13863/Things Always Change

Things Always Change
Date of Scene:	08 October 2021
Location:	Ready Room, The Triskelion
Synopsis:	Natasha and Skye are dealing with their own issues yet find a few moments to connect.
Cast of Characters:	Black Widow (Romanoff), Quake

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Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
Natasha was sitting in the dark. The ready room was empty, the many seats silhouettes in the darkness. The podium at the front was unoccupied. The screens there blank.

It wasn't something she did often but she'd needed a break from the hustle and bustle that was the Triskelion. SHIELD's base of operations was filled with so many agents, it was difficult to get a moment's respite.

After the events a few weeks prior, she had continued her duties as usual. The team that had been present that day knew some things. Few knew all. She was one of those. Fury another. Obviously Alexander himself.

She sat and went over the events, wondering if she could have done something different.

Quake has posed:
It isn't quite often she uses her powers on her friends - at least not without their permission, or to help them. All though she could say she was helping Natasha.. maybe? Regardless, she could hear Nat's beating heart from outside the door.

It was dark. And probably was meant to be just one of an 'empty' room along that corridor.

Skye knew better than that though.

Quietly she opened the door, kept the light off, and let herself in before shutting the door. For all people would see, would be, once again, just an empty room from the outside.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
There was a faint shift in the light. Just a momentary allowance of light coming in from the hallway into the dark room. It only revealed the back of the room and the rows there as Skye entered. It was enough to let Natasha know she was no longer alone.

She didn't glance that way immediately. Instead she continued to look at the empty screen. It was probably a minute before she shifted in her seat, turning her body around enough to look to see who was there. If anyone. They might have just looked into the room then stepped back out.

Her eyes were already adjusted to the dark so she was able to see Skye. "Hi, what's going on?" she asked.

Quake has posed:
Skye laughed lightly. "Come on. As soon as I opened the door, you were on me. If you didn't catch my bracers in the light, someone else would have caught your attention, immediately, and told you was Skye. Which makes me wonder, why are you sitting in a pitch black room, except for a blank screen?"

Oh yes, she was going to drag it out of her even if she had to drag her kicking and screaming.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Thinking. When I try to do that in my office, people seem to always knock or call. It's annoying. I knew we didn't have any mission meetings today so figured this might work."

Natasha doesn't answer the part about being onto Skye's arrival earlier than it was acknowledged. She did give a little shrug then gave one pointer, "If you dodn't want to be seen, you wouldn't have opened a hallway door. I know you have better skills than that."

Quake has posed:
"True, but then I would be writing up the report for Fury on how I broke into without permission. Remember that time I broke out of here?" Skye shrugs. "So far this is me."

Mind you, he probably will have assumed what she had done and still would be queried.

"Everything is alright?" It's easier to check on Nat than to think about her own life.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"It is what it is."

Which probably didn't answer Skye's questions very well but got the point across. Likely, she understood what Natasha meant. She'd been there. Might even be now.

"I remember when you broke out." She remembered one time. No idea if that was the one Skye was referring to, of course.

"You?"

Quake has posed:
Skye leaned against the wall.

"I don't really.. know." It was like anything was overtly wrong. Just a feeling she had. "Hawkeye has a problem. It's something he has to work out. I'm just thinking that he's changed."

"It is what it is. Say, did I tell you when I just started working here, and that fiasco with Hydra broke out, and everyone was shut out of their systems? That's when I broke into Fury's secret files. I was, perhaps, 3 weeks into SHIELD?"

If Nat followed the crumbs, she would know how long Skye had level 9 clearance. And would also know the back way into and out of several meeting rooms. (Amongst a few besides.)

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"Doesn't surprise me. You are the best for a reason." Natasha replies. She hadn't realized it had been that early but really, it wasn't a huge surprise. What was a huge surprise was they allowed her into their systems at all to be able to gain that access. "So just verifies that you would've gotten in another way if you didn't want to be spotted." Then a brief smile. "Or trying not to be spotted."

She glances off toward that screen which shows nothing. Just a white screen against a beige wall. So very empty. The use of the name Hawkeye instead of Clint. That was telling. An attempt at distancing. "He does that sometimes. Needs to put things straight in his head. If something changed, it changed. You deal and move on. Hard but it's what you have to do. Hopefully it isn't that dire."

She was talking about Clint and Skye but her mind was on her own situation. She shared the tiniest detail. "Alexander is away for now. After the incident." She didn't feel she needed to mention what incident. Skye was plugged in. Literally. She likely had access to all the reports.

Quake has posed:
"Fury didn't know at that point. I had to think on my feet. They had cut all outer transmissions. And they had full control. Except for Fury's extra files. They were on a backup system. From there I was able to turn on the sprinkler systems and opened the doors. It was kinda neat for a first mission."

Except she wasn't actually on that mission.

"Anyway, you've got your problems." As did Skye. "Don't force me to come by officially. Okay?" And she stood away from the wall, preparing to go.

Black Widow (Romanoff) has posed:
"You won't need to. I'll be fine. As I said, if things change, we move on."

Words of advice but also applied to herself. Natasha wasn't sure if Alexander was coming back. Or when he was coming back. She believed he would. But it had been three weeks. Perhaps he was done with this world after the loss of his best friend.

And she had let him in, opened herself to that pain. Again.

"Same to you. Keep one foot in front of the other and don't make me come yell at you in your office."

Quake has posed:
"Hell, you wouldn't pull rank?" Skye almost smirks.

And she mentions her office. *wince*

"It's time, isn't it?" No matter what happens between Clint and her, she has to move ahead, and was gently prodded by Nat. "I guess we all grow up, eventually." And with that she leaves.

Later that evening, Skye finally sat in her office. With the lights off (which should have made Nat laugh). In the right desk drawer, when she bothers checking it out, was a simple card which said:

~You're almost there. F.~