"catching stars" - 1x1.

[lavender moon]

She watched him as he prepped himself to fight. Luka growled and snapped his jaws, drool dripping from them. That was something rare. Luka only drooled when he was ready to do some damage to someone. And that only happened when he felt Charity was being threaded. “Luka, back off.” She commanded, not even looking towards him. Luka didn’t need to be told twice. He stopped snapping and took a single step back but stayed tense, ready to attack at a moments notice. “I don’t believe you’ve answered my question, so I will ask again, who. Are. You? And what do you what?” She asked, glaring at him, and if looks could kill he would’ve been long gone. “Don’t make me ask you a third time.” She told him, raising her staff again, her hand heating the metal to the half way point until it was red hot while the other half began frosting over her her right hand. Her eyes flicked as they changed colors. Her right eye seemed to hold oceans of ice in it while the other held raging, roaring fires. Though her eyes remained emotionless her powers showed how she truly felt. If she was forced to be honest, she was terrified. The idea of harming or killing again terrified. She had sworn to her friend Rose when they escaped together that she would never kill or harm again unless she had no other choice to. Was she really prepared to hurt this man? Whoever he was? Luka clearly would have no problem attacking him, but could Charity? She had tried so hard to separate herself from the life she had had for sixteen years. The life that she had been sold and forced into. There was no way she was going back to that. Then again, this man had tried to break into her apartment and seemed ready to do some damage himself, so was it justified? What if he sprang at her and she hesitated? No. She was strong. He had started this battle and if anyone was to walk away from it, it would be her. “Who sent you? Who do you work for?” She asked as Luka paced behind her, keeping his body low to the ground, growling in a deep way.

[ethium]

"rogers. steve rogers." he answered blandly his voice emotionless as he watched the dog pace. Then his gaze flickered to the
girl who's powers were beginning to show. It was safe to say he was a bit intimidated, though he'd never show nor admit that.
"SHIELD. i work for SHIELD." perhaps if he cooperated he could get her calmed down, the last thing he needed right now was
half of him frosted the other roasted. "what's your name? the file really wasn't that specific." he asked keeping his stance firm
with his shield between him and the girl. He would be capable of blocking the blow, and possibly capable of scaling the wall if
he needed to get leverage on her, provided he was losing the fight that she appeared determined to start. "and do you work for
someone?" he questioned turning his gaze back on the pacing pooch. The dog would be an issue, he didn't want to hurt the animal
but couldn't see a way out if she decided it was worth her time to attack him. She was already provoked and steve had given her
good reason as well, he had broken into her apartment and invaded her space without prior notice. Steve would be the same way
and considering they had only assigned him to fetch her because of her similarities to barnes. Little did they know the only reason
he had been capable of keeping barnes in check was their past together. This entire situation was littered with uncertainties and
suspicion, why SHIELD even wanted her was beyond rogers. He usually questioned every single order given to him, and the one time
he decided not to was the one time he should have. Today was another day to regret his decisions. Perhaps he should have left this
poor girl alone when he had the chance. She didn't appear to be an immediate threat, he had to break down her door to get her to
react like this, if she was this worked up over him he couldn't even imagine what she must have been through.

──────────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────────

[lavender moon]

Relief flooded through her body like a massive wave of hope. The name didn’t sound familiar, and no one from the lab would dress in such a way. Maybe she really had nothing to be afraid of. Her tense muscles relaxed and the metal began to cool and the frost melted away. She let her staff drop to her side but she kept it close, ready to pick it back up and use it at any moment. This man was different from any agent she’d ever run into. S.H.I.E.L.D... she had heard that name before. But where? Oh! When she had gone into Times Square for the first, and last, time. It was showing on one of the huge screens. It was seemingly like the police or something? She didn’t know much about them. All she knew was that, if whatever he said was true, he was a good guy. He probably thought she was the bad guy.Oh god. She had basically threatened a Shield agent and now... she sighed. “Easy Luka. Easy bus.” She told him. The dog cocked his head at her and immediately relaxed from her tone. She didn’t seem to be in such a panic state which meant the danger must’ve passed to him. He padded over like a stage horse and sat beside her, looking up at Steve as if sizing him up. He certainly wasn’t wagging his tail, but at least he was growling like he was about to go after someone. “What Good is my name to you? You don’t need it. I’m sure this is all some big understanding. You’ve come to the wrong person.” She told him, now convinced he had followed the wrong trail. The way she said it was almost threatening. It was as if she was daring him to tell her that she was wrong and that it was her he was looking for. She noticed how he looked at Luka and looked at him with a very serious look. “I work for no one. And if you so much as touch my dog I will make sure you can’t walk for the next month.” She said, completely serious about that as well. No one messed with Luka. He was her only friend. Her only family. “Why did they send you here?” She asked, curious as to why he followed her in the first place.

