"catching stars" - 1x1.

[lavender moon]

The female didn't wake in the night. She stayed in the darkness, alone with nothing other than her horrific memories. The groaning and small whimpers didn't become louder but they stayed constant as the pain of her past came back to her. Her powers continued to work aa she slept, the leather becoming scorched and soaked in melt ice as she slept. The dreams becoming more and more vivid as she slept was what caused her powers malfunctions to occur. As the sun slowly rose from behind the trees at the edge of the meadow, she slowly woke up. When she was fully awake, she bolted straight up and yelped in fear. The young female was covered in sweat and was shaking intensely. Luka heard her yelp and bolted up from the bed. He leapt down from the comfort of the mattress and rushed out the door. He appeared in the living area as Charity was starting to breathe again. Luka walked over and lapped at her face, trying to take her focus away from the memories she had just relived in what was seemingly an endless loop. Charity huff and gave the smallest, weakest small as he came over to her. She placed a hand on his back to support herself as she stood shakily and walked into the kitchen. She got down a cup after a few tries, as she was extremely short and petit, and filled it with water. She drank it in one swig and refilled it, trying to clear her mind and rehydrate herself after sweating all night. Finally, after about 20 minutes, her breathing had slowed and she was relatively calm. he then got an apple from a bowl on the counter and walked out the back door and into the meadow to get some fresh air. She walked a few feet away from the house before collapsing into the soft, long green grass. Luka had followed her and was now laying next to her, chewing on the grass and flowers surrounding the two. She smiled and watched him with mild amusement, allowing him to distract her and calm her. She suddenly remembered what had happened to the couch and sighed deeply. She felt terrible for doing that, even though it had been an accident. "I'll learn to control it." She promised herself, almost believing it for a moment before huffing in disappointment and discouragement. She had said that before and she had had the powers for about 14 years now. If she hadn't to learn to control it yet, she doubted she ever would.

[ethium]

rogers lurched awake when luka suddenly dashed off the bed, sending the once peaceful sleeping scene into chaos at a relatively fast rate. he exhaled his eyes wide and fists gripping the covers, his heart going a mile a minute. For a moment he had assumed he was being attacked. His dreams had been empty, a black void of nothing. he had lightly slept all night, it was no where near refreshing but at least it was something. morning bird's chirping outside the window, and the splash of dawn light across the bed and worn wooden floor reminded rogers he had work to do. and a life he had to live, and though it pained him not to groan and throw a pillow over his head. possibly to sleep for a few more hours he forced himself up, and quietly dressed himself. The dogs had left before he had awoken, presumably to trek the grounds of the farmhouse. They were in their own right guard dogs after all, they kept the order on the grounds where rogers or the grandmother could not. After getting dressed and making the bed he exited the room into a quiet house. Meaning charity must have already departed to god knows where, rogers sighed and glanced out the window immediately spotting the romping german shepherd and the girl laying face down in the grass. It brought a small smile on his face to see her in an almost relaxed state, however his expression melted when he turned to see the state of the leather couch. Wet stains, scorch marks and a burnt hole that only seemed to grow the more he looked at it. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, though he was certain she wouldn't have damaged the furniture on purpose. Considering the farmhouse -and everything in it- was now his, he'd need to purchase a new couch. He bit his lip and sighed, he knew he shouldn't be mad. and he wasn't mad, he was disappointed, sure. but not mad. she couldn't control it. the couch would need to wait however, he needed to get to town and lord knows how far of a ride that'd be. He exited the back door approaching charity confidently. "i'm preparing to head to town now. Just wanted to let you know so you didn't think I just up and left ya." he stated watching luka with a faint smile before heading off towards the barn. It didn't take rogers long to saddle up samuel, or to find the saddle bag and satchel and bring it inside. He filled the satchel with an apple -or two. and stuffed a water bottle in there as well. Slipping his wallet and phone into his front left pocket he traveled back to samuel who was tied to the paddock fence just outside the barn. He whistled a soft tune that the grandmother unintentionally taught him while she was cleaning, at this samuel perked up. Clearly he had heard this song before. So rogers continued whistling as much as he could remember, as he finished tacking up the stallion he glanced around for Charity. He might as well alert her he was leaving for town now.

