Girl At War

Learning the Avengers - 11

The group of people, who Eloyse had learned were called the Avengers, were easy to stay with. Eloyse quickly learned all their main personalities that day while Tony worked fixing the crashed jet. Natasha liked her personal space, Clint loved pranks, Tony bossed everyone around, Bucky was moody, Thor was jovial and polite, Pietro and Wanda were dedicated to each other, and Bruce tended to be shy and nervous. They had mentioned someone else several times also, a certain "Cap". They seemed to have a high regard for this person, and Eloyse wondered where he was. When she ventured the question on Clint, he gave her a side-stepping reply, saying Cap would be back soon, and then he wouldn't speak another word on the subject.

Eloyse also discovered the funny quirks of some of the team members. When unexpectedly scared or woken roughly from a nap, Clint's hands would automatically go to the position of a drawn bow. Natasha was not a person to scare accidentally, and definitely not on purpose; that was learned the hard way. When nervous, Bruce would rub his round things on his shirt and put them back on. This fascinated the Hopian to no end. She hung around Bruce, waiting for him to take them off until Natasha noticed.

"What are you doing?"

Eloyse flinched at the unexpected sound of her voice. "Nothing." she innocently replied.

Natasha frowned. "Then why are you staying near Bruce like this?"

"Oh, I am?" Eloyse feigned surprise. "Sorry." She ducked away into the trees before Natasha could question her further. Bruce watched her go, then came over to Natasha, pulling his glasses off.

"Thanks. She's a nice kid, but occasionally she just pricks up like a curious kitten at me. It's driving me nuts!"

Natasha nodded. "What I don't figure is how she walks so quiet. I've almost killed her twice 'cause of that. Wonder what Steve'll think of her... She makes me uneasy too, keeps looking at my hair." Nat shifted her eyes as if she could look at her own hair. It failed, and drew a small grin from Bruce. 

"You know you look ridiculous when you do that?" He pushed his glasses back on.

"Thanks." Natasha grimaced, yet her eyes smiled. She ambled away. What she didn't see was Eloyse, lurking in the trees a few feet from where the two had been talking. The girl was a master woodsman, even among her people. Everybody on Hopea could walk silently, follow a track, and blend in nearly invisible with their natural surroundings. Eloyse held her breath and averted her gaze when Bruce gave a searching look in that direction. At last he walked away, and Eloyse exhaled in relief. She slid away from her hiding spot, heading for Damian. She had to make some arrows, and she figured now a good time. 

Tony, Buck, and Clint were laboring over the crashed jet. Thor and Pietro were trying to help Wanda make supper, and failing utterly. Natasha and Bruce had been talking, but now the doctor was headed for Tony and Natasha was on the warpath to chase away the boys and give Wanda peace. 

Eloyse grabbed her saddle and headed for her horse. They shouldn't miss her if she wasn't gone long.
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Everyone was eating when Eloyse returned. They'd scattered out searching a bit, but quickly gave up when Hawkeye pointed out her gear was still present, although the horse and tack were gone. Most were sitting in their favorite spots in the clearing, while Tony, Natasha, and Bruce opted to sit on the benches in the jet. Everyone jumped when Eloyse ghost-like appeared with Damian in tow. She dropped her arrows in the spot she'd set up her bed and began unsaddling her horse, moving stiffly.

Clint got to his feet, ambling over. Somehow, being the first to encounter Eloyse gave him a sense of responsibility to keep an eye on her. "Where you been?" he kept his tone casual, and not prying. Eloyse jerked the saddle off, causing Damian to flinch.