered at the emotions filling her mind.

roseleaftea‌:

It was odd to her feeling this sort of connection to him. She had met a few people like her through the years. People that had a sort of timeless opinion on things. The truth was that she didn’t romanticise the past but she did tend to prefer certain things from then. She just behaved like she was from another decade and always had. She was still a modern woman as far as rights and equality went but she wanted to have a house and be a wife without having to be a house wife. She was raised in a system of old money that hadn’t changed since the Victorian era. That came with certain pinons and thoughts and while she didn’t agree with all of it she had felt some things were important. “I think that’s probably true but a lot of people don’t know how to work towards it.” She pointed out. “It’s hard to do and it’s hard to realize where to start.” She said thoughtfully. She chuckled and suddenly a lot made more sense. “Oh you’re a soldier? I suppose it would sound like basic training. But hopefully with less yelling.” She joked playfully.

She felt a strange pang of longing reach through her emotions and jolt through her and she tilted her head. It must have been from him but she couldn’t quite understand why or where. Maybe a memory? Maybe something, or someone, he missed. It felt an awful lot like love. It was almost sad to feel that loss, not that she had experienced anything similar. Still it seemed to stir a long dead reaction inside of her that had her very confused. Natalia smiled a very understanding smile when he said that. “I’ll take that as an honor.” She offered. She didn’t know if she believed it was just a friend that he was talking about but she supposed reminding him of that woman was a good thing. She chuckled and smiled back. “I look forward to it.” She said more than happy to uphold the promise to change his mind.

She let herself have a moment she rarely allowed and relaxed into the familiar motions. His hands were gentle and his touch was present but not imposing. It made it easy to follow the steps her body had so deeply ingrained into it. It was nice though, the way they moved. He was a very good dancer even if she couldn’t always tell who was leading with the way they moved around the floor. “It was.” She mused “Very different from the norm though.” She admitted “I don’t think many people know how to handle me.” She admitted smirking. She was weird, odd, different. Traveling and going to ancient places with ancient cultures and getting lost in them trying to find herself, living as a debutante, everything with Evan, feeling the weight of his blood on her hands through all these years. It made her very outside of the norm, so she watched the norm from the outside. But sometimes that feeling was lonely. Natalia chuckled “Really? I can’t imagine someone wouldn’t want to dance with a handsome, charming, soldier.” She said honestly smirking and thought for a second before responding. “Well if you ever find space on it again let me know, I’ll fill it up for you.” She assured.

“Peace can be… challenging,” he settled on finally. He remembered Ultron’s voice, taunting him, calling him the man who couldn’t live without a war. That was worse than being a man out of time, Worse than anything else he had ever been, a dancing monkey, a lab experiment, an errant soldier – a captain who lost his men, or failed to save the innocent. For as long as he remembered, he had just wanted the chance to do the right thing. But there was a fear in the back of his mind, subtle as a whisper, that made him question. He had the chance now, to do right, even if ‘right’ wasn’t as clear cut as he’d hoped. But what if he did the right things somehow, found a peace for the world, for himself – what would he be then? 

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“On your end or mine? I’ve seen some of those society ladies, and I would not want to be on their bad side,” he teased lightly. He smiled at her words, polite and proper, but more sincere than he’d heard in a long time. There was a purity to her that had nothing to do with her manners. A good person, that’s what Erskine would’ve said. She had a good heart. Steve could sense it in his gut, and it hadn’t steered him wrong before.”It is,” he said quietly. “And so do I,” he said, nodding to her. 

The dancing was more pleasant than he’d ever imagined it. He’d never truly gotten a chance to do it before – and maybe it wasn’t perfect, because he was far from perfect, treading slightly on her toes once and staring down at his own feet perhaps a little too often. But it was nice. It was peaceful, in a way that didn’t make those questions erupt in his mind. He was fully in the moment, caught up in her voice and the way they moved around the dance floor. “I’m sure,” he agreed. “But that’s not always a bad thing.” Not in his experience. It made for an interesting life, at the very least. A good life? He was still trying to figure that one out. “Sounds like a plan,” he said, laughing lightly. And they continued to dance, barely noticing that the song had changed. 

supersoldierwithashield‌:

@roseleaftea

Steve was exhausted. All night long, he had been alternating between searching the underground for more strange containers spewing the gas, and staying on the streets trying to keep people from ripping each other – or themselves – apart. It had been a long, long night, and he was fairly certain it was only getting started.

He hauled himself out of a sewer grate, tossing the manhole cover aside, and found himself in front of a tea shop. Roseleaf Tea Shop the sign read, and he remembered Tali – remembered that night when Halloween and ‘fears’ seemed fun, when they had danced for so long. So despite being covered in grime, sweat, and exhaustion, he made his way forward. “Hello?” he called out as he opened the door. “Natalia? Are you here?” He wanted to make sure she was all right.