[lavender moon]

Charity was on her back, her eyes closed as she let the sounds around her consume her, feeling as if she might sink into the earth and become one with grass. As strange as the thought was, it didn’t bother her. The grass didn’t have any worries or anyone coming after it. Well, no one other than Luka. She on the other hand, did. She sighed deeply as she opened her eyes, letting them adjusting the the light again before sitting up. She pulled her knees to her chest and picked a daisy, saving it from Luka’s mauling. She twirled it in her hand, admiring its beauty as Steve approached her. She had heard his footsteps against the earth behind her and, normally, she would’ve turned to see whom was approaching. However, Luka had done that for her and he hadn’t growled which meant the strongest possibility, was that it was Rodgers. So she took her chances and stayed where she was. She nodded as he informed her that he would be leaving for town. She felt she should Apologize got the couch, as she had basically destroyed it, but he was gone before she could. After a few moments she heard whistling and allowed her gaze to wander in search of him. Her eyes landed on him, whistling as he prepared to ride into town. The whistling had also gained the attention of Luka. However, Steve soon lost Luka’s attention as the dog realized it wasn’t meant for him. Charity huffed once more before dragging herself to her feet and snapping her fingers so Luka would follow. She slowly made her way over to Steve and the horse. Her steps were various and silent and she only made noise when she was right behind him. “I’m sorry about the couch. I didn’t mean to... you know..” she said, addressing Rodgers but looking past him into the fields where the horse would normally be and where his donkey companion was. She was still working on her talking and people skills. Before Steve her instinct was to run whenever someone got to close or, worse, to throw a fire ball at them. So, to her, she was making good progress just living in the same house as Rodgers. She then remembered that she had promised not to become too close to Rodgers and straightened up, putting the wall back in place before saying, without emotion, “stay safe, and don’t let your guard down for anything.”

[ethium]

rogers was distracted momentarily adjusting the saddle when he heard footsteps and soon after charity's apologetic tone of voice as she expressed that she was sorry for scorching, staining and liquefying a portion of the couch. "I realize you can't control it, no worries. I'll just need to find another one, or at least get someone out here to fix it." if that's even possible at this point.. his mind instinctively added, but he didn't feel it necessary to speak it. It would only add to her guilt, so he held his tongue. As she told him to stay safe with a stiff voice he sighed. "you don't need to be guarded around me, i'm not from wherever you were from. i'm not going to turn you into SHIELD or anyone else and i'm most definitely not going to hurt you." he huffed turning around to face the girl whose expression was distant. that of a person attempting to form barriers. He couldn't help feeling hurt and slightly agitated that she continued to block herself off from him. "I realize a place where you come from might have you instinctually creating barriers, or you might feel the need to distance yourself for whatever reason you may think up. But distancing yourself, only makes matters worse. Take it from me -i know first hand what it's like throwing barriers up at the slightest chance a person could hurt me. but in the long run barriers are hard to break down, especially when you'll regret it later in life." he finished with a slight twinge of frustration. He then turned and mounted up onto samuel. With a sigh he blinked twice at the horizon before looking at the girl. "stay safe, and stay out of trouble. If anyone comes by don't answer the door, the coon dogs will let you know if it's an intruder." he finished. "there's a hunting rifle hidden under some loose floorboards under the lay out rug in the living area. If you feel you need to defend yourself without using your powers, or if luka is in danger for whatever reason." he added, you never know when you might need to defend yourself without the assistance of her powers, or if luka was injured and couldn't fight for her. The old lady had told him about the rifle's exact spot when she had gone out on business. When he had inquired why she owned a hunting rifle the sweet old lady had merely smiled and winked at him. Just in case. He then prodded samuel into a walk and off he went, starting off at a walk before moving to a trot. Getting further down the road, the farmhouse in the distance he urged samuel into a canter and off they went towards the faint silhouette of buildings in the distance.

[lavender moon]

[size=85]Her eyes softened, if only for a moment, when he adressed the wall she was building. She hadn’t expected him to comment on it at all. She had expected him to meet her in building the wall, but he seemed to want to take it down. That was extremely.. peculiar to her. All of her life she had been taught that building a wall between herself and everyone else was the only possible way to stay safe. Rodgers seem to believe otherwise. And maybe he was right. Maybe she should just let her guard down around him. He had saved her from becoming a mindless worker bee again. Still, that little nagging part of her that had told her that SHEILD was dangerous, which meant he was too, had taken over. Her eyes hardened slightly but it was already clear that the wall had taken a blow. He had caught her by surprise and that was the easiest way to demolish that evil wall. She couldn’t help but nod slightly to at least show that she acknowledged what he said as, at least, a possibility. Still, she doubted him and she doubted how strengthing trusting the right people could be. So, she didn’t respond. But anyone who was looking at her would be able to see the difference he was making. He was slowly turning her life around for the better, even though it would’ve been easier to give up on her and leave her for dead. And that’s when he told her about the gun and she realized, for the first time since they had met, that he trusted her. He really trusted her. You obviously wouldn’t tell someone where a hidden weapon was in the house where you both slept unless you sincerely trusted them. That almost sent the wall tumbling, but it would take a little more work to break it down completely. However, if he kept going at the rate he was, it wouldn’t be long. She still remained a little stiff as he mounted the horse. “Right, thank you.” She told him before watching him ride off into the distance. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in before heading to the edge of the meadow, to the forest. She looked up towards the top of a tall pine and smiled softly. It had been much too long since she had climbed a tree. In fact, she hadn’t climbed a tree since arriving in New York as she had only needed to climb them on missions and to sleep during her escape. She leapt up and latched onto a branch, pulling herself up and climbing until she was sitting on one of the top branches. She could see everything from there. The meadow, the barn, the fields beyond it, the house, even the rode. And sighed and looked down to see Luka laying down at the foot of the tree, looking out at the grass. She sat down and let the wind ruffle her hair as she watched, waiting for Rodger’s return.[/size]

