[Some part in the back of Nadine's mind notes that is this were a movie, here is the moment the music would shift and swell. They would slowly come together as the curtains blew in the breeze and the light would brighten...
It isn't a movie, though, and when he pulls back she turns away, awkwardly, clearing her throat and hoping her cheeks aren't as bright as they feel. The fish. She has to pay attention to the fish. Not an easy task with all of the emotions stirred up and working themselves into a maelstrom inside of her.
Talking about Randall had brought up more than enough. Talking about him to Clint specifically stirred up even more. Now this. She's been trying to ignore and put aside her feelings for him, but good God does he make it difficult.]
It sounds like you've got the right resume for the job.
[Oh that was corny and dumb. She flinches as she flips the fish, kicking herself mentally. This was just supposed to be a casual, friendly dinner. Here she is spilling the dark secrets of her soul and thinking about how it would probably be so nice to kiss him. That is the last thing either of them needs. She's a mess that's technically still engaged to a demon. She doesn't even know if he feels anything more than friendship.]
But...thank you. Uh. I'm sorry this all got so heavy. Maybe it's a good thing you brought some stronger stuff after all.
[It's fine. Everything's fine. Nothing has to be awkward. And it's just a friendly dinner with a friend. That's all that it is, and that's all it has to be.]
It's fine. [Everything's fine!] You needed to get it off your chest. Needed to let me know. Maybe I might not be able to do much in the end, but I have some friends who are a lot stronger and weirder than me who won't be offput by fighting demon lords from the depths of hell, so. [So Walker Vegas Ranger will have a lot to fear from the oddball pseudo-Avengers.]
'Course, I say I fought gods, it's more that the gods we know are really just aliens from other worlds with magic and powers we don't. Thor's one of my friends. Like, actual Thor, god of thunder, has a hammer only he can lift, all of that. Turns out, that whole pantheon? Royal alien family who visited Norway ages ago and left an impression.
[There we go, less heavy. No less weird, but at least less directly hefty.]
I guess I did. I've never talked about it, really. But that's why I missed out on a whole lot of things, and why I keep people at arm's length usually, and why I never really drank.
[She lifts her wineglass to emphasize the point.]
Too big a risk of saying something without thinking, or making a stupid choice.
[Nadine listens as she finishes up the filet and gets it off the stove to rest. She'd been right about one assumption - Clint's world was a whole lot weirder than hers. No wonder none of this is getting a shocked reaction, this sounds like the kind of thing he's used to.
Unexpectedly, she finds herself the one surprised with entirely unexpected revelations. Clint is friends with the Norse god of Thunder.
Who is an alien.]
Wow. And here I thought I'd be shocking you. But it sounds like 'arranged marriage to a demon with a funny name' is not even close to the weirdest thing you've ever encountered.
I'm glad you could share that. I mean that, I'm glad you feel you're in a safe enough place here that you can get all that out of you without feeling like you're either go insane or alienate all your friends.
[It means, yeah, for some people, this really is a safer place to exist. It really is safer and better and preferable to whatever they had going on before. She's got a life she's building away from the apocalypse and all of that demonic predestined bullshit.
He gives the beans a quick saute, shrugs his shoulders, considers switching his drink for something harder--no, no, not yet. They should at least finish the wine over dinner.]
Still ranks up there. I've had my mind controlled with magic, but the guy doing it wasn't exactly a demon. Bunch of evil robots accidentally made by a teammate [sorry not sorry Tony, there's no lie in that] lifted a chunk of a small eastern European country into the sky, and we had to fight in that kind of atmosphere. Been to space. Traveled in time. It's been...eventful.
[At this moment, here in her familiar motel apartment. With Clint. Nadine doesn't always feel safe, she still sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night in cold terror, but for now....]
Okay, I had no idea I was friends with a literal action hero like from the old Saturday morning shows.
[She shakes her head in wonderment as she steps away to get plates out of a cabinet on the wall. Randall was one thing. Aliens and traveling through time and entire countries being abducted by robots is on a whole other level.]
I'm sorry, going to space and time travel sound so much more intense than my deal. No wonder you've got you the skills you do.
I dunno, promised to a demon lord in cowboy boots before you were ever even born is pretty intense. Only time I ever had someone in my head was magically forking me to be his general to help try taking over New York with an alien army.
