Pushing anything from early that morning out of her head, Alicia found herself standing next to one of her favourite people who happened to join her team before they went off to start the mission. She did worry how Bucky felt about it, but she didn't say anything.
Alicia was thrilled that Mordy had joined her team for the mission. Someone she trusted entirely and someone she knew would be good for this sort of mission. She partly wondered if someone thought her team needed more powerful magic.
"Look at this," she said, linking her arm in with Mordy's. "About time you join me on a mission," she teased.
Mordecai had not been out on a mission since being bumped out of the field and over the magic department. His last had been the ill-fated venture to Clarke's world.
It was rather nice to be going out in the field again, particularly alongside someone he knew and trusted as well as Alicia. The mission itself brought back memories, as well. Mordecai's assignment to assist on the Atlantis side of this incident had been directly related to his return to Twelve-A not long after. If COS could trigger Bucky's Winter Soldier programming, who was to say they could not get their hands on Mordecai's soul. Such had been his thoughts, at least. There was no knowing now what might have happened… except for time magic that could apparently affect the previous outcome.
That was unsettling. He shook it off and smiled back at Alicia. "It took time to talk my way out of the office," he replied. "I'm not convinced the piles of paperwork I escaped won't come after me."
Laughing softly she nodded. “Worst part of leading a team is the paperwork, and I usually just get to dump mine off on Bucky’s desk when I’m done with it. You are the top of the pile these days.” She shrugged.
“Makes for getting you out and about it bit difficult,” which she didn’t like. Sometimes Alicia felt like everyone has so much more separated than they used to be.
“Are you ready for this one?” She asked, she’d been involved with the first mission but she had heard a good deal about it. It was one of the earlier missions which just seemed like a lifetime ago.
"It's dreadful," Mordecai assured her, with mock solemnity. "I suspect it's karma for the expense reports Rosalie used to complain about." The comment was less wry than it had once been, though still with a pang of guilt for his failures in that relationship - or lack of one. That would never entirely go away.
"I do need to improve on that," he added, tying back around to her remark about getting out. It did seem like he saw less of his dear friends as the war accelerated and positions changed. "I'll destroy my reputation at this rate."
The joking air faded slightly. "It promises to be eventful from what we've heard of this world," he said. "The original mission was quite dramatic. I'll admit this tinkering with time gives me the willies."
Squeezing his arm she gave him a small smile. She knew how important Rosalie was to him and a bit more, but she wasn’t going to push it. Especially right now.
“Don’t tell me you’ll become dull!” Alicia said with mock worry. She’d never let that happen and she knew him well enough to know he’d never become dull. “I’d have to stage an intervention.” She added mock seriously. “But really, I miss you.” She did miss seeing him about more.
“I wasn’t part of it, but I remember when it happened, seemed a bit dicey.”
"Perish the thought!" Mordecai declared. "I know you'll protect me from such a fate." He did intend to see more of his friend than he had lately. "You can always call on me," he added with a bit more sincerity.
"It's unnerving to have - to see-" he amended. "That control taken away. Not knowing what one might do to a friend." The temperature controls were a bit off in the building, Mordecai rather thought. It could be chillier than a drafty castle. "The natural hesitancy to respond with full force knowing that the individual is not acting of his own volition, and the associated danger..." And guilt. The original mission had been chased by a numbingly strong cocktail before Mordecai made the decision to leave.
"And that was just on the Atlantis side," Mordecai said moving away from that grim topic. "I understand those who traveled the way we're going ran into quite a lot of trouble."
He smiled and gestured vaguely. "But I trust no one in Atlantis more to have my back against either danger."
“Always,” Alicia agreed with a confident nod.
Frowning she nodded, she couldn’t imagine what it did to Bucky, and while she considered him one of her closest friends, especially after getting to know each other better during the AU world and after, she still couldn’t imagine how all of that made him feel. She wasn’t going to push and ask unless he wanted to talk about it.
“And the guilt.” Alicia finished his thought at a small whisper. She knew no matter what that there would be guilt, regardless of control or not.
“I guess we are about to find out what is out there,” she shrugged smiling at his next comment. “Likewise.” She’d add Wanda to that list, but over two years fighting side by side with Wanda made them a very powerful combo.
Mordecai heard the whispered echo of his own thought but did not respond to it directly. "Well," he said, instead. "I do miss traveling, and I've always liked my adventure with a bit of risk."
Smirking, Alicia nodded. “Well, here is to another adventure!” She nudged him before nodding that it was time to move forward.