shatterverse | (no subject)

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Kate slept in, the few dreams she had were nightmares of war, and of blinding cold imprisonment. She was outside in the field near the Cooper farm, going through katas as a warmup, despite the still bandaged leg. And then taking her bow, and firing some arrows into a makeshift target (bales of hay). If she seems especially focused on the targets as she fired, a distraction would still be appreciated.

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She put her bow down, and glanced over at him, "Thank you, and sorry. It's not you. Just been a rough week...month." She then walked over to fetch her arrows from the target.

"Ain't seen you around before - just pop in?"

"Been around for maybe a month now I think. But Will, Sam and I went on a trip recently. We just got back."

Tom looks momentarily surprised. His brows start to draw together, a frown tugs at his mouth - before he smooths his face over.

"Oh, you're Kate." He says this like she's just any other friend of a friend. "Got what you needed on that trip?"

Her glance sharpened on him at that, wondering what that was about.

"Yes, I'm Kate. And..." She glanced away for a moment, "Not exactly."

"Kate Bishop, codename of Hawkeye. And you are?" She then offered her hand to him.

"Oh, shit, sorry - Will told me 'bout you," Tom says. "That's how I know your name.

"I'm Tom - uh, no codename 'less my surname counts, an' that's Therin." He gives her hand a strong shake.

Kate blinked, "...He did?"

She shook his hand, "The codename's a superhero thing. I don't have powers...well, not really. Long story, but it's nice to meet you, Tom."

"Yeah, said he met you," Tom replies, deciding not to mention anything Will said about her.

"Likewise, likewise. So, eh, what's a superhero an' why d'they need names? Like bein' a spy, is it?"

"Oh, ok," A bit of color to her cheeks, pay no attention.

She added, "Well, costumed vigilante really. We go where the police can't, and stop what's too big for them to stop. Criminals, supervillains, bad people with powers who want to do wrong doing... The names and costumes are usually so we can protect our identity against enemies learning it. Who'd want to use it to their advantage to hurt us and people we care about."

Tom notes the colour in her cheeks and manages not to frown - though it takes him some effort. At her spiel, he looks rather surprised. Will is friends with someone who's on the exact opposite side of the moral fence than a thief would be.

"Oh. Good for you. You, ah, you gots loadsa sorts with powers in your world? Only a few types like that on mine."

Kate remarked, "Not that many overall, just in certain circles is one way to put it. Likely less now, there's been a war on. ...Some think we should register with the government, even at the cost of our own freedom and privacy."

She's an outlaw, just in a different way to some extent.

"Fe-- Ah, don't do nothin' with the government, is my advice," Tom replies sagely. "Politicians don't care for no one but themselves."

"They didn't leave us much choice. I don't want to register. But my friends and I already were arrested once just for trying to go out and help people like we usually do. Just because we're not registered. Because they think superheros are too dangerous and need to be controlled."

"Arrested? How'd you get out?"

Tom always loves a good 'break out of jail' story.

"We were on a SHIELD transport, heading to the facility. Captain America and Falcon were undercover there, and Falcon freed my friend, Wiccan's restraints so he could do a teleport spell for all of us to get away. Just managed to avoid a police blockade as I later found out. Ended up in an safehouse where we could hide from the authorities." Not exactly break out of jail, but somewhat harrowing too.

Tom looks rather unimpressed with Kate's story. He was hoping for something with a bit more 'wow'.

"'S good, 'en," he comments. "Them gov'ment sorts seem a lot like the 'Sworn on my world. Don't think no one else should have powers, neither."

Which is not exactly true, but Tom's hardly going to pass up an opportunity to bash his enemies.

Well, she spoke the truth, she can't help it if it's not the riveting edge of your seat story he was hoping for, "Is there a war going on back where you come from then?"

"Oh, ain't formal or nothin', but it's been goin' on since God made the world. Humans that got powers 'gainst the beast-skins. Think we're all demons, the Godsworn do. We ain't - a few are, but there are a few regular humans that got demon magic, too, and the Godsworn fight 'em just as they do us. A skin's no more likely to summon some dark netherworld nasty than the next bloke."

It's become habit to avoid mentioning his plague abilities by now. Except for a few early slips when he was drunk, he hasn't.

She tilted her head to the side at that, "So you're a mutant... a shapeshifter?" Not scared by it all, if anything, her expression was clear curiosity. "One of my teammates can shapeshift, and two of them are mutants. They're all friends of mine."

"Dunno 'bout mutant, but shifter, I am," Tom replies in affirmative. If Tom were more self-aware, he'd come to realize how easily he gives that particular piece of information away - but he's not, though there's a vague thought that he's done something wrong.

"Shapeshift?" Tom looks quite curious. "Into what?"

"Well, he can make himself look like anybody. Sometimes he'll grow wings when he needs to fly. Things like that."

Kate then wondered, "What do you turn into then?"

Tom makes a slightly louder noise of both interest and surprise. That is something new! "Wish I'd had wings sometimes," he replies, a bit envious.

"Oh, just--"

And before Tom finishes speaking, his mouth balloons outwards, sprouting fur and whiskers and bulging black eyes that relocate to the sides of his head.

Nothing like a little shock value.

Her blue eyes widened a little, but that was all. Not like she wasn't used to Billy's magic spells, or Teddy changing. Hard to shock someone like her considering the circles she's used to running around in.

"That'd be handy for blending in back home, and sneaking around. Any other forms or just that one?"

"It's a feck-- it's a damn good form," Tom insists, a tad insulted at the idea that he needs more than one.

Reassuring smile at that, "It is, sorry, I was just wondering. It's ok. Seems very useful for blending in as I said, and getting to places most can't."