[She takes a moment to think about that. She decides to be honest about it rather than blowing it off, since he was nice enough to watch a whole SpongeBob movie.]
I am still figuring it out. We didn't have a lot of free access to movies in the Red Room, so I have about twenty years to catch up on. Plus five more thanks to a purple alien deleting half of existence for five years.
[Fuck Thanos, tbh.]
I still like some of the things from my childhood, I think. Disney movies and...oh! The Princess Bride. Newt held a viewing of that awhile back, but it was before you arrived.
[This isn't her area of expertise, so she struggles for a moment to find the right way to explain.]
Well, I guess they are a little like the orbs. Powerful relics that were scattered through the universe. Even individually they are very strong, but if someone brings them all together they become unstoppable. They can do anything. Like wiping out half of all life in the universe.
Well, I never spoke with him myself. But apparently, he thought there were too many people in the universe and we were all stretching its resources too thin.
[She makes a face because it really does sound absurdly excessive when she says it out loud. She huffs.]
（ most wars in the shinobi world are fought over resources, or revenge. he understands it in that respect — but then, the universe is an infinite place, expanding ever outward. ）
While it is a possibility that the universe will eventually reach a point where its resources are unable to sustain its population, that seems... short-sighted.
（ this man will tell thanos he's a dumbass to his actual face, tbqh. ）
（ he tips his head to one side and now that the movie is over (he did not wish to chew over the dialogue, as much as it annoyed him) he reaches for another of those little wrapped russian sweets. ）
（ not quite death, as he understands it. but close. ）
I'm sorry, returning must have been a considerable shock.
（ how much would a world change, with half its people gone? how poorly would it cope? it is different, it sounds, than war. deleted, she said. but not erased entirely, not snuffed out of all existence from the memories of others. just gone. it is a horrifying thing to consider, and he is no stranger to what evokes horror. ）
Your sister — the girl with the blue hair, correct?
（ logic follows. he understands deep cover missions better than most — but it is not unheard of for shinobi to infiltrate other villages as refugees of war in family units either. ）
But she was aware. I see.
（ he takes his time unwrapping this new treat, and then chews it thoughtfully as he considers this entire line of awareness. ）
Well, time travel was involved, if you can believe it.
[She's not sure where Itachi’s world stands with that kind of thing. Though, the concept of time travel might seem less weird here on the Ximilia than in most places, actually.]
Okay, well, since Thanos apparently could not stop himself from destroying things, he also destroyed the Infinity Stones. So, in order to undo what happened Natasha and her superhero friends had to go back in time to gather them again.
[She pauses and frowns at her soda as she considers what she just said.]
…It is very convoluted, when I say it out loud like that.
[She's quiet for a long time at that. She doesn't eat or drink anything, she just stares ahead at the now blank movie screen.]
Sometimes I am proud. Sometimes I am angry. I went to the bathroom for a minute and I come out and five years have passed and my sister is dead. How does someone process that?
[Though she can say with some confidence that attempted murder doesn't help much.]
Coping is... a cog that exists within scope of the （ his expression ticks faintly — he doesn't like speaking so inelegantly, but — ） 'process'. But surviving on any level is still moving forward, and processing does not necessarily mean that you are doing it well.
（ he is tired of sitting here in this dark theatre environment, so he accesses the simulation room interface with his earpiece, idly scrolling through other possibilities, and settles on a lush, expansive forest. it's not a combat simulation, at least? ）
[She watches the scene shift from a movie theater to a forest. She can see how this is more pleasant, though she is still holding her soda and snacks. Apparently they are having a picnic now.
She sniffs a little at the question. This is a difficult one for her to answer because it's so broad and because she is very acutely aware of how little time she actually had with Natasha.]
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I am still figuring it out. We didn't have a lot of free access to movies in the Red Room, so I have about twenty years to catch up on. Plus five more thanks to a purple alien deleting half of existence for five years.
[Fuck Thanos, tbh.]
I still like some of the things from my childhood, I think. Disney movies and...oh! The Princess Bride. Newt held a viewing of that awhile back, but it was before you arrived.
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'Deleted half of existence'? How was this done?
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[This isn't her area of expertise, so she struggles for a moment to find the right way to explain.]
Well, I guess they are a little like the orbs. Powerful relics that were scattered through the universe. Even individually they are very strong, but if someone brings them all together they become unstoppable. They can do anything. Like wiping out half of all life in the universe.
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Why?
（ that seems excessive. for any possible reason except chaos and suffering. ）
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[She makes a face because it really does sound absurdly excessive when she says it out loud. She huffs.]
...Something like that.
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While it is a possibility that the universe will eventually reach a point where its resources are unable to sustain its population, that seems... short-sighted.
（ this man will tell thanos he's a dumbass to his actual face, tbqh. ）
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I know, right? I agree with you. With those stones…he could have created more resources, you know? He could have done anything. He chose to destroy.
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（ he tips his head to one side and now that the movie is over (he did not wish to chew over the dialogue, as much as it annoyed him) he reaches for another of those little wrapped russian sweets. ）
So his actions were undone?
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Yes. My sister and her friends fixed it.
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（ not quite death, as he understands it. but close. ）
I'm sorry, returning must have been a considerable shock.
（ how much would a world change, with half its people gone? how poorly would it cope? it is different, it sounds, than war. deleted, she said. but not erased entirely, not snuffed out of all existence from the memories of others. just gone. it is a horrifying thing to consider, and he is no stranger to what evokes horror. ）
Your sister — the girl with the blue hair, correct?
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[And honestly that feels like an understatement.
She smiles faintly, rueful, when he mentions the blue hair.]
Her hair was red, actually. I think she dyed it blue in Ohio because she had the freedom to do it then.
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It was... an intercession in your training?
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No. Not exactly. It was an undercover mission, but I was too young to know.
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（ logic follows. he understands deep cover missions better than most — but it is not unheard of for shinobi to infiltrate other villages as refugees of war in family units either. ）
But she was aware. I see.
（ he takes his time unwrapping this new treat, and then chews it thoughtfully as he considers this entire line of awareness. ）
How was it she came to reverse this 'deletion'?
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[She's not sure where Itachi’s world stands with that kind of thing. Though, the concept of time travel might seem less weird here on the Ximilia than in most places, actually.]
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I believe I am capable of grasping the concept.
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[She pauses and frowns at her soda as she considers what she just said.]
…It is very convoluted, when I say it out loud like that.
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Convoluted is one word for it, I suppose.
（ honestly, he pulls chakra monsters out of people on the reg' so it's not like he's one to call something unfeasible, ridiculous, or 5/10 stars.
he gives her a long, curious look. then: ）
I'm sure you must be very proud of what she accomplished. Your sister.
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Sometimes I am proud. Sometimes I am angry. I went to the bathroom for a minute and I come out and five years have passed and my sister is dead. How does someone process that?
[Though she can say with some confidence that attempted murder doesn't help much.]
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（ ask him about his nonpareil coping skills, yelena. ）
How long ago was this, for you?
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About…a year and a half. Maybe a little more.
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（ he shrugs faintly, a slight uptick of one shoulder. ）
Grief is... messy. There is no any one way to cope.
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[Because she's pretty sure you can have coping without processing.]
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（ he is tired of sitting here in this dark theatre environment, so he accesses the simulation room interface with his earpiece, idly scrolling through other possibilities, and settles on a lush, expansive forest. it's not a combat simulation, at least? ）
Tell me about her.
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She sniffs a little at the question. This is a difficult one for her to answer because it's so broad and because she is very acutely aware of how little time she actually had with Natasha.]
What...do you want to know?
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