3972/Further Assessment

Further Assessment
Date of Scene:	26 February 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Clint and Skye get to know Vicky.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake, Mon-El, Redstar

---

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The meeting had been set in a flurry of texts between Clint and Mon-El, a chance for a casual sit down with Vicky and review her status on the SHIELD Index. There was no shady spy shit, no team of armed SHIELD agents lurking in the shadows, just Clint and Skye at the pizza place at the appointed time. He'd let Mon-El know Skye would be there, of course. These sorts of meetings went best when there were no surprises.

Clint has a couple of slices, and a beer and is sitting at the back of the restaurant. "Hopefully, this should go smoothly, Lar's a good guy, and both Lar and Nat have vouched for this Vicky girl, so basically we just need to make sure all that passes our bullshit detectors and then make our recommendation up to Fury about her status. As Field Agent gigs go, these can be pretty easy," he explains to Skye.

Quake has posed:
Skye works on her first piece of pizza, mumbling words around her chewing. "Right. So what is it I'm doing again?" This whole Field Agent thing was new, even if she'd just done a two month stint undercover. "Just shut up and listen? Or?"

She really wasn't sure. As it happened, a lot of people wanted explanations for what she'd done while undercover - as though she, herself, had been responsible for the whole Rising Tide mess that had goneon worldwide.

So far Skye was weathering the attitudes thrown her way well, but it was strating to become wearing.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar has been talking about introducing Vicky to his friend Clint for a while, and now that the whole Rising Tide mess is over with they've finally found a time to grab some pizza together. So he takes the teenaged half-demon to Gino's to do just that. Of course, he hasn't told her she's actually meeting with none other than the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage and Logistics Division, but maybe she's already figured that out anyway.

    Vicky had taken some...coaxing when it came to entering a public place, but he ensured her that his friends would be expecting to see her in particular. When he finally arrives, he nods toward Skye. "You must be Skye." he says with a smile, then motions toward Vicky. "Vicky, this is Clint."

Redstar has posed:
"Everyone is gonna stare," Vicky groans a bit, but she still followed the Daxamite. There is a little annoyance rather than nervouseness as she glances at the staff. Sure she gets eyed, but for the moment that seems to be it. But those gazes itch and she hurries to the table Lar is.

For the moment there was no silent commentary. The demoness had been knocked silly, for once, only an hour earlier. In fact Vicky's back still ached from where a tree had slammed into her. Glancing sideways at Lar she says softly, "They're not gonna serve me." At least she is pretty sure. She could be proven wrong.

"Hi," She says with a vague smile. Not nervous, but certain reserved would be a good word. "Nice to meet you."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint takes a bite of his own pizza. "Right, like I'd ask you to shut up, I know better," Clint teases lightly. "We're all here to chat basically, get a feel for Vicky and if she's the threat the Index file says she is," Clint says. "So, ask questions, probe, be a hacker about it. As well, sort of going to be looking to you for any questions about the leak."

"Good with that?" he asks.

When Mon-El and Vicky arrives Clint stands, smiles, extends a hand to each of them in turn. "Lar's right, I'm Clint, this is Skye, we're from SHIELD. Anyhow, help yourself to some pizza, it's on SHIELD, and we can get chatting."

Quake has posed:
Skye crinkles her nose at Clint. "I do not talk that much." Though he's probably meaning the fact that she didn't take well to being told not to do things. It usually didn't go well.

She doesn't have long to fuss, though, before they're joined by the folks Clint said that they were meeting. Each is regarded and nodded to. "Uh, hi, yeah. Skye." She gives an apologetic grin to them both. She's more than aware that she's a visible reminder of all that recently went down.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar nods and grins, sitting down and helping himself to the pizza. "So are you the girl Clint was talking about earlier? You know the one who shot him? I take it you guys reconciled or something?"

Redstar has posed:
Vicky shoots Lar a 'look' before turning back with a nice enough smile for Clint. "Thanks," She says as she eyes the chairs. One is flipped, opposite Skye, and she straddles the chair. There is nothing, though, that can quiet a growing teenager's hungry stomach. And she looks a little embarassed at the growl that emerges.

"Heh, thanks," She quickly snags a slice from the pie. For the moment her inner guard is down. With the demon out it was blessedly calm and her thoughts unhindered by her commentary. But still she shifts as other customers stare, or try not too.

