shield your eye, tell me why it'll be good again

[notahawkingbird]

application for tushanshu.


Player Information:
Name: Noey
Age: older than 21
Contact: thelittleone accidentaltrick ; IM details available upon request.
Game Cast: N/A


Character Information:
Name: Katherine Elizabeth "Kate" Bishop a.k.a. Hawkeye
Canon: Young Avengers, Marvel 616
Canon Point: As of Hawkeye V4 #2, Kate has just put down the phone after Clint Barton asked her about teaming up. Continuity-wise, this is set several months after the events of Avengers: The Children's Crusade.
Age: 17
Reference: Kate : @MarvelWiki @Comicvine ; Young Avengers : @Comicvine

Setting:

» At a cursory glance, Earth-616 appears not much different from the reality we are acquainted with. Geographically speaking, everything is as you know it, with the exception of a few additional countries -- and to a lesser extent, cities and landmarks. Technology-wise, what is available to the mainstream public is much the same, and this goes for public figures, historical and current events. Present-day economic, political and social issues are as you would see them if you tuned into the news. But then we get to that little bit of "other", that which that sets this version of Earth apart from the reality that is familiar and comfortable. You see, in this variation of Earth, super-powered individuals are commonplace, and the pendulum of public favor swings to extremes, sometimes celebrating, sometimes criticizing the press of their presence into the lives of normal, everyday people. In a world otherwise familiar, history books make mention of super-soldiers who are thawed out of the ice decades later to thrive as living legends; men out of time. Super-heroes participate in politics, may be given their own Reality TV shows, and are always a factor to consider in people's daily lives. Maybe you look up as you step out of the convenience store and you see Iron Man streaking through the sky. Maybe you attend the dojo taught by the guy some people whisper knows the Iron Fist. Or maybe you'll walk home one night from work or school and find yourself in the company of those who patrol the streets in the hopes of keeping everyone safe. Because of course, where there are heroes, there are villains. The universe has a way of balancing things out, so if there are good guys with a little extra, then it follows that the bad guys have that too. » When it comes to the Who's Who of super-powered people, you'd be hard-pressed not to have heard at least in passing about the Avengers (heroes who have a roster that could pass for a grocery list including several gods from one mythology or another, assassins-on-call, super-geniuses who have a thing for spiders, kings of super-advanced nations from far-off Africa), the Fantastic Four (this is where we touch on aliens and how they seem to always find their way onto the planet in one aborted invasion or another), and the X-Men (which would then bring in the complex and often touchy subject of mutants -- human beings who just happened to hit the genetic lottery which means YAY! You got the X-gene, now you can grow wings, glow in the dark, maybe move the elements or what have you). Let's face it -- as individuals, heroes can do a lot of good, but sometimes working in teams and structured groups is even better. The Avengers (Earth's Mightiest Heroes, always on call if the world needs them yadda yadda yadda), the family extravaganza of the Fantastic Four (plus kids, whatev), the X-Men (in spite of their fractured state) happen to be that. It is especially useful when you have to deal with the seemingly never-ending threat of extra-terrestrials who have an issue with your planet (or individuals on said planet), narcissistic dictators of countries in the far-reaches of Europe who monologue like no tomorrow, psychos with ambitions of world domination or just plain assholes who have nothing better to do with their lives but want to make the rest of humanity (and adoptive humanity for those who have alien blood but call Earth home) peons in their glorious empire. Not. » Now that you have a grasp of the general scope of things, let's go to specifics. Where there are veteran super-heroes, there is always the reality of the new generation with dreams of stepping up and eventually stepping in when the "old guard" has retired and/or passed on (knock on wood, then again, this is Marvel and death is rarely ever final). The X-Men are the most -- notorious, you might say is the word -- for actively encouraging a culture and mindset for teenagers with "special abilities" to learn all the potentials of their powers, especially in the case of combat. This makes sense, considering that being born a mutant often means that said teen will be dealing with prejudice and possible violence for the rest of their natural life. Look at it this way, the world as we already know it has a long history of prejudice against anything that deviates from the status quo. Established norms are comfortable, familiar and therefore more easily accepted. Girls are pink and boys are blue and the former are usually trained from the very beginning to be less competitive and more cooperative, while the latter are schooled in the ways of traditional bravery: go get 'em tiger. Basically, traditional ways of thinking are often touted as tried and tested and mostly taken as the single, infallible truth. But that only applies if