Long enough for me to go and get you something to eat.
[ And plenty more time besides, actually, but the moral of the story is that Stephen's sat podside with a carton of something relatively fresh and a sharp eye, looking over the mediunit's work swiftly and precisely as he offers out the food he's brought in.
It's something she can leave with if she feels compelled to go as quickly as possible - he won't blame her if she does. And though there are clearly questions buzzing around in the space between them, Stephen holds them in a little longer. He knows what it is both to be unable to answer and to just not want to talk about it. A little time first to test the waters. ]
You weren't away very long, either. At least not here.
[ Alright, a small slip of implied curiosity. Not long here, but clearly enough time for something to go significantly badly elsewhere. ]
I don't know how long I was there, either. We didn't exactly have a calendar.
[ she doesn't say home, but it's not an accidental lingual slip. it's intentional. this is her home — she's chosen this place, no matter what it does to her or no matter how many times it jerks her away. she wants to be here.
she takes the platter with grateful hands and a small smile, not so much warm and friendly as gracious. there's a serenity in her expression that hasn't quite ever made its way there in daisy's time in new amsterdam. what will be, will be. she just has to choose to keep going. ]
[ Something has changed. It's as plain as day, for all he's only spent a handful of moments in her healed presence. There's a different energy to her, some new grounding. Frenetic energy dissipated.
So something's changed, yes, but not the first thing that comes to mind. She's yet to catch up with him. ]
Looks like it didn't need to.
[ She made her way into something big and bad without Thanos' help. ]
[ space. the kree. finding fitz in the future, only to lose him again. her head spins with the memories she now has, all aligning with her life here, with the people and places she knows in new amsterdam and beyond.
Not as recently as I'd like, but I've been keeping tabs.
[ By "keeping tabs" he mostly means "visiting their place to stand a subtle distance away and check Illya's still alive", but it works. ]
He hasn't been home often.
[ But often enough for Stephen to have caught him there once or twice and come away with a sense of where it is he's been. Not an overly reassuring way to spend his time, but everyone has different ways of coping with loss and Illya's loss had been significant. Stephen hasn't challenged him on it. ]
[ well. there's not much to be done about it now, as far as guilt is concerned. she can't go back and change her decisions, nor can she prevent herself from disappearing in the first place. all she can do is be present now, and hope that's enough. ]
He's been fighting, hasn't he?
[ in the rings, not in the streets. he's too adamant on keeping his anger tight and controlled until he chooses to let it out to get caught in a brawl unawares. ]
[ It's not technically tattling if a) you didn't have to say anything for the conclusion to be reached and b) you're over the age of 12. ]
A lot, from what I can gather.
[ He's not hesitant with the information because he doesn't consider it to reflect badly on either one of them. People do what they need to to cope with situations beyond their control. Stephen's far from an authority on the best ways to manage difficult emotions. ]
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no subject
[ And plenty more time besides, actually, but the moral of the story is that Stephen's sat podside with a carton of something relatively fresh and a sharp eye, looking over the mediunit's work swiftly and precisely as he offers out the food he's brought in.
It's something she can leave with if she feels compelled to go as quickly as possible - he won't blame her if she does. And though there are clearly questions buzzing around in the space between them, Stephen holds them in a little longer. He knows what it is both to be unable to answer and to just not want to talk about it. A little time first to test the waters. ]
You weren't away very long, either. At least not here.
[ Alright, a small slip of implied curiosity. Not long here, but clearly enough time for something to go significantly badly elsewhere. ]
no subject
[ she doesn't say home, but it's not an accidental lingual slip. it's intentional. this is her home — she's chosen this place, no matter what it does to her or no matter how many times it jerks her away. she wants to be here.
she takes the platter with grateful hands and a small smile, not so much warm and friendly as gracious. there's a serenity in her expression that hasn't quite ever made its way there in daisy's time in new amsterdam. what will be, will be. she just has to choose to keep going. ]
Before you ask, it hasn't happened yet.
[ the snap. ]
no subject
So something's changed, yes, but not the first thing that comes to mind. She's yet to catch up with him. ]
Looks like it didn't need to.
[ She made her way into something big and bad without Thanos' help. ]
no subject
[ space. the kree. finding fitz in the future, only to lose him again. her head spins with the memories she now has, all aligning with her life here, with the people and places she knows in new amsterdam and beyond.
the necessary question needs asking, though. ]
Have you heard from him?
no subject
[ By "keeping tabs" he mostly means "visiting their place to stand a subtle distance away and check Illya's still alive", but it works. ]
He hasn't been home often.
[ But often enough for Stephen to have caught him there once or twice and come away with a sense of where it is he's been. Not an overly reassuring way to spend his time, but everyone has different ways of coping with loss and Illya's loss had been significant. Stephen hasn't challenged him on it. ]
no subject
He's been fighting, hasn't he?
[ in the rings, not in the streets. he's too adamant on keeping his anger tight and controlled until he chooses to let it out to get caught in a brawl unawares. ]
no subject
[ It's not technically tattling if a) you didn't have to say anything for the conclusion to be reached and b) you're over the age of 12. ]
A lot, from what I can gather.
[ He's not hesitant with the information because he doesn't consider it to reflect badly on either one of them. People do what they need to to cope with situations beyond their control. Stephen's far from an authority on the best ways to manage difficult emotions. ]
no subject
[ no flare of agitation, only a steady resolve. she'll make this right. she has to. it's just one more crisis to solve. ]
No one else showed up while I was gone?
[ she doesn't say it, but she wonders if strange will know who she means. which person from home she's most concerned about. ]