The teenager glances between Skye and Clint. The wings are folded tight as they can against her body, but sitting down the trail on the ground. They are really the most obviously menacing thing about her with the sharp claws that protrude from the tips and 'thumb'. Her hair and eyes also make her stand out. Most people down't have hair with such regular bands of black weaving through the crimson red hair and her ice blue eyes are sharp contract. No wonder public places make her nervous.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint grins lopsided, "Have you met you?" he asks. "And you know what I meant. The surest way to get you to do something is to tell you not to," he says.

As for the new arrivals, Clint had seen the pics and video of Vicky from her file, thanks to the Rising Tide, most had by this point, so he was prepared for the strangeness of her appearance. "Dig in," he encourages as Vicky reaches for the pie. Lar's question earns a grin and a look Skye's direction, as he explains. "I may have talked about you a bit."

Then, Clint's attention is back on Vicky. "So, thanks for coming to this, I can imagine you're nervous, but as I am sure Lar can confirm, there's no teams lurking to take you away, we're just hear to chat and get a feel for what you're about. From what we've heard, it sounds like the Index had things wrong."

Quake has posed:
Clint gets a last second tongue sticking out from Skye - even if it's not professional. Yeah, he's got her pegged. 'Don't' roughly translates into a "To Do" list for Skye. It really was generally better to not tell her not to do things. She didn't tend to take it all that well.

For her part, Skye had seen all the Index Files before, during, and after their release. She wasn't so much surprised at Vicky's appearance as intrigued.

"You talked with them about me?" This was news.

At the moment she's quiet, letting the others speak. Feeling out what she may or may not have to add to the conversation before she speaks. That, and she was supposed to be learning.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar just gives Vicky a 'what' look right back, before turning to Skye with raised eyebrows as she does not answer his question directly. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then? So, what's the story with that, anyway?" he asks, genuinely interested. "Well, never mind for now. I'll let you get on with the uh, interview first." He nods toward Vicky, letting questions get answered first.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky raises a brow slightly as Clint mentions nerves, "Not really. I can't be nervous. Or scared," She says with a shrug of her shoulder and smirk. "But suspicious? Yes, that." The pizza is quickly disappearing, but she pauses to glance at a server who goes by.

As he tries to avoid her gaze, ignoring her or trying too, she looks resigned. When he passes back towards the front she calls, "HEY!" It's hard to ignore that and he jumps. Vicky sighs and just looks a little put out. At least she could order at the diner in mutant town without issue. "Can I get a coke, please?" She tells the wide-eyed serve.

"So...how do you think they got things wrong?" Vicky asks as she reaches for a second slice. "I'll say -your- file is wrong. I'm not crazy."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint smiles at the stuck out tongue. "Way to be pro, Miss New Field Agent," Clint teases before quieting down as Vicky and Lar approached.

When asked if he talked about her, he nods, "Just was givng Lar here some relationship advice, you might have come up." Of course that was back when Clint had to pretend Skye had betrayed him.

Back to Vicky, "Not getting nervous or scared's a nice perk," he remarks around a bite of his pizza. Clint gives, Joe, the serve a nod, and a shooing motion, to tell him to get on to it. "Sorry, about that," he says as he turns back to Vicky. "And okay, let's start there, so what is the deal then, this other personality you mentioned, is she real then?"

Quake has posed:
Skye's eyes roll, but since they've got company she doesn't actually get to retaliate.

"Yeah, that was me," she tells Mon-El. "I was breaking out of my place of work. Long story short, I was undercover and it had to look good." Even if her initial take on the matter - not telling Clint - had been a wrong call. She knew better now. "And yeah, we're good him and I." Her fond look for the tall, blonde, archer says fathoms.

She adds a, "Sorry about what happened to you," towards Vicky. Skye wasn't personally responsible for that, but she could accept the mission had hurt others. Including the girl in front of her.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar nods, listening to Skye's explanation. "Undercover, huh? Interesting. Well, I'm glad you two made up, then. And glad the Rising Tide was brought to justice. I'd be happy to hear more about it some time." He picks up more of the pizza and starts digging in, content to allow the focus to go back to Vicky.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky glances sideways at Lar when Clint asks if she is real. There is wry amusement in her eyes as she takes a napkin and wipes her mouth. "She is very real. And is no personality. She is a demon. A demon princess, actually," Vicky rolls her eyes at that and takes a bite of her slice.

There is a stirring in the back reaches of Vicky's mind. Subtle at the moment and nothing for the young woman to note. She's eating and thinking hard as she watches the two SHIELD agents. But sometimes speaking of the devil...