you think of the world in black and white, when the truth of the matter is, the world is a thousand shades of every color in-between those two extremes. Fact is, minorities are only minorities because venturing outside of comfort zones is flat out difficult for human beings. And in this world, being a minority is often dangerous even if you have the ability to turn into an overgrown, human-shaped matchstick. Especially, since it is a huge balancing act of showing "okay, potentially dangerous but totally conscientious". It's understandable, really. Power = responsibility of using that power for good. The tough part comes when your life is on the line. When people are flinging burning bricks at your home or you are getting harassed in school just because mutant and powered equate to different, freak and dangerous. And then you mess up, in the worst possible way and someone winds up in the hospital, in traction, or dead. Even when it is a case of people happening by their powers from a wholly different means: a drug that stimulates super-soldier powers, the fact that you were born the hybrid son of two warring alien races, or a super-genius from the future who travels back in time in an attempt to change who he will grow up to be -- it is no less easy. The fact is, super-heroing is a step out of the norm. Hence the costumes, the masks, the secret identities. Now, the long and short of how the Young Avengers came to be can be summed up in the tackiest headline of "Super-powered Fanboys Form Babyvengers". Nathaniel "Nate" Richards, a.k.a. Iron Lad, a.k.a. teenaged Kang the Conqueror before he became Kang the Conqueror, traveled back in time in the hopes of seeking aid from the Avengers to prevent him from growing up to be a universal despot. His hopes, however, were shattered the moment he stepped into a world here the Earth's Mightiest had disbanded, and his please for help fell on deaf ears. Taking matters into his own hands, Nate then infiltrated one of Tony Stark's warehouses, leading to him locating the remains of the android Avenger, Vision in whose data banks were held a fail-safe program to reform the Avengers in the event of disbandment or permanent death. This back-up plan was based on the assumption that there would be a next generation of heroes worthy of the Avengers name, and each candidate was somehow tied to the original members, whether through blood or history. Said candidates were reality-warping mutant William "Billy" Kaplan, heir-apparent to both the Kree and Skrull Empires, Theodore "Teddy" Altman, and Elijah "Eli" Bradley the grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the Black Captain America. Now when you're being all super-hero-y, public favor goes a long way. The basic tenet behind a hero is being someone who people can trust -- this is not an easy feat when you are prancing around looking like you're cosplaying some video game character. Established heroes are one thing, kids in costumes are another. That the general public seemed to love the idea of Young Avengers did a lot for them not being pulled in by the cops. Yeah, sure, they managed to wrap up dealing with the nasty bad guys with enough time for Billy to magic them out, but it is also entirely possible that since super-powered villains -- even those on the D-list -- are still super-powered villains, regular rank and file officers might wait a few minutes, let the "special" people handle the job and then come in to pick up the neatly-wrapped baddie for transporting to wherever they need to be stuffed. But not everyone think the way the X-Men do. Not everyone knows the experience of having powers you work to control and want to use for good. And usually, adults don't take it as a good sign when kids decide to do things that are filed under For Grown-ups Only. Let us segue a little and discuss the Why, because it's not like kids haven't been sent off to war before: Back in World War II, one of the very first super-heroes was this guy in a bright-colored American-flag design costume. This guy was Captain America. He was awesome. He was a huge morale boost for the men sent to the front lines -- and he had a sidekick. That sidekick's name was Bucky Barnes, and he was the reason why no one wanted to be Captain America, because there was no higher honor than serving right alongside the Star-Spangled Man. But in those last dwindling weeks of that devastating world war, Bucky died. Granted, Cap died too. Lots of good men died. But the whole impact of Bucky, who was a kid -- just your regular, enthusiastic teenager, dressed up in a matching costume and fought alongside a man made possible by science... it suddenly didn't sound like the best idea at all. So Bucky died, and when Captain America woke up after decades upon decades of being cryogenically frozen in the ice, one of the things he was so staunchly against was putting kids with the promise of their whole lives laid out for them in costumes that should just be for play, for conventions, for Halloween. Because kids mess up. Oh sometimes, you get it right. But being super-powered is tricky. Sometimes you do all the flash and bang and everyone's okay, yay you saved the day -- and sometimes you crash into a wedding-turned-hostage-situation down at St. Patrick's Cathedral and your conjured lightning storm starts a fire. Which is enough of a distraction (because, really, you can't have the church burn down) for