Yelena didn’t linger long at the Barton Farm after Christmas dinner. Once the plates were cleared and the conversations had died down, she found an excuse to leave. A portal to Ohio came up as a convenient escape, and she took it. She booked herself into a horrible little hotel. Even then, she waited until dusk to head out, using a disguise potion Adrian had given her just in case anyone was watching the grave site.
She stood in front of Natasha Romanoff’s gravestone for a long time, hands buried in her pockets. After a few minutes, she crouched down to start cleaning. The stone was littered with dead flowers and a few trinkets left behind by strangers. She tossed the wilted blooms into a small pile and wiped her hands on her coat before leaning over and kissing the top of the marker.
Then she knelt in front of it, her fingers over Natasha’s name.
( I know you can’t hear me. )
She stood in front of Natasha Romanoff’s gravestone for a long time, hands buried in her pockets. After a few minutes, she crouched down to start cleaning. The stone was littered with dead flowers and a few trinkets left behind by strangers. She tossed the wilted blooms into a small pile and wiped her hands on her coat before leaning over and kissing the top of the marker.
Then she knelt in front of it, her fingers over Natasha’s name.
( I know you can’t hear me. )
The team settled down in the snowy hills about a half mile from the Barton residence and began to go through the drill. “Barton has been confirmed on site along with his family and the Kate Bishop person. Orders are to take out Barton. Anyone else who gets in the way is collateral damage.
( Hello )
[NFB due to distance. Playing around with Yelena’s Clint Barton but with approval from![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
so_hawkward. NPC deaths and violence under the cut. Happy Holidays to you all!]
( Hello )
[NFB due to distance. Playing around with Yelena’s Clint Barton but with approval from
so_hawkward. NPC deaths and violence under the cut. Happy Holidays to you all!]It was late on Christmas Eve when Yelena returned to the lighthouse after attending the fair and take a walk around the island, Fanny trotting alongside her. Without much ceremony, Yelena changed into some pajamas and flipped on the TV to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the 438th time this month.
She sighed, settling into the couch, when her phone rang. Not the one she'd picked up in Fandom—the old phone. The one from home that hadn’t worked since she got blocked from her reality.
Her heart skipped a beat. Scrambling over the couch, she snatched it off the counter where it was always plugged in, half expecting it to be a mistake. She didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.
(Do we still do fake cuts? Well I'm doing one.)
She sighed, settling into the couch, when her phone rang. Not the one she'd picked up in Fandom—the old phone. The one from home that hadn’t worked since she got blocked from her reality.
Her heart skipped a beat. Scrambling over the couch, she snatched it off the counter where it was always plugged in, half expecting it to be a mistake. She didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.
(Do we still do fake cuts? Well I'm doing one.)
It was late on Christmas Eve when Yelena returned to the lighthouse after attending the fair and take a walk around the island, Fanny trotting alongside her. Without much ceremony, Yelena changed into some pajamas and flipped on the TV to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the 438th time this month.
She sighed, settling into the couch, when her phone rang. Not the one she'd picked up in Fandom—the old phone. The one from home that hadn’t worked since she got blocked from her reality.
Her heart skipped a beat. Scrambling over the couch, she snatched it off the counter where it was always plugged in, half expecting it to be a mistake. She didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.
“Hello?”
Was her voice shaky? No, surely not. Not Yelena.
The voice on the other end was definitely not shaky. If anything, it was dripping with irritation.
“Well, I’ll give you this, Yelena. You’ve got nerve. Leaving a mess outside Rockefeller and not even bothering to finish the job?”
Yelena froze. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Shit.
Yelena looked over at the calendar and realized… Today, right now was where she was before she showed up on the island. When she went after Clint and got turned around.
Right before she got locked out from her reality. And now she was right back where she started from. When Melina told her to head to Baltimore…
“The contract isn’t required anymore,” Yelena said, forcing her voice to stay calm. “Fisk and Bishop are out of the picture.”
A sharp tsk sounded on the other end. That noise Valentina made when she was annoyed, and God, did it grate on Yelena’s nerves.
“Yeah, see, that doesn’t work for me. One missed contract, and suddenly everyone thinks I’m running a charity. Reputation’s a fragile thing, Yelena.”
“Let it go, Valentina,” Yelena warned, her voice cold.
Valentina ignored her entirely. “Fortunately, I know some former Hydra agents who don’t mind working on Christmas. So, no big deal. Oh, and if you ever make it back to New York, let me know. We’ll grab coffee.”
And just like that, the line went dead.
“Сука,” Yelena muttered under her breath, tossing the phone onto the counter.