Skye is given a confused look. "Why sorry? It's not like you did anything. It was all that Rising Tide's fault," She says and then actually is pleasantly surprised when the coke is brought back. Though it has ice the moment she touches the cup it becomes a little more frosty, setting off a puff of frosty fizz, like when opening a freezer. She takes a long drink. Then Lar speaks and it makes her frown and look from him to Skye. "Wait...I'm missing a clue here."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint catches the look Skye gives him and returns it. These two, right?

"A demon princess?" Clint asks, wondering if he shouldn't have tagged Strange in on this. "How'd she end up inside of your head? And does she take control? Or is she just a passenger?" he asks, leaning on the table, trying to get a read on Vicky, despite the demon wings and such, she sounded more and more like a psych case.

As for the rest? Clint let's Skye field it, though he does aside to Lar. "How'd it go with your girl?"

Quake has posed:
Skye shrugs. She knew she was still thought by many to be a wanted terrorist. Just another reason having Clint wandering about with her was a good idea - less questions, or having to call Fury with her one alloted phonecall.

"Yeah. It was a mission." There were still a lot of things about it she couldn't say, but she could tell Vicky, "Well, it might have been their fault, but I was working with them while it all went down. Some folks don't actually see the difference between my letting things happen, and my actively working for them." It /was/ a fine line of distinction.

"And uh.. Clint and I are a couple." Skye can't help but have a moment of amusement for the fact of the ribbing Clint must have taken with her shooting him. The whole 'that's some mating ritual' jibes probably had started up the moment ffolks in SHIELD learned she wasn't a traitor.

Mon-El has posed:
    "She is...reluctant to trust SHIELD, but she trusts me." Lar replies to Clint's question. "Which means she trusts my judgment. She will come around, I think, once she has had a chance to meet you, dude." he smiles at his friend. "She might have had some bad experiences with people like you before, that's all."

    He nods at Skye's explanation. "I can see that, but in the end they were brought to justice, right? That's what matters most. Besides, the leak wasn't -all- bad, was it? After all," he winks and grins at Clint. "It -was- what brought us together wasn't it?"

Redstar has posed:
Vicky's wings shift slightly as she does in her seat. "She...can take control. And does," She says with a slow nod. "The video that got posted? That was her with the red skin and such. It's obvious when we switch." She at least has a human face, Starr does not. "Lar has met Starr. She's...well, a demon," And she shrugs a shoulder.

That presence wakens quietly, slowly, as her name is called again. Yet she uncoils in such a way as to not rouse Vicky to her awareness and senses returning. Instead she waits, like a trapdoor spider, ready to pounce.

When Lar comments about bad experiences she chuckles, "I can relate," She mutters before sipping from her drink. "You know what is funny? Mental illness used to be attributed to demons. Now we know a lot of it was hooey. But the one time it -is-..." She shrugs a shoulder and smirks, glancing between the two agents. "So...ask questions I guess. I'll do my best to answer."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint nods to Lar, "We'll have to arrange that," he says of meeting Lar's girl. He shakes his head at the rest though, "Sure, if you want to phrase it that way," he says with a grin and a shake of his head. He just knows Skye is going to have a field day with that.

Clint smiles at Vicky's attempt at a joke. "Ironic right?" he says, before he takes a bite of his pizza. "So, right, the change is pretty easy to spot. Did you mention, how she ended up in your head? I am not sure if I asked," he did, but it was always good to play things nice in situations like this. "Also, this goes to you too Lar, what's Starr like?" he asks the two of them.

Quake has posed:
Skye rolls her eyes at Mon-El and Clint, "Do you two need a room?"

As for the rest, she's pretty sure there are bits of the conversation she's missing. And is reminded that she is mostly here to listen. For once settling back and doing what she's told. For now.

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar peers at Skye, confused at her comment. He tries to make sense of it, but it just doesn't click. "Uhm...no? There is definitely plenty of space in this particular room." he says, gesturing around at the interior of the restaurant. "Unless Clint has plans to somehow become much, much larger very quickly."

    He sighs at the question about Starr. "She's well...she's pretty terrible, although maybe not as bad as she could be. Vicky certainly knows her better than I do, though."

Redstar has posed:
Vicky snorts in a bit of mirth at Skye's comment but she resumes being fairly serious as Clint's question. "Oh..that...yeah. Well, that actually goes back to before I was born," She says and shifts in her seat. She folds her arms across the back of the chair and rests her chin on them.

"Starr is several centuries old, near as I can tell. Sataanish created her...I dunno. Somehow," She starts to speak and she lowers her voice as she does. Stirring her drink with the straw idly with one hand she continues, "Sataanish has a cult here on Earth. A centuries long cult as far as I know. They had a...uh...volunteer. Rituals and...stuff and I was conceived. Or rather...we both were. Her soul was seeded in right next to mine via magic..." She takes a sip of her drink, palate suddenly dry.

