7600/Ebb and Flow

Ebb and Flow
Date of Scene:	29 August 2021
Location:	Quantum Energy Chamber on the Milano
Synopsis:	Fin and Ava retreat to a private corner, where Fin discovers more about Ava's past and just why she is the way she is.
Cast of Characters:	Ava Starr, Finley Ellison

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Ava Starr has posed:
Finding privacy on the Milano is difficult. Nebula left the door to the cockpit open and it took almost no time before the sounds of others stirring invaded the common room. All of which added up to Ava deciding retreat was the better part of valour.

Thus, a brief time later, Ava draws Finley into the tarp cloaked QEC and closes the door behind them, gaining some modicum of privacy. She looks around at the spare space, it's design suited to its function, and purses her lips slightly. "You know," she says speculatively, her hand lingering in Finley's. "Maybe I could learn to create blinds or something for this thing. Something that could be fastened to the shell and retracted when I actually need to use the lensing." Less risk, that way, of someone pulling the tarp away for funsies.

It helps really, that everyone is preoccupied by the Racoon's condition. Less risk of pranks.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"That could be very useful," Finley says with a grin. She lets her fingers intertwine with Ava's. "There's not at lot of privacy...I mean, we could find an empty bunk, I guess, if you're really worried. But..." she touches the the glass walls with her unoccupied hand. "It's nice to still have something familiar, so far from home.."

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava's smile is small and a little lopsided, but she nods her agreement. "I suppose," she says, a hint of a gleam in her eye, "it's a good thing I can make things go invisible."

She glances to the glass walls, darkened by the heavy cloth. "Do you miss it? Earth?" Home.

She'd always heard astronauts say that leaving the planet really changes a person's perspective. Now, she understands why.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"I haven't really had the time to," says Finley. She shakes her head slightly. Then, "Can I say something sappy?"

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava arches a brow at the request. She gives a silent nod, masking her apprehension by saying nothing. Her expression, however, displays curiosity and perhaps a hint of amusement that the woman would even ask. Somehow, she expects Finley to just blurt such things out, even though Finley has usually been quite careful in what she's said to Ava in the past.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Well, um, I mean, how could I miss it when you're here?" Finley says. "Because, I mean, because, well, because you're my world." She's turned bright red as she stammers through the statement. She looks at Ava, eyebrows raised, almost pleading.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava's breath catches in her throat and she ends up with almost a deer-in-headlights look flashing across her face for a very brief moment. She's simply not used to anyone reacting to her that way.

It's not like she's had very many relationships in her life.

Ultimately, however, she recovers with a smile and pulls Finley to her to give her a gentle hug, despite the fact that betrays the uptick of her pulse.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Too much? That was too much," Finley whispers into her hair. "I knew it. I'm sorry."

She holds Ava close. Her hands gently stroke the other woman's back.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava shakes her head slightly. "No, it's just..." She draws a fuller breath in through her nose, tension in her body. "Fin, I..." The breath escapes her, a frustrated sound, and she ends up phasing right out of Finley's embrace, retreating to the opposite side of the small chamber. It's only two steps away. Might as well be two hundred.

She turns away at first, but then slowly turns back, her expression a knot of apprehension, confusion, and something more raw than either. "You... I..." So many false starts to what she thinks she needs to say. Her expression screws up for a moment and then her words come out in a rush. "People don't get attached to me, Finley. It doesn't happen. It's not safe and... and..." And she really doesn't know how to make it work. "No one can deal with my level of pain."

Finley Ellison has posed:
As Ava slips through her fingers, Finley takes a step back. And takes a deep breath. She leans against the wall next to the bench. She manages to control her expression enough to not raise a sardonic eyebrow. "Ava..."

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava's expression turns almost derisive, though it's not directed at Fin. "Finley... Up until a handful of weeks ago--" that is, when Phyla did something to stabilize her just enough to buy her a few more months of time-- "I was in so much pain I could hardly see straight. My days were spent either in this thing or my suit, trying to find something -- anything -- to make the pain go away. I've tried every piece of tech I could find. I've tried drugs and alcohol. I've tried exotic treatments and medications no one has any business selling. Hell, I've even tried all that new age state of mind shit." She snirks at that. "And trust me, it is total bullshit."

She shakes her head. "The longest relationship I ever had in my life lasted six months -- which sounds a lot longer and a lot nicer than it was and felt like an eternity by the time I shoved the asshole into the path of a fucking tank."

She crosses toward Finley, becoming tangible enough to grab at her hands again. Or else to pull Finley into intangibility. It could be either, and neither of them would know. "I don't want to end up hurting you, Finley. I... You're different than everyone one else I've ever met. You're good."

Finley Ellison has posed:
"I know. I was there, remember?" Finley says from her position across the room. "Not for all of it Ava, but for the end. I was there. I know what it was like for you. And I'm still here. I mean, I'm half way across the universe. With you."

When Ava takes her hand, Finley blushes. "I don't expect either of us to get this perfect. But I think you're amazi...."Then Finley processes Ava's exact words. "Did...did you murder your ex?"

Ava Starr has posed:
"To be fair," Ava says, her brows creasing more with guilt and consternation than anger or resentment, "I've murdered a lot of people, Finley. SHIELD trained me to be an assassin..."

She lets out a heavy breath and lets go of Finley's hands again. "But, no. Unfortunately, it didn't kill him. And, in my defense, he turned out to be HYDRA scum." A beat. "But, then, pretty much everyone I worked with did, so..." She scrubs her face with her hands.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Hey," Finley says as Ava rubs at her eyes, "hey, shhh. Shhhh, shhh. It's okay." She wraps Ava in her arms again. "I mean, assassin. You kill people. I get it. It's okay. I just wanted to make sure that that wasn't your signature breakup move."