one of the goons with guns to knock you into your teammate and all that perfectly synced and choreographed teamwork falls apart. It could end badly. It could end up with the whole entourage and ridiculous, 500-strong guestlist slaughtered before the SWAT team arrives. But sometimes, it ends up fine because the Maid of Honor is quick on her feet and knows self-defense and is more pissed off at your incompetence and her ability to save herself. This, by the way, is how four fanbrats first meet Kate Bishop, one of two new members of the costumed club linked by the press to an established institution of super-heroes. Now, if you think that it's hard being kids with powers, try being the only baseline human in a line-up of people who do magic, shape-change, has the art of super-speed and blowing things up with super-speed, are the next generation of super-soldiers in a long line of super-soldiers or tech-geniuses from the future dressed in gear that would probably make Tony Stark want to file for patents on that suit (if he hasn't already), or heck -- a girl who can grow or shrink at will. It's tough. You need to pull your weight and since you can't do any of the other stuff that the rest of your pals do, you go do the next best thing and offer competence in skills that you have acquired and which you hone and maintain. You offer insight from a different perspective, you challenge, you push, you somehow become the glue of the team, the one who remembers to keep their head when everyone else has tempers going all over the place with powers that short-circuit at inopportune moments. And you bankroll the whole project. Because you can. It seems funny, in hindsight, how it is Kate Bishop who becomes the Young Avengers' de facto leader, the one everyone turns to eventually for the hard decisions; the ones that need to be made so that everyone comes out in one piece. Except after all the shenanigans and all the close calls with the super-hero community drawing lines in the sand, alien invasions that use tactics akin to a really bad sci-fi flick, nutcases being handed power by the government who wage war against the floating city of Asgard magically relocated over a middle-of-nowhere stretch of land -- not everyone comes out okay. In the wake of Billy and Tommy attracting the attention of their grandfather (as far as logic can go when you throw reality-warping and interventions of the magical sort), the mutant named Magneto, father to Pietro Maximoff a.k.a. Quicksilver and the infamous Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. the Scarlet Witch, most notoriously known for scaring humanity shitless by declaring that mutants are Homo Superior -- the Young Avengers find themselves traveling all the way to far-off Latveria, home to villain Doctor Doom. In a series of massively disastrous events, Wanda Maximoff regains her memories, inadvertently brings Scott Lang back to life, and unwittingly transfers her magical abilities to Doom. Though Doom is defeated, it comes at great cost -- one that leads to the disbandment of the Young Avengers. It begins with Cassie Lang's death, continues with Nate Richards/Iron Lad, returning from his exploits in the timestream and the offer that he can take Cassie away to the future so she can be healed and goes onto Vision telling the boy who started the whole YA enterprise to accept that she is gone. It doesn't end well. In a fit of temper, Nate destroys the android in a fit of rage and flees back into the timestream, setting himself on the path of becoming Kang the Conqueror. It is the single, most disastrous day of Kate's life. Because she could do nothing. Because it all happened too fast. As the remaining members of the team return to their lives in New York City, they convene one last time before they choose to go their separate ways. While Thomas "Tommy" Shepherd pleads for them not to give up, Kate speaks up to agree with Eli's decision to hang up the uniform. She resigns, bearing the weight of her teammates' deaths and saying simply that this was a mission she led. A mission that they thought would be like all the others -- only to have it end in ashes for them all. It is months before anything new happens. Life starts again, new disasters occupy the world, the familiar cities. Kate has picked up her life as it was before she joined up with the Young Avengers -- she is the daughter of publishing magnate Derek Bishop, a familiar face in charity functions attended by New York City's elite. She goes to school, practices her archery, keeps in shape, and wishes that she didn't miss her teammates. Wishes that she didn't look out onto the busy street or the open sky outside her high-rise apartment window with the hope in her heart that she would be allowed into that life again. And then the call comes. Maybe it's Carol Danvers -- Miss Marvel -- who flies in through the open balcony doors to deliver the message, but eitherway, Kate rummages for her uniform hidden discreetly amongst the dresses in her walk-in closet, drops by the bank where she keeps a private vault to stow away her equipment and she joins her remaining teammates as Captain America and Scott Lang welcome them into the fold of the veteran roster. And this brings us to where Kate Bishop is now: declared Avenger, archer extraordinaire and current mentee to the Avenger who shares her code name -- Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye.

