Couldn't Get to You.

James glanced back at the dog once he was sat in the passengers seat, rather anxiously pulling his sleeve down to completely cover his arm. It really was a risk to get into a strangers car. Sure, he could protect himself without any problem... But he didn't know what his current situation was; who was looking for him? How were they planning on finding him? He couldn't bring himself to trust anyone... Not when he was at such a risk. He was responsible for various assassinations. They had told him so much after the last wipe, told him exactly who they wanted him to be. There were probably various world forces out to arrest him, and anyone could have been one of them. The most obvious feature, his arm, would more than likely be the one that gave him away. "Kind of." He mumbled, straightening in his seat. He was already regretting his decision to get in the car, and they weren't even moving yet.

"Well, he's beautiful." Clara told him, the smile still on her face. It almost felt forced though. It was practically killing her, having him not remember or recognize her. There were so many words right at the tip of her tongue that she had to hold back. She was just glad that he was okay. After seeing the destruction that had occurred at the Triskelion, she'd been sick with worry. But he was obviously okay, and she was relieved that she'd found him before he'd gotten too far out of the district. "Where're you headed?" She asked curiously as she pulled back onto the freeway.

The dreaded question, and one that he didn't have an answer to... He didn't know where he was going, or even where to start. His entire life had been one big game to Hydra, they destroyed and rebuilt it as they wished, and it left him feeling confused and uncomfortable in his own skin. James' had no information on Hydra, where the officers had gone, where to find them... It was all one big messy aftermath of the Triskelion. He didn't even know where Captain America was. He'd gone from being one of the most power and influential soldiers in history, to a confused, scared, and vengeful man. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, part of him hoping that the conversation would soon die out. There was still something oddly comforting about her voice, as though he had heard it before... But it had the opposite effect on him, adding to his confusion. There was a sense of home, and safety... and betrayal. "Anywhere but here."

The conversation was already beginning to die out. Things seemed to be slightly awkward now, and that was something that Clara hated. It certainly felt like her very first interaction with James back when she'd first been given that assignment. They rarely talked, and even smalltalk was pretty painful. Before she'd been forced to wipe him, there wasn't very much conversation, but the silence had become a comfortable one. Now it was tense and heavy, extremely noticeable, and she just hated it. She nodded slowly, her eyes trained on the road. "Fair enough." She said. "I'm Clara by the way."

Names were another thing that alluded him. How far Hydra had gone into his head, and rewired him, it left him more confused than he'd ever been. He didn't know what his name was, what he used to go by... How did he even know 'Bucky' was real? The extent of distrust stretched beyond belief. Her name weighed heavy on his mind, tugging at his chest somehow. He couldn't quite piece things together just yet, his sense of betrayal and disgust overwhelming his curiosity and sense. "...Bucky." He breathed out, as though he was testing how it felt to say the name.

The name caught Clara completely off guard. She was sort of surprised that she hadn't jammed on her breaks or done something equally as noticeable and embarrassing. "Bucky...that's a rather interesting name. Is it a nickname of sorts?" She asked. She didn't really know what she was doing. Maybe she was testing the waters, trying to see what he remembered and what he didn't, but if he remembered her, he would have said something, right? Right. There would have been some sort of recognition in his eyes.

It was at that point that James was tempted to just shut down, to block her out and maybe get some sleep. Rest had been scarce since he started moving... It was often under bridges, or in the woods, his rucksack as a pillow and the dog as some sort of guard. He always slept with one hand tucked under the rucksack, a combat knife firmly in his grasp. It was no way to live, yet it was far more free than he'd ever been under Hydra's order. "Yeah." He replied shortly, eyes fixed on the traffic beside them as they headed down the highway.

And, just like that, the conversation was over. Clara could tell that he really didn't want to talk, it didn't take rocket science to pick up on that, so she nodded wordlessly and gave her full attention to the road ahead. And it was more or less silent for a couple of hours, the distance between them and the district growing more and more with every passing minute. And Clara had honestly lost track of time. She only realized that it must've been getting late when the setting sun caused her to pull her sun visor down. "Are you hungry?"

There had been a few moments throughout the journey in which James had stolen glances at Clara, but fleeting glances often strayed to almost staring. He wasn't trying to weird her out, or make her feel uncomfortable... He was just trying to place her. He felt more safe in the car, with a woman he supposedly didn't know, than he had done out on the road by himself... It sounded logical, but it still threw him through a loop. Why did he feel so safe, and calm with her? When Clara finally decided to break the silence, James had his head pressed against the car window, eyes lightly shut as he'd drifted in and out of periods of sleep throughout the journey. It was light enough sleep for him to spring into action, which meant he could still hear everything said, and feel every bump in the road. "Starving..."

[Double post...]

[Triple...post.... ]

Clara could feel his eyes on her several times over in those hours of silence. On occasion, she would glance over, and they'd make eye contact for a couple of seconds before the other looked away. It seemed as though he was trying to figure her out. Maybe she was at least somewhat familiar to him? She knew better than to get her hopes up though. She didn't want to think that only to find out that she was a complete stranger to him and that nothing about her had registered with him as familiar. Not that she was going to ask him or anything like that. She needed to get him to trust her again, and if she asked questions like that, he'd probably only get suspicious and weirded out. "There should be a diner around here somewhere..." She said as she got off at the next exit. Since it was getting late, she figured they could grab a bite to eat and then stay at a motel or something for the night.

