verb.
To come or go back to a place or person.
noun.
The firing of a weapon to counter a shooter's shot.
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They recoiled from their pasts, and in doing so found each other.
But the universe isn't kind enough to let a moment of peace last.
It took se...
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Before they had been offered sanctuary in the African nation, Kat had known virtually nothing about Wakanda – even now, her bank of knowledge was embarrassingly slim. Now that she actually stood within the borders of the nation, her Kimoyo bracelet had linked up with the national closed network, giving her access to a full database of information on the country's history, which she had been trying to comb through in her free moments. Oddly enough though, she had been having trouble with forcing her mind to focus when it was still ringing with thoughts of agonised blue eyes.
She knew enough to know life in Wakanda didn't begin and end with the palace and the city though. That gave her hope, because as beautiful, advanced and lively as that world was, it wasn't quiet. It wasn't familiar, and it didn't offer the freedom and calm that Bucky needed to recover. Even the silent, comfortable bedroom in the palace that she had left him in the night before wasn't right. As welcoming as it was, it had been too polished. Too unfamiliar. Which was why they had been offered somewhere outside all of that.
Shuri had told her the story of the five tribes, she knew the wide and sprawling country was filled with vibrant communities – one of which was the River tribe. Not quite as scattered as the border tribe, the people of the community were dispersed between larger villages and smaller settlements, along the banks and islands of Amanzi Kwakhona Umlambo – the major river that snaked through the country, boasting the dramatic Warrior Falls to the south. The River Tribe were largely concerned with Wakanda's agriculture and fishing industry, rather than trade, mining or defence, which made for a slightly quieter life than other regions could offer.
Which was probably why Shuri had found a place for Kat and Bucky amongst the tribe.
Biting her lip, Kat adjusted the rucksack on her shoulder as she stood atop the grassy hill in the middle of the Wakandan countryside, looking down the slope towards what looked to be a small hamlet of thatched mud huts. Set just a little distance back from the bank of a deep, curving meander in the slow-moving river, it seemed far removed from the bustling, agricultural village she had been expecting.
"Well, what do you think?" Shuri smiled as she stood at her side, rolling her neck after their short journey together in what she could only describe as a miniature jet – because calling it a flying car was simply too much for her brain to handle right now. It was a miniature jet, and she could deal with that, as much as she could deal with the other startlingly advanced technologies she had been exposed to since her arrival. In addition to the fact that she was barely dealing with the reality of leaving Bucky behind. She hadn't so much as glimpsed him since she had stepped out of his room the night before, urging him to try and get some sleep before his procedure to remove the metallic stump of his left arm. She had wanted to be there. Not even to help, there was little enough she could do to take the mechanisms apart further, but just to be by his side... But he wouldn't allow it.
Shuri had promised she would make sure he got here, once it was all over. He'd be brought to recover with the tribe, but until then, it was Kat's job to find her feet here alone – or, not entirely alone. They had also been accompanied by one of the most stoically terrifying women Kat had ever laid eyes on. The very woman who had been guarding Bucky's door when Kat had approached it the night before. Ayo, one of the Dora Milaje who was usually assigned to Shuri's personal guard was to be allocated to them as they settled into their new location. To help them acclimatise, Shuri had stated, though Kat had a strong suspicion that keeping an eye on the man who had been the Winter Soldier was a higher priority.