Personality:

» In a world where baseline humans may seemingly have no place among the ranks of super-soldiers, gifted genuises and gods, it might seem a little odd to see Katherine Bishop, youngest daughter to a publishing magnate and teen-socialite, listed amongst heroes (not, that her family would ever believe that she is the type to be a super-hero). But it was Kate who stepped up as co-leader to Patriot/Eli Bradley and then full-time leader of the Young Avengers, bearing the weight of responsibility and making the necessary calls when needed. Kate is a survivor. A fighter. And here is why: Though unbeknownst to her teammates, Kate did not happen by her training by sheer chance. One may assume that given the resources and connections her father had in the upper echelons of society, archery and fencing were taken on as part of her extracurriculars, but the truth behind the intense training in various styles of martial arts and self defense are a product of the intense desire to firstly, never wanted to be a victim ever again; and secondly, she wanted to be capable enough to ensure that what happened to her would never happen to anyone else. Kate is a survivor of rape. This is something that she reveals only to her therapist and Jessica Jones when the latter speaks to her in light of the Young Avengers' initial disbandment by Captain America. Though some may say that Kate not divulging this information to her teammates equates to shame, it is not. "[L]ife is short, and it doesn't matter how good your grades are, or how many hours you put in at the soup kitchen... You're not safe. Bad things happen. Things you can't control. Things that have nothing to do with you. And they will destroy you if you let them." It is difficult for anyone to take an otherwise harrowing experience and to turn this into the reason to seek and strive for strength not only in physical aspects, but in terms of character. This is how Kate is a fighter. When Captain America deemed it unsafe for the Young Avengers to pursue a life of crime-fighting and super-heroing, it was Kate who argued that if the Avengers had spent more time showing them the ropes than repeatedly telling them "no," they would have been better equipped to handle the responsibilities thrust upon them. When she and teammate Patriot found themselves trapped beneath the debris of the fallen Asgard, Kate did not just lie down to wait for rescue, preferring to get up and attempt all options available rather than wait for the ceiling of unsteady rock to fall down on their heads. And when Doctor Doom proposed his deceptively benevolent plot upon acquiring the Scarlet Witch's powers, it was Kate who spoke out, uncowed by a villain normally faced by veteran heroes. Kate is stubborn when needed, outspoken to the point of bluntness, unafraid to take risks, and ever ready to take on challenges as they come her way. Because when it comes down to flight or fight, Kate will always, always fight. » When skills don't cut it, Kate uses words. Sarcasm and razor sharp wit are just as useful to Kate as trick arrows, and it's a rare day that she doesn't have a quip at the ready. It is both a sword and a shield, because though she may not readily admit it, there are days when helplessness still triggers the old nightmares. Just because you've turned trauma into something that drives you doesn't mean the scars go away. There are two people in particular in the Young Avengers who are often at the receiving end of Kate's quips, and this bears mentioning because her dynamics with her teammates are a great way to guauge her comfort-level. The team is Kate's family, even more than her own, and a lot of that comes from how Kate can simply be herself with them. She is not Katherine Elizabeth Bishop. Mention of her family's standing in the creme dela creme of society is only brought into conversation a handful of times (she bankrolled the team's new uniforms and offered up one of Bishop Publishing's unused warehouses as the team hideout) if not at all. Kate considers Teddy and Billy the brothers she never had -- brothers she can ship without worry of incest. She admires the fact that the two of them have it more together than most of the kids their age and admits that they are the reason why she is not completely jaded towards the idea of relationships. Cassie, she considers more of her sister than her own flesh and blood, and though she has never said it, will never get to say it -- but she harbored incredible admiration for the blonde girl who grew up knowing the Avengers personally (because for all that Kate teases the team fanbrats that they are such fanboys, Kate made the immediate connection to Scott Lang when she and Cassie first met). And while to the casual observer it may appear to that Kate and Jonas never had much of a relationship, it speaks volumes that when Cassie and Jonas became involved, Kate never once questioned the validity of their relationship. Of Jonas' humanity. Kate's feelings for Eli and Tommy are, however, a little more complicated. The kind of complicated that leaves her sending mixed signals and losing her temper and doing reckless things kissing one boy in an elevator and the other when she gets back to the hideout, good job, sweetheart because as a hot-blooded female, she would have to be distinctly lacking a pulse to miss out on how both