Secretive - Bucky Barnes

26 || Choice

[Nova]
»That is- that-... Wait, who are you?« Thor mumbles under his breath, his anger blown away by the sudden change of situation. Everyone else, including myself, is taken aback, too, but James. James simply stands beside me now, grinning knowingly from one ear to the other as if always having been aware of the fact I could lift Mjolnir.

Nobody else says a word, several jars still hanging ajar from shock, widened eyes blinking in puzzlement. »My name's Lilith Callan.« I answer, voice as steady as always as I walk towards the God. I mean, Thor knows me, the old me - did I change enough for him not to recognize me? Did he see meanwhile so mang faces he just does not remember?

He is at least a head taller than me, more even, making it almost impossible to play level with him. My inferiority tingles through every of my veins, but I cannot let it be shown. A good bluff mostly wins the game. »But you can call me Nova.«

Raising my arm, I hand the Hammer back to its owner. It does not exactly feel much different from usual hammers but for its difference in weight, and neither did I feel extremely powerful holding it. Not more powerful than I am anyways, that is. Only the tips of my fingers felt the slight pulsing of energy, of lightning and thunder, of a great force within it, merely recognizable if someone paid attention, or, as in my case, has improved senses. Nonetheless, there is the awareness of being able to sent down the greatest storm if I only was willing to do it. »And I think that energy eruption is to blame on me. All fine, as you see. No need to worry.« I try a gentle smile, try to ease him, but his shoulders are still as stiffened as they were when he had stalked into the room furiously.

»Wait a second. Why didn't we get anything from that creepy eruption?« Sam interrupts our conversation, making both our heads turn towards the black-skinned man. 

He wears a grey shirt today, it seems like being washed for two-hundred times already, and a black pair of jeans. Eyebrows narrowed in a dangerously tingling confusion, he focuses on me. 

»What did you do?« Natasha asks, repeating Thor's introducing question.

I face her, blue eyes meeting brown-golden ones. Both cold as a corpse. »Somehow, this change needed to take place, didn't it?« I mean, where would I possibly be able to know from I created some quake reaching thousands and thousands of miles through the galaxy?

»So, it wasn't Loki?« the God to my left rumbles from above, almost underneath his breath like a huge weight just vanished from his heart.

I really should look after the person – or God? Whatever – I made a deal with.

»That eruption goes on my account, I think, yes. Although I can't tell for sure. I kinda, well, went through a little time I did not really get anything from the surface.« No need to tell them I went unconscious for now. Natasha could get some nasty ideas.

Lowering his head, Thor looks down onto his Hammer, deeply sunken into thoughts. »And he hasn't been here, either?«

Biting my own tongue, I remember what I am mad about with everyone in this room except Thor. His usual absence makes him excludable. A moment of pure black silence slips, and I sigh when I look up at him, not deciding whether to focus on his brown, or his blue eye. »I didn't say that, did I?«

One more time, all eyes on me. This time even James's. It makes me uncomfortable, knowing I spared that detail last night willingly. Glancing anywhere but at him, the only person a little softer than cool steal is Steve, sending me waves of support through the mirror of his soul. I take them in gladly, unaware of needing them in the first place. Maybe James would have done the same if I only gave him a chance to do so. »But he's gone now anyways, so why don't we keep up on that mission thing we were talking about?«