Natalia was exhausted. Sleep had been illusive all night and the pounding in her chest was starting to drive her insane. She couldn’t catch her breath and her head ached from the single, suffocatingly potent emotion pumping in the air. She knew she should be feeling it herself, constantly hearing a strong sharp “Nat” Following her along with Evan’s face around every corner. Still it wasn’t her own emotions that were driving her mad, she had long since dulled all of them sacrificing elusive happiness in order to numb the much more constant sadness and guilt she had suffered through for years. 

She puttered in her shop’s backroom trying to lax her tense muscles and slow her beating heart. Meditation and prayer had been her only turn trying desperately to stop everyone’s sheer terror from taking her over. In the middle of it she heard a voice, one that strengthened emotions she had thought long dead as she remembered dancing with this particular man for much of the night. She smirked and walked out. “Steve.” She greeted. She wasn’t used to not feeling someone coming with their emotions but she supposed the ones filling the air had made him hard to point. “Hello.” She added coming into the room and looking him over being hit with fatigue which seemed even stronger than her own. “Sit, sit down. I’ll make you some tea. Are you alright?” She asked. She didn’t feel fear. That was good.

supersoldierwithashield‌:

He had been called an ‘old soul,’ but with him it was very literal. He’d always assumed it was just because of where he came from – when he came from, but here she was. It was unlikely that she’d jumped seventy-five years into the future and yet he got the sense that she too was an old soul. And maybe old souls were destined to be lonely on some level. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that,” he said softly, offering her a small smile. “I don’t think that’s selfish. I think wanting peace is… very human.” Maybe that was the problem. Maybe he was more soldier than human, and that’s why he couldn’t imagine life without a war, without some kind of fight. “Practice, work, lot of hard things? Sounds like enlisting all over again,” he joked lightly. 

When she spoke again, about never compromising where it truly mattered – he was reminded of Peggy. No, you move. The steadfast determination that had taken her all the way to the SSR and beyond, to founding SHIELD. “I –” Steve was so taken aback that for a moment, he was speechless. “Sorry, I just – I had a friend who used to say something similar. You remind me of her,” he explained. “I’ll hold you to that promise,” he added, smiling gently. 

He was so much bigger now than he had been growing up, but it made him all the more aware. He kept his every touch, even his smiles light, his hand barely touching her waist even as he led her in the waltz. Truthfully, she may have been ‘following,’ but he kept an eye on her movements, taking her lead every now and then. “That must’ve been quite the life,” he noted, turning them, glancing down at his feet quickly before looking back up. “Learned it a long time ago, with a buddy of mine. We wanted to be able to take girls out dancing, but let’s just say my dance card always had room.”

It was odd to her feeling this sort of connection to him. She had met a few people like her through the years. People that had a sort of timeless opinion on things. The truth was that she didn’t romanticise the past but she did tend to prefer certain things from then. She just behaved like she was from another decade and always had. She was still a modern woman as far as rights and equality went but she wanted to have a house and be a wife without having to be a house wife. She was raised in a system of old money that hadn’t changed since the Victorian era. That came with certain pinons and thoughts and while she didn’t agree with all of it she had felt some things were important. “I think that’s probably true but a lot of people don’t know how to work towards it.” She pointed out. “It’s hard to do and it’s hard to realize where to start.” She said thoughtfully. She chuckled and suddenly a lot made more sense. “Oh you’re a soldier? I suppose it would sound like basic training. But hopefully with less yelling.” She joked playfully.

She felt a strange pang of longing reach through her emotions and jolt through her and she tilted her head. It must have been from him but she couldn’t quite understand why or where. Maybe a memory? Maybe something, or someone, he missed. It felt an awful lot like love. It was almost sad to feel that loss, not that she had experienced anything similar. Still it seemed to stir a long dead reaction inside of her that had her very confused. Natalia smiled a very understanding smile when he said that. “I’ll take that as an honor.” She offered. She didn’t know if she believed it was just a friend that he was talking about but she supposed reminding him of that woman was a good thing. She chuckled and smiled back. “I look forward to it.” She said more than happy to uphold the promise to change his mind.

She let herself have a moment she rarely allowed and relaxed into the familiar motions. His hands were gentle and his touch was present but not imposing. It made it easy to follow the steps her body had so deeply ingrained into it. It was nice though, the way they moved. He was a very good dancer even if she couldn’t always tell who was leading with the way they moved around the floor. “It was.” She mused “Very different from the norm though.” She admitted “I don’t think many people know how to handle me.” She admitted smirking. She was weird, odd, different. Traveling and going to ancient places with ancient cultures and getting lost in them trying to find herself, living as a debutante, everything with Evan, feeling the weight of his blood on her hands through all these years. It made her very outside of the norm, so she watched the norm from the outside. But sometimes that feeling was lonely. Natalia chuckled “Really? I can’t imagine someone wouldn’t want to dance with a handsome, charming, soldier.” She said honestly smirking and thought for a second before responding. “Well if you ever find space on it again let me know, I’ll fill it up for you.” She assured.

agentagent-coulson‌:

“I’ve always been a firm believer that emotions are good… At the right time.” He said. He wasn’t like Melinda - he couldn’t control his emotions or use them when he needed them. Sometimes he wished he had the ability she did to restrain them, but he knew sometimes that led to holding for too long. For him, he could wait and hold off on his emotions at least until he could feel them. Until he was alone, or until a crisis was finished. But when he felt them… That was the worst moment. “So how do you deal with it?”

