[Video; un: Snowpiercer]

[peacemongering]

[Pierce doesn't normally make announcements, except when it comes to internal company memos and the like. He keeps things strictly business most of the time, but he is making this addition to the network from his communal housing room. He looks grave and upset, but he is clearly wanting those who might wish to know the information that he has obtained.]

To anyone who knew and was friends with Miss Ava Orlova, I regret to have you inform you all that she has returned back through the portal. While we had only begun to build a relationship, she was the closest person to having one of my daughters back, and I will miss her.

[He sighs heavily and folds his hands together, managing a grief-stricken smile.]

If anyone has any stories of her exploits, I would very much value hearing about them.

Comments

[advanced]

[The laughter grates on him and he very turns to leave right then and there, but that would have been the smarter option. Instead, he throws a punch right at Pierce's face to try and knock that smug smile right off.

Stupid. Really stupid. He came here determined not to get drawn into anything physical that could come back and bite him, and now look.]

[peacemongering]

[Pierce knew at some point he would push just far enough to earn the kind of result that he was looking to have. He saw the punch coming, of course, and he enacted a momentary and appropriate look of surprise before that fist connected with his cheek.

There was a decided crack and a flare of blinding pain as he slipped sideways off of the desk to fall to the floor. He lay there without an utterance of pain, but his cheek was already swelling rapidly and his eye had sunken.]

[advanced]

[His mind feels like it's being torn into shreds after that, tugging him in all different directions. Part of him wants to flee, ashamed of losing control and afraid of what this would mean. Another part desperately wants to finish this, to beat Pierce until he's physically incapable of twisting anyone's words ever again, a frightening darkness by how easy it would be. And worst of all, there's still a part of him that feels as though he's attacked his handler, and that he should be punished for it.

It's all too much and he ends up stood frozen in place, just staring down at the rapidly blossoming bruising on Pierce's face, where his sunken cheek clearly speaks to a broken bone.]

[peacemongering]

[The pain was blinding, which kept him on the floor longer than possibly others might. He trembled where he lay, and he managed to slowly lift a hand to gingerly touch his cheek, feeling the damage along with each new flare of pain. The headache that was already setting in was distracting, but he still made slow progress to move from laying down to sitting up.

He eventually ended up leaning heavily on his desk, and the whole right side of his face appeared to be melting downwards. His left eye was able to focus with some work on his part, and he stared up at the frozen Soldier.]

Are you going to call for medical assistance, finish what you started, or walk away?

[advanced]

[It chills him right to the bone that Pierce can ask that question so calmly, when he looks so hurt. It really does feel like this was a battle and, despite being the one without any blood on him, Bucky has definitely lost. Lost badly.

He should call for medical assistance, but he can't bring himself to actually help, that feels like a slippery slope towards obedience. So he chooses the third option, he turns on his heel suddenly and flees as if the hounds of hell are on his tail.]