riverviewlogs | missing pieces

Entry tags:

missing pieces

who: Bucky Barnes (MCU), Ivar Ragnarsson, Dick Grayson, Stephen Strange, Ellie, Tony Stark, Suigetsu Houzuki, Clark Kent, Fatima Merali, Eichi Tenshouin, Shai Ebbisaryn, Steve Rogers (MCU), Líadan Ní Donnabháin, Bucky Barnes (616), and Jonathan Kent
what: Various prompts
when: April 1st/2nd
where: Abandoned city
warnings: Probable violence
note: Though this log has closed prompts, if you would like to do anything with Bucky please just send me a PM or hit me up at

bibbety and I will be more than happy to add in a prompt for you!

[i: Sparring partners; CLOSED to Ivar Ragnarsson]

[Bucky spends a lot of his time out in the abandoned city, even sleeping there some nights when the feel of people all around him becomes a bit too much to handle. He's doing better than he was when he arrived here, he's even spoken to Steve fairly courteously once, but he's got a long way to go and he still prefers to do it alone.

Which is why he's out in the city training himself, running between buildings, jumping and vaulting various debris fields, and occasionally testing his acrobatic skills with flips and kicks off one surface to catch hold of another. What he's not expecting, after jumping one particularly large gap between rooftops, is to land by a man on the ground.

At first he thinks it's someone hurt, until he recognises the man that fought him when he was recently arrived and remembers how he couldn't use his legs. It's pretty impressive that he got up this far, let alone out here to the abandoned city in the first place.]

You okay?

[He was just going to go, but maybe Ivar really is hurt and can't get down.]

[ii: Meals on wheels; CLOSED to Dick Grayson]

[There have been a couple of times while Bucky has been skulking around the city that he's seen the man he doused in yoghurt, still patrolling in that costume. He knows his name now, made sure to look it up based on the usernames and the apartment - Dick Grayson. Not that he plans on using it, he just likes to have all the information, it can be the difference between life and death.

But what he doesn't realise is that he's the one that's been spotted tonight by Dick, as he slips out into the abandoned city and turns into one of the nearby ruins. A sleeping bag and rucksack are already stashed there, along with a surprising array of weapons. He slides into his sleeping bag, sat up against the wall, completely unaware that he's not alone... for now.]

[iii: Magic and Mayhem; CLOSED to Stephen Strange]

[Bucky has very few things that he would count as personal possessions. His weapons, clothes, and sleeping bag were all just tools that could pass in and out of his ownership without him caring that much. Though he would never like to be unarmed, he could always find more weapons if he lost these.

But he had a book that was precious to him. Just a tattered little notebook which was a quarter full of news clippings of all the various Avengers, some information both bought and stolen from the Smithsonian gift shop, and several choppy paragraphs in his own handwriting. Notes on information he's found out, memories that have resurfaced, that sort of thing.

He's sitting on the rooftop of one of the buildings in the main city, riffling through the book, when a sudden gust of wind catches it and sends it out of his hands and over the side to land at either at the feet of, or directly on the head of, the poor unsuspecting person walking by.

Sorry, Stephen.]

[iv: Dance lessons; CLOSED to Ellie]

[The flower festival isn't exactly Bucky's natural habitat, but he keeps finding himself drawn to the dance lessons and performances in the various open park areas. He doesn't really remember dancing himself, it's definitely not something the Soldier has ever done even though he has the dexterity for it, but it feels familiar.

So even though spending so much time in the crowds goes against a lot of his instincts, Bucky keeps finding himself back in the throng.

It's where he is that morning, sat with his back against a tree to make it slightly harder to sneak up on him from behind, intently watching a couple perform an exhibition piece in the style of swing dancing. These are the ones he likes the best, the ones that feel the most oddly familiar, and he has an almost peaceful expression as he watches.]

[v: Running into you; CLOSED to Tony Stark]

[Bucky spends a lot of his time either hiding, skulking in the shadows, or moving at a carefully steady pace through crowds so as not to attract attention. But sometimes he just needs to blow off steam, sometimes he just needs to burn through the excess energy that the bastardised serum gives him.

