Debrief 001 | [Action/Voice] | Déjà vu?

[somethingtoavenge]

[Coulson wakes up, trees to his left and right and a path right in front of him. A short distance down the path and to the right he can see a house, actually he can see a few houses from where he is. Everything seems familiar.

The sensation of familiarity is disquieting at first, until everything comes back.

Well... that explains a lot.

Coulson looks around and spots his journal, but sadly there are no clothes this time. So he's stuck in the usual new feather garb of white pants. After being in dark suits for most of his life, he's not sure he likes those pants. With the nice new scar on his chest and back, he's not sure he likes the fact he's shirtless. Also, there is a chill in the air which makes being shirtless very uncomfortable.

Using the mountains and the river, both to his left, he manages to orient himself. With this knowledge he heads towards town center to visit the clothing shop and get dressed. You may run into him a he heads to the clothing shop. Feel free to notice the fresh looking scar almost directly over his heart (but not actually) and the bigger one on his back. Coulson may greet you, but mainly he's focusing on getting to the clothing shop. Unless things happen.]

((ooc; Location is over by House 4, just a short distance up the path leading towards the farmlands.))


[After getting clothes and after whatever adventures happen while he was getting clothing, Coulson puts together a first new post to the Luceti community.]

Greetings Luceti.

My name is Phil Coulson. I have been here before a few months back before... leaving and it seems I have returned.

As far as I know I don't have any unfinished business from before, but If I did have some with you please remind me.

I have probably missed a lot, but is there anyone whose willing to give me a brief summary of things I've missed? I'd be grateful.

[Small pause.]

I think that's all... No wait, Rogue, do you still need help at the item shop? Sorry for leaving you in the lurch.

Comments

[handing]

[Well. At least it's a welcome face this time.]

Welcome back, Phil.

[She's glad to see him. Maybe less enthusiastic than before, but he's alive again. Pepper can't regret that, even under the circumstances.]

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[Coulson gives Pepper a smile.]

Good to be back Pepper.

[Though, he does notice her lack of enthusiasm he puts it down to it not being as much of a shock as before.]

How have you been?

[handing]

[Such a simple question, and yet Pepper doesn't know how to begin to answer it. There's too long of a pause before she speaks again.]

A lot's happened. [Most of it nothing Pepper wants to think about.] Where are you? Do you remember how to get to the village?

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[Well, that pause is decidedly ominous.]

Sounds like it.

Ah, Actually I'm currently in the Plaza. The Malnosso weren't as kind as last time and I had to go get clothing.

[A small pause, then in a more concerned tone.]

Are you okay Pepper?

[handing]

Well. At least you knew where to get them?

[It's an attempt at a joke. Probably a poor one, but. There's so much he doesn't know yet--and not just about what happened to her.]

I will be. There was a draft, just over a week ago. It was...bad.

[To put it lightly.]

But we can talk about that later. I'm not sure if your old apartment is still free, but we can definitely find you some place.

[somethingtoavenge]

True.

[Coulson allows the joke, but it is kinda weak.

He's worried about her now, but knows that being over concerned when it's obvious she'd rather not think about it for a while would only be hurtful. Whatever happened is too fresh right now, too there. Talking about it wouldn't help her at all.]

Okay. We'll talk later. [There is concern in his voice but he knows to let it lie.]

If it's not I'm sure I can settle in somewhere. It's not like Luceti is really lacking in space.

[handing]

[Desperate people, as they say.
 
And she is desperate.  Pepper doesn’t want to have to explain to someone else how she’d nearly died, and especially not to Phil.  He’d offered at the very beginning of his previous stay to show her how to use a tazer, and she’d refused.  Even if the weapon itself would’ve been useless, maybe Pepper could’ve reacted differently with that training.  So early on, Phil had recognized the danger Pepper could potentially be put in, and he’d tried to help her.  What would’ve changed if she had just let him?
 
But he promises later, and it’s something Pepper can cling to.  There’s a guilty wish that maybe someone else will explain what happened to him, so she doesn’t have to, but Pepper knows the thought is wrong and pushes it away quickly.]
 
No, I guess it doesn’t.  [But it had been a convenient way to change the topic.  Still, there are things Phil needs to be prepared for, and Pepper takes a slow breath.]  There were also some new arrivals shortly after you left.  Clint Barton’s here now.  You know him, right?
 
[He can probably tell from her tone that Clint isn’t the person she needs to tell him about most.]