It had been a long time since James had actually sat down and had a good meal to eat, even when he was at Hydra... They kept him alive, but made it no luxury for him. The aspect of actually having something decent to eat was quite an exciting one, especially when it meant he wouldn't have to split scraps with the dog. He shifted to sit upright in his seat, finally opening his tired eyes. "So long as they let the dog in," He mumbled. It really had become habit for him that wherever he went, the dog went. There was very little time spent not in each others company, and it wasn't going to start now. He didn't think it was fair either for him to go and eat, and just leave the dog in the car with no company, food, or water.

Clara nodded. "If not, we can get takeout or something." She told him, her eyes still trained on the road ahead. It seemed as though he'd formed some sort of a bond with this dog, and she wondered how long he'd been traveling with it. The fiasco at the Triskelion had been a few weeks ago, a few weeks of sheer torture for her seeing as she hadn't known where James was, and thing had just been sort of strange for her. She'd done her best to stay out of the public eye, keeping to herself and only going out when she needed to, and once she had all of the information that she needed, she'd decided it was time that she hightailed it out of the district. The farther away from it she was, the better.

In all honesty, if the dog wasn't allowed in the diner, James would probably have taken it in anyway. He wasn't really ever in the mood to argue, and he was intimidating enough to shut down arguments or complaints before they even happened. "Diner sounds good," He wanted to experience things he'd never done before... Including the not so pleasant things, such as greasy roadside diners or run down motels. He just had an inexplicable desire to feel human, even if it meant starting from the bottom and working his way up. On the plus side, people were less likely to look for him in those sorts of places... No one would expect a super soldier to be hiding out in dingy motel rooms. Especially not in the company of a woman, or an animal. The more normal he could make himself look, the further he could remove himself from the reputation of the Winter Soldier, the better of he would be. Especially now that this woman, whoever she was, was at risk by even being near him.

Clara nodded. "Alright." She didn't say much of anything else after that. Not until she located a diner and pulled into a vacant parking spot. He was different now. Maybe it was because he remember some things that he hadn't been able to remember before. Maybe it was because he didn't remember her at all, she didn't really know, but he was just different now. But she wasn't going to let that stop her. She was still going to help him just as she'd promised him before. Maybe it was silly considering he didn't remember her making that promise, but she didn't care. She'd made that promise, and she wasn't about to break it now. "Do you want me to check and see if they'll let the dog in?"

Once they were in the parking lot, James took a long hard look at the diner. It seemed like a friendly enough place, the people inside seemed to be minding their own business. Most importantly, it looked quiet. Perhaps a few truck drivers, but no one who looked like they would know who he was, and what he'd done. He was running away from his past, but at the same time, diving in in order to find his future. It was a conflict, but he didn't want the hassle of someone thinking they knew him, "They'll let the dog in." He sounded certain as he spoke, soon getting out of the car and moving around to open the back passenger door so he could get his bag. The dog happily jumped out, barking up at James just the once.

The diner seemed to be like any other diner one might find just off the highway. There were probably at least a dozen other ones nearly identical to it within a five mile radius. She nodded wordlessly in response to his words. She wasn't about to argue with him, and he seemed to be rather certain about the whole thing. She doubted that the people in the diner would give them a hard time about bringing the dog inside, and if by some odd chance they did, she was sure that they could figure something out. "You can leave that in the car if you'd like." She said, noticing how he he'd grabbed his bag from the backseat as he let the dog out of the car.

"Thanks," James murmured as he slung the bag over his shoulder, "But I'd rather take it with me." The rucksack barely contained anything. He was certain a few stray stolen dollar bills were shoved into one of the pockets, and the clothing he'd been wearing following the Triskelion incident. It wasn't all that heavy for him, at all... And he'd rather have kept his things close in case he decided to part ways at some point. He was almost certain at this point that this situation he had with Clara wasn't permanent. He needed to keep moving, and he didn't know where she was going... As soon as he had a lead on Hydra, he would follow it... He just hoped at this point he wasn't too far out. James was silent once more as he headed towards the diner. He certainly didn't intend to be cold towards someone who was offering some sort of help, but truth be told, he couldn't trust anyone. Telling her too much would put himself at risk, and possibly her as well. The lack of trust, and James' lack of human interaction through what days he could remember made it hard for him to talk to anyone, let alone a woman he believed he'd never met before.

Clara nodded. "Alright." She wasn't going to argue with him, and she wasn't about to ask any questions either. She was a completely stranger to him, and she knew that she needed to rebuild the trust that she knew he'd once had in her. Something told her that it would take just as much time, if not more, to gain his trust once more. And she hoped that they'd be together long enough for that to even be possible. She didn't know where he was planning on going, or what he was planning on doing for that matter, but she hoped that he'd let her help him. Maybe she'd have to explain herself at some point later on, because she was sure he'd wonder why she wanted to help him, but it would be worth it. If she spent more time with him, she had more opportunities to help him to remember.