Which is why he's running.

He's at least chosen a time when he doesn't think anyone else will be near the outskirts of the city, and he's running down side streets and back alleys rather than the main streets, but he is pushing himself all out. Running faster than a normal human could, vaulting trash cans and practically skidding around corners.

It's probably lucky he hasn't crashed into anyone before now...]

[vi: Festival Fun; CLOSED to Suigetsu Houzuki]

[This festival, much like the last festival, is a good place to gather free food. The stall vendors are often so busy that they don't notice a little something here or there going missing, and lots of people end up buying food that they can't finish and just abandon. Which is why one suspicious hobo type is now casually wandering the picnic area, stooping as if to tie his shoe every so often when he's really stealing leftovers.

Don't mind him...]

[vii: A serious talk; CLOSED to Clark Kent]

[See the comments for starter.]

[viii: Kites and trees; SEMI-OPEN to anyone plotted with on the CR meme]

[Bucky has spent most of the flower festival skirting the main events, on the fringes of the crowds, or watching from a distance. But some things keep drawing him in deeper, like leftovers at the picnic area, or dance contests, or the smell of food.

To anyone wandering, he can be found in the following places:

i) staring into the window of a bakery as if the pies on display have the answer to life.
ii) up a tree in the park, watching a dance demonstration like a skulking creeper
iii) flying a kite that he got pressured into buying, sitting on the grass in a relatively secluded area. If this kite accidentally drops and wraps around your character, more's the pity.]

[ix: Football; CLOSED to Jonathan Kent]

[Bucky doesn't look like someone who's in the park to play a nice game of football... for one, he doesn't actually have a football. He's also skulking under the trees, wearing a long hoodie and gloves despite the warm weather, and is looking around at everyone entering the park as if they might be a threat to him.

But he said he wanted to do this, so he's here.

Even after he got the message from Clark that said he had somewhere else to be that morning, he was sorry, but hopefully Bucky could still have fun with Jonathan. Which was why Bucky was skulking out of place, waiting for a kid and hoping that said kid brought a football with him. Or they might be kind of scuppered.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He doesn't react at all to her sudden anger, it's not like he's not used to that sort of reaction even in himself, he knows it covers fear and hurt and a multitude of other things.

He considers his words carefully. He's still not good at social interactions, even worse at advice, but he has to say something.]

This place has a whole lot of worlds to plunder, maybe you can still be the key to finding a cure even if it doesn't come from you.

[She hadn't really thought of that. But she does consider it now, drawing both her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She's still holding the cotton candy, a fluffy blue cloud that obscures her view on her right side. She finds she trusts this guy enough to warn her if anything comes from that direction anyway.]

Maybe.

[She's not sure she's ready to talk about it that openly. She can be selfish for a while, can't she? She spent so long trying to justify her survival as a means to an end, she doesn't even remember what it's like to feel like a real person, with real thoughts and fears and wants of their own. She's trying to... give that back to herself now. So she can't save the world. It doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to live in it.

Things would have been so much fucking simpler if she'd died with Riley. Sometimes she wishes she would have. Instead, she watched her turn while she stayed the same, and reached for that fucking gun.

She drops her head against her knees.]

We don't even know if we can take things back. If any of this even matters.

[He doesn't push her on it.

It's not his world, and it's her choice ultimately whether she wants to research into that or just forge a new life for herself. He won't judge, she's the only one that will have to live with the consequences of her decisions, just like all of them.]

Then maybe just start with the guitar.

[She doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to here. And maybe she's right, maybe it doesn't matter in the end.]

[She can't help it, she laughs. It's a weird, fluttery, watery-sounding thing but it's genuine enough. She straightens up enough to rub her sleeve across her face.]

Sorry. You aren't gonna tell anybody about this, right?

[Knowing that he made someone laugh is nice, it makes the corner of his lips twitch upwards into an almost smile that looks strange on his face.]

Who would I tell?