boys make it plenty clear that they like her -- and not just platonically. Flirting with Tommy is easy because he is fun and reckless and when he gets her into the damndest situations, she never once questions or doubts that he'll have her back when they need to get the fuck out. Tommy is a rebel, in all the worst and best possible ways. Tommy is, in some ways, freedom personified and being with him, Kate can forget responsibilities and just have fun. And for all his bluster and posturing, Kate is fairly certain that Tommy could never, ever hurt a fly. But of course, she won't tell him that. Eli is... not easy. Eli is a challenge, full of intensity and he never backs down. Eli knows what he wants -- and that, though Kate is not prepared to admit it -- that intimidates her. Eli is headstrong and ready to offer security and affection and commitment in a way that is both opposite and similar to what Tommy provides. But Eli is also a brick wall, and in some ways, so much like Kate herself that it is no wonder that every single argument they have teeters over the cliff of a resolution only to settle into a stalemate that is broken only because someone has to concede or else nothing gets done. Kate is not immune to the thrill of feeling desired, but this is, on occasion, at war with her intense desire to relish the freedom of having control over her life once again. » It is telling that one of the things she confesses to Jessica Jones is that she has never been that comfortable with her family's wealth. It seems superflous, too much when the rest of the world needs so much more. While she is on amicable terms with her sister, the Bishop girls have different priorities. At the core of things, Kate is a teenager who feels strongly for the world. Though staunch in her personal beliefs of equality in spite of gender, and a miniature almost-tyrant when put on the spot, Kate is perfectly capable of showing flexibility when the situation warrants a more cautious touch. She has always had such great empathy for the world, a deep-seated desire to make it so much better -- to help. To provide. When the Young Avengers were discouraged in the aftermath of Captain America and Iron Man confiscating their uniforms and gear, it is Kate who asks them outright: "Why did you start being a Young Avenger in the first place?" When she is met with the reply: "To help," it is like a homecoming. Though born privileged, Kate harbors a sense of duty to contribute in making the world a better, fairer place. As part of New York's next generation of socialites, it may not have been unusual for Kate to participate and contribute to all the relevant charities. But these weren't just social events for Kate. No, offering time and money and effort in soup kitchens and helping those in need was a passion. This is the girl who chooses to walk amongst the city instead of being driven by a chauffer. The one who glibly tells her elder sister that the gorgeous but obscenely expensive wedding dress could feed the hungry of a small country for a month. Kate cares. Sometimes, she cares too much. Leading the super-hero life has only amplified her sense of helping the world by X amount of emotions multipled by a hundredfold. This is why, upon the deaths of teammates who were on call on her watch, Kate is the one who voluntarily offers her resignation as a Young Avenger. Good leaders put their people first, and casualties on any mission led by her are unacceptable. This is why, though she has been welcomed into the fold of Earth's Mightiest, when Clint Barton calls her up to ask if she would like to team up in the ongoing adventures of Hawkeye & Hawkeye, Kate is seen as hesitant to accept though her body retains the muscle memory of someone who simply does super-heroing for a lifestyle. The weight of responsibility for another, even as a follower, a companion, and not a leader -- this is too much for her to accept. She can look out for herself, yes. She has had enough years doing so since that unfortunate night in Central Park to ensure that she will be able to stand even after the worst possible beat-down is delivered. But standing alongside someone else, being responsible for their welfare (and really, in Kate's eyes, Clint, for all his years and experience on her, does need watching) is something she is not quite sure she is prepared to handle again. She lost Cassie. She lost Jonas (Vision). These were people put under her care, no matter if they were around to argue otherwise. In Kate's view, one casualty is already one too much. Underneath all that surface hesitation though, the desire to step up, do more, be more wins out. And maybe... just maybe, as she stares down at the phone in her hands, this is something that she can learn and grow from. » Upon entry into the grand experience of Turtle Land, Kate will take things in stride. This isn't her first rodeo, and ending up on the back of a giant turtle may be a new-ish experience, but it's certainly not the most bizarre. She will be cool and collected and will adapt as necessary, taking the experience as one in a long list of Things That Just Happen When You're In This Line of Work. She will, of course, attempt to reach out and see if any of the people she knows from home will be around, but as she is a social individual who just happens to like people, she'll manage quite well.

