"Hey, Kirsten's told me to touch grass in the past when I start arguing. Now I can tell her that I did, and see whether it lives up to the hype," Matt joked in return. He nudged Kate, then happily let her take his arm as they strolled through the garden and fields over to the donkeys. With his other hand he let it brush against some branches and leaves, enjoying the feeling of the greenery beneath his fingertips. To answer her question he simply said, "Training, mostly. Stick taught me how to use my senses. To hone them to pick apart the world around me, and see how it all blended together." If Lantom had given words to what tapestry in which the world was woven, Stick had given Matt the tools to understand those threads in a way that few could. "Only, Stick never would have cared about something like this."

For him, it had always come back to the mission.

Listening to Kate tell about what she and Clint had caught up about, he gave a little nod. "Yeah, I wasn't paying attention to what you all were saying." He was able to focus on single conversations, and his attention had been on Laura. He'd wanted to give Kate some privacy. He rubbed her arm a little as she mentioned father's day. "I hope he had a good one." A beat. "I know the day was tough for you. I'm sorry."