[ethium]

"no, i'm fairly certain i'm not here because of a mistake. your abilities just confirmed my suspicions." he sighed and
relaxed his stance as she did, placing his shield on his back. "relax ma'am i have no intention of harming your canine,
so long as he doesn't harm me." he set a pointed look at the pooch before returning his gaze to the girl." SHIELD merely
requested I retrieve you, the reason why is beyond me but if you request it i'm certain I can find out soon enough."
he felt himself instinctively glance at the end of the alleyway, half expecting his escort to sprint down the pavement
guns blazing ready to kill the girl on sight. "if you'll please come with me, we don't have to go through with this the
hard way, you can even bring your dog so long as he doesn't hurt anyone. I don't know if you'll be gone for long but if
you will, i'll ask someone to come and retrieve your things. " he put a hand out, as if he was consoling a wild animal
"that's only if you agree to come with me alright, choosing the alternative won't be good for anyone. There are many
people who would like to see you dead. SHIELD can help keep you off their radar, but only if you let us help." he said
repeating the spiel that had been branded into his brain since the moment he joined SHIELD. though he didn't know if
what they said was the entire truth, he had to make it as believable as possible but he did know that if anyone tried
to hurt the girl, he'd snap them in a heart beat. She was innocent and frightened, though she wouldn't show it not in
his presence.

──────────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────────

[lavender moon]

She pulled her hand closer to her body as she looked at him, as if his touch would burn her severely, even though he was incapable of being burned. (It’s like that one scene in Pocahontas when she first means John Smith, just to give you a visual.) “Retrieve?” She repeated almost scoffing at the fact that he almost made her believe that someone was truly wanted to help. “I am not some prize or object to be retrieved. You can go back to your agency and tell them I’m not interested and that I will not be joining them. As for Luka, he only attacks if he senses a poor sense of character, ill-intended, or a threat. You’ve seemed to trigger one of those things in him, so which are you, Mr.Rodgers? What reason have you given me to trust you? You’ve broken into my apartment. Is that normally how you introduce yourself to people?” She asked. Part of her questioning him so much was to give her time to think up a way to escape. She knew now for a fact that someone would be waiting on the street for her and she knew better than to try and run past an agent to escape. Her eyes flickered over to the wall. She could easily scale that building and make her way to her abandon gym. At least she knew that she would be safe there. Not to mention she was the only one to know about that and Luka would know just where to find her as he obviously couldn’t run up the buolding with her. She looked back to Rodgers and locked eyes with him. Her grey eyes were intense and fierce. They showed she wasn’t one the be messed with. She urged her powers to emerge. She needed them about know to defend herself in case more agents blocked her way, of course they wouldn’t obey. She huffed in annoyance and held her staff in a defensive way again, Luka following her and beginning to growl softly again.

[ethium]

rogers grit his teeth and ran a hand over his face. "i only broke into your apartment, after you decided not to answer
me, in the civilized way and jumped out the window. I tried to be diplomatic, but I work for people, I have a job. and
they won't be ignored so i followed orders and proceeded to break into your apartment. That was only after you
decided to ditch it in the first place." he huffed keeping his voice as calm as possible, though it was somewhat clear
he was getting impatient, he was never good at dealing with these types of situations, especially when the person was
being clearly unreasonable, he had only asked for them to talk and here she was ready to throw down with him. Wait
until she knew the trouble she'd be in if she decided to throw hands with captain america, though with her abilities it
put him at a rather unfair advantage, he'd size her up and take her out like any other opponent. He glanced at the dog
again. "If he attacks me, i'll attack him so i suggest calling him off." he warned, his voice thick and dropping low. "you
don't want to start a fight, i understand your scared but starting a conflict will only make matters worse. Many already
fear people like you, why would you make this harder on yourself by starting an unnecessary conflict? SHIELD is here to
help-" he bit his lip "-more or less." he sighed, it seemed like the more he spoke the worse this situation would turn out,
he was practically pleading her to understand. Starting a fight would start a chain reaction, likely ending up with her and
her canine sedated or taken out by the three teams he had surrounding the block. They had covered every exit, if she
tried to escape she'd come to SHIELD whether she liked it or not. If she chose the violent route SHIELD would be hesitant
on trusting her, and there goes any rights she might have had. She had a choice, and steve was willing her to choose the
right one.

