pilot
"Target acquired" Yelena muttered quietly
She paused.
It had been years since she had been in the red room. The instinct was still there. Report all movement. But there was no red room now, no. She was working on her own as a private contractor. She was safe.
Deep breath in. And out.
Feeling the eroding wooden park bench beneath her and continuing the breathing exercises, she reminded herself of where she was. Leaves had started to fall around her to create ruddy mounds, emulating the many autumns before and the streetlamps began to turn on and radiated an iridescent amber glow. It was central park, and it was just as glorious as she had imagined it. After tracking her subject for hours now, Yelena had yawned too many times to allow herself to stay on the job ; she had only arrived in New York this morning. Jetlag’s a bitch.
Preparing to remove herself from the relative comfort of the bench, she ensures she has all her belongings. One last area assessment. A familiar face. She doubles back. Exhaustion coupled with the haze of people passing could've confused her. Nope.
'Pfft. Kate Bishop.'
'Of course she kept the fucking dog.'
She utters the words with such passiveness under her breath. Heart leaping, and energy fully returned, a smirk begins forming in the corner of her mouth. She almost doesn't notice, but immediately corrects it when she does. Composure. Kate hasn't noticed her yet. 'How is she so oblivious?'
She covertly rises and starts to trail Kate. They meander along the twists and turns that the park has to offer. She notes that Kate looks well, as does Lucky. She looks the same. Her luscious brown hair that always captivated Yelena flows down her back. Yelena can’t help but admire how she manages to look like a model in the likes of a pair of jeans and a jumper. She notices Kate’s every movement, how she twirls her gold thumb ring, or how she taps her foot subtly, possibly subconsciously, to the beat of the music that echoes around the parks thanks to the resident DJs.
As they begin to near the exit of the park, Kate receives a call. She stops. And proceeds to stands awkwardly almost as if begging herself not to say something as awkward as she looks in that moment. She answers and leaves Lucky to play in the leaves. She looks happy, she laughs and chuckles during the entirety of the call. Yelena manages to creep close enough to listen in. It’s a girl.
The weight of 100 unanswered questions settled in Yelena's gut. She surprised herself, not having expected to feel this way. Kate is gorgeous and kind. Why wouldn't she be dating or in a relationship? Still, she felt as though there was a connection between them and thought Kate had felt it too. Wasn't there an unspoken agreement?
Downcast, she follows Kate home to what she believes is her building. It looks Expensive. 'Finally!' she thinks. Kate's old apartment was repulsive. With Eleanor being imprisoned, all her assets were given to Kate, and with Bishop security collapsing and being sold for scrap; didn't that make Kate a billionaire or something? Yelena concludes Kate Bishop can still do better. She will investigate records tomorrow to find Kate's flat. For now, she wants to process what she has heard. Deep in thought, her legs carry her to the hotel the client provided without thinking. After sweeping the room for threats, as was the routine. She collapses onto bed and thoughts swarm around her mind. She folds herself into the sheets. 'Egyptian cotton?' 'Not as much of a shit hole as I thought this place would be'. Yelena finds herself drifting off much sooner than she thought she would. Maybe Bishop has lulled her into that false sense of security she dreaded after all.