I don't believe in letting false hope fester - it ends worse the longer it is left. We can't be sheltered forever.

[ there's a bit of softness in the end of her words, a trace of sadness, a trace of pain. she doesn't like having to cause innocent people pain, but does believe it's better in the long run. ]

The name's Hawkeye, Shatterer of Hopes and Dreams.

[ ouch. she could've handled the 'worst super hero' part, but the 'villain' part hits a little hard. too recent memories of being hunted down. ]

Some people back home might agree with you there.

[ she tries to brush it off, but it's too recent of a wound to succeed completely. ]

But being a villain is too much work. I think I'd rather just be an archer.

[ that at least gets a small laugh out of her, more of a huff of breath than anything, though it helps. ]

No, though sometimes I wish I could be - he had it easy, only having to deal with the forests of Nottingham, instead of alien invasions or evil dictators. It was much easier to be a super hero in those days.

[ she blinks, a little startled at how on the nose the guess was. ] Actually, yeah. They swapped out some people and replaced them with their own - they were shape changers.

[ she rolls her eyes and gives a small snort. ]

Ew is right. It wasn't much fun, especially considering the only way you could force them to switch back at first was killing them. Not fun when you don't know which of your friends might've been taken.

A lot happens in my world. Too much to really dwell on things. Thankfully we have people who won't let us repeat mistakes like getting caught off guard like that. We learn from our falls. Or at least, we like to think we do.

Exactly. There has to be some leeway, some amount of forgiveness. Especially when what gets thrown at you no one could ever really prepare for. Some people just aren't born to think on their feet.

Sometimes people won't listen. Or refuse, even when you ask. Sometimes you've just gotta take it into your own hands.

It's hard when they stack the decks against you, when they're going into negotiations planning on not listening. Because you're a woman, because you're a teenager. Sometimes you can't negotiate. Sometimes you've got to do something first to make them take you seriously.

Tell me about it. [ you can just about hear the eyeroll behind her words. ] I get that they're trying to do 'what's best', but no one can know what's best for everyone.

[ guess who hasn't been talking about asgard for a while ]

That's when we get dictatorships. Besides, even if they do actually know what's best for everyone, most people don't like being told what to do just "because"

[ nah, it kinda sucks to her too. but her friends are there, and when it's not being battle-torn, it's pretty neat. ]

You seem much too smart to believe it, don't worry.

People don't tend to present it that way. If they see an absolute, they argue the absolute. Or are vague enough with their end option if things don't go as they want that no one listens. It also gets back to people not wanting to listen past their own opinions.

[ a sigh. ] And that's the whole point of it all, really - it's their choice. No one learns from being told exactly what to do their entire lives, or being held back, kept 'safe'. I don't see a problem with making mistakes, just not learning from them.