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[white_widow]

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

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[white_widow]

[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.

[unclesam]

[ 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?

[white_widow]

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.

[unclesam]

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. ]