[She gives him a look as he asserts that Coulson was trying to teach her humility. It's at the first something like uncertainty, but then she seems to decide to trust his judgement, a slight flicker of a smile as she brushes fingers through her hair. There's some pride to hearing him say she could have passed the skills portion when she'd first come over to the States.]
I'm plenty humble.
[But there's a twist of her lips, something a little playful to it more than an actual complaint. There was a touch of arrogance about her, but it was mostly a defense mechanism, a way to avoid getting close to people. Losing people.
She takes the seat as he gestures to it, allowing herself the space to catch her breath for a moment. Ava had endurance to spare, most of the time, but after what had been an admittedly stressful operation, it's nice just to sit for a bit, watch Rumlow, even if she's sure that she'll have to get moving to get ready soon enough. The idea was probably to have his op follow on the heels of hers, so she knows they'll be packing up soon.]
You're right. [She says it softly, a thinning of her lips as she shakes her head.] I mean, they're good kids, but they're not good enough. They don't understand.
[What combat was really like. What it meant to not be prepared when you stepped into enemy fire. They still got distracted just by the sight of Natasha, or Captain America, enough for her to put all three of them flat on their backs without trying. Ava wasn't a bad teacher, but she was walking a line, and unsure of which side of it Coulson wanted her on. If she was supposed to break them of those bad habits, force them to understand, or if that was one of the things that Coulson was worried about. That she would.
The irony was that all three were technically older than her, and yet to Ava they all feel so much younger. That idealism, that belief that everything will be okay.
He teases her, and she smiles back, meeting his grin with a wolfish one of her own. She'd always liked him, ever since the first time he'd given her jellybeans. Since he took her to a ballgame and bought her a Yankees cap that she still has. He was good to her when he didn't have to be, and she'd always appreciated that.]
I wasn't arguing. [But she smiles, looks out the window and nods.] More than enough time. They have spare uniforms here? Mine's a bit worse for wear.
[And it'd probably be better if she wasn't wearing white like a target marker. Normally she took the symbolism over the practicality, but she wouldn't when she was working with Rumlow. Having him around... it made her care a little more. A little less reckless, and maybe that was a good thing.]
no subject
I'm plenty humble.
[But there's a twist of her lips, something a little playful to it more than an actual complaint. There was a touch of arrogance about her, but it was mostly a defense mechanism, a way to avoid getting close to people. Losing people.
She takes the seat as he gestures to it, allowing herself the space to catch her breath for a moment. Ava had endurance to spare, most of the time, but after what had been an admittedly stressful operation, it's nice just to sit for a bit, watch Rumlow, even if she's sure that she'll have to get moving to get ready soon enough. The idea was probably to have his op follow on the heels of hers, so she knows they'll be packing up soon.]
You're right. [She says it softly, a thinning of her lips as she shakes her head.] I mean, they're good kids, but they're not good enough. They don't understand.
[What combat was really like. What it meant to not be prepared when you stepped into enemy fire. They still got distracted just by the sight of Natasha, or Captain America, enough for her to put all three of them flat on their backs without trying. Ava wasn't a bad teacher, but she was walking a line, and unsure of which side of it Coulson wanted her on. If she was supposed to break them of those bad habits, force them to understand, or if that was one of the things that Coulson was worried about. That she would.
The irony was that all three were technically older than her, and yet to Ava they all feel so much younger. That idealism, that belief that everything will be okay.
He teases her, and she smiles back, meeting his grin with a wolfish one of her own. She'd always liked him, ever since the first time he'd given her jellybeans. Since he took her to a ballgame and bought her a Yankees cap that she still has. He was good to her when he didn't have to be, and she'd always appreciated that.]
I wasn't arguing. [But she smiles, looks out the window and nods.] More than enough time. They have spare uniforms here? Mine's a bit worse for wear.
[And it'd probably be better if she wasn't wearing white like a target marker. Normally she took the symbolism over the practicality, but she wouldn't when she was working with Rumlow. Having him around... it made her care a little more. A little less reckless, and maybe that was a good thing.]