“I’ve always liked this sandwich since I was a child, it’s amazing they still make it. And it tastes just the same” - Richard smiled, caressing Helena’s hair before starting eating.
Shrugging slightly Richard rubbed his arm, looking down at it.
“Well, I think that’s better for us to look for a shadow now… Or we’re going to cook under this sun. Come on, let’s go sit under that tree” - he said, getting up and offering Helena a hand to help her get up as well - “The only thing for certain I miss it was playing around with my brothers. But I don’t think you would like playing with me” - Richard joked - “Well, unless…” - he smirked - “Unless we play another kind of game” - he blinked amusedly.
“The power of nostalgia, I suppose they should call it.” Helena smiled fondly with a small chuckle, letting out a small breath. For a moment she simply took in everything. Everything that she could observe, see and feel. It’d been a while since she could stay in the now.
She hummed lightly as Richard caressed her hair, taking a careful bite out of the sandwich. It really was that good.
The brunette’s gaze flickered between the sand and the shade, sun glaring, and she knew he was right. “Alright, a little shade would be nice.” Helena smiled, taking his hand as she lifted herself onto her feet once more and slung her bag over her shoulder. She adjusted herself to the feeling of the sinking and almost uneasy sand beneath her feet, chuckling as Richard joked about once more.
It was lovely to know he was as comfortable in her presence as she was in his.
“I always wanted siblings as a kid. Felt far too lonely, especially compared to the other kids I knew when I was that age.” Helena shared, intertwining her fingers with his as they walked towards the tree. “And I didn’t know you were a man of games, Richard.” She winked with a cheeky grin.
Richard reached out a hand, taking Helena’s in his as they walked and they noticed she was struggling a little bit to balance due to the sand, flashing her a smile.
“I’m sorry listening to that” - he said as they reached the shadow under the tree - “No children should feel lonely” - he said, pulling her closer and kissing Helena’s forehead, before chuckling as he sat down - “Yes, I fear there’s a lot of things about me to which you don’t know yet” - Richard said with a cheeky smile.
Helena felt a hearty smile creep onto her face as she felt Richard’s hand slipping into her, her warm palm meeting his as their fingers intertwined. She looked down to her feet, watching out to not step on any larger stones or seashells, both to not get hurt but also out of a sort of respect towards nature.
“I think most children with no siblings can have that tendency, but there’s always other people, of course.” She hummed, feeling the direct heat of the sun evading from touching her skin as she shade beneath the tree brought a sense of coolness to her. It was such a contrast to standing just beneath the sun, only a line of a shadow apart. It was soothing. Helena’s cheeks flushed as Richard placed a kiss on her forehead, and she gladly leaned into his touch before the two sat down. She placed her beach bag beside her, her hand never leaving his. “Oh really? I guess that means I’ll have to make more time to learn about those things, which I don’t seem to mind.” A chuckle escaped her lips, her hand moving to his upper arm, where she traced small lines across his soft skin.
Elle was late. And she was never late. She was up training with Steve and Nat. Plus she was working on a paper that she needed to had in to her essay teacher. So she quickly got up, putting on some skinny jeans and a baggy hoodie, grabbing her backpack before running out of her apartment which was just down the road from the avengers tower. She usually spent nights there but she did have an apartment as well. So her cover wasn’t blown. Running down the road as she made it towards the school gates. She was meant to meet Peter but she guessed that he had already gone to his lesson, so that’s what she decided to go. Walking into class she apologised for being late, sitting down in her seat before she took out her books starting to take notes from what the teacher was telling them about, shooting Peter a small frown since she felt bad for over sleeping and leaving him to wait for her out in the cold. Shaking her head as she looked back at her notes, sort of doodling as she listened to the lecture that they were sitting through. Looking back at Peter for a second, “I’m sorry.” She mouthed towards him.
Bucky on the other hand had a good night sleep. Taking it easy on himself in the morning. Grabbing a quick breakfast before he made his way down to the training room. He did this often, train, since he was good at it, and he liked to keep himself in shape and ready for anything. Making himself do some weights, going on the treadmill and rowing machine before he decided to lift more weights then moving onto the punching bag. He did this more or less all morning as he knew that he couldn’t do it in the afternoon due to having a meeting with Sheila and the other avengers. He had no idea what it was about though. Tony told him just to show up and made sure he listened. He knew the kid was at school so he knew that someone would have to tell her what was going on. That person wouldn’t be him though. It would mainly be Nat or Wanda. But he knew that Helena was coming to the meeting so Bucky needed to look fit, and his best. Since she always said that she did a better job Than him, but Bucky knew that definitely wasn’t the case. Walking into the main meeting room seeing most of them already there. Shaking his head a little as he sat down in one of the swirly chairs.
