RIDDLE ME THIS [o, joining]

[buckingham barnes]

Buckingham couldn't help it but frown ever so slightly Edward reached out to Monroe, touching their gills. Bucky could see the tension in Monroe's shoulders, as the Goldenblood took a couple steps backwards. While Monroe certainly doesn't look like the ordinary cat, that doesn't mean Edward should try to touch him! It was a violation of privacy, no matter how intrigued Edward was by him, he should have kept his weird hands off of Monroe. When Edward turned his attention onto the former assassin, the male wondered if they were going to attempt to touch his leg. Bucky had quick reflexes, he'd certainly make sure to back out of way before Edward's hands could make contact with his cold metal limb.

After the ape scanned him momentarily, Bucky felt a sense of relief when Edward didn't do anything. Maybe something about Bucky's demeanor told Edward to back off. He watched the ape get onto it's hind legs, reaching one of his forelimbs to their head. Bucky wasn't sure what they were going to do, but it seemed to leave them puzzled, embarrassed. It didn't take long for Edward to focus onto Monroe, and hold one finger up. Edward asked a question, one specifically towards Monroe, which yet again was in the form of a riddle.

While the riddle wasn't directed at him, he still thought about the answer. Bucky has heard that riddle before, so it wasn't unfamiliar or that hard to solve. Like Monroe guessed, Buckingham thought of a name as an answer. Edward had a strange way to speaking, and he wasn't sure what he really thinks of it. Why didn't Edward just introduce himself to them, rather than speaking that way? The two of them already introduced themselves to the ape, it seemed strange that Edward seemingly avoided giving his out without making them think about it first.

When Edward focused on him again, with two fingers raised this time, the riddle Bucky received didn't sound as easy as the first one. "I can be a man or a thing, a mystery, living or dead, sometimes right in front of you. What am I?" The riddle sounded a bit confusing, almost vague- no matter how deeply he went through his skull for an answer, the former assassin couldn't think of anything. It almost made him feel stupid, as clearly there's an answer to this- he just can't find it. "I don't know," Buckingham sighed, hoping Edward would either tell the answer, or at least point him in the right direction.