──────────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────────

[lavender moon]

Her grey eyes seemed to soften a bit. The wall blocking the world from her emotions seemed to become less secure as she took his words into consideration. She reached to Luka and placed her hand on him. “Easy Luka. Easy.” The last thing she wanted was for her dog to get hurt and she didn’t want him to get into a fight right now anyways. Luka took her words and seemed to visibly relax, but he still held his position. Rodgers made it clear that if she ran they would chase her. She looked to the street and back towards him. He probably had teams of people waiting to catch her if she tried to make a run for it. She relaxed more and put her staff at her side. “Alright. I’ll go. On two conditions, I will only go if Luka comes with. And you are to be the only person to escort me.” She said, looking down and the dog who was now between her and Steve, adding some protection in case Charity decided that he was a threat. “I don’t want anyone else escorting me in or near me.” She said. Charity would never have admitted it aloud, but Rodgers had managed to gain some of her trust. However, that didn’t mean anyone else had. SHEILD didn’t even have her trust yet. Until she could really get to know the situation and what was going on she would only stay near Steve. It was easier for her that way. She was less likely to get hurt or hurt anyone else. And with her powers acting up so much lately... it was better if she didn’t get to close to anyone. She didn’t plan on running at this point. Rodgers didn’t seem to want to hurt her and he had made it pretty clear that he would only hurt her if she struck first. She had already given him reason to attack her, but he hadn’t. That made her feel a little better about him. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. She was a pretty curious person and thought a lot but for once she might be able to get answers. “How does SHEILD know about me? And what do they want with me?” She asked. Once he gave her answers she would cooperate and go with him. For all she knew she was being lured into a trap, but this man hadn’t lied to her yet, or so it seemed, so why would he start now?

[ethium]

he curtly nodded, "i can agree to those terms." he then paused, pondering the answer to her final question which
left him a bit puzzled, but he would give her his best guess. "well i'd assume they want to keep you safe or ask
where you come from, we don't get very many enhanced individual's on SHIELD radar's so i'd assume the good
graces of one would be a tremendous benefit to SHIELD. though that all depends on your cooperation, to be
honest this is the one time i haven't asked questions above my pay grade. Knew i should have payed a bit more
attention." he teased with a light smile which in turn relaxed his stance and nerves. There was no reason to be
tense anymore the danger, it seemed for now had passed. "Give me a moment please while I inform my escort of
these terms," he dipped his head as he turned away and walked half-way down the alley pressing his index finger
to the side of the com. Rogers here, checking In. She's agreed to a set of term's that she's placed. I'm to walk her
into SHIELD and me alone, no one else can be around or escort her. She's insistent and serious I don't think it would
be wise to try and negotiate, we should take the terms we have. he paused as instant chatter from an outraged
escort head battered his ears. I know, I know it's not ideal. I think this is also time to mention she insists she brings
along her german shepherd. the canine we knew about in the folder. he sighed as more angry shouting came from
the com. Listen it wasn't my idea okay, she came up with the terms on her own. Unless you want this mission to be a
failure you'll agree to her terms. finally the angry shouting ceased and slowly turned into a grumble and then faded
completely. Finally the head of his escort agreed to the terms, and called ahead to SHIELD headquarters. He'd leave a
vehicle for him and the girl and the other escort's would leave the surrounding area. SHIELD was now busy getting ready
for their new guest. With a sigh he turned back to the girl and approached her. "Well, the escorts have left a vechile for
us, but they've assured me they're out of the area. If you have any suspicions feel free to take it up with the head of my
escort I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any questions you might have in a very obnoxious and typically loud tone." he
grinned. "shall we? or did you want to pick up some things from your apartment before we head off? We have time to
spare." he offered watching her intently, so long as she made no move to attack him he'd be as comfortable as he could
possibly be to someone who could easily frost or fry him in eight different ways in a matter of minutes.