"By all rights I shouldn't actually exist. According to what I was led to understand...my soul was supposed to be her first meal the moment we were born," Vicky shifts after in her seat and grows quiet for a moment.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye's shoulder gets a swat, before Clint bursts out laughing at Lar's reply. "She means-" he can't finish it, and says instead, "That's not what she was getting at," he leaves it at that. Where was Darcy when you needed someone for a blunt explanation of something like this?

"So, something screwed up the mojo and you ended up split between Starr and you?" he asks, following the broad strokes if not being up on the how all of this was possible. "And that split, it's fairly stable? Hasn't shifted one way or the other from what you can remember?"

Quake has posed:
Skye looks ever so smug when Clint swats her shoulder. Totally an 'I win' look upon her face.

She doesn't say anything, though, sitting back and listening to Vicky's tale, while working away at her slice of pizza. Yeah, Darcy would have had a field day with that.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky's face is a little grim as Clint asks his question. "No. It isn't stable. For most of our life I had total control. She could yell and scream and push, but never break through. Age fourteen she broke through. That was when my parents were taking me to that institution," She says and licks her lips, looking up at Clint now.

"At that point for the next...nearly four years they kept me mildly drugged. It made it harder to resist, but harder for her to really do anything. I spent most of that time in a straight jacket..." Her face darken a little more and her eyes drop again. She reaches out and snags a piece of pepperoni off the pizza. "Anyway...recently...recently Sataanish found us again. He used magic and shackled my mind, and Starr was fully in control. Since then I've...had a hard time maintaining control when she wants it."

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar just stares at Clint, confused. "I...didn't think so, but I wasn't sure what else it could possibly mean." he admits. Right, he'll have to ask someone else later, it seems, since no one appears to want to explain it to him right now. Maybe Kara.

    Then he frowns at Vicky's story, not having heard that particular part yet. "So why was it that she wasn't able to or didn't want to eat you when you were born? I mean, is there something keeping her from doing that even now?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint rolls his eyes at the 'I win' face, though he does so while grinning.

Lar's stare is met with an innocent look and Clint sipping his beer. "Don't worry about it," he says.

What he does worry about is Vicky. "What, Lar said," Clint says. "And is there anything you know of that can reverse what the cult did?" he asks.

Quake has posed:
Skye pretends she can't see Clint rolling his eyes. It's all part of the win. She figures he'll make her pay later. And that, too, is all part of the win. However, Vicky's story she's heard none of, and really, it's her first experience with a story of this kind. "So, they really wanted a demon? Like set out to make you one? Who does that anyway?" Like no sane person ever, in her opinion.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky nods to Mon-El as she stirs her drink, recooling it to perfect crispy coolness once more. "That is a good question. I didn't start actually hearing her since I was, oh, four. And then I just...I thought it was a monster as any four year old would. Because she would say nasty things, try to get me to do bad things, stuff like that. But she was all whispers then. I think what happened is she wasn't awoken at birth by some ritual, so she couldn't. And a body isn't meant to contain two souls at once...and her being passive and asleep and me being an innocent with no idea our souls merged. So it's kind of like...siamese souls. There's no separating us. What keeps her from devouring me? I guess because it would kill her. I don't know..."

Clint's question makes her sigh and shake her head. "No. We're like those siamese that are so...interwoven you take one away you kill the other. Starr says if this body ever dies I get to go to hell with her. Yay," Her voice is dry and far from happy. She takes a long drink of her coke, almost draining the cup. "The Cult of Sataanish does." In answer to Skye's question. "The whole point was to have a demon born into this world. So she is native to both hell and Earth. It makes her a natural anchor point for a bridge between the two. Without us the power required to open a gate is massive and only one demon at a time could pass through any gate."

Mon-El has posed:
    "So something went wrong with the ritual I take it?" Lar asks. "Since it doesn't sound like she was supposed to kill herself by devouring you?" he puts a hand on Vicky's shoulder when she says there is no way to separate them. "Don't say that. Nothing is completely impossible. Difficult, maybe. But I'm sure there is a way. It's just a matter of finding it."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
The back and forth between him and Skye has Clint smiling faintly before they get to the business of Vicky again. Nodding at Skye's questions, he listens as Vicky gives answers. He gives her a sympathetic look, "That seriously sucks," he says about the whole bound together situation and that if one dies the other dies with it. It may just be the understatement of the year, but hey, magic was hard to process at the best of times. "And these guys that wanted a demon? They still around and what do they call themselves?"

