Save Atlantis RPG

may 14 steve rogers ✦ sam wilson sam visits steve after the latter wakes up from the arena pg for language complete

( On your left. )

Just in case anyone has been looking for me or Clint, we realized we should probably tell everyone where we are. We are now living in Family 1 because we got married on June 4th. With a ring and everything. No, it didn't come out of a gumball machine.

We had planned on waiting until after the mission to say anything but Atlantis moved us in the middle of the night this past Monday so the cat is out of the bag. Once everyone is back, we'll throw a party or something unless someone else wants to throw us a party. We're not picky as long as there is cake.

Where I'm from, the last Monday of May is dedicated to Memorial Day in America. I imagine that's true for other people, too, even if you're not from the universe I'm from. That's one of those things I imagine crosses universes.

In any case, for us, Memorial Day is when we honor and remember people who died in service with the United States Armed Forces. (We've got a couple other military-related holidays, but this one's specific, and it's always bothered me a bit to hear thanks for my service on a day meant to honor other people instead. Today's not my day.) It's meant to be a somber holiday. A chance to reflect on sacrifice, on duty, on friendship, loyalty. A lot of people stop there, but for me, it's also been a chance to think about what we fight for and about what's worth fighting for. I think that's because when you lose someone important to you, the natural response is to wonder, did it mean something? Did they live a good life? Did they make a difference? Was it worth something? At least, that's how it was for me after I lost Riley.

Riley was my partner. My wingman. And I was his. We served in the Air Force together, in the 58th Rescue Squadron. He was the best friend a guy could ask for. Reliable, confident, someone you knew you could trust with your life. When I lost him, it felt like my whole world fell apart right there. All the time I served in combat, all the things I'd seen, and nothing could prepare me for that moment. I owe him a hell of a lot. I hope he knew that. I keep coming back to that, year after year. I hope he knew how special he was. And I hope I’ve made him proud.

So that's my story. I know we've come from a lot of different places, seen a lot of different things, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who lost someone important to them during some sort of combat situation, whatever that might look like. What I was hoping is that you'd share some of those stories with me, too. Publicly or privately, whatever's most comfortable with you. It used to hurt like hell to talk about the friends I'd lost, but the more I did it, the more it felt like I was honoring their sacrifice and their memory. I'm hoping that can be true for you, too.

It goes without saying that this isn't an easy time for any of us. Many of us have loved ones who were in the arena or still are. There are several of you who survived it, but that doesn't lessen your experiences. If any of you, whether you were in there or not, need someone to talk to, we are here. It doesn't even have to be an official talk - we can meet for coffee and talk about your experiences or anything else you want. No matter how it might seem otherwise, you are not alone. We are all in this together. And together is the only way we're all going to get through this.

CLAIRE CALLAHAN & SAM WILSON

Welcome to the team, Sam. I'm sorry you're having to dive right into the deep end.

I know all our schedules are going to be busy for awhile, but I'd like to suggest the three of us get together some evening soon. Drinks, dinner? I'd like a chance to get to know you both better.

Name's Sam Wilson, better known as Falcon, and I hear there are some folks who've been missing me.

ooc: eventually ... spoilers for Endgame in the comments

This is the tags post.