Bruja

⠀↳⠀2.7

( T h i r t e e n )

"You have an interesting choice of weapons," Bucky said, nodding to her, "two red and black fans."

Maria put a hand over her heart and smiled. "Aww, I'm touched that you took notice."

He rolled his eyes. "Why those?"

She shrugged lazily. "They go along with my outfit—"

"Be serious."

She huffed as she crossed her arms. She leaned back into her seat. "In the academy, we were able to choose which weapons to work with. The fans are very sentimental to me. Working with them is like an art, a dangerous form of dancing."

The corner of his lips lifted into a slight smirk. "And you know all about dancing?"

"Of course. It helps a lot with fighting..." she looked him up and down, "and other things."

Subconsciously, he licked his lips and clenched his jaw.

Sam had to clear his throat to remind them they weren't alone. "What you did in the past after you graduated, those people you hunted down..."

"If you're worried about my past catching up and disturbing you just because you're with me," she shook her head, "don't." She poked her knee to add emphasis while continuing, "I was put in the academy because of a family tragedy that still has an impact on me to this day. I took what I was taught and put it to use by going after people who did my parents wrong one by one. Those dead red roses with thorns that were left behind? I chose those specifically so they knew it was the same person who did all of that and that I," she pointed to herself, "was coming for them. Call it a revenge story." That was still being written.

The two looked at her in awe. She fascinated them, something she didn't realize. Her story was different, yet what else was she not telling them? How was it she knew them, but they didn't know her? If her assassinations were as tragic as she made them seem, its news coverage would've been brought over to American stations. Why didn't they?

"You have holsters," Bucky pointed out, looking at them. "What do you keep in them if not your fans?" He remembered she slipped them up her sleeves instead of putting them in her pockets.

"Not only do I have my fans, I also have smoke bombs and red powder to stun my opponents. I would've used them earlier, but we were on a moving truck..."

"Wind would've ruined it."

"Yeah..." Maria thumped her fingers one by one against her lap in a repeated pattern.

"You don't actually keep your fans up your sleeves, do you?" Sam curiously asked, looking at her jacket that was resting on the bench. "You don't have pockets in there?"

She lifted her hands and flicked her wrists to reveal her opened fans resting in her palms. "Call it a magic trick." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why have holsters in the first place when you can conjure?" Bucky tilted his head with a slight scoff. If she can conjure her fans, why not also conjure the red powder and smoke bombs?

She flicked her wrists again to put her fans away. "Why do you rely on your right arm when your left one is clearly stronger?"

"I'm right-handed."

Grabbing a smoke bomb from her holster pouch, she held it up to examine, rotating it between her fingers. She threw it without warning.

His fast reflex caused him to react to catch it, except he didn't. He caught nothing. He swore he saw the device thrown at him, yet his hand was left empty. He was confused. "You threw it."