He does nod in support of Lar. "Yeah, never say never, I've seen too many weird things in my life to write off any possibility. Indeed, I'd like to help you with that, I know some people that know way more about magic than I do, with your permission, I'd like to reach out to them and see if we can maybe help."

Quake has posed:
Skye nods, frowning. "So she was supposed to destroy yoru soul, leaving you body as a gateway? Wow, that's pretty sick." Putting things into perspective, that made what SHIELD had done to her seem like small potatoes.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky glances aside at Mon-El at his attempt to make her feel better. "The Sons of Sataanish. And that things in Times Square? That was...the gate. I don't know how many demons got through and successfully possessed people," She says slowly. At Clint's offer of help she flashes a smile. "Sure. I guess."

"My...birth mother was on the way to wherever I was to be born. There was an accident. She lived long enough to get to the hospital and they did a cesarean. I went into the foster system because my mother had no identification and the car was completely scrapped. They were hiding hard," Vicky says and licks her lips. "So basically, yeah. It's pretty sick. For a little while...after I visited the Xavier school, things were okay. We actually had an understanding. She wasn't...pleasant, but she wasn't being as horrible as she could be. And...see...until Sataanish found us she didn't remember being a demon either."

Mon-El has posed:
    "From what I understand, she still isn't as horrible as she could be." Lar remarks with a smirk. He nods when Clint agrees. "It's worth a try, at least. Who knows, maybe someone will find a way."

    "Speaking of helping," He turns back toward Clint. "Have you spoken to your boss or whoever's in charge about the amnesia thing? I hope now that this Rising Tide business is over, you've at least got some ideas?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint takes out his phone and makes a note of the name of the group. Sons of Sataanish. Note taken he puts away the phone. He definitely had to agree with Skye though, what was done to Vicky was pretty sick. "I am sorry that happened to you," he says. "And we'll get you that help." Not to mention he was going to make sure that the rest of SHIELD knew about this cult and the demons that got away.

The phone comes out to make a couple of more notes, mostly about Starr forgetting she was a demon. That seemed the easiest fix he could think of, but he was no magician.

"While we sort that out though, if you're willing to work with us and get things back into balance, we can recommend adjusting your status on the Index, take care of that pressure, also, do you still have the phone our agent gave you at the Super Bowl?"

Lar's question is met with a nod, "Yeah, our brain trust is just taking care of a couple last things with the net, but once they're done we'll get you in to see if we can get your memories back, and as promised, your girl can come too, to make sure we're not making any clone armies." That last is said with a smile.

Redstar has posed:
Vicky pulls out the phone from her fanny pack, "I do. And...yes I am willing to take the help. I'm trying to do everything I can to keep her in check. See...magic..." There is a pause. "It works on us well. Very well. I don't know how bad, but I know the spell Ares put on us isn't going to break on its own."

The conscious known as Starr makes her presence known now. ~Well, it's so good to know how you really feel, pet. Trying to get rid of me like always. Things will never change,~ The darkness at the back of her conscious growls. It makes Vicky suddenly start, spilling her coke all over the table.

"Shit," She touches it and the liquid instantly freezes before it spreads further. Now she is scowling darkly as she picks up the cup of frozen coke. The pits that had spilled are cracked off and dropped back into the cup. "Sorry..."

Mon-El has posed:
    Lar frowns as Vicky jumps suddenly. He was going to try to catch the glass before it fell over but decided against it since that was more likely to make a mess of not only the coke but also the glass. Yeah, he'll stick with just the drink spilling instead.

    He chuckles as she apologizes. "Now you know how I feel." he jokes, trying to lighten the mood at least a little bit.

    Then he nods to Clint. "Thanks." he grins. "And I'll let Kara know. It should at least put her worries to rest. I hope." He stands up. "Well, I'd best get going for now. It was great meeting you Skye."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Great," Clint says about Vicky still having the phone. "I'll hit up my contacts on the mystic side and give you a call on that to set up our next meeting," he nods to the phone then. When Vicky startles, Clint reaches for the glass, but misses it by a fraction of a second. "Damn," he says before saying a much more emphatic, and different sort of "Damn" when the coke is frozen in place. He glances back to Skye, to check if she saw all that too, then bends down to help Vicky pick up the iced beverage. "Anyhow, we'll get you some help as soon as we can, just keep that phone close okay?" he says before giving a nod to Lar.

"Good, hit me up the usual way, and the both of you stay safe, huh?" he says as he stands up to show them out.