──────────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────────

[lavender moon]

This received her of so much stress in so many different ways. Maybe one day she would really have to put up a fight for her freedom but today, today was not that day. And she was forever greatful for that. She nodded as he moved off to inform his team of her conditions. She knelt down bused Luka and clicked her tongue. “Hey, focus boy. Eyes on me. I’m safe now. We’re safe. No need to worry. We’re safe.” She said, holding his large, furry head in her hands as his warm, brown eyes looked into her grey ones. His budged her with his nose until she gave him and hug, allowing the big puppy to feel safe and at ease. He was such a puppy, until she was in danger. It seemed he was ready to repay her for her acts of kindness towards him. She thought back to when she first found him. She was sitting outside of a store, a few miles away from New York City. The long-haired, stocky, muscled German Shepherd has been anything but those things when they first met. His ribs had shown through his matted, itchy coat. His eyes were full and sad. Then he had been just like her, homeless and hopeless. Charity had managed to get herself a small meal from the manager of the store and was then eating it on the steps. The moment her eyes settled on him she softened immediately. It took a while but she eventually gained his trust by feeding him and cleaning him up. From that moment on they went everywhere together. She had saved his life but he had saved her as a person. He was the one to soften her up and show her the world in a way she’d never experienced before. Now she was free to see the world, no bars on the windows, no fighting for your life, no experiments that left you sick and weak. Of course, she still wasn’t completely free. Regular nightmares and flashbacks proved to her that she was still trapped in a way. Always on the run, always terrified of knocking sounds and the unknown. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rodgers making his way back over. She stood up a almost smiled. Just a little bit. “There’s nothing in there that I’ll miss. Let’s go.” She said, not thinking to much about the fact that they would have to ride in a vehicle, and she just so happened to be terrified of cars and any vehicles for that matter. She didn’t mention that though. She’d be fine... or so she thought...

[ethium]

he led her across the street and to the waiting vehicle. He opened the driver's and gestured to the driver side.
He then proceeded to pull himself into the car, and start up the engine. Steve turned to check and make sure
the dog was comfortable in the back seat and then pulled on his seat belt like any responsible driver. "ready?"
he asked sending a small glance at the girl before driving off, the com in his ear would give him directions to
the SHIELD quarters they were supposed to be meeting at. It wasn't long before they arrived, the SHIELD
hq looked vast in front of the small vehicle. "try not to be intimidated by outward appearances, SHIELD really
isn't that bad once you overlook the whole previously hydra thing." he muttered, mostly to himself but it was
loud enough for her to hear. He then led the way, of course nothing could be done about the stream of agents
in and out of the building, they were doing normal things following orders and doing their jobs. "relax. they're
just working their regular job's they're not here as an escort or whatever you may be thinking." he added quietly
as he walked beside her keeping his gaze firm, a few agents even nodded in his direction. It was honestly hard
not to notice a red, white and blue clad super soldier along with a girl and her german shepherd who looked like
he could take any one of these agents out without a second thought. "through there." through those doors awaited
someone who would likely be capable of answering all of her questions without a second thought. He knocked three
times on the door, and waited until a come in, Mr. Rogers was uttered. He entered with the girl on his tail. "Good
morning ma'am, i'm here with the girl you requested. Her name is still to be discovered." he said rather stiffly his
nerves once again getting the better of him in the presence of a Superior. She was a tough woman who had earned
steve's respect long ago and had risen to the top of SHIELD rather easily when HYDRA was discovered in their midst.
of course rogers.. it's nice to see you complete your missions in a timely manor as always, now. She then turned
to the girl, what's your name dear? I'm terribly sorry for the rather rude intrusion, we just weren't entirely certain
what we were dealing with. Didn't know if you were dangerous or if you were civilized enough to work alongside us.
the woman smiled sweetly at the girl beside rogers meanwhile steve remained stock still his gaze elsewhere, he was
merely waiting on the moment he'd be excused from this dreaded meeting. Any meeting with his superior was always
stressful for the super soldier, despite his long history with openly disobeying those above him he dared not challenge her.

──────────────────
steven grant rogers.
captain america.
──────────────────
bold= superior talking.