[In case she hasn't noticed, he's sort of a loner hobo.]

[It's a good look on him, and she resolves to try to get him to make it more often. Poor guy. He didn't even bat an eye at her sad, fucked up history. His has to be worse.

'Who would I tell' indeed. Ellie chews on her lip.]

Hey, this may be a weird question, but do you do hugs?

[Apparently she's good at getting him to emote, because she gets another surprised expression, as if she's asked him something utterly foreign.]

I don't remember.

[Isn't that stupid? He knows he must have had hugs once, he's even seen photographs of him arm-in-arm with Steve at the Smithsonian exhibit. But he doesn't remember it, he doesn't really remember being touched in a way that didn't lead to pain or a fight.]

[Hugging people sitting down is sort of awkward, and she doesn't want to make him stand with a busted up ankle, so she just drops her legs against the ground, angles her torso and holds out her arms.]

You wanna c'mere and give it a try?

[She could use one too, honestly, as much as she thinks this dude probably needs one way more. Joel isn't really a touchy sort of guy, but she is. He only held her the once that she remembers, and her memories of that time are... not the best, or clearest thing in the world.]

[He almost says no, but then he catches sight of the poorly concealed longing in her own eyes and he's shifting before he even really thinks about it.

Despite his muscles, he's incredibly careful when he winds his arm around her - just the right one, the left is too much of a weapon. Bucky is silent as he does it, barely breathing as if afraid any wrong movement will turn this into something horrific. He lets her determine the length, pulling away as soon as she does.]

[She doesn't exactly cling. She can pretty much reasonably extrapolate that he isn't big on physical contact, so she keeps it brief for the sake of his comfort. He doesn't smell like Joel, but not like David either. Just. Clean, anonymous, sort of like gunpowder and ionized metal. It's comforting, and her fingers spasm a bit in the cloth of his shirt. She doesn't mind the metal arm, as evidenced by the fact that she definitely flung both of hers around him without giving a single fuck.

It doesn't last. She lets go a moment later, pats him on the shoulder as she sort of folds herself back into her own space.]

See? You're pretty good at that. We'll have you dancing in no time.

[He's very careful to always keep the arm hidden under a long sleeve and glove, but he knows she saw it briefly at the apartment. It's weird to him that she hasn't asked about it, but then again, she knows the value of secrets and maybe she just thought it was armour of some kind. He almost wraps that one around her too, but just leaves it as it is until she pulls away.

It's strange, but nice, and that tiny almost-smile is back again.]

Yeah, maybe.

[He leans back against the tree, relaxing slightly.]

You been making friends here?

Edited 2017-04-08 19:46 (UTC)

[Do sad, middle aged men count?? Because like... she hasn't really befriended anyone her age. Oops. She stuffs the cotton candy in her face and takes a bite out of it with some vehemence.

She's taking it as a sort of literal request to, you know, show her work and prove that she's actually been making friends instead of just being a crazy forest hobo, which she does at least half her time, so.]

Uhhhh. Well, Clark for one. Kent? Reporter guy?

[Clark told her that he knew, but she's leaving space for 'Mark' to deny any acquaintance.]

And Taako, I don't know if you've met him yet but he's a good dude. He gave me a unicorn to ride around on. Like, talk about the best thing ever? Unicorns are pretty up there.

[He doesn't know that Clark has told yet another person about him, but his expression darkens slightly when Clark's name is mentioned. Taako also gets a faint flash of recognition, though his response is completely neutral to confirm or deny nothing.]

Seems like there are a lot of weird animals here.

[And most of them horse shaped, apparently.]

You should be careful about trusting them.

[Somehow, she thinks he means more than just the four-legged kind.

She shrugs her backpack off her shoulder (it's battered, and there's probably bloodstains on it) and rummages around in it for a water bottle. There's a clink of metal inside, a rustle of old, weathered pages, and then she pulls out a cheap plastic bottle meant for throw-away use she's obviously recycled a bunch of times and takes a drink. Give her a sec, it's tangled up in a pair of retro headphones that she extricates carefully. She holds the water out for him - germs aren't really high on her list of scary things.]