Natalia smirked “Emotions don’t have time. They don’t work on a schedule. They need to be felt when they need to be felt or things will go wrong and they’ll come out when they shouldn’t.” She explained. “A bit like children.” She chuckled thoughtfully. “I got rid of them all together.” She explained. “I’m a bit like Daisy, not nearly as strong but I have something special.” She explained. “I feel through others, my own feelings, I find they aren’t important. It was better for me to be rid of them. Particularly strong ones I still have to deal with from time to time but I found my life better served without those motivations.” She explained. It wasn’t healthy, it wasn’t good. But it kept her going and strong and functioning where others could not.

Kismet||Coulson

ofscottlang‌:

He smiled and nodded to her, glad he didn’t have to be concerned with Tali telling Cassie. The people who knew he didn’t expect would tell her what happened, but he worried about the secret slipping out - Cassie was smart and had been even at ten. She could figure it out if she really tried, and he had had several near misses. “I will tell her, I just… Don’t know how. And it’s strange - I miss her being a little kid, I miss her trusting me all the time, but I adore her just as much as I did before. I still see my little girl in her.” He said softly. 

Natalia nodded feeling his relief. She was worried that that meant he wouldn’t tell his daughter. She didn’t have the right to bring the truth to light but she still thought it should be done. She knew that Scott needed to tell his daughter the truth. “Well it would be hard to tell her.” She agreed. “I understand that. It’s good you still love her. Maybe you need to do some bonding. Understand who she really is now and what she’s going through and what she’s like. Be honest and spend a day together.” She suggested.

heroiclunc‌:

“Oh you totally want to say them, don’t you”

Tali smirked and scrunched her nose nodding. “Sometimes yes.” She agreed mischievously. “But I refrain in public.” She explained. She was raised to be a lady, she was raised to keep those words in her mind and replace them. “I find that exclaiming monkeys is rather effective though.” She offered.

quietbunjenna‌:

Jenna beamed at her, nodding eagerly. It had been fun, and she didn’t much care about winning. She pointed at Tali, and then the dance floor, quirking her brows. ‘Did u dance at all?’ she wrote on her pad. She wondered if it was hard to dance in a dress like that, and already her hands were reaching out to touch the soft material of the skirt. She shrugged at the question, pulling her hands back to write. ‘Idk. She was v nice tho. Real fun!’

Tali smirked and nodded thinking to her dance with Steve. “I did get the opportunity. Just a bit of fun.” She explained smiling. “But it was very nice.” She admitted. It had been. “It was a waltz so the sort of dancing this dress is made for.” She explained chuckling. It was true it wasn’t the easiest dress to move in but she’d waltzed in worse. She smiled at the girl reaching out for her dress and got the best idea in her mind. She smiled and filed it away for later. “I’m glad she was fun. Maybe you’ll see her around. You could stop by my shop. I get a lot of the people here in there.” She offered.

The Witching Hour||Event

hexaghoxtstcry‌:

roseleaftea‌:

Natalia looked up seeing her friend and smiled “Hello Bucky! It’s good to see you again.” She said. “Oh you have a cat!” She cooed excitedly and knelt offering a hand to the feline. “Hello Dugan.” She greeted. “No need to apologize, I’m a big fan of the fur people.” She assured warmly “He is very happy on his Harness.” She said noting the cat’s enjoyment. “How are you doing today? It’s beautiful out!”

Bucky offered the woman a smile. “Hey,” he said. “It’s nice to see you, too.” He laughed a little as Dugan sniffed her fingers, offering her a cursory little rub against her hand. “Yeah, he always liked walking around, but I thought it would be safer for him to be an indoor cat – so I figured this was a good compromise.” He smiled. “Pretty good,” he said. “Yeah, I love fall in New York.”

Natalia smiled and gently pet the cat sure to be careful of its emotions. Not making it uncomfortable or overwhelming it. she looked up at him. “It’s a wonderful compromise. I’m glad he has found a good home and a good owner.” She said and looked down. “You know very well how lucky you are though.” She said to the cat with a smile. “It’s beautiful. You should  see it in Colorado. Entire mountains get covered in gold and little spots of red.” She sighed wistfully at the memories. “Is it your favorite season?” She asked.

Orange Season||Open Starter