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[boutant]

[ The post is audio-only, and it starts with the sound of a knife hitting a target with more force than strictly necessary. ]

Natasha Romanoff is gone.

I thought people should know.

[ Another knife, and the feed cuts out. ]

Comments

[asofwar]

...a loss.

[boutant]

Yeah. Definitely.

[ Pause. ]

She left me her knives.

[asofwar]

Had she beed aware that she would be leaving, do you think?

[boutant]

I don't know. She never said anything, but that wasn't really unusual for her.

[worldofourown]

Who?

[boutant]

Don't worry about it.

[ Because she doesn't want to tell Karl that it's the woman who taught her how to use throwing knives. ]

[worldofourown]

But you made an announcement over the Network.

Must be someone important.

[boutant]

Not to you.

[punchedhitler]

You were close, weren't you?

[boutant]

Yeah.

[ Which... well. It's Natasha. Closeness is hard to achieve, but somehow she did. ]

She taught me a lot.

[punchedhitler]

I'm sorry about that.

[wouldnotkindly]

Was she a friend of yours?

[boutant]

Yes, she was.

[ Not that they ever said it in so many words. ]

[wouldnotkindly]

I'm sorry, then.

[He's not so great at comfort, at least not without physical proximity. But the sentiment is there regardless.]

» audio

[thenormalsquint]

Oh, hon, I'm sorry.

» audio

[boutant]

Me too.

[ Another month, another person missing. ]

... Thanks, though.

[favoritetraitor]

Were the two of you close?

[boutant]

She was a teacher of mine. [ Pause. ] And a friend.

[favoritetraitor]

Difficult to lose those, especially in such a terrible place.

[brobeforehos]

Friends keep leaving, huh?

[boutant]

Yeah. [ Sigh. ] And no matter how much it happens, I'm never prepared.

[brobeforehos]

Well, I think that's a good thing. Makes us human.

[Voice]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

...

Are you okay? Do you need anything?

[boutant]

I will be.

... Want to come visit Sunny with me?

[destinedtobeunpopular]

I can do that.