It was hard for Peter not to tell her how great she truly looked, but he didn’t want to go on a tangent or a rant. He knew he’d end up on some long speech about how Elle always, no matter what, was beautiful, and he’d always want to pinpoint it and that it wasn’t just because of that lovely dress and the mission and- Yeah, so on an on. He could feel himself almost tense up a bit as she stepped into the room and the two started talking, though only in a good way. And also because those looks and warnings Tony was giving him were a bit intimidating too. But also just because he wanted to talk a bit more with her, maybe even straighten things out, or at least on his end, ‘cause he felt a bit like he’d left some things unsaid that past evening in his room. That evening where they discovered each others secrets. It wasn’t that there was any tension between them, no, quite the opposite, he could tell she felt relieved and happier too, now that everything was out in the open. But he was certainly looking forward to more one-on-one time with her. Peter tried not to think too much about the daggers Stark was sending with his eyes, though he knew it was only due to being protective that he kept a bit of a close watch on him. “Yeah, yeah- Trying not to say or look stupid,” He laughed softly, trying to nonchalantly and discreetly nod to Tony. He felt his cheeks warm up as she placed a soft peck there, hand reaching for her fingertips and hand. Glancing over his shoulder he saw people filing out, and he knew it was time. He had no idea how he was going to focus on anything at all on the mission, though he, luckily, understood his position and his duty well. But he knew it would be tough not just swooping down there as soon as one of those old, creepy targets got too close to Elle. Despite his worries, he took her reassurance to heart and accepted her advice with a warm smile. “I’ll do my best- And hey, good luck and I know you’ll do good out there.” Peter told her genuinely, getting to place a quick and gentle kiss on her temple before they had to go to their separate cars, since they were on different fields of the team for that mission. And as they drove, he couldn’t help but wish it was her sitting in the seat beside him.
Helena couldn’t help but notice how Bucky’s gaze seemed to linger on her, and to be frank, she didn’t mind it one bit. She felt comfortable with his gaze, she would have most likely felt uncomfortable if it had been anyone else, but with him she liked it. It wasn’t exactly often she wore attire similar to the short and silky, navy dress, no, not at all. Sure, if she did ever go out or maybe to one of Tony’s famous and infamous parties, there she would get a little bit dressed up, but never that much. Not to the point where she almost felt like a disco ball reflecting with hues of purple in the light. She didn’t quite know how to act around him, to be honest, not when with the team. Before the little thing that happened down in the gym, she wouldn’t have given another thought to it, but now it was different. She didn’t know what the others would think of their new relation of sorts, hell, she didn’t know how to express it either sometimes. But she figured just being herself and acting like herself would do the trick and work just fine. And she certainly couldn’t wait to come home from the mission and feel more like herself when out of those heels and with Bucky by her side. Deciding to bring some extra ammo with her, just in case, and put it in her bag or purse of sorts, listening to Bucky as the two talked. She could tell he was more than worried, concerned, and though she understood his concern, she also wanted to reassure him. “It’ll be fine, they’ll be getting their asses kicked later for it anyways.” Helena smiled with a light chuckle, hand momentarily resting and cupping his cheek, trying to lift his spirits. She beckoned for him to follow out of the room and down the stairs, everyone else walking a bit in front of them as everyone made their way down to the vehicles. “Think about the good we’re doing- That’s what I try to focus on, even though it’s hard sometimes with the… uncomfortable situations. And think about how great it will be to come back home after the mission.”
Helena bit the insides of her cheeks as she focused intently on the old-fashioned goblet or cup of sorts, letting it levitate. It was a bit shaky, and she accidentally let it fly too much to the right, which lead her to lifting it up way higher in the air than she’d meant to. Her eyes followed the cup as it swiftly became a small spot above her and Strange, quickly managing to get it down once more and at a more suitable level, still just above the pedestal.
The bronze light almost flickered at times, and for a moment she was scared that she would lose control of the goblet. Sometimes it seemed as if her abilities had a mind of its own, but she knew she’d gain control - or certainly better control - of it all soon, although the road was long and wide.
