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[captcha busting space. also available for starting threads.]
[tfln]

[It was a very ugly matter, and one very difficult to shake. Yelena had done this enough times to have lost count (she has not lost count, but the number is high enough to make it believable) and it is still one of the few things that she requires recovery time after. There is something familiarly, or at least recognizably, deliberate about the way Sam is carrying himself, and checking on him after this gets added to her mental to-do list.

But right now, nothing surpasses getting Tatiana taken care of and as settled as could possibly be achieved this evening. She had found, in her reconnaissance, a diner nearby that did not seem to ever be too crowded and did not have too overwhelming a menu. That is where Yelena leads them, and then more specifically to a booth in a back corner. Sorry, Sam, you're going to have to be the one with your back to the rest of the room. She doesn't feel too badly about it, since your son is also keeping an eye out. In a move of subterfuge that will inherently fail here, everyone present will know her next statement is more for Tatiana's benefit, but is nonetheless necessary to pretend it is directed equally at her and Sam.]

Now, this is on me, so you can both get whatever you would like. [Even with that permission, it may take Tatiana a while to choose, but Yelena trusts Sam to have no trouble being patient here.]

[ He hates sitting with his back to the room, but out of the three of them, Sam's glad to take that up. Some things are just the same for everyone with combat experience, so someone's gotta bite the bullet. Sam's presence has other benefits - he charms the waitress, for one. Doesn't actually flirt with her, just effortlessly spins her up a bit. He's so sorry, he's gonna need a minute, could he just flag her down once he's figured his choices out, lovely, thank you so much, Susan, and without much trouble at all she feels like she got an entire shift's worth of small talk out of his table even though she failed to so much as pay much attention to Yelena and Tatiana, nor did she actually ask them any questions like 'first time here' or 'you folks from 'round here?'. More than anything, she's going to give them space until Sam flags her down. Indecisive as he's painted himself.

They pour over the menu quietly for a moment, then Sam's eyes flick up at the two women. From Tatiana, to Yelena, then back. He keeps the menu open in front of him, glances back down at it. It's not too expansive, but... ]

Feels like a lot, don't it? When I got back from deployment, first time I went out to eat, I could not for the life of me lock in a final choice off the cuff. 20 items on the menu felt like too much, y'know? Ended up having to break it down smaller. Like... drink or food. Hot or cold. Sweet or salty.

[ Just an anecdote, shared and offered, out on the table casually. He looks back up at both of them, eyes lingering on Yelena over Tatiana though. His lips quirk up. ]

Susan definitely thinks I'm some kinda actor or famous athlete.

[ Shifting the focus off the way Tatiana's glued to the menu. He can tell from the corner of his eyes that something is clicking for her. The frantic movement of her eyes over the menu has more purpose now, less pressure. ]

[Yelena's opinion of Sam Wilson continues to grow by leaps and bounds. It is not surprising, that he would pick up on that difficulty. It was very quickly apparent he was as capable at reading people as any Widow, a feat that set him apart from the vast majority of the people Yelena had met since the fall of the Red Room. Of course he was not a civilian, and any level of shared life experience helped with that, but clearly it was a skill he had invested time in to be much more capable in that area than just shared experience would grant.

This is a soft spot for Yelena. One of the more major things she has learned about herself in the past few years is that her favorite type of person is one that deliberately and with intent works to master a skill and does not quit until they have accomplished that goal. To then use those skills for kindness... It's a very pleasant feeling, how much Yelena does not regret allowing him to come on this mission. She picks up the thread where he left it, offers her own admission. The benefit of making this first choice easier is one thing, the opening this gives her for making sure Tatiana knows that there are people beyond other Widows out in the world that can understand them is even more appreciated.] The first time that I ordered food after the antidote, it was a food stall. I bribed the woman running it with $50 I had stolen to choose for me. Today I think I am going classic. Cheeseburger, fries, chocolate milkshake.

Hmm. [Yelena tilts her head, considers with more attention than is really needed.] My money is on her thinking you are an actor.

[ That earns Yelena a soft snort, Sam's lips curling into a smile. No judgment either, not for the overall choice or the stolen money. Sam's a good man, that doesn't make him someone who drops lectures about following the letter of the law on people - would be a touch hypocritical of him, too. ]

Inspired way to go about it for sure. You remember what she chose?

[ He's curious about it, for no particular reason. What did 50 bucks get Yelena for her first meal back with her own free will.

He makes a mental note to himself to ask Bucky about his, too. ]

I'm with you on that chocolate milkshake. You dip your fries in it?

[ He'll go with other options for food, but the milkshake is a deliberate choice - both because he has a sweet tooth anyway, and because he figures Tatiana can stand hearing that choosing what Yelena or Sam have chosen is a valid option, too. No shame in doubling or tripling up. ]

Consider me intrigued. Why'd you reckon actor over athlete?

My first free meal since I was six? Of course I remember.

[In addition to that, it was one of very few pleasant memories in that first week, and the only pleasant memory of the first day. The woman, stranger though she was, had recognized that Yelena was in desperate need of a kind, relatively normal, human interaction - or perhaps she was just that kind to everyone who purchased from her. In any case, it became one of the straws she was clinging to in those early days. Usually, she would not telegraph how good it feels to reminisce about this, but she wants Tatiana to see that on her face, to know it's possible.]

She gave me a large serving of chicken tagine and a side of makouda. It was absolutely delicious.
And yes, someone has already introduced me to that. I thought she was trying to play a trick on me at first, but it really is pretty good.

[Again, a bit of calculation on that - both to introduce the idea that there are some tricks that their lives have not prepared them for, and the idea that some tricks are not inherently bad.]

Much too charming and polite for an athlete.

Hmmm, Moroccan food. That's a pretty damn fine start.

[ What can he say? Sam is not a rich man by a long shot, pours what stipend he gets as a vet into bankrolling his own Captain America gig. The government doesn't back him; he puts the work and funds in where and how he can, and relies on the goodwill he's garnering from people of all walks of life for everything beyond that. Donations without strings attached are few, but deeply appreciated. He invests into what Joaquin and him are building.

But he still likes his small, quiet luxuries. Good food and wine doesn't have to be expensive, but it does wonders for the soul.

Tatiana looks up at the two of them when Yelena specifies about fries and milkshake. She closes her menu, too, and Sam feels a strange rush of pride that he's in no way earned. It's nice though, to bear witness to this small first step from brainwashed weapon to person. The shield he carries is meant to be for people like Tatiana, too - anyone who has been left behind. ]

You can try if you want, no matter what you picked.

[ Sam's communal about food; when Tatiana quietly tells Yelena her choices and mentions she wasn't sure between two different burger options, Sam lets her lock in what she wants, then offers to order the other one and let her try. A choice doesn't mean not getting to experience other things she may be curious about. A door opened doesn't always mean you don't get to at least peek at the other paths. Not everything is all or nothing. ]

Generous compliment, much appreciated... Maybe I picked the wrong career path.

[ He looks over his shoulder, makes eye contact with their waitress. She stops by their table, and Sam gentle nudges her attention towards Yelena, letting her handle the table order - Tatiana has no desire to have this interaction, and Sam shifts into the same lane to make sure that whatever else happens, nothing about that stands out to Susan.

He's not a spy, but he's done covert work, and he picked up a few tricks here and there from being on the run with Natasha. ]

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