Appearance:

At five-foot-five, Kate considers her height average for a girl her age. Her overall build is compact and lean (somewhat similar to a dancer's sleek lines), the product of a rigorous, self-imposed training regimen that is a mix of sword-fighting and various martial arts, not to mention her activities as an Avenger. She has blue-eyes and wears her dark hair past the shoulders, more often loose and free than not, and she moves with the subtle grace of someone who has grown up privileged but who sees no need to flaunt it. Photo reference shows Kate both as a civilian and dressed in her Hawkeye uniform.

Abilities:

Kate is as human as anyone can get. Unlike her fellow Young Avengers, who were either born with their powers/abilities or acquired them through alternative means, she has no superhuman abilities to speak of. What she is instead, is incredibly athletic with an impressive skillset that includes: fencing, sword-fighting, training in self-defense, boxing and various martial arts. Kate is no stranger to intense, physical combat, but it bears saying that if the fight goes on for longer than her body can take, she will tire and slow down. That said, her most impressive skill is in archery. To paraphrase the words of Clint Barton: Kate is one of the finest and most gifted bowmen he's ever met. Coming from one of the best -- and an Avenger to boot -- that is one hell of an endorsement.

Inventory:

» the clothes she washed up on shore in: i.e. her pajama pants and a tank top

Suite:

Preferably Wood, with the rest of her teammates. BONDING TIME FTW, PLS? But if necessary, she is okay with making do with wherever she gets placed.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person:

She hurts. Everywhere.

But that's okay. The pain is minor in comparison to the way her heart feels like it's in her throat when she steps out, dressed in her nifty new disguise, to find Clint on his knees and surrounded.

For a moment it's like someone's turned a dial down so that her vision narrows and the voices are pitched low. Her hands threaten to shake because they are outnumbered -- she is outnumbered and Clint is blacked out and is prevented from tipping over only by one of the goons who are dressed in ridiculously tacky circus outfits.

But when one of them turns to her, snapping her out of the moment with a string of words in heavily accented-English going: "Fifi, stop daydreaming and get over here," she feels the familiar wash of confidence warming her fingers and she slips into the role like a chameleon changing it's colors to necessary protections.

They aren't dead yet. No one's noticed that she isn't Fifi and once Clint wakes up, they can wing it and come out of this debacle unscathed.

Take every shot, he told her once. Every single one because if you feel like you can afford to miss even one then you will.