[somethingtoavenge]

[Every single one of Phil's internal alarms are quietly blaring. He really wishes he hadn't been sent back, so he could have been here. Could have helped.

Because it is becoming increasingly obvious that things went to hell very recently. And he wasn't there to help. That burns him inside, but he pushes it down.

This isn't the time for how he feels. Not yet.]

Yes. We worked together. [Phil's not quite sure how he feels about that news. On the plus side, someone from SHIELD who he can talk to. On the other side, Clint has never dealt well being confined. And Luceti is a giant goldfish bowl.

Peppers tone worries him even more. There is something about new arrivals which she is worried about.]

Pepper...[He wants to say, 'you don't have to tell me' but that would be false. Phil needs to know.] ...Who else arrived?

[handing]

[From one bad topic to another; it's the metaphorical frying pan and fire, but this time Pepper can't just brush off the matter for another time. There's no way Loki won't contact Phil himself, and the man deserves to be prepared for that.

To know his murderer is there now too.]

Loki. [Pepper forces out the name, swallows and says it again louder.] Loki's here. Technically there are two of them--a younger one from another version of our world--and the one from ours.

[The one who killed you.]

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[Oh. Well. That's just... Shit.

There is a long pause on Coulson's part before he speaks, voice quiet but calm.]

I see.

Thank you for telling me.

[Coulson has no idea how to feel about that. On the one hand, the guy stabbed him. On the other, Luceti is a closed environment and getting revenge on a god who will be back from the dead soon enough seems pointless.]

...How is everyone else dealing with Loki being here?

[Because that is obviously his main concern. Not himself, but everyone else.]

[handing]

[It's about the response she might expect, and one that's restrained enough to fool most people. But quiet can be telling too, and Pepper can't imagine how Phil must feel now that he knows.]

Of course. [She thinks back to the gallery the day before, then quietly sighs.] He might try to contact you. I thought you should be ready for it.

[At least as much as is possible.

The next question gives her pause, because really, there are no good answers for it. So after a moment, she puts a filter on the conversation, just in case.]

For the most part? Poorly. There's a truce in place, but that only goes so far.

[And it's already been nearly broken once that Pepper knows of.]

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[That's jut icing on top of cake of oh dear lord no. Coulson doesn't grimace but it's a close thing.]

Thank you for that warning a well. [A bit of dry humor enters his voice] I'll try to stay polite.

[Phil is not hugely surprised that it's going poorly but the bit about the truce is interesting. Coulson approves of the truce, especially from a professional standpoint.]

It's good there is a truce, however shaky, in place. Luceti is not the best place to resolve grudges, all things considered.

[handing]

If anyone could manage it, it'd be you.

[Seriously, Phil has an amazing way of staying professional under extreme circumstances. Even when he'd brought Tony the holofile, and Pepper had seen he was shaken, Phil remained polite.

Although she can't imagine how much harder that will be with someone who had done the things Loki had.]

It definitely isn't. [As they'd all learned when Clint tried to do just that. But that's his story to tell, not Pepper's. Another item on the list of the things that had happened in Phil's absence, and it's something of a task to decide which she should tell, and when.]

Tony's still here, and Steve and Howard. There's a woman you know--Jane Foster. And a couple more people from the forties: Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter.

[She pauses a moment, going over the list of names in her mind.] I think that's it for people from our world.

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Ah, yes. I remember Doctor Foster...

[The new additions are interesting. Though he's happy that Steve has more people from his time.]

I see. Good to know.

[handing]

I’m not sure how much else has changed.  [At least, how much that she’s willing to talk about just then.]  Rogue is still here, if she hasn’t contacted you herself already.  I remember you were working with her in the Item Shop before.

[somethingtoavenge]

I'm sure I'll discover a few more changes as I get reacquainted with everything. It's not a big deal.

[Except it kinda is. Because as far as his memory is concerned almost no time has passed since he was here. There is Luceti before, a timeless moment of blackness again and then he's back. Like he went to sleep and everything change while he was asleep. But as with everything he'll deal with it on his own.]

Ah, yes I did. I expect she'll contact me in a bit, since she might be busy.

[handing]

[They both know better, but Pepper isn't about to bring the truth they're so aware of out into the open. They both need the time that willful denial will bring.]

Probably. And I'm sure you still have a whole list of things to take care of yourself, so I'll leave you to it. Let me know if I can help?

[somethingtoavenge]

[Isn't that the truth...]

I will. Thanks Pepper. [For telling him about Loki and, well, for a lot of things.]

See you later.