[Which is perhaps not polite conversation for a nice dinner date! Colloquial date. Date in the casual, not actually a date sense. Clint brings over the drinks and their glasses to set up, dishes out the beans.]
I promise I'm not weird or magical in any way. I'm just a guy who shoots good enough to be part of a hero team. You're just a gal who caught the attention of beings way above either of our paygrades. We don't necessarily get to choose these things sometimes.
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no subject
It isn't a movie, though, and when he pulls back she turns away, awkwardly, clearing her throat and hoping her cheeks aren't as bright as they feel. The fish. She has to pay attention to the fish. Not an easy task with all of the emotions stirred up and working themselves into a maelstrom inside of her.
Talking about Randall had brought up more than enough. Talking about him to Clint specifically stirred up even more. Now this. She's been trying to ignore and put aside her feelings for him, but good God does he make it difficult.]
It sounds like you've got the right resume for the job.
[Oh that was corny and dumb. She flinches as she flips the fish, kicking herself mentally. This was just supposed to be a casual, friendly dinner. Here she is spilling the dark secrets of her soul and thinking about how it would probably be so nice to kiss him. That is the last thing either of them needs. She's a mess that's technically still engaged to a demon. She doesn't even know if he feels anything more than friendship.]
But...thank you. Uh. I'm sorry this all got so heavy. Maybe it's a good thing you brought some stronger stuff after all.
no subject
It's fine. [Everything's fine!] You needed to get it off your chest. Needed to let me know. Maybe I might not be able to do much in the end, but I have some friends who are a lot stronger and weirder than me who won't be offput by fighting demon lords from the depths of hell, so. [So Walker Vegas Ranger will have a lot to fear from the oddball pseudo-Avengers.]
'Course, I say I fought gods, it's more that the gods we know are really just aliens from other worlds with magic and powers we don't. Thor's one of my friends. Like, actual Thor, god of thunder, has a hammer only he can lift, all of that. Turns out, that whole pantheon? Royal alien family who visited Norway ages ago and left an impression.
[There we go, less heavy. No less weird, but at least less directly hefty.]
no subject
[She lifts her wineglass to emphasize the point.]
Too big a risk of saying something without thinking, or making a stupid choice.
[Nadine listens as she finishes up the filet and gets it off the stove to rest. She'd been right about one assumption - Clint's world was a whole lot weirder than hers. No wonder none of this is getting a shocked reaction, this sounds like the kind of thing he's used to.
Unexpectedly, she finds herself the one surprised with entirely unexpected revelations. Clint is friends with the Norse god of Thunder.
Who is an alien.]
Wow. And here I thought I'd be shocking you. But it sounds like 'arranged marriage to a demon with a funny name' is not even close to the weirdest thing you've ever encountered.
no subject
[It means, yeah, for some people, this really is a safer place to exist. It really is safer and better and preferable to whatever they had going on before. She's got a life she's building away from the apocalypse and all of that demonic predestined bullshit.
He gives the beans a quick saute, shrugs his shoulders, considers switching his drink for something harder--no, no, not yet. They should at least finish the wine over dinner.]
Still ranks up there. I've had my mind controlled with magic, but the guy doing it wasn't exactly a demon. Bunch of evil robots accidentally made by a teammate [sorry not sorry Tony, there's no lie in that] lifted a chunk of a small eastern European country into the sky, and we had to fight in that kind of atmosphere. Been to space. Traveled in time. It's been...eventful.
no subject
[At this moment, here in her familiar motel apartment. With Clint. Nadine doesn't always feel safe, she still sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night in cold terror, but for now....]
Okay, I had no idea I was friends with a literal action hero like from the old Saturday morning shows.
[She shakes her head in wonderment as she steps away to get plates out of a cabinet on the wall. Randall was one thing. Aliens and traveling through time and entire countries being abducted by robots is on a whole other level.]
I'm sorry, going to space and time travel sound so much more intense than my deal. No wonder you've got you the skills you do.
no subject
[Which is perhaps not polite conversation for a nice dinner date! Colloquial date. Date in the casual, not actually a date sense. Clint brings over the drinks and their glasses to set up, dishes out the beans.]
I promise I'm not weird or magical in any way. I'm just a guy who shoots good enough to be part of a hero team. You're just a gal who caught the attention of beings way above either of our paygrades. We don't necessarily get to choose these things sometimes.