Fanny padded over, leaning against her leg like she always did when she sensed Yelena was on edge. Yelena absently scratched behind her ears, staring at nothing for a moment.
Clint could probably handle it.
Probably.
But then, out of sheer curiosity… not for any real reason, of course, she pulled up the Portalocity app. Her stomach twisted when she saw it.
Her reality was open again.
And there was a portal scheduled in two hours. Conveniently, it would drop her near the Barton residence.
Without another thought, Yelena pushed off the counter and marched to her room. She yanked her old white uniform from the closet and pulled her equipment case from the hidden compartment under her bed.
Christmas or not, Valentina wasn’t getting the last word.
As she put on her uniform and gathered her gear, Fanny hopped up on the bed and stared at her.
She sighed. "What? Don't want to be left alone on Christmas?" she joked.
Fanny just sat there and panted at her.
Yelena groaned. "Right. Come on."
And with that she headed out the door and to Blackwood Grove.
She sighed, settling into the couch, when her phone rang. Not the one she'd picked up in Fandom—the old phone. The one from home that hadn’t worked since she got blocked from her reality.
Her heart skipped a beat. Scrambling over the couch, she snatched it off the counter where it was always plugged in, half expecting it to be a mistake. She didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.
“Hello?”
Was her voice shaky? No, surely not. Not Yelena.
The voice on the other end was definitely not shaky. If anything, it was dripping with irritation.
“Well, I’ll give you this, Yelena. You’ve got nerve. Leaving a mess outside Rockefeller and not even bothering to finish the job?”
Yelena froze. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
Shit.
Yelena looked over at the calendar and realized… Today, right now was where she was before she showed up on the island. When she went after Clint and got turned around.
Right before she got locked out from her reality. And now she was right back where she started from. When Melina told her to head to Baltimore…
“The contract isn’t required anymore,” Yelena said, forcing her voice to stay calm. “Fisk and Bishop are out of the picture.”
A sharp tsk sounded on the other end. That noise Valentina made when she was annoyed, and God, did it grate on Yelena’s nerves.
“Yeah, see, that doesn’t work for me. One missed contract, and suddenly everyone thinks I’m running a charity. Reputation’s a fragile thing, Yelena.”
“Let it go, Valentina,” Yelena warned, her voice cold.
Valentina ignored her entirely. “Fortunately, I know some former Hydra agents who don’t mind working on Christmas. So, no big deal. Oh, and if you ever make it back to New York, let me know. We’ll grab coffee.”
And just like that, the line went dead.
“Сука,” Yelena muttered under her breath, tossing the phone onto the counter.
Fanny padded over, leaning against her leg like she always did when she sensed Yelena was on edge. Yelena absently scratched behind her ears, staring at nothing for a moment.
Clint could probably handle it.
Probably.
But then, out of sheer curiosity… not for any real reason, of course, she pulled up the Portalocity app. Her stomach twisted when she saw it.
Her reality was open again.
And there was a portal scheduled in two hours. Conveniently, it would drop her near the Barton residence.
Without another thought, Yelena pushed off the counter and marched to her room. She yanked her old white uniform from the closet and pulled her equipment case from the hidden compartment under her bed.
Christmas or not, Valentina wasn’t getting the last word.
As she put on her uniform and gathered her gear, Fanny hopped up on the bed and stared at her.
She sighed. "What? Don't want to be left alone on Christmas?" she joked.
Fanny just sat there and panted at her.
Yelena groaned. "Right. Come on."
And with that she headed out the door and to Blackwood Grove.
Lighthouse Cottage - Friday Evening
Oct. 4th, 2024 02:05 pmYelena had no wish to go anywhere today. Tomorrow there was an event at Stark Industrisies that she had to deal with and as for 'parents weekend'...
Well, she knew that no parent or family member of hers was going to be showing up this weekend.
So tonight, Yelena was sitting on her front porch and drinking vodka as Fanny ran about the yard. And all was good and fine until Yelena noticed Fanny's ears perk up as she stared at a figure on the road.
And for some reason Yelena felt like she was being watched.
( Some Baba Yaga Sh*t )
[Preplayed with the amazingoldwifeofthesoul. Open for anyone else who wishes to visit]
Well, she knew that no parent or family member of hers was going to be showing up this weekend.
So tonight, Yelena was sitting on her front porch and drinking vodka as Fanny ran about the yard. And all was good and fine until Yelena noticed Fanny's ears perk up as she stared at a figure on the road.
And for some reason Yelena felt like she was being watched.