She bides her time, keeps her expression neutral when Clint wakes up to trade the traditional banter between cornered hero and overconfident villain. The wig itches and she wants nothing more than to tear it's ridiculous weight from her head, but she doesn't bat a lash and instead discreetly relaxes her grip on the bow in her hand, familiarizing herself with the weight of it. It's too light, but the craftsmanship feels sound and it's a match for the slim arrows sticking out like birthday candles from the gaudy magenta mop that she wants to burn until it goes down to the darkest depths of polyester hell.

When Bozo with the mafia accent calls out to her "Fifi?" again, she drops the carefully maintained look of disinterest from her face and lands her first shot, right smack in the center of one gunman's nape.

Two more leave her fingers to take out two of the jerkfaces surrounding her erstwhile mentor, a fourth follows to finally get Clint to stop calling her "Katie", cutting his bonds.

None of them stand a chance.

This is precisely what she thinks because it's rushing back now -- all that helplessness at Cassie's broken body, all that anger at Nate's inability to rein in his temper, all that waste of a damn good team -- and when the familiar, brittle sound of gunfire explodes, she's not even thinking of herself as she is propelled forward, Clint's name leaving her lips as a warning and a plea of Don't die. Don't die on me.

This started out as a lark, yes. All posturing and the irresistable need to do something in place of sitting idly by. Of getting back on the job and doing something more than listen to everyone talk plans and maybe throw in a thought or two.

Another arrow flies from her fingers right before they crash through the glass shielding that overlooks the pool below.

Not tonight, fuckers. It is such sweet triumph to see the arrow go through the barrel. She needs to remember to tell Clint about it when they get out of this mess.

Water surrounds her, it's dark and ominous but she has her wits about her and up, up, up she goes, one hand reaching up to rip three arrows, their damp feathered ends a comforting presence against the cradle of her palm.

She never used to shoot to kill -- wound, maim, incapacitate, yes. It was their code: Young Avengers don't kill.

But she isn't so young anymore. And these jackasses won't hesitate to put a bullet in either of them if she doesn't do something to stop things.

"Clint," she says, voice hoarse from swallowing chlorine-treated water. "Shush."

Firm grip. Lock that stance. Breathe deep, breathe slow.

And as she exhales the air between her lips, they fly.

"Suck it, Domitian."

She will take every single shot.

And she will make it. Every last one.



Network:

[ For a moment, the video appears to be stuck, as if in pause. The girl looking slightly askew of the camera is very still, and only the faint flutter of wind disturbing the bits of dark baby-hair sticking out from the top of her indicates that the feed is, in fact, perfectly fine--

--and then, she snaps out of it, face gaining back it's animation and she blows her cheeks out, follows it up with a deep breath and nods. ]

So, uh.

Right.

[ Her hands come up in a sort of surrender, sort of awkward 'Hi, this is me' because wow this is weird, video calls when she is in her pajamas. Her salt-water-soaked-but-nevertheless-now-dry pajamas.

It is not comfortable. She doesn't mind Skyping with friends while dressed in her bedtime clothes, but wow, not like this.

She shakes her head, runs her fingers through her hair and huffs: ]

Okay let me start over.

[ The change is subtle, but the difference is huge. Shoulders straightened but not tense, she looks directly into the camera with purpose and suddenly it doesn't matter what she looks like. ]

Hello, my name is Katherine Bishop and I've just arrived in the city.

I've been appraised by the people who fished me out of the water on what little they seem to feel they can divulge, so you can consider this a shout-out to anyone who can supply me information that will give me a better idea of Turtle Land.

I haven't seen the city much, but I'm a keen observer and no stranger to tension in the atmosphere when I see it.

[ There's a brief and considering pause before she continues in a less blunt tone that leans more to negotiation. ] I have currently nothing to trade with or pay you by for the information and I know I don't really look like much at the moment, but I guarantee that I can offer you my resume and list of skillsets if you require all of that in writing.



Also, if there is anyone from home who hears this, please drop me a message. I'm not even going to lie, guys. It would be awesome to see familiar faces right about now.

[ There's a faint twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth before she reaches over and the feed goes dark. ]