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava shakes her head, leaning it against Finley's shoulder briefly. "No. But he really was a bastard, you know." A beat. "Most of them were." Not that there are many. Hell, there aren't even a lot of one-night-stands in a remote port-of-call before or just after mission evac. She's not about to say that, however.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"I believe you." Finley kisses Ava's temple. "Not all of my exes were great people either. Not HYDRA, at least not that I know of. But regular awful." She strokes Ava's hair. "So you track record isn't the greatest. So what?"

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava winces. Her face turned away, she breathes through her anxiety. "Where did you grow up?" she asks softly. The question probably sounds like it comes out of left field. She straightens and backs slowly toward the bed -- simply because it's the most comfortable piece of furniture in the room. She draws Finley with her, hand trailing down her arm, until she reaches her hand.

When she sits, she pushes herself back against a cool glass wall, her knees bent in front of her chest, though her hand stays on Finley's.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley follows Ava to the bed and settles next to her. She looks down at their hands, fingers entwined. And the she looks back up at Ava. "California," Finley tells her. "The Bay Area." And then after a beat. "Why?"

Ava Starr has posed:
"I grew up in a lab," Ava replies. "I still don't actually know where it was. Until I went to the Academy, the only other people I dealt with were researchers and trainers. And even when I went to the Academy, I was transferred to a specialized program and a remote campus in Northern Europe." One that was, she suspects now, probably actually run by HYDRA. "I was largely isolated from the other cadets." She glances sidelong at her friend. "Playdates weren't part of my childhood."

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley grins. It wrinkles the bridge of her nose. She looks down for a second laughing silently to herself. And then. "I was homeschooled, Ava. I grew up in a lab too. My mother's. And my father's. You don't end up with a PhD before you can drink by having a normal childhood. And before you say anything, I know it's not the same." She holds up her hand in protest. "But I didn't exactly have playdates either. Nobody wants to be friends with the girl who tries to the physics of soccer to the other six year olds on the team. I did not make it through a whole season."

Ava Starr has posed:
"Did your parents love you?" Ava studies Finley's face as she asks the question. Because, no. It's not the same.

Still, she can concede to some overlap. "It's different if you want to be in the lab. I just wanted a cure so I could leave. Now..." She lifts up the bands on her wrist, "it doesn't really matter if I ever find a cure." And, in that moment, it's clear those bands are more like cuffs in her mind's eye.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"Yeah. They did," says Finley. "I was lucky. I know that. They're great parents. They taught me a lot. Which is how I know that you're a pretty amazing person, Ava Starr."

She leans against the glass. And then tugs Ava into her lap. "You aren't alone anymore. You've got me."

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava lets herself be pulled towards the younger woman, though the tension doesn't really leave her body. What is she doing here? Really? And with this girl? No one can be this optimistic. Can they?

She doesn't give voice to any of her doubts. Doesn't dare. Her fingers curl against Finley's hip and her eyes stare at the cloth beyond one of the glass walls.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"I'm sorry that I freaked you out," Finley says, brushing Ava's hair out of the woman's face. Her had comes to rest, cupping Ava's cheek."I know that your life has been pretty shitty up to now. And I know that my...*enthusiasm* can be a lot. But I like you, Ava. And nothing I've seen has scared me off yet. So what are you so afraid of?"

Ava Starr has posed:
"I don't know," Ava says softly. It's a lie. But she's not ready to give it voice. "This... isn't me. I'm just... so tired." So starved for human contact. "I just have a hard time believing any of this is real."

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley leans over and kisses Ava. "I'm real," she says. "I'm here. See, you can feel me.' She lets her hand drift lazily to rest on Ava's torso. She gives the woman's waist a little squeeze.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava closes her eyes as Finley kisses her. She smiles a little. "I've never been with anyone when I didn't have to concentrate to stay tangible," she admits. "I don't know if it's what Phyla did or it's these damned bands." But... she does like it. She didn't realize just how much she missed touch.

Finley Ellison has posed:
"That must have been really difficult." Finley's fingers find a thin strip of skin peeking out from Ava's clothing and just lets them rest there, skin on skin. Heat pulses from the contact points. "Guess I'm a lucky girl."

Ava Starr has posed:
"No," Ava says, looking up into Finley's eyes. "I am." She gives a small smile and brushes Finley's cheek with light fingers before she draws her down into a light kiss that deepens quickly and leaves her both breathless and perhaps with a little less tension in the end.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley eases down so that she and Ava are gently entangled on the bed. She looks into the woman's eyes. "You're lovely," she breathes. And she kisses Ava again.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava returns the renewed kiss. She's convinced Fin just might be crazy, but she's disinclined to argue at the moment. She's not lovely. She's a walking time bomb that's had its fuse lengthened a little. But the feel of Finley's body wrapping around hers is enough to push the thoughts just a little further away.

She pulls back and smirks at the young blonde. "You're out of this world." Yes. There is some playfulness returning to her tone, given just how very far away they are from any world.

Finley Ellison has posed:
Finley giggles and ducks her head to hide her blushing. And then kisses the base of Ava's throat. Because well, it's right there in front of her and very kissable.

She wants to say a million things. She wants to tell Ava just how touchable she is, how good she feels. But words only seem to get her into trouble. Best to keep her mouth busy in other ways.

Ava Starr has posed:
Ava has never been big on words. The fact she's said as much as she has is very telling about the trust she's developed in Finley. And maybe all of this is nothing more than a need to release the stress of being in space. Who knows?

Except, of course, she hopes not. This isn't how Ava tends to release stress. For her, stress relief usually comes in the form of aggression therapy. But this... this isn't at all a bad substitute.

Thus, talking falls by the wayside and, for just a little while, she lets herself get lost in touches that don't bring pain of any sort.

The future will take care of itself.