( Some Baba Yaga Sh*t )
[Preplayed with the amazing
oldwifeofthesoul. Open for anyone else who wishes to visit]Lighthouse Cottage - Sunday Morning
Sep. 15th, 2024 09:34 amWith the inside of the cottage settled, Yelena had moved on to the outside, tackling the landscaping. She’d never done any kind of gardening in her life, but she figured the towering weeds choking the shrubs around the porch weren’t exactly a good look.
Too tired to bother going into town for proper garden tools, she made do with an old stiletto dagger she didn’t mind ruining. After about an hour of hacking at weeds, Fanny had enough of her plant obsession and started nipping and barking until Yelena gave in. What followed was a full-on wrestling match in the front yard with her pup.
Everything was fine—until a notification pinged from the phone. The phone that couldn’t call home.
( It wasn't Melina )
Yelena paused, pursing her lips in thought. "Well, that’s some Baba Yaga shit right there." Her musings were cut short by Fanny, who was clearly suffering from a severe lack of attention.
"Fine! Okay, you ball of fluff!" Yelena groaned with exaggerated exasperation, giving in to Fanny’s demands. They played until Fanny finally got bored, allowing Yelena to return to her weeding.
[Preplayed withwitchoftheflesh. Limited interaction today but open if you want to SP
Too tired to bother going into town for proper garden tools, she made do with an old stiletto dagger she didn’t mind ruining. After about an hour of hacking at weeds, Fanny had enough of her plant obsession and started nipping and barking until Yelena gave in. What followed was a full-on wrestling match in the front yard with her pup.
Everything was fine—until a notification pinged from the phone. The phone that couldn’t call home.
( It wasn't Melina )
Yelena paused, pursing her lips in thought. "Well, that’s some Baba Yaga shit right there." Her musings were cut short by Fanny, who was clearly suffering from a severe lack of attention.
"Fine! Okay, you ball of fluff!" Yelena groaned with exaggerated exasperation, giving in to Fanny’s demands. They played until Fanny finally got bored, allowing Yelena to return to her weeding.
[Preplayed with
witchoftheflesh. Limited interaction today but open if you want to SPLighthouse Cottage - Friday Evening
Sep. 5th, 2024 10:58 pmOutside on the picket fence of the Lighthouse Cottage, a simple sign was tacked up:
Come inside and help with IKEA construction.
Free booze!
Free food!
Way too friendly dog!
Inside, the promise was kept. If your idea of food and booze was stacks of pizza boxes and mostly cheap beer and hard liquor.
Yelena had spent most of the week fixing up the place, but the IKEA shipment had only arrived yesterday, so the furniture was still a work in progress. The walls and ceilings were freshly painted white, but the carpet, drapes, and lighting in the two-bedroom cottage were a riot of mismatched colors. It was like someone had thrown a Jackson Pollock painting into a blender with that psychedelic boat trip from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
And right in the middle of this chaotic, colorful mess was Yelena, sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by half-assembled IKEA furniture and discarded instructions. She’d been at it all day, and it showed. She’d given up on any hope of a put-together look, dressed only in a tank top and athletic shorts, her hair a tangled mess falling into her face.
The living room was mostly done, there was a dining room table standing on its own four legs, and one bed was finally put together in the bedroom. But there were still stacks of flat-pack boxes waiting to test her patience. At this point, it was just about survival.
And maybe, bribing people with enough booze to help finish the rest…
[Open to all. Up early because I might have a hectic morning. ]
Allen Wrench Party
Come inside and help with IKEA construction.
Free booze!
Free food!
Way too friendly dog!
Inside, the promise was kept. If your idea of food and booze was stacks of pizza boxes and mostly cheap beer and hard liquor.
Yelena had spent most of the week fixing up the place, but the IKEA shipment had only arrived yesterday, so the furniture was still a work in progress. The walls and ceilings were freshly painted white, but the carpet, drapes, and lighting in the two-bedroom cottage were a riot of mismatched colors. It was like someone had thrown a Jackson Pollock painting into a blender with that psychedelic boat trip from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
And right in the middle of this chaotic, colorful mess was Yelena, sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by half-assembled IKEA furniture and discarded instructions. She’d been at it all day, and it showed. She’d given up on any hope of a put-together look, dressed only in a tank top and athletic shorts, her hair a tangled mess falling into her face.
The living room was mostly done, there was a dining room table standing on its own four legs, and one bed was finally put together in the bedroom. But there were still stacks of flat-pack boxes waiting to test her patience. At this point, it was just about survival.
And maybe, bribing people with enough booze to help finish the rest…
[Open to all. Up early because I might have a hectic morning. ]
Lighthouse Cottage - Sunday Evening
Sep. 1st, 2024 08:56 pmYelena had spent most of the day cleaning out the cottage in preparation for the IKEA shipment coming in on Tuesday. It was a lot of dusting, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping which of course was worthless in some cases as all Fanny had to do was walk by and suddenly there was dog hair everywhere.
