W I N T E R

Names

Names were poisonous to her. That's why she threw her given name away. She went by 'The Assassin.' No one ever knew her story, her background, besides the ruler that had trained and employed her. She went by pronouns. It was best. A name gave her a meaning, a purpose to do and be something besides an assassin. A name made her somewhat living, and that was exactly the opposite of what she wanted. 

Now, however, a name might change her. It might shape her into the Avenger she wanted to be. She wanted to talk to Bucky about this, wanted him to help her pick out a name. She could go back to her original name, but that seemed too foreign and powerful for this world. She was refined to the room, both locked in and too scared to leave. She waited for a few days, counting the time by the breaths she let out. Eventually, he came. The minute she saw him, she leaped up from the bed she was provided. He was cautious in the way he entered the room, giving her a wide berth. She was able to see the handle of a gun in his belt. Guns were a weapon she was growing to know all too well in the time she had spent here. It worried her now to see he had one. It meant he thought she was dangerous. It meant he didn't trust her anymore. She looked down, and shook her head. There were several things she needed to tell him, and the one about her name was least important. Clenching her long, silver fingers, she gazed at him, squaring her shoulders. She began to tell him of the items in the old prison, the ones she would need if she was ever to be one of them. He cut her off, told her of how the team had already recovered them. Those items were one of the only reasons they were holding her in here; too scared to let her out before they were so sure she was in alliance with them. The news made her hold her hands tighter in a ball, and Bucky could see her. His hand unconsciously flitted to the holster on his hip. She flinched away from him, shrank towards the bed. The noise in his ear was picked up by her sharp hearing discs.

"Bucky, get out of there. She's still unpredictable. I don't want you getting hurt." 

She recognized Steve's voice. Annoyed, she sent a sharp tendril of electricity, and smoked out the small earpiece. The silence in Bucky's ear worried him, but he didn't know what she had done. He looked at her, saw the tenseness in her stance. She was eyeing the weapon at his hip, occasionally flicked her gaze up to his face. He removed the upholster from his belt, placing on the ground and kicking it away from him. Her actions immediately showed him that he had done the right thing. She relaxed, and her gazed steadied on his own. He walked towards her, and sat on the chair positioned next to her bed. She followed suit and sat on the bed. The two were quiet for a few moments, then she spoke. She told him about the name, and was going to go into detail about why she didn't have one in this world. She shook her head before she continued. It would be a mistake to talk of her work. She hadn't told anyone yet of her time as an assassin, and she wasn't planning to. It would only cause them to be more afraid of her. That was exactly what she didn't. She was attempting to gain their trust, wanted to be one of them. She could only hope the team of enhanced beings realized that she wasn't a threat. To them, once her anger took over, she was dangerous and a killer. They weren't wrong, but she was working hard to control the anger without Wanda's help. Every day, her wards against it grew. Every day, she learned more of this world, learned the common language that was spoken. The only thing she felt she needed to really become trustworthy, something that could give the team more confidence in her was a name. Names gave others power over her, and perhaps that was just what she needed in this moment. Bucky agreed with her, once she told him of it. He asked what she wished to be called, and she debated. Her old name was too powerful, too foreign to use on Earth. No, she would have to use something else. She sat for a moment, her mind thinking of possibilities. She thought of things that had been special to her on her own planet. Names of pets, other family members, common things that had meant much. She thought of her powers, what she was able to do with her powerful tendrils of thought. Slowly, the idea came to her. She looked at Bucky, pondering for a few seconds. The word had come to her, and now she was thinking how it would be pronounced in his language. She spoke it aloud, though softly. It was a special word, reserved for few on her planet. Now, she thought something this special only deserved to be brought back by the last remaining Skaxis. It took her a few more minutes of deciphering. She caught Bucky's attention by standing suddenly. He stood as well, looking at her questioningly. She smiled softly at him. She had another surprise in store, along with her name.

"Olielle. It means...possessor, mind seeker. Something along those lines." 

Bucky grinned, liking the sound of it. She held up her finger, something she'd learned from the birdman. Sam, that was his name. Bucky smiled at the gesture, and waited for her to continue.

"You know this team, you're trusted by them. But at one point, you weren't. You might be able to help me decide this then. Would it be easier for them to realize I'm not a threat if I was...say in a different form. A more human one, with skin and features like your's?"

She asked the question hesitantly, and Bucky thought for a moment. He eventually nodded slowly, agreed to her idea. Once his consent was obtained, she began to change. It was a hard task, to change forms. It wouldn't be something she would do often. That was for the better, she thought. In the span of a few minutes, the silver skinned alien turned into a petite, pretty looking human. At least, she appeared human. Her eyes, once a dark and intense blue, were now lighter. Her skin had changed, the pigments shifted so it reflected a warm, light honey color. Her features were softer, less defined and sharp. The only thing that remained unchanged was her hair. It still encased her head in a dark, threatening swirl. It still gave her a slightly off appearance, and Bucky liked it. He grinned once more. The ear piece that had been silent crackled to life suddenly, the electric hold over it gone. Steve's voice boomed in his ear. He ignored it. He gazed upon the alien, now in the appearance of an attractive human. Despite his thoughts, his heart jumped slightly. The figure in front of him shook his head. 

"This form makes me weaker, Steve. I have more control over the darkness than ever, and the Maewyn..." She frowned, searching for the word in English. "Magic, I guess, is hard to reach. I'm much weakened in this state, and I hope that allows me to leave this room." She broke off to smile to where she knew the camera lay. Hopefully, a new era in her life was starting.