[ethium]

as rogers headed into town, he noticed a couple people also on horses. It was a paved road, which wasn't the best on samuel's hooves but at least he didn't feel like such a stranger on a horse. There were farm houses littered around the town, so it made sense that they would own an equine either as transportation or for farming. He dismounted and tied samuel with a couple other horses at a specific spot just outside of town. Clearly they didn't want horses in the town, but each shop or vendor was within walking distance. The town was quaint and small, and he got thrown a couple odd looks as he passed, mainly because he was a stranger. Steve was beginning to get the feeling that strangers were uncommon in these parts. He entered the almost farmers market looking shop which had fruits on display, his eyes particularly scanning for honeycrisps. Finally his eyes landed on the sign labeled honeycrisp and he pulled the fruit basket from the side. He picked out twelve in total, making sure there was enough to last them a bit, or at least enough until he had to head back to town again. He also picked up a bunch of bananas, blueberries, strawberries and some peaches. He paid and then exited the store. Then traveled into various stores picking up either household supplies or anything else he might think up on the spot. When he was finally finished he headed back to samuel and prepared for the ride home.

meanwhile back at the farmhouse. a black SUV slowly rolls up the driveway halting a good distance away, an armed SHIELD team slowly creeps out of the bullet proof vehicle, weapons out they slowly sneak onto the property, assuming rogers and the girl are inside. They slowly surround the house before kicking down the door, rummaging through the place. they're not here.. you sure this is the right place? yes. positive. keep searching, take your search outside the house. It's imperative we find them. this is where the homing agent said a man that looked suspiciously like rogers purchased the home. it's outside where we last saw them and it's our best bet. Look for any sign of them. the men fan out and begin combing the property, meanwhile the two coon hounds have sensed the danger. Henry rushes off in search of charity while prince runs towards the town, determined to find and alert rogers. Finally henry finds charity and rushes up to her whining and barking, though his head keeps pivoting towards the farm house, afraid to make too much noise in case the men can hear. Prince is still running towards the town, having caught onto rogers scent he is in hot pursuit.

[lavender moon]

The peace and quiet felt like a blessing. She allowed her eyes to close for a few moments, knowing the peace was much, much to good to last. That’s when she heard the sounded of tires against gravel and a trail of dust clouds leaning towards the house. She was fully aware of what was happening as she watched the black, armored truck pull up and men surround the house. Rodgers coons were then seen by her as they bounced across the field towards her, Henry whining at the foot as Luka got to his paws and grilled. “Shh... shh...” she told the dog, slowly slipping down the tree, trying to be as silent as humanly possible. She snapped her fingers and crouched low to the ground. If she had made as much as one noise she knew that she would’ve been caught. He held her breathe as she slowly made her way deeper into the woods, not fearing the possibility of getting lost. Luka and the coon would easily lead her back home. And that’s when she noticed the grass moving without the breeze. The men had searched the house and knew she wasn’t home. That’s when she broke into a run. Luka was right beside her as she raced through the forest, diving under branches and leaping over logs. Her right hand was on fire, literally. Her eye was flickering the color of flames as she set a smoke trail into the air. When she realized this she held her hands together, knowing that the heat and cold would sort of balance one another. And that’s when she saw it. She was nearing a cliff that dropped straight down, at least a hundred feet. She skidded to a stop and looked around. There was no where to go. Luka had caught up to her and she grabbed the staff from her belt. She hadn’t changed since escaping a SHEILD as she had no clothing to change into, meaning her staff was still with her, which was obviously a slight advantage. And at this point, she’d take anything she could get. She heated the side furthest from her, knowing people didn’t like getting burned, and created an icicle stake on the other side that was as sharp as a dagger and then, she waited.

