On the whiteboard, someone has written in tidy handwriting:

WELCOME TO MEDIA TRAINING: VOLUME 1

Below it, a list of bullet points:

Eye contact. Smile. Don't curse. Answer the question you WANT to answer.

A tray of sad-looking pastries sits untouched on the central table. Coffee grows cold in paper cups.

The team is scattered around the room in various states of attention. Yelena is leaned back in her chair, feet propped up on the table, tossing a butter knife and catching it with lazy precision. Bob is beside the window, staring out at the city with an expression that could be deep thought or could be a thousand-yard stare. Alexei is perched on the edge of his seat like a grandfather forced to attend a seminar, arms crossed, looking deeply unimpressed. Bucky is standing near the door, arms also crossed, but with the focused air of a man used to briefings. John Walker is directly in front of the whiteboard, tapping a dry-erase marker against his palm.