So when she found the text message from Melina it was after dark. The message simply said: Go to Caritas on Saturday. Have arranged something for you.
Yelena let out a sigh and texted back: What are you up to?
But instead of the message going through she got an error message. “This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
Yelena frowned and attempted again to send it out.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
She shrugged and tried to call her.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
She dialed Alexei. Sonya. Ana.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
And that’s when she remembered something Summer said
Some people get stuck here.
Yelena growled and tossed the phone across the room.
“чтоб тебе дети в суп срали!”
She stood there for a minute… and then just went back to cleaning. She wasn’t without resources. She’d figure this out.
[NFI]
So when she found the text message from Melina it was after dark. The message simply said: Go to Caritas on Saturday. Have arranged something for you.
Yelena let out a sigh and texted back: What are you up to?
But instead of the message going through she got an error message. “This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
Yelena frowned and attempted again to send it out.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
She shrugged and tried to call her.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
She dialed Alexei. Sonya. Ana.
“This reality is currently out of service. Try again later.”
And that’s when she remembered something Summer said
Some people get stuck here.
Yelena growled and tossed the phone across the room.
“чтоб тебе дети в суп срали!”
She stood there for a minute… and then just went back to cleaning. She wasn’t without resources. She’d figure this out.
[NFI]
Lighthouse Cottage - Friday Afternoon
Aug. 30th, 2024 08:48 amYelena had lived in a lot of different places in her life: a floating, sterile prison in the sky, countless hotel rooms, shadowy safe houses, more hotel rooms, and, on one particularly memorable night, an HVAC duct.
But there was something strange about the cottage she found herself in now. It was clear it had been years since anyone had called it home. A fine layer of dust coated the floors and every flat surface, disturbed only by her footsteps and Fanny's occasional pounces on a stray dust bunny. The place was completely empty—no couch, no bed, not even a chair.
The tour didn’t take long. It was just a couple of small bedrooms, a combined kitchen/dining/living room area, and a single bathroom. And it all needed work. Yelena walked through the space a few more times, Fanny trailing behind her, sniffing at corners and darting after imaginary prey.
She pulled out her phone and sent out a text. This place is a dump. She didn't have to wait long for a reply.
You could use a project.
The sigh and eyeroll was epic, even though there was no one around to see it. "Fine."
She wandered out on the porch of the cottage and sat down on the bench pulling out her phone. As she started doing a search for a place to get furniture, Fanny ran out into the yard to sniff and explore.
It didn't take long for Yelena to discover a nearby feature of Fandom.
"There's an IKEA island?"
Truly a voyage of discovery.
[Open. Sure. Why not?]
But there was something strange about the cottage she found herself in now. It was clear it had been years since anyone had called it home. A fine layer of dust coated the floors and every flat surface, disturbed only by her footsteps and Fanny's occasional pounces on a stray dust bunny. The place was completely empty—no couch, no bed, not even a chair.
The tour didn’t take long. It was just a couple of small bedrooms, a combined kitchen/dining/living room area, and a single bathroom. And it all needed work. Yelena walked through the space a few more times, Fanny trailing behind her, sniffing at corners and darting after imaginary prey.
She pulled out her phone and sent out a text. This place is a dump. She didn't have to wait long for a reply.
You could use a project.
The sigh and eyeroll was epic, even though there was no one around to see it. "Fine."
She wandered out on the porch of the cottage and sat down on the bench pulling out her phone. As she started doing a search for a place to get furniture, Fanny ran out into the yard to sniff and explore.
It didn't take long for Yelena to discover a nearby feature of Fandom.
"There's an IKEA island?"
Truly a voyage of discovery.
[Open. Sure. Why not?]
Yelena was drowning in emotions, her thoughts tangled and disconnected at the same time. She couldn’t even remember how she made it back to the hotel she was hiding in. The only clear memory was walking away from Rockefeller Plaza, Clint’s shrill whistle echoing in her mind, repeating over and over again in her head.
( Hooray for compartmentalization! )
[NFB]
( Hooray for compartmentalization! )
[NFB]
Yelena Belova: The Snarkiest Assassin
Aug. 25th, 2024 12:52 pmGather round ye fandomites! Let's sit down to a nice fresh pot of Mac and Cheese with hot sauce and read about good old Yelena Belova.
Don't worry, I brought enough forks for everyone.
( It's infopost time, comrades! )
Don't worry, I brought enough forks for everyone.
( It's infopost time, comrades! )