It wasn't a real unicorn. Just something he summoned with magic. Gone in an hour.

[Also, pal, your face is twitchy as fuck. Ellie's pretty good at reading expressions, and the shift to his that Clark's name caused... well, can't miss that. She gives him a bit of a long look, but you can't know if you don't ask. It's not like he volunteers information on his own.]

Did something happen with you and Clark?

[He can't deny that he's a little surprised. She seems so skittish over almost everything, it seems weird to him that she would just accept magic and ride around on a unicorn with no problem; but then, maybe Taako had done something to cement her trust in him.

It's not his business who she chooses to befriend, anyway.

His shoulders tense further at the question, but his voice is just as deceptively mild as ever.]

No.

[That's such a lie.]

I've only met him a couple of times.

[Taako turned into an elephant on her request the first time she met him, their relationship has been an ongoing segue into the wonderful world of magic. Ellie is wary, and altogether untrusting of strangers but Taako has done a good job of being more endearing than most.

Ellie is hard, but she's not... remote. She's always been reachable.

Also, okay, fine. She'll drop it.]

Well, I think he's a pretty neat dude. We had a movie night. You ever seen 'E.T'?

[She drops down beside him on the log. Companionably, but not 'in your face' close.]

[He shakes his head immediately. He's pretty sure he's never seen most films that people might talk about these days.]

Never even heard of it.

[He can't guess what genre of film it is from the title. What does E.T. even mean?]

Man, we have gotta fix that.

[She says that with the conviction of someone who is 100 percent certain against all odds that he will, in fact, sit down and watch a movie with her.

Which is fine and all, until the reality of the situation catches up with her enthusiasm, and then she sort of... wilts under the weight of her accompanying frown.]

If you want. I mean... might be nice to just have a night off, you know?

[As much as the enthusiasm is sweet, and he might not mind spending a couple of hours in her company, he shakes his head almost at once.]

I can't.

[A movie means having to watch it on an actual television, which means the communal housing at the moment. That's too risky.]

But you could tell me about it.

[I can't. She has to unpack that a bit, because it doesn't seem like it's a matter of not wanting to. Can't why? Goes cross-eyed trying to watch the screen? Needs glasses? Doubtful, given how he's reacted to the minutia of everything she's done.

Is it the people?

-- That's a dumb question, of fucking course it's the people. The only televisions she's seen are in the common rooms. Ellie chews on her lip, and digs her tablet out of her bag.

It's still a pretty big assumption to make, but she's sure she's right. Sure enough to take a chance.]

What if it was on something like this? Better? We could just... hang out here where nobody knows where we are. Because I'm just about like... the worst at describing plots. Trust me, I'd just confuse the fuck out of myself and then talk in a circle for an hour.

[It's a very good assumption to make.

He glances down at the tablet, still a little surprised that those could be used for things other than gathering information on a target. He's never tried to watch a movie on one before, but it makes sense now that she's said it.]

--I suppose if you're that bad at describing plots.

[He could try it.

Maybe not here and maybe not now, but sometime where they could sit and be hidden.]

[Baby steps. She won't push. Instead, she just beams at him like he's just hung the moon.]

Trust me. Completely terrible. I tried to tell a friend about this book I read once? She ended up thinking Lord of the Rings was about apes on like... Saturn. Don't ask me how.

I've never heard of Lord of the Rings, so how do I know it wasn't about apes on Saturn.

[He's read The Hobbit, but the other books came out after the war, and therefore after he had ever stood a chance of reading them.]

Saturn has rings. Sounds plausible.

[Is he teasing? Maybe.]

[She stares at him for about three seconds, completely agape.

And then just bursts out laughing.]

Stop the fucking presses, Mark, was that a joke? Holy shit, dude, you're going to give me a heart attack!

[He doesn't quite laugh, but the corners of his mouth do turn up into a smile that simultaneously makes him look younger and like he has only just remembered how to smile.]

So what is Lord of the Rings about?

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