“Thank you,” She hummed, then trying to follow his instructions as she closed her eyes momentarily. With a deep breath, she slowly let the cup levitate closer to a log, still shaky, sometimes faltering to one side or the other, sometimes sinking. With tensed hands and fingers, she lead the item to a nearby willow tree, wanting to gently place it right beside the trees roots, but it was more like a falland a clinking sound.
Strange nodded in satisfaction. “Well done, Helena. You’re already beginning to understand the need to focus your mind on your goal. This is a fundamental component of any ability: complete emotional and physical focus. It’ll seem difficult to start, because our minds are full of distractions and doubts, but soon it’ll be second-nature to you. You’ll just have to look at something, summon your desire to move it, and…”
A small portal appeared under where the cup landed. The cup dropped through the portal and landed in Strange’s hand. He watched as the cup filled itself with cool water, and he took a drink from it. “It’ll move. Ahh, refreshing,” he said with a smile. He then transmuted the cup into a filled tall portable water bottle and handed it to Helena. “Also, make sure you stay hydrated. Has nothing to do with your abilities; it’s just good for you.”
A cup reappeared in its space on the pedestal as Strange said, “You said you are also able to teleport, but it’s been difficult to control. I want you to try that next.” Strange walked to his left, out of Helena’s sightline, only to appear from the right of Helena, several feet in front of her.
“I want you to focus your mind on the space next to me…and appear here, at this spot. Breathe deeply, Helena…and focus. See the destination with your eyes, and then close them and see it with your mind. Connect yourself to it…and travel the path.”
Once Helena let go of the goblet or cup of sorts, - or when her abilities let go of it - she could feel a small ache in her shoulders and arms, even just after a small act and movement like that one. It took a lot from her mentally, took all her focus, just to make sure she didn’t fling the object somewhere accidentally or even make the object teleport. And though the work took a lot from her mind, it could easily drain her physically at times too.
“Thank you, Doctor. It’s… odd finally having time and finding the right place to work all this out.” She let out genuinely, watching as Strange let the cup slip into a portal he conjured just beneath it.
Even just from the few things she’d seen him do with his abilities, she could tell he was very great at handling those abilities and they seemed quite powerful too. She admired his skills, to say the least, and she hoped one day she could have such a strong control over her powers too. Helena’s eyes flickered to the pedestal the cup had abandoned, eyebrows raised as she heard it clink onto the stool and regain its balance there as she listened to Strange speak of teleportation.
With furrowed eyebrows she turned as he disappeared only to reappear once more a few feet in front of her. “Okay… Okay… I think, I can do that,” She said with a nod, mostly trying to assure herself of it and convince herself. She noticed before how that seemed to help her often enough if she did ever try to teleport somewhere on purpose, though it went wrong in one way or the other most times, but simply believing in herself in her abilities helped her a bit.
With closed eyes, she took a deep breath, imagining the spot next to him, visualising exactly where she wanted to be and which way she wanted to be facing. A bronze glow emitted from her entire figure this time, the glow especially strong at her head and just above it, though it did flicker a bit. As she focused, she felt herself teleport, opening her eyes only to find herself in the bed of grass that had been past that tree where the cup had landed. And she’d managed to fall from the teleportation as well, landing on her knees as she steadied herself, though the grass was luckily soft enough to land on.
Brushing the slight dirt off of her hands, Helena looked to Strange with a small smile. “Well, could have been worse.”
Elle was late. And she was never late. She was up training with Steve and Nat. Plus she was working on a paper that she needed to had in to her essay teacher. So she quickly got up, putting on some skinny jeans and a baggy hoodie, grabbing her backpack before running out of her apartment which was just down the road from the avengers tower. She usually spent nights there but she did have an apartment as well. So her cover wasn’t blown. Running down the road as she made it towards the school gates. She was meant to meet Peter but she guessed that he had already gone to his lesson, so that’s what she decided to go. Walking into class she apologised for being late, sitting down in her seat before she took out her books starting to take notes from what the teacher was telling them about, shooting Peter a small frown since she felt bad for over sleeping and leaving him to wait for her out in the cold. Shaking her head as she looked back at her notes, sort of doodling as she listened to the lecture that they were sitting through. Looking back at Peter for a second, “I’m sorry.” She mouthed towards him.