[ethium]

as rogers began packing his grocery's, prince charged down the road barking loudly and frantically, when he got close he began pulling on steve's pant leg. There was only one thing rogers could think of that would cause prince to behave like this. Immediately he dropped the grocery's and unhooked the saddle bag full of goodies. extra weight would slow them down. "prince. sit. guard this," he commanded dropping the bag at the hound's feet who immediately sat dutifully and watched as rogers climbed onto the horse and spurred samuel into a full on gallop. There was no time for warming up, there was only the thought of charity and the threat she was facing. They charged away kicking dust in their wake meanwhile rogers urged the stallion on who tossed his head letting out a snort. faster sam, faster we have to get to charity before they do. the stallion raced on, his breath coming in heavy puffs, the farm house just ahead. The back door could be seen by rogers, it was kicked in. oh how he prayed charity hadn't had been discovered. he then pulled samuel to a stop a distance away from the farm house, if they kicked in the doors and hadn't had found anyone maybe they could get out of this without them knowing he was ever there. Now if charity wasn't already captured where would she be? His eyes traveled across the area and paused at the woods. bingo. she'd scatter there, easy places to hide. Hard to maneuver. it's perfect. He then sprinted across the plain area creeping into the woods he snuck around tree after tree until it didn't feel like he was hiding from anyone, it felt like he was training. There was no threat he was only imagining it, until he finally heard the growl of an animal and his gaze pivoted to find charity, a man in full tactical armor crept forward, his weapon trained on charity. There was no waiting it was all instinct as rogers grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be a rock and swung it hard at the back of the guy's head. Though he wore a helmet he was momentarily distracted and let his weapon down for a second. Which rogers promptly grabbed and slammed his knee into the guys chest forcing him to fall to the ground. He then yanked the helmet off and punched him square across the temple. He was out like a light. Rogers shook his fist out and glanced at charity. "you okay? i mean i know you could have handled him but that wouldn't have been half as much fun right?" he grinned glancing at henry who charged him lapping his face with his long pink tongue. "good to see you too henry"

[lavender moon]

Charity was squaring up to the man, calculating the throw as he came into view. It was now or never. She pulled her arm back to throw when she heard a loud rustling and the faint huff of a panting horse. “What the..” she muttered as Steve attacked the man who was ready to shoot her. She didn’t let her staff arm fall but it was pretty clear that he had caught her off guard. She wasn’t exactly used to people just appearing out of no where. Not to mention she was sure he’d be in town for a while longer. She wasn’t complaining though. He had just made her job a little bit easier. That when he punched the man in the face and she winced. Okay, that was a bit much. Again though, not complaining. Henry rushed forward to greet Steve excitedly, lapping at his face as if he hadn’t seen Rodgers in years. She had to admit, it was prettty adorable. That when Luka bolted forward and knocked Steve over, lapping at his face joyfully. The dog hadn’t grasped the concept of Steve leaving the house, so when Rodgers had left for the store Luka had thought it was for good. He was clearly happy that that was not so. Charity allowed the wall to fade for a moment. A soft smile graced her lips before she realized what was going on and hardened up again. There would be more people to fight, she was sure of it. She moved Luka off of Steve and held out her hand to help him up. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She told him, looking towards the man who was moaning in pain. Red blood was dripping from his face where Steve had punched him. She was honestly surprised that he wasn’t dead as she knew Steve had super strength thanks to the news. “I don’t think he is though. And, you’re right, I could’ve handled that on my own.” She said, her tone annoyed and frustrated before softening. “But I’m glad you finally decided to join the party.” She told him. It almost sounded like it pined her to soften her tone. In a way, it did. She was terrified of hurting Rodgers and, by opening up to him and becoming his friend, the possibility of hurting him or him being used against her grew. Still, she decided to take the risk for once. Camp had taken so much from her. She wouldn’t let them take away her ability to love and be loved in return.

[ethium]

"you'd be surprised how fast a guy can move when he realizes his home is being broken into." with that he sent a glare to the guy now clutching his face. "well you deserved it." he spat as the guy glared at him. He felt slightly hurt that she thought it was a bit much. Then again, he did somewhat regret punching the guy in the face. It wasn't just for charity's protection, he had used the guy like a punching bag getting his frustration, anger and sorrow out in that one punch. to the guy's face. and with super strength he'd probably have a nasty headache. rogers sighed and rolled his eyes turning away. "you can fuss at me later we have to hide somewhere. I didn't just buy that house only to have it burnt to the ground or torn apart I need them gone." he then lead the way into the forest keeping an eye out for any more of SHIELD's goons. He felt a twinge of regret as he thought more about the SHIELD guy he had sent sprawling on the forest floor. He was just doing his job, steve of all people should know that. He had gotten carried away, and in the heat of the moment had made a decision based on his emotions. Not on tactical strategy and that was something steve regretted most. He had to be smart when fighting, not impulsive. The more he thought about it the more it wedged its way under steve's skin. He felt his emotions close off instinctively, as things did when he got stressed out or frustrated at himself or others. Finally his eyes settled on a cave, at the base of the cliff, it was relatively sheltered and would keep them out of sight. "there." he pointed the location out to charity and began the decent as carefully as possible. He wouldn't be of any use to anyone if he broke something on his way down to a hiding spot.