The man, not the legend.

*Not everyone is bashful, or nice. Samus is still here, after all. Her idea of comforting is to explain how a terrible tragedy was the lesser of two evils. The quality of Steve's memory is definitely being noted, though, and when he's well enough for that training he asked for, memory exercises will be part of it.*

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"No rush. I was just curious." She glances past him for a moment when the housekeeper does something to catch her attention, but when she looks back she's got another smile for him. "I am impatient about pretty things. I suppose there are worse character flaws, right?"

Seems like the housekeeper is done in the bathroom and is moving on to the bedding, if Samus wants to start with the sterilights?

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"To...be honest. I sort of forgot which idea we talked about you're mentioning." Steve kind of had a bit of a breakdown at the diner that day.

"I remember you helping me come up with a lotta stuff, but..then things got kinda heavy."

Cough, cough. Someone's just so tired of being sick and miserable and bleh. Thinking about the diner just makes him sink deeper into the chair and blanket.

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*Indeed, once housekeeping leaves the bathroom, Samus grabs one of those airplane-landing lights and goes into the bathroom to methodically shine it over every surface in there from a few inches away. She'll be a while, but if addressed in conversation (or she feels like interjecting something), she'll speak up.*

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Aw, no, no no no don't be a sad Steve. She did not mean to bring that memory up, and winces when she realizes. "I... I meant the one for Schön, dear. We were talking about it at the party? You don't have to, but I was wondering if you'd had any ideas."

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"Oh, yeah. The one for Schon. I should get to work on that if I'm going to ask him for help finding a place to live." Getting better is going to have to take priority first, because Steve doesn't even feel like sitting up straight, let alone sketching out painting ideas.

He flips through his sketchbook, staring down at the pages listlessly while he sinks deep into thought.

Sounds like quitter's talk, ya punk. You giving up that easy?

"I haven't given it much thought since the party." Steve starts again abruptly, shutting his sketchbook and twisting to meet Verity's gaze. "What did you say he liked?"

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*Samus is keeping an ear out, but has no real suggestions to offer. Verity knows the broker better than she does, after all.*

*Die, germs, die!*

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Samus just really likes killing things, doesn't she?

Verity won't press. While he's quiet she is too, helping the housekeeper make the bed and getting it ready for Steve. Those pillows are being fluffed with love.

"He likes bright colors. Not neon bright, but... rich. Intense colors. And intricate patterns. He would love the peony you painted for me. He might try and fight me for it." That's a joke, Steve. Please, give her a sympathy laugh. "You know those Dutch still lifes? He likes that sort of thing. But maybe, you'd been thinking autumnal, a big vase of branches with different color leaves instead of flowers? Or is that silly?"

She's quite nervous that it's a very silly idea, and that it's rude to even make suggestions.

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"Right! Because it's fall." Steve nods and coughs deeply, grateful to feel things loosening up but also feeling really gross because of it.

"...Mm ah!" He bolts upright and nearly falls out of the chair scrambling for a pencil. His sketchbook goes toppling to the floor along with the blanket.

"What if I had them coming out of a carved pumpkin?"

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*She has a certain set of skills, acquired over a very long career. And right now, she's using them to clean a bathroom.*

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Ver blinks in surprise when Steve jumps up. A quick word to the housekeeper gets the woman heading out; Ver can finish the bed later. "That would be cute," she agrees, although her tone suggests she's fighting the urge to tell him to sit down.

She can't fight the instinct to pick up behind him; when he comes back to his chair she's got his sketchbook and blanket waiting. "Maybe having to relax for a few days isn't so bad?"

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Don't think PreCap is going to let you get out of taking credit here, Verity. He has that smile. Usually reserved for busting heads and giving orders. It is the smile of a man who knows what he's doing.

...Promptly interrupted by another coughing fit that turns into very weak wheezing.

He's trying, bless him.

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*And Samus is back. She has a question, but she'll wait until he's done coughing to ask it.*

Steve, is the air in here too dry for you?

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...oh god, that smile. She's not prepared for the smile. Nobody is ever prepared for the smile. How come it didn't work on the girls back home? Because she's so not into him that way and her knees are still a little wobbly now.

Followup question: "Do you need your inhaler?"

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Yeah the inhaler is probably a good idea. Spirit is willing, body not so much.

"I..." Steve clears his throat after a minute. "Felt like things were starting to loosen a bit, but then it just started dripping and irritating my throat. Guess I overdid it."

Aww man, he needs to sit back down. He feels like he just ran up a flight of stairs. Which is a lot, for him.

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It's alright. It's going to take some time to get back to what you're used to. I know how tempting it is to push yourself to go faster.

*She offers him a sidelong smirk as she digs out and fills a vaporizer.*

You should see how restless I get when I'm healing from something.

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"This is sometimes the part that sucks worst," she agrees before looking to Samus. "I'm guessing you brought a humidifier. Warm or cool mist? Do I fill it from the tap, or does it need filtered water?"

Yeah, if Steve's not declining, she's just going to set it up now. It's for the best.

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"But what I was trying to say--" Steve gets back on topic and will not be dissuaded by his body's traitorous actions.

"--Is that you're a genius for coming up with the ideas for Schon's painting. It will be a great way to thank him for the party, as well as give him something decorative to enjoy. You're better at thinking like an artist than I am!"

He gives Samus a look here that clearly says 'back me up here'.

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You know what you like, and you've got good taste and good ideas.

*Which is, really, the heart of appreciating art--at least in Samus' way of thinking. Gesturing to the device she's filling, she adds an explanation for Verity.*

This is a vaporizer, you can fill it from the tap. Check the filter here every few days for mineral deposits and the like--just rinse those out. It can do warm or cool mist, warm's probably the better idea for now, just set this slider. And... on.

*Set on the nightstand, the little device hums softly, a thin cloud of warm mist wafting from its top.*

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What she's got is a horrible case of the blushing. So much blushing!

"Well, but, Steve asked me for ideas a week ago and that's all I came up with," she protests, weakly. "I'm glad you like it."

Being artistic is nothing anyone's ever accused her of. She doesn't know what to do!

Edited Date: 2015-11-12 04:35 am (UTC)

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At least she's not arguing. Steve has a pencil and his sketchbook now that he's settled back into his chair and blanket ensemble.

"...Samus? I know I can't start training yet, but...you wouldn't by chance have anything I could start reading in the meantime would you?" Verity's already given him ideas for sketches, but Steve doesn't think that alone is going to keep him from going batty if he has to spend another week recuperating.

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*She thinks about it for a moment.*

I can think of a few things it'd be a good idea to read, yes. You're still sure you want to be a soldier when you get home?

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Verity will try not to look too interested in his answer while she finishes tidying up the room. She assumes it's a yes, that it will always be a yes, but she wouldn't be upset if he changed his mind someday. He's not a soldier, he's a leader.

He just needs to learn that.

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"Absolutely. Not gonna stop trying until they take me." His jaw and mind are set on this. Hell, his heart is set on this. Even if Bucky wasn't already in, Steve would want to do this.

Protect and serve.

He knows this is what he's meant for.

"...I don't care about whatever other me is doing or has done. This isn't about obligation or fulfilling a destiny or anything like that. I want to do this."

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