Bucky on the other hand had a good night sleep. Taking it easy on himself in the morning. Grabbing a quick breakfast before he made his way down to the training room. He did this often, train, since he was good at it, and he liked to keep himself in shape and ready for anything. Making himself do some weights, going on the treadmill and rowing machine before he decided to lift more weights then moving onto the punching bag. He did this more or less all morning as he knew that he couldn’t do it in the afternoon due to having a meeting with Sheila and the other avengers. He had no idea what it was about though. Tony told him just to show up and made sure he listened. He knew the kid was at school so he knew that someone would have to tell her what was going on. That person wouldn’t be him though. It would mainly be Nat or Wanda. But he knew that Helena was coming to the meeting so Bucky needed to look fit, and his best. Since she always said that she did a better job Than him, but Bucky knew that definitely wasn’t the case. Walking into the main meeting room seeing most of them already there. Shaking his head a little as he sat down in one of the swirly chairs.
Peter didn’t mean to seem disrespectful or rude in anyway, but he couldn’t help his gaze as it constantly seemed to flicker to Elle and stay there. She looked amazing, no way denying it, and he certainly wasn’t trying to. It was so odd to see her in something else than her typical jeans, t-shirt and sweater or hoodie, but not odd in a bad way. It was simply atypical, but in a good way too. As long as she felt comfortable, of course. He kept thinking and racing through his thoughts, and he had to shake himself out of his head before he made a fool of himself once he made his way towards her. He was nervous for multiple reasons; Just meeting his team, having to go on his first mission, having to go on his first mission with Elle, lot of things were just going on at the same time. Luckily, the Avengers did the best they could to help and guide him, and they assured him they’d keep an eye on him and help if he needed it. It was just all so… strange. He’d been so used fighting more ‘petty’ crimes of sorts, nothing big, just small stuff that the police, Avengers or anyone else didn’t bother doing anything about, and that had been his responsibility for a while. His only really big responsibility. But now it had seemed to grow even larger now that he was part of their team- It had been so unexpected for him that Tony even wanted him to be a part of it, but he was really happy about it, despite being a bit anxious too. Speaking of Tony, Peter could see him keeping an eye on the two as they talked, and he swore that in his eyes he could see a look that said 'hurt-her-and-I-will-kill-you-kid’. He looked back to Elle with a fond smile, the tips of his ears turning a slight pink as she complimented him in his suit. It was certainly a very large upgrade from his old suit - now that he thought about it, he could barely call that old thing a suit -, and he had to admit, he felt comfortable in it, as if it was just… made for him. Which it technically was. “I’m doing okay too, really nervous, but I’ll be fine. I hope. And thanks.” Peter said genuinely with a light laugh, watching as the team started to file out of the room and head down to the vehicles.
Helena fiddled a bit with the earpiece, making sure it sat well and that her loose, dark brown hair would cover it neatly. It was basically invisible no matter what, but she could as well just be sure and double-check it. Once she’d stepped into the conference or meeting room of sorts, she couldn’t help but suck herself back into the work, even though she’d run the details and every little aspect of the mission through her head too many times to count. She couldn’t help it, it was just the way she was. She was a workaholic, she couldn’t imagine having a life without her work, as dramatic as it sounded. A better way to put it was that it was just a huge part of her, and though she knew she had to get better at taking breaks and relaxing, it was just the way she was. And she would only blame herself immensely if something went wrong, something she could have prevented. But she kept her spirits high and confident, that was they key to success at times, along with the planning as well, of course. Biting the insides of her cheeks, her slender fingers swiped and zoomed in along the screen, taking in the live footage of the targets that were settled in the club, and, luckily, every target was there as planned. Natasha pointed out where the targets cars were located on the lot, just in case one or more of them for one reason or the other decided to try and dash. Helena could just tell they were vile, disgusting people by the looks on their faces, and she had to conceal the slight shiver that descended down her spine before she clicked out of the footage and onto the map. That was until she saw Bucky approach her, and she couldn’t help the warm smile that grew on her face. And she most certainly caught Elle’s smirk. “Thank you, you’re sweet- You don’t look too bad either,” She chuckled lightly with a playful yet light-hearted tone, slipping on her brown coat as she spoke. Though the men on the mission and who were to be present in the club weren’t exactly dressed up in the same way the girls were, she had to admit, he looked dashing in anything. Tilting her head slightly at his words, she nodded and with a hum she replied. “I promise, I’ll be careful. Nothing bad will happen, okay